Getting started with ELR. I have experience shooting long range but only own short actions at this time. I'm looking into a long action/magnum. I'd prefer to stay .30 cal or under due to my can being a .30 cal. I would prefer to stay away from the cartridges that get that little bit of extra performance but at the cost of ridiculous amounts of effort/money going into reloading. I know .300 win mag is popular but I'm trying to stay away from belts. I'd appreciate any and all opinions, including whatever would deviate from my "criteria"... and yes, i understand that I'm limiting my options by sticking with .30 or under. i am not able to go totally big boy yet.
- Thread starter manscout
- Start date
Sounds like you need a 300 Norma.
I think you should begin by calling your suppressor manufacture and finding out exactly what your .30 cal suppressor is rated for. If only 300wm then that will limit your options greatly. If not you could look at the 300 Norma (not standard mag bolt face) or you could look into something like a 300 RUM or 30 Nosler.
Personally I decided to drop down to a 7 magnum, but with a switch barrel setup that also has a 338 RUM barrel for a bit of extra thump.
Personally I decided to drop down to a 7 magnum, but with a switch barrel setup that also has a 338 RUM barrel for a bit of extra thump.
As JBM said first see what you can will handle anything bigger then 300WM I would look at the 300NM. I have a friend with a 300NM and he shoots his out past 2000 yards using the 240 SMK. The 300NM is very close to my .338LM at range.
I hesitated putting 300 norma down in my post because i wanted to hear it from you guys. i have heard many who are all for it and many that say it's a huge waste and overly expensive comparatively. The can is a tbac ultra 7. Before doing actual research and running numbers through a ballistic ap, i had the idea that norma was a good option. after googling it, i saw what i mentioned earlier, the fans and the haters. i didn't want to gravitate towards something based on the popular knowledge of it being the cool thing because socom likes it. in the spirit of laziness and my lack of real world experience, is the norma that much of an advantage over things such as the 7mm-300? is the 300 win mag really that much of an advantage over the 300 wsm? is the wsm any advantage over a 6.5 cm.. etc. i know that numbers on an app dont equate directly to how well they work at long range. as i know i can push a 6.5 saum with a flatline further staying supersonic than a lot of other things out there. but that doesn't mean it's good for elr.. at least this is past advice i've received.
seems like the consensus so far is the norma. but is it worth it?
my limitations are my lack of overall reloading experience, and a smaller budget than most.. so i want to make the cartridge count. and of course, i'd prefer easy to find components for reloading. i know some would argue going with the big ol bullets in order to boost the hit chance at distance which limits the rounds fired and saves cost... whenever someone mentions money, cost, budget, value, etc in precision shooting, especially elr, everyone freaks out. i just want to branch out into elr in a practical way that doesn't needlessly waste money.
seems like the consensus so far is the norma. but is it worth it?
my limitations are my lack of overall reloading experience, and a smaller budget than most.. so i want to make the cartridge count. and of course, i'd prefer easy to find components for reloading. i know some would argue going with the big ol bullets in order to boost the hit chance at distance which limits the rounds fired and saves cost... whenever someone mentions money, cost, budget, value, etc in precision shooting, especially elr, everyone freaks out. i just want to branch out into elr in a practical way that doesn't needlessly waste money.
Last edited:
"Is it worth it" is a very subjective question. The question is.....is it worth it to you? I doubt any of us into ELR are into it because it's a way to save money. Depends I guess how far you want to shoot and get decent results. You put the constraint of 30 caliber because of a can. If you're really serious about ELR, forget the can restriction & build a 375CT or a Snipetac, put a good brake on it and go enjoy youself! Just my take on it.....
i completely understand your logic and will hopefully be able to do just what you suggest. however, i am very constrained right now and i know for a fact i CAN shoot elr and not have to spend an arm and leg to do it. sure, i'll potentially be handicapped, but at least i can learn. i just dont want to use my own money figuring out if something would be worth it or not. meaning, i am looking for experience and wisdom from people who've been there, done that, and already figured it out. your advice is the opposite of what i was asking. you are suggesting i throw down and go with the most expensive way of shooting.
