.338 remington ultra mag

well i finally shot my 338 rum. shot it 5 times and its right on. OUCH. kidding but it does have a little punch to it. Now to replace those 5 rounds its like $25 can you say ouch again. I liked it and now i'm ready for the ??????? well there nothing really here in NH that needs that much gun, but then again there are no degrees of dead.

[BruceBruce1959]

Yes but sometimes it's also nice to know that when you Aim and Pull, they get hit and go down...

[minnesotaminuteman]

there are always those who seem to think bigger is better. those that buy the big canon figure out it is practically worthless in the field! when it comes to a good deer rifle, less is more.

bullets for those kind of guns are made for cxp3 and 4(thick skin heavy frame) game and fail to expands properly.

if there is such a thing as too dead it was wasted on the terrain behind the deer after the round failed to expand and sailed right threw like a full metal jacket, that is providing you even hit the target under all that recoil from a field position or unsupported rest. now, does that mean its not going to kill a deer? sure it will, but why put yourself at a disadvantage if you dont have to?

kind of overboard for a deer if you ask me.

just my 2 cents

[BruceBruce1959]

Originally Posted by ronn

well there nothing really here in NH that needs that much gun, but then again there are no degrees of dead.

Yeah It is a large Caliber choice for the typical New Hampshire hunter and he never said it was chosen for deer but Ronn's ready for anthing now even the X-Large game.

do moose and bear fall in that thick skin heavy frame category? Most folks only notice recoil on the range, not while shooting at game. That said yeah there is no real need for a gun that heavy hitting for deer and probably not moose or bear either. unless thats what a guy wants to use. the 243 is a great caliber. I use a couple different rifles for deer hunting. a 243, a '06, a 7mm mag, and my favorite is my .338 win mag. Its only my favorite cause it shoots so darn good or I shoot it well. depends on how you look at it. I just like rifles and have all kinds. the .338 rum is one I always wanted. Oh and its one of the best calibers for long range tack driving. Very much like the .338 lapua only you can buy ammo for it. Its all a mater of taste. a guy doesn't need a car with 800 horse power but it would be fun to take for a ride. its one of those deals. welcome to the board and jump in anytime anywhere. theres nothing better than talking hunting and shooting.

yup, if those mean wild tanks or Mack trucks start attacking i'm ready for them.

[minnesotaminuteman]

Originally Posted by ronn

do moose and bear fall in that thick skin heavy frame category? Most folks only notice recoil on the range, not while shooting at game. That said yeah there is no real need for a gun that heavy hitting for deer and probably not moose or bear either. unless thats what a guy wants to use. the 243 is a great caliber. I use a couple different rifles for deer hunting. a 243, a '06, a 7mm mag, and my favorite is my .338 win mag. Its only my favorite cause it shoots so darn good or I shoot it well. depends on how you look at it. I just like rifles and have all kinds. the .338 rum is one I always wanted. Oh and its one of the best calibers for long range tack driving. Very much like the .338 lapua only you can buy ammo for it. Its all a mater of taste. a guy doesn't need a car with 800 horse power but it would be fun to take for a ride. its one of those deals. welcome to the board and jump in anytime anywhere. theres nothing better than talking hunting and shooting.

when you say it shoots good what exactly to you mean by that? it think most people can shoot a smaller cartridge better than a larger one.

and black bear in your neck of the woods is considered cxp2. yes one could argue that moose is heavy framed but not thick skinned, which would make it cxp 3 catagory. standard cartridges work great on either moose or bear and a magnum isn't required (although one may desire the extended range).

when i think of a .338, cape buffalo and elephant come to mind thats all.

the maximum point blank range on the .338 is about 285 yds with a 250 grain bullet, about the same as a .243 win. it doesnt offer extended range for long range hunting, such as a 300. win mag mpbr(320 yds). it also doesnt offer any advantage when i comes to bullet selection, or weight(heavy and controlled expansion). for me anyways the more recoil the harder it is to shoot. such a gun must be quite heavy to help control heavy recoil. i assume you have the 26 inch barrel to retain maximun velocity, if so, said gun must be quite long. not to mention if you had to add a muzzle break?

i don't mean to offend you or anything, i am just suprised you would select a gun like this, considering the area or continent for that matter that you live/hunt the most!

now if you intend to use the gun on griz or something i could understand you wanting it for use on dangerous game where raw power would come in handy in case the hunter becomes the hunted. but for a primary or "go to" gun for deer hunting is a little hard to comprehend for a guy like me.

but if thats your choice gun stick to it, don't let me tell you what to hunt with, its totally up to you.

