Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting The 300 Wby Mag for elk- is there anything better?

Especially since the cartridge that is the topic at hand does not appear on the list. ...???

The fact that the .300WBY doesn't show up on either list WAS the point. Not at all surprised you and bellydeep failed to get it.

If most people agreed a .300 WBY was the best for elk I would expect it to have higher sales, like the .300WM.

Does Federal even load .300 Wea.?

Weatherby doesn't show up on the list due to the high cost of ammo. Your example is not a valid measure of effectiveness to prove your point.

You can 'expect' whatever you want.
The fact is that ammo sales and elk hunting ammo sales are NOT the same thing.

The fact that the .300WBY doesn't show up on either list WAS the point. Not at all surprised you and bellydeep failed to get it.

If most people agreed a .300 WBY was the best for elk I would expect it to have higher sales, like the .300WM.

Are you suggesting the list he says is Federal's list for 2011 is something else?

Yep here we go again throwing stuff into the mixer that has NOTHING to do with how a given round works on game.

Since we can't win the argument on merit, let's start talking about something else.

Since you can't buy Federal Fusions in 300 Bee factory loads, I hereby declare it sucks as an elk round.

Argument over.

In other words, people shy away from the .300WBY because they find something that "better" suits their needs? Like more something with more affordable ammo?

I agree ammo cost is not a measure of its effectiveness, nor have I ever believed that or claimed it, in spite of what Mule Deer as written.

Holy smokes....

I just realized.....coyote Hunter IS Chuck Hawks!!

No, because they can't either not afford their rifles AND/OR don't care for the make. And "better suit their needs" can be a whole other set of variables, as too much recoil, prefer another caliber (taste and needs are subjective) etc. About the only quantifiable MOE are ballistics and round characteristics. Weatherby are over-bore as most people know and there are other myriad cartridges out there that take elk cleanly. The "is there anything better" is an OPINION, and from a ballistic perspective and effectiveness on game, the Weatherby's a top contender.

Mind. Blown.

This chit is getting damn interesting....

The OP used various criteria to support his claim that the .300WBY is the "best" cartridge for elk. NONE of them reflect directly on how the cartridge works on game.

"Flat trajectory". So does my .22-250. Nothing directly to do with effect on game.

"Massive downrange energy". So do a lot of other cartridges. Nothing directly to do with effect on game.

"Sub MOA accuracy from many rifle and handload combos". No different than a lot of other cartridges. Nothing directly to do with effect on game.

"High but manageable recoil in most rifle weights". Very subjective (i,.e, not so for all people). Nothing directly to do with effect on game.

"Almost unlimited bullet selection". True for handloads, much less so than other cartridges for factory loads. Nothing directly to do with effect on game.

"Widely universal availability of factory ammo". Much less so than for many other cartridges. Nothing directly to do with effect on game.

"If you were on a trophy hunt for big bulls, could you really come up with a better choice?" Yes. Nothing directly to do with effect on game.

"For myself, the next bull will fall to another TSX, 165 or 180 gr, with extreme confidence." Not the bullet I would choose with any cartridge. While confidence in your choice of bullet is good, that bullet can be used in many other cartridges. Nothing directly to do with effect on game.

"Why undergun yourself with lesser armament..." Another very subjective statement. If a .300WM isn't sufficient I wouldn't choose a .300WBY in its place. Nothing directly to do with effect on game.

"...or overrun yourself with higher recoil?" Yet another very subjective statement. Many people would consider themselves "overrun" by .300WBY recoil. Nothing directly to do with effect on game.


"If Roy himself were around today, I'm guessing he would endorse his 300 as perfection on elk." Perhaps, but I couldn't care less what Roy might think. Nothing directly to do with effect on game.



The fact is that qualitative assessments like good/better/best are made using specific criteria. Each individual has to decide what is right for themselves and in doing so each individual will use criteria they chose based on their own unique situation.

If there was general consensus that the .300WBY was the best elk cartridge I would have seen a lot more .300WBY rifles in the field in the 34 years I've been elk hunting. The vast majority of hunters vote with their wallet and choose something else as "best" for their situation. If .300WBY rifles represent 5% of the rifles used for elk hunting I would be surprised.