338 rcm

I shoot a Browning A-Bolt Microhunter in 308. I'm considering a switch to a Ruger Hawkeye in 338 RCM. I am left handed so my choices are somewhat limited. Does anyone have any experience with that caliber good or bad. I'm a little leary about newer calibers cuz if they don't catch on I'm stuck with a rifle i can't shoot.

I'm hesitant on the proprietary wildcats ever since buying a 7 RUM...cartridge support following the hardware sales curve can make for slim ammo choices. Reloaders might disagree.

I'd look for a 338-06 or a 338 WM before going with the RCM. I just don't see many of the RCM's sticking around.

I am a handloader and the very happy owner of a 325wsm. This is a caliber which has not exactly "taken off", much like the 300 and 338rcm. I have bought as much new brass as I can possibly stockpile so if the 325wsm goes the way of the dodo bird as a factory loading, I as a handloader should not have too much trouble and can still enjoy and shoot my gun. Some of the wsm's have taken off like wildfire, the 325 is not one of them and I can say much the same for what I've seen of the RCM's. I would tend to agree with Ben and say if you want to step up to the 33's then I'd look at the 338winny. If you are not now, nor intend to become a handloader, I would not buy one of the RCMs.

Looking at the ballistics, I'm not sure you'd best the 338-06 even with handloading.

I've heard a lot of good stuff about the 325 wsm. Just seems like bullet selection is pretty minimal?

If you don't handload, I wouldn't get a RCM. If you do get it as I think the package Ruger puts them in are pretty slick. If you want something with more 'oomph and readily available, I'd look at either the 300 or 338 Win Mags. Is there something the .308 doesn't do that you'd like it to do or do you just want a new/different rifle?

Ben- IIRC the case capacity of the RCM is nearly identical to the 338-06, so they should be same-same.

Ben Lamb said:

Looking at the ballistics, I'm not sure you'd best the 338-06 even with handloading.

I've heard a lot of good stuff about the 325 wsm. Just seems like bullet selection is pretty minimal?

Click to expand...

I'ts not horrible I wouldn't say, but is also not optimal, especially if you compare it to say the .284. or.308 calibers. I have been very happy with my 325wsm on both elk and moose with the 200gr accubond.

Ben,

I have a 338-06 and a 325wsm... IMO they're very similar in performance. The 338 RCM may very well go away, but I wouldn't let that scare me off a 'non-popular' cartridge. I have plenty of those in the closet.

You only need one loading in the 325... the 200gr accubond is a killer. I hand load mine, but the factory loads shoot very well too. Mines taken a couple moose, a couple bears, deer, elk, etc. D-E-A-D.

Bambistew is right on. That 325 is sweet, and one load does the trick.

I've got a friend in Cody that swears by his 325. I like what I see in that chambering and the 8mm pill is great for game, no doubt. My limited way of thinking groups chamberings by bullet weight rather than caliber.

Personal preference on my part, to be sure. I don't think anyone would go wrong with a 325 wsm though.

I'm starting to lean towards big and slow though, just out of nostalgia sake. My 35 whelen is in the shop now and I'm hoping to use it for this season.

As for the 338 RCM, my only real concern would be cartridge/component availability in 10 years.

It's all personal preference and just depends on what your own criteria and abilities are.

The best thing about modern hunting arms is that we have so many choices to argue over.

What do you push through the 35 whelen?

250 grn Hornady Interlock at about 2450-2500 fps.

It's getting the headspace checked, bore slugged, recrowned and chamber cast. The rifle is an old Mauser 98 bring-back that's not shooting well. I'm getting 6-8 inch groups at 50 yards.

Thanks guys, basically reinforcing what i was already thinking. i am not a handloader so factory ammo is the way for me. Hornady superformance is the only one making the RCMs right now as far as i can tell. 1 pointer...the 308 is fine, just looking for another rifle. 338 Federal is another one that interests me but only Tikka makes one left handed. Beretta does not import that one unless i can find someone willing to import 200 of them.

Another option is to find a used Remington 700 or other left handed action and have a new barrel put on it.

Jr- I understand the sirens song of a new rifle. Heck, pick up a Ruger and give it a try! The RCM will be around long enough to get enough ammo or components to last a long time. Heck, one can still buy ammo/components for lots of rounds that haven't been chambered in a long time. That way you could use this as an excuse to start loading your own!

I'll give a thumbs up to the 325 and the 338 Fed.

I am going to give a thumbs up on the 325 WSM as well. I got one last year in the New Model 70. That cartridge packs one heck of a punch. More manufacters are starting to chamber that calbier including Winchester, Browning and Kimber. I think a few others are as well. I think its starting to gain popularity and I have not seen many bad reviews of it at all, folks that have the 325 seem to love it. If i had to buy another gun right now it would be in 325 WSM.