[minnesotaminuteman]

Originally Posted by ronn

do moose and bear fall in that thick skin heavy frame category? Most folks only notice recoil on the range, not while shooting at game. That said yeah there is no real need for a gun that heavy hitting for deer and probably not moose or bear either. unless thats what a guy wants to use. the 243 is a great caliber. I use a couple different rifles for deer hunting. a 243, a '06, a 7mm mag, and my favorite is my .338 win mag. Its only my favorite cause it shoots so darn good or I shoot it well. depends on how you look at it. I just like rifles and have all kinds. the .338 rum is one I always wanted. Oh and its one of the best calibers for long range tack driving. Very much like the .338 lapua only you can buy ammo for it. Its all a mater of taste. a guy doesn't need a car with 800 horse power but it would be fun to take for a ride. its one of those deals. welcome to the board and jump in anytime anywhere. theres nothing better than talking hunting and shooting.

dont get me wrong, i totally understand that such a rifle is awesome, no doubt. i myself would enjoy poping off a few rounds of a cannonlike that(although i couldnt afford to do it on a reg. basis LOL). it is only using it on deer that i am questioning, as well as the statement no degrees of dead. no doubt the rifle is powerfull, but not overkill in a sense that it would mangle the deer to all heck. rather that the bullets massive power will be wasted on the landscape and expand there and not in the deers vitals.

i dont want to sound like i am saying the rifle is too powerful to enjoy.

don't confuse my .338 win mag with my .338 rum. they are not even close to the same. The win mag was built for african antelope but works well on animals from deer size and up to griz but bullet choice is important when you get up there. The rum was built for long range big bear and elk. I'm saying 500 yards or more. The minimum for moose, the state of NH will tell you, is 3200 ft lbs at the muzzle.
My .338 win mag is a bored out, not rebarreled, 03-A3 with a Timeny trigger set at 2.5 lbs and a bell and carlson syn stock. it might go 10 lbs including the scope. I'm running a 225 fed vital-shok through it. I shoot it well because the bullet goes where I want it to, it feels good and fits me. I'm 6'2" 200 lbs. For me it handles great and is quick for me to get on target. off the bag will shoot nothing but one ragged hole.
I don't know what the "rules" are when it comes to the skin thickness but I can tell you there is at least an 1 1/2 of mud on a moose that will dull a knife in a heartbeat.
the rum is just a toy and I may never hunt with it. well i might if I get a moose tag again but I doubt it cause the win mag is a good choice for moose.

the top rifle is the win mag

the middle is my rum.
anyway i just love my long guns

[minnesotaminuteman]

Originally Posted by ronn

don't confuse my .338 win mag with my .338 rum. they are not even close to the same. The win mag was built for african antelope but works well on animals from deer size and up to griz but bullet choice is important when you get up there. The rum was built for long range big bear and elk. I'm saying 500 yards or more. The minimum for moose, the state of NH will tell you, is 3200 ft lbs at the muzzle.
My .338 win mag is a bored out, not rebarreled, 03-A3 with a Timeny trigger set at 2.5 lbs and a bell and carlson syn stock. it might go 10 lbs including the scope. I'm running a 225 fed vital-shok through it. I shoot it well because the bullet goes where I want it to, it feels good and fits me. I'm 6'2" 200 lbs. For me it handles great and is quick for me to get on target. off the bag will shoot nothing but one ragged hole.
I don't know what the "rules" are when it comes to the skin thickness but I can tell you there is at least an 1 1/2 of mud on a moose that will dull a knife in a heartbeat.
the rum is just a toy and I may never hunt with it. well i might if I get a moose tag again but I doubt it cause the win mag is a good choice for moose.

the top rifle is the win mag

the middle is my rum.
anyway i just love my long guns

very nice looking rifles!!!!

however i disagree with a few things you said

moose are taken regulary with .270 and 30-06 with proven results, so needing 3200 ft lbs at the muzzle seems a little far fetch to me! there is alot more to a clean kill than energy. bullet type(contsruction), sectional density, velocity, hydrostatic shock(trauma) are all equally important, and shot placement is the MOST important. 270, 280, 7mm-08, 30-06, and 300 win mag(for the longest shots) are considered PRACTICAL and IDEAL for moose. and quite frankley are the most used, because thats what most folks have on hand.

if you say there are no degrees of dead, wouldn't that imply that there are no lesser degrees as well, (say a degree of dead achieved with a .270 is lesser dead than a .300 win mag?)

also the .338 does not have a capable maximum point blank range capable of reaching out to 500yds.

the longest range sporting cartridge that i know of is the .300 rum with a mpbr(-+3") of 385 yds if sighted zeroed at aprox. 250 yds.

the .300 cartridges offer longer range, where as the .338 are harder hitting. .338 cartridges have much slower velocities and there far a shorter range, pure and simple.

no one is justified shooting game at 500yds! with almost 3 times the recoil of a .308 win i dont think anyone is going to do any "picking off" at 500 yds! LOL. shots that are taken at that distance are rarely made and usually end up with the animal dying only to die the a misreble death. one should not should beyond their MBLR of their rifle.