Comparing the 338 RCM (Ruger Compact Mag) to other more well known options

[JG26Irish_2]

Today was a good day. I recently traded for an old like new Ruger Compact Magnum in 338 RCM. Up until that time, I had never heard of this cartridge and when first told of this rifle, it was communicated to me that it was a Hawkeye in 338 Win Mag, a very well known cartridge. I was disappointed to learn that it was the Hawkeye compact mag instead but traded for it anyway, despite the 338 RCM being an almost dead cartridge. As far as I can tell there is only one available ammo option on the market today and that is the Hornady Superformance with the 225g SST bullet.

I figured what the hell, I would get some of the SST ammo and use it on deer and save the brass to reload with some proper bullets like the TSX or the Swift Scirocco. No worries.

Well today, my first shipment of ammo arrived. That is one cute, short, fat, evil looking little load. 225g bullet with MV of 2750 fps, and muzzle energy of 3777 ft-lbs. That is about 100fps slower than the same load for the 338 win mag. So, not bad for a short action and a short handy bbl length. I am liking this package.

I have a 7mm Mag that I love but my biggest complaint is that the bbl is 26" long and the entire package is 5" longer than my 7mm/08 with a 22" bbl. Now here comes along a 338 cal version of my handy, light 7mm/08.

I looked up the specs on my heavy bullet load for the 7mm Mag. It is a 175g running 2775 fps. It is not a Superformance load but was the heaviest bullet I had in that caliber. The 7mm Mag develops muzzle energy of 2992 ft-lbs. in comparison the little big man 338 rcm has a bullet that is 28.5% more mass and 26% more energy. I am so impressed that a short action cartridge with a 20" bbl is performing so much better than the 7mm Mag running a longer cartridge, more powder and a 26" bbl. It must be really efficient and does it all without that magnum belt. What is not to like? Well, that it comes in one flavor only. WTF??

Maybe is it cannot be as effective without Hornady's Superformance voodoo magic. I dunno, but do not know why Federal is not cranking out these puppies like crazy.

If this sucker shoots as good as it looks, I may never hunt with anything else, lol. Time will tell. I was never a Ruger fan but am gonna reserve judgement until I can get it to the range. First impression is pretty good.

338 RCM on the left and 7mm Mag on the right​

 

[CoElkHunter]

I'd buy a Ruger Hawkeye Guide Gun in .338RCM if I could find a barely used one at a great price. I really like my Browning .338WM but the RCM cartridges DESIGNED for a 20" barrel intrigue me.

 

[AZDAVE]

It is my wife's favorite rifle. She has been shooting 185gr factory GMX's mostly. She has shot many animals in africa with it. I have developed a couple very good Loads in the 215-250gr weight class for both our rifles. Up to 225 gr it runs neck to neck with the 338 WM but falls behind above there. Mine has killed a good bit of paper and steel.

You will find it a very handy rifle and it gets a lot of performance out of the 20in barrel. Would hunt anything in NA with it and all the plains game in africa.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Thanks guys. I have been looking for some 34mm scope rings to fit the unique Ruger receiver. If I cannot find some soon, I will mount a Pic rail on top so that my other 34mm rings can be used. I have not yet fired the rifle but love the short, light, handy feel of it. If I could find some GMX ammo, I would take it to Africa this year but, time is running out and at the moment, my PG rifle will be a 7mm/08. Good bit less oomph than the 338 but the ballistic equal to the 7x57 Mauser.

I have been very intrigued by the little short, fat cartridge. The 338WM will out perform it ballistically but not by much and should you try to run the Win Mag in a shorter bbl like a 20" or 22", I think they might be about the same. I hunt mostly the Eastern woods of the USA and hope to deploy it on deer this fall and if I can sort out some ammo with better bullets than the SST's perhaps on TX Nilgai next year.

 

[AZDAVE]

Let me check in the shop I might have a set of 34's laying around.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Let me check in the shop I might have a set of 34's laying around.

If you do please let me know. I would much rather use direct mounted rings than the other option. Thx. Appreciate the effort.