If I was to run what I want it is a 375 cal. my second choice without a doubt the 300 Norma mag.
Cheers
oneshot
Cheers
oneshot
It sounds to me like you now pretty much know what you want. And I don't think anyone would disagree with your choice given your criteria. But do check and see. If the Ultra 7 is rated for 300 Norma first. Frankly, I would just get a bigger can for the ELR experience when you can swing it, but I totally get budget constraints.
Fur is just jealous because he kinda wanted a 300 Norma but went one step up to .338 AI.
Heck, had I the funds, I'd also get a NM since it's a fun ELR cartridge, if not the bestest.
Fur is just jealous because he kinda wanted a 300 Norma but went one step up to .338 AI.
Heck, had I the funds, I'd also get a NM since it's a fun ELR cartridge, if not the bestest.
7 SAUM for your current suppressor. Do it on a long action or single feed. No belt and super efficient. Hardly any difference in wind drift between it and super mags when shooting the latest 7mm bullets.
If you truly start reaching past a mile to 2000 then a 300 Norma or variety of 338 with bigger bullets to help see splash better. 375s even better but that's a whole other animal.
If you truly start reaching past a mile to 2000 then a 300 Norma or variety of 338 with bigger bullets to help see splash better. 375s even better but that's a whole other animal.
Hey manscout, not trying to give you bad or "opposite" advice. I shouted out 300 Norma to you right off. That cartridge will certainly get you out to some decent ELR distances. I guess I just misunderstood the "can thing" and the "is it worth it" comment. IMO the cost to build (at least in my neck of the woods) a 300NM is pretty much the same as a larger caliber so from my perspective the real difference is in the reloading cost. I just went down this road with a recent build. Really wish I'd have built an even larger rig as the reloading costs are just a tic more really. I was originally hot for a 28 Nosler but when I compared costs against the 300 norma the norma came out on top. But then compared a 338AI build to the Norma and cost was the same. Really wanted to get to 2500 yds which my lapua AI does but had been shooting 375CT's too and they get you there easier but couldn't get the action I wanted for it without a long wait so went with the lapua AI but could have built the CT for only $300 more. Reloading costs are so close between the two, 98 grs of powder vs 132 for the CT for example, brass from Peterson cheaper than Lapua or Norma (check out the cost of Norma brass before you buy!), bullets, etc, all just a bit more, none of it a deal breaker. So, guess what I was trying to convey (and doing a poor job of it apparently) is the build costs are so close, it'd be a shame to miss a "more capable" build just because you already have a can for a 30. A Norma won't be cheap to shoot by any means. So just thought I'd give you a little "push" to think about something that ultimately would imo be potentially more satisfying in the longer run at ELR distances. All the friends I shoot with have pretty much settled on 375's or 338 Snipetacs after building "lesser guns" which they kind of lament due to the improved performance of the larger cartridges (except for a couple of rogue 416 barrett affecianados lol). Anyway, I get the budget thing, totally understandable. Good luck with whatever you decide.
i appreciate all of that. although i didn't understand the point you were making in your first post, it is clear in this that i misinterpreted what the message was. it actually seems like your advice might be the closest answer to what i was originally asking as well. by stepping up i'm essentially avoiding buying two guns. i have already learned teh lesson of paying twice for something because you have to upgrade later and the previous version becomes obsolete. perhaps i'm inflating the costs of those bigger rounds over the 300 win mag, norma, etc. and i understand it seems silly to refuse a certain cartridge just cause i can't use my suppressor with it. my experience tells me brakes do a better job anyway of staying on target with the heavier loads. the issue i have is i eas'd recently and am an unemployed college student living off of my savings. however, i have enough time to keep shooting and just enough $$ to regret jumping into elr to figure out what to blow the serious cash on whenever i grow up.
https://thunderbeastarms.com/products/ultra-7
Based off this and your criteria your biggest option is the 300 RUM which is a very close second to the 300 Norma. Just make sure you do a build around CIP length mags or plan on single feeding. After reading all these replies it seems clear you had your mind made up in the begining on which cartridge you were looking into. Plenty of guys around me shoot 300 Norma and they all love it, those same guys shoot 7 rem mag, 28 nosler, 338 Lapua, 300 win mag, and one of them a 270 wby with the new EOL bullets at 3200 fps. There are tons of great options, but the 300 Norma and 300 RUM are damn near at the top of my list for .30 cal ELR cartridges.