I like the .338 RCM and feel that the cartridge has found a niche in the .338 market. In fact, after first considering other options, I recently found myself buying a stainless Ruger chambered for this cartridge.

I’ll be the first to admit that I hesitated and carefully thought over my decision several times. Nevertheless, I kept trying to be honest with myself about what specific features I wanted in a both a rifle and specific caliber for some upcoming hunts I have planned. When I looked at my choices, I couldn’t help but to keep coming back to this rifle/cartridge combo for some rugged mountain hunts. In fact, this spring the rifle will come with me to Idaho for a pack in black bear hunt. I even decided that my heavy and long Sako 85 Win Mag would not be welcomed on this hunt. Similarly, other rifles I own had different types of limitations that I chose not to live with for such hunts… thus the purchase.

Let’s face it, the majority of the cartridge choices in .338 will suit most peoples hunting performance needs in terms of ballistics and energy… .338WinMag, .338-06, .338 Fed, .338ME, etc are all decent performers. The difference between them is not that tremendous when applied to the majority of hunting situations. For me, the big difference between these cartridge choices was in selecting the type of rifle I wanted to hunt with. Having a light, handy, short action rifle with a 20” barrel is just the ticket for mountain hunts in my opinion. The .338 RCM is fully capable for shooting at reasonable long distances, plus the weight and handling of the rifle makes it perfect for navigating thick cover or for lugging around mountains.

Performance wise, it comes close to the Win Mag and the cartridge was developed with the convept of doing that in a short barreled rifle. Bullet seating depth seems to leave the cartridge limited for 225gr bullets. However, I’ve read about a few people that have loaded it for 250’s. The short, fat case is very powder efficient and it’s claimed to produce less recoil as a result. Nevertheless, I’m not very recoil sensitive, so the thought of shooting a lighter hunting rifle in cartridge that produces higher recoil forces doesn’t bother me… as long as it’s not my daily range rifle.

I suppose that one talking point is that the RCM’s don’t have a rebated rim as opposed to the WSM’s. Some people just don’t like the WSM’s for dangerous game hunts, claiming they are prone to feeding and extraction issues. Personally, I think the vast majority of those issues were worked out for some time now.

The RCM is based on the .375 Ruger case which has seen pretty decent acceptance. As for the fate of the .338 RCM, I really don’t know if it’ll completely catch on. Let’s face it, the medium bores are not nearly as popular as small bores, so it’s already got that working against it. Likewise, it’s has to compete with other .338 cartridges that have been around for a while. As such, I’ve decided that I’ll probably be handloading for it.

One step that most cartridges take along the way in becoming accepted is having reloading dies and brass available. From that perspective, I guess the RCM is continuing on its way. Now when Lapua starts making brass for it, then we’ll know it’s really starting to catch on. Likewise, with the Superformance power now available for reloaders, there should be no question that factory ammo performance can be easily duplicated.

I should also mention that I talked with the owner of Stars and Stripes ammo last week to see if he would be willing to load for the .338 RCM. Long story short, he said he has not had a request to do so just yet. However, if I wanted some loaded, he’d get dies, a test barrel chambered for the cartridge, and load whatever I wanted. His point was that he has to do this for any new cartridge, and it wasn’t a problem. I’m just getting started with reloading, so that was good news for me. As such, I can get ammo made with whatever flavor of bullet I desire. Personally, I’m leaning towards 225gr Nosler Partitions, but I may have some 210gr Barnes TSX done as well.

So… if I had to look in the crystal ball, unfortunately, I’d say the RCM’s will likely fade… but you never know… fingers crossed. I think the .300 RCM will be the most likely to fail in an already crowded .30 cal market that has short action mags. Overall, I’m fairly sure that the .375 Ruger will remain, and as such, brass will be available. I have no doubt that there will be companies like Stars and Stripes that will load for the .338 RCM upon request…unless you decide to load your own. As compared to Hornady factory ammo, the S&S stuff will be selling at custom hand load prices. However, in all honesty, how many boxes of .338 RCM ammo will a person shoot each year. Most people are not using a sporting rifle in .338 of any flavor as their daily range rifle.

Sorry for the long post but these are my opinions on the .338 RCM which I’m currently enamored with. Others may choose to see things differently.

fball- If I were loading for an RCM, I'd be looking at the 200gr Accubond as well. I think it'd be nearly perfect for that rifle. For me the most attactive part of the RCM package is the rifle!!

Whats the case capacity of the RCM compared to the Federal?