 

[AZDAVE]

@JG26Irish_2 I looked and have several 30mm but no 34mm for Ruger. Have CZ and pic rail kinds rings in 34MM. Sorry

 

[JG26Irish_2]

@JG26Irish_2 I looked and have several 30mm but no 34mm for Ruger. Have CZ and pic rail kinds rings in 34MM. Sorry

No worries mate. I have a pic rail on order with projected delivery today. I have a nice 1-8x LPVO identical to my 7mm/08 Safari rifle that I plan to mount on the Ruger. It is perfect for the short fast type of bush gun that I am looking for in it. That scope allows me to shoot 4" steel at 400y with the 7mm/08, but that is an exceptionally precise and accurate rifle that shoots about 1/2 moa with most factory ammo. Not sure a factory Ruger will be that good but am hoping.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Still have not been to range but here she is all race ready. Makes a really nice handling pkg. This scope has a ballistic drop reticle that is calibrated for 308. But, the 225g 338 RCM has a ballistic curve that is nearly identical to the 308. Who knew? I will have to verify this at the range to tweak the dope.

 

[HUNTERAPP]

Still have not been to range but here she is all race ready. Makes a really nice handling pkg. This scope has a ballistic drop reticle that is calibrated for 308. But, the 225g 338 RCM has a ballistic curve that is nearly identical to the 308. Who knew? I will have to verify this at the range to tweak the dope.

View attachment 679414

Did you ever put this girl to work? Looks like a pretty one.

 

[AZDAVE]

You are correct on the 225 gr drops. I think you will find that actual shooting confirms this. My wife has shot alot of game with her's (her favorite rifle) using the 185gr GMX/CX bullet. In mine I have shoot the 225's and killed alot of paper and steel. It is a very well balanced round.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Did you ever put this girl to work? Looks like a pretty one.

Yes - Range time at first was frustrating. The rifle struggled to print 3" groups at 100y. This is not due to the recoil. It has a kick as you might imagine being such a light weight package but I am not very recoil sensitive. It turned out to be a combination of the strange Ruger scope mounts needed to be bedded in and required re-torquing of all the screws after each outing for about three trips before they settled in. In addition, I learned that the Ruger Hawkeye design requires a break in period of about 100rds and it got better with each outing. Finally, the Hawkeye design also benefits from re-torquing of the rifle action screws. Especially the diagonal one at the front. After doing all of this, I am happy to report that the rifle is now able to shoot about a 1-1.25" group from the bench at 100y. That is not tack driver accuracy but is about par for Hornady Superformance ammo in most of my rifles.

Sadly, the 225g SST ammo is the only ammo currently available on the market today. I tried to have some custom reloads made by a firm in Dallas but they took my brass and payment and never delivered the ammo. Calls are mostly unanswered and I am not a happy customer.

As for the rifle - I had planned to hunt Nilgai with it but due to the cup n core SST being the only available bullet, and my AccuBond reloads not arriving, I ended up using a 338wm instead. Last year, I deer hunted with the RCM and harvested a WV doe for the freezer with it. The range was about 80y and the impact was in the shoulder about 2" higher than my aim point. Result was devastating. Dropped in its tracks DRT. The heart was burst from the impact and it is now one of my most favorite deer rifles. The bullet was a complete pass-thru, so I cannot say if it stayed together but it was very effective and that is the main point.

Light, handy, deadly. The recoil is as bad as the 338wm and almost as bad as my 375HH which is about the same as a 12ga shotgun. Manageable, but you really want to shoot it enough to develop proper technique and form so it does not hurt you. Hold it like a 22lar tgt rifle at the bench and you will regret it, lol.

I still do no have the tools to reload for it and that would greatly improve its utility. I would love to have some AccuBonds and some TTSX loads for it just to use it for game tougher than deer. The SST's are OK and work way better than expected, but it is still a 200y max rifle for me. That would make it a great Eastern woods rifle for deer, elk, black bear, New England Moose, etc., where shots are rarely over 150y or so.