If you step up a notch the 338 EDGE or even RUM in my case are also amazing cartridges.
Based off this and your criteria your biggest option is the 300 RUM which is a very close second to the 300 Norma. Just make sure you do a build around CIP length mags or plan on single feeding. After reading all these replies it seems clear you had your mind made up in the begining on which cartridge you were looking into. Plenty of guys around me shoot 300 Norma and they all love it, those same guys shoot 7 rem mag, 28 nosler, 338 Lapua, 300 win mag, and one of them a 270 wby with the new EOL bullets at 3200 fps. There are tons of great options, but the 300 Norma and 300 RUM are damn near at the top of my list for .30 cal ELR cartridges.
If you step up a notch the 338 EDGE or even RUM in my case are also amazing cartridges.
Any time I've taken smaller steps, I eventually regret that they weren't larger leaps.
Eat ramen, sell your soul, whatever it takes.
Eat ramen, sell your soul, whatever it takes.
I have thought of what you are saying, I think I need to chop my 338 down to 20"
very solid points from both of you. the tbac website does say that the ultra 7 has a minimum barrel length of 22" for a 300 norma. but, if i'm really going to do this, i might as well just go with what i originally looked into, the 338 edge. but, then what is to keep me from going one step further etc etc.
but could have built the CT for only $300 more. Reloading costs are so close between the two.
So, guess what I was trying to convey (and doing a poor job of it apparently) is the build costs are so close, it'd be a shame to miss a "more capable" build just because you already have a can for a 30. A Norma won't be cheap to shoot by any means.
^^^^^This.
Once you've signed on for the big-boy optics and associated kit that ELR requires you kind of come down to arguing about the price of ammunition that you shoot. Since reloading is almost another prerequisite of ELR-with all of its needed equipment- it almost comes down to the price of components which in the overall scheme of things is almost irrelevant. My best advice is "buy once, cry once" even if it takes you a little longer to achieve your dream.
All of the calibers that are mentioned here will get you out there, but one question you haven't addressed is what ELR is to you? 1001 yds?, 2000? Further? That may have some bearing on your final decision. Good luck.
So, guess what I was trying to convey (and doing a poor job of it apparently) is the build costs are so close, it'd be a shame to miss a "more capable" build just because you already have a can for a 30. A Norma won't be cheap to shoot by any means.
^^^^^This.
Once you've signed on for the big-boy optics and associated kit that ELR requires you kind of come down to arguing about the price of ammunition that you shoot. Since reloading is almost another prerequisite of ELR-with all of its needed equipment- it almost comes down to the price of components which in the overall scheme of things is almost irrelevant. My best advice is "buy once, cry once" even if it takes you a little longer to achieve your dream.
All of the calibers that are mentioned here will get you out there, but one question you haven't addressed is what ELR is to you? 1001 yds?, 2000? Further? That may have some bearing on your final decision. Good luck.
WaltHer said:
This is a very good question and should be the basis of your decision. For me I only have access to 2000 yards so 7RM and 338 RUM will work for me. If I had further to shoot I would have gone larger.
i only have access to around 2000 yards right now as well. i hope to go further one day but that day i do imagine having something large and more money to invest into making it practical. i shoot mostly 6.5 cm right now and was considering 300 win mag or 7 rm for a while before i took the advice of a friend and started considering larger rounds. in all practicality, i don't imagine shooting past 2000 for at least a few years regardless of what i have.
