Eighteen months ago I went looking for a medium bore bolt action rifle that could be used for any big game that I hunt under any conditions.
Really, I was looking for another .35 Whelen but could not find what I was looking for at a particular price point and within a certain time frame.
In checking a large dealer's website here in Ontario, with whom I'd done significant business, I noted 2 rifles that appeared to qualify: One was a .338 RUM in a Remington 700 with gray-laminate stock, stainless action and barrel. The barrel was 26", and the rifle was slightly used but with perhaps only a box of ammo through its bore. And the price was right.
The other was a T3 Lite with 22.4" tube in 9.3 X 62. The stock was synthetic and the action blued. It also had a magazine clip holding 3. I'd never owned a 9.3 X 62 before but I figured it was at least as good as a .35 Whelen and perhaps a bit better ballistically.
The .338 RUM would certainly be tough enough to withstand the rigors of all-weather hunting and tramping around in rough brush country here in Ontario. It's ballistics would be similar to my former .340 Wby with its 26" tube, and perhaps slightly better.
The prices of the two rifles were close enough that I couldn't chose one over the other based solely on that! What to do? I went to their shop and asked to look at and handle each. I also found that they had handloading components for each including dies.
I handled each separately, working the action on each, shouldering them, looking them over carefully. Ballistics were considered but I judged that what one could do so could the other. The RUM would be faster with a flatter trajectory, but the 9.3 with the right load could reach out to 400 yards without much difficulty in moose hunting if it came down to that. But truthfully, I'd never fired at a big game animal at 400 yards in over 50 years of hunting!
But the decision wasn't made until I handled both rifles, side by side, in each hand... then it was no contest! I chose the T3 Lite in 9.3 X 62 because the distinct differences in weight and handling made the immediate choice for me, and it was really no contest!
My T3 Lite weighs 7.4 lbs ready to hunt with 3 in the magazine, a 2-7 X 35mm Burris Fullfield II scope and a 1" nylon sling. I've now carried it, mostly in hand carry, for 5 seasons of hunting and I have absolutely NO regrets! Yes, it recoils smartly shooting the 286s at 2500 fps +, but it's not something I'm unaccustomed to. The RUM would have 22% more recoil burning 50% more powder, while weighing, yes, about 2 lbs more and 4-inches longer.
I now think that a 7 - 7.5 lb big game rifle with 22 - 23" barrel, all up ready to hunt, in synthetic and perhaps stainless, is about the perfect rig for anything I hunt from wolf to moose. And in 9.3 X 62 of course.
Bob
www.bigbores.ca 
