Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 300 Win Mag vs 300 Weatherby

Ignoring barrel length: the Weatherby has about 6% greater case capacity should be (1.015 x faster). Shooting 180 grain bullets using loads with the Win at 2960 * 1.015 = Weatherby at 3,156 or almost 200 FPS difference loaded to same pressure and with same barrel length.

Years ago there was soft brass issues with Weatherby’s brass, both the 340 Weatherby and the 300 Weatherby (maybe others?). The 338 Win and the 340 Weatherby had similar velocities in tests. So did the 300 Weatherby and the 300 Winchester. If you look at some load data by some sources such as Nosler, you’ll see that the 300’s are about equal in velocity. It makes me believe that Nosler has not tested the 300 Weatherby since those days with the soft bass. If you look at data from other sources you’ll find that the Weatherby will often get more than 200 fps maybe 300 FPS over the Winchester - 2” longer barrel.

My 300 Weatherby and my 300 Winchester are 700’s. I put a BDL stock on the Weatherby. Now both stocks are BDL stocks. I honestly can’t tell the difference in recoil when both are loaded with 200 grain bullets. My cousin who safaris a bit complains about the 300 Weatherby’s recoil, but he has only shot a rifle by Weatherby with a pencil thin barrel. He shot my 416 Rigby without complaint…

I’m not much on long range shooting. But one place I hunt elk, West of Laramie, WY the ranges I have seen elk maybe 100 or maybe 400+ yards. The wind could be dead quiet or “windy”. The mountains there can be rugged. If I shoot an elk in those mountains I’d really hope that the elk doesn’t run down a ravine. Bullet POI being important probably more than energy etc., the bullet leaving 200 fps will drop less and be less affected by wind. And yes, I’d be holding high shoulder rather than the normal heart-lung area. I want complete penetration even with less than perfect shooting angle.

Ok, I’ve hunted elk successfully with 308, 270 & 280 mostly at closer range. Always with fairly perfect side shots. Is the Weatherby needed to kill elk. I don’t think so, but in the scenario regarding elk hunting in mountains with all the variables and the steep ravines…

My 300 Winchester shoots 7 or 8 loads under 1 MOA. I stopped working on loads with the Weatherby when I shot 3 each, 5 shot groups at .6MOA - 200 grain partitions and and full load of RE26. Then I read RE26 is temperature sensitive - back to the shooting bench.

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned in this thread, or any other of these hair splitting velocity threads recently is that for a given bullet at X velocity vs Y velocity, that velocity gap closes the further downrange you get. You may start out 100 FPS faster from the Wby, but it may only be 50 FPS faster at 300 yards, depending on particulars.

All at the expense of more recoil, muzzle blast and powder. I believe (not 100% sure and I don’t feel like crunching the numbers to confirm) that the lower the B/C and the larger the initial velocity gap is, the faster that velocity gap closes.

There is a reason so many hardcore long range shooters have migrated to more mild rounds and higher B/C bullets.

I am just a hunter and don’t geek out on this stuff but find it amusing and interesting, to a point.

There is something wrong with either your chrono or the Weatherby. I own three of them and with factory or my handloads (189gr) i attain the published velocity of 3250 FPS. That in my view IS significant.

Or take a 300 Winchester that has a fast barrel and a 300 Weatherby that has a slow barrel and the window becomes even smaller.

My long action .300 Wby Vanguard with it's 24" barrel is exactly the same overall length as my short action .223 Wby Vanguard with it's 24" barrel. My so far everything from Canadian moose down to 25 lb African steenbok antelope load with 180 gr Barnes TTSX bullets chronograph at 3242 fps with no signs of over pressure.

Twist affects velocity? Can you explain that?
Is it because it takes more pressure to spin a given bullet faster, and more pressure equals more velocity?

Like I said, I don’t geek out in this.

Not twist. Just a slow barrel vs fast.

Ahhh….gotcha.

Obviously handloaders can twist and turn and squeak the velocities up more, but, the point is, even if there is 200fps difference, that’s not much. For instance, Federal loads the 180gr Trophy Tip at 2960 for the WSM and 3100 for the WBY (both 24” barrels.) That’s apples to apples, and only 140fps difference. Choice Ammo loads the 200gr Accubond at 2835fps and the 300WBY at 3020fps, or 185fps difference. At 500+ yards, those numbers get closer and closer. At 700, I believe there’s only about 100fps difference. Now, not comparing apples to apples, if what I’m hearing that the 300WSM 200gr Terminal Ascents are 2810fps with a 22” barrel, and around 100fps faster with a 24, that puts them even closer yet. Now, aim not saying a 300wsm is a 300WBY, but they aren’t as far apart as people believe.

I could not agree more. I love my .300 Bee, 7mm Bee, and 6.5-300 Bee. Also love my Mk V LW .30-06, whose recoil is a bit snappy for the mangina crowd.

Just because a person prefers lighter recoil doesn’t mean they can’t handle higher recoil. I’ve fired plenty of .378 Wby class rounds up to .50 Cals, without issue. I primarily elk hunted with a .340 Wby for several years and also took bears and caribou with it without a problem. I just saw zero gain to it as opposed to more mainstream rounds, even with Wally World special bullets.

That doesn’t mean I prefer heavy recoil, especially for the small gain in velocity you (might) get. I do appreciate being able to recover from the recoil faster as well as using less powder, especially with powder prices.

Signed: the TInman, from the mangina crowd.

2,960*1.015=3,004 or 44fps faster.

Far from almost 200.

Firmly in the mangina crowd as well.

You’re ‘firmly’ in the mangina?

I knew it….my gut feeling was right about you.



Where’s SECURITY????

You are starting to look pretty good.

Keep the sex change progress pics coming, the hormone treatments are starting to work.

I thought Tinman was the main most high up of the Mangina crowd.

John Wayne hunted with a 300wby and I doubt he complained about recoil be a man.

I rule that demographic.
Bow to your Sensei,
Bitch!


I guess I could follow 24 Hour Campfire logic and post 4-5 pics of 25 year old mid sized critters killed via WBY MAG to prove I have a sac, but I don’t feel like digging those old 35mm pics out and scanning them.

They work, but are about like driving a semi to the grocery store to ‘be a man’.

T Inman;
Good morning my cyber friend, I hope the day in your part of the world is breaking bright and fair and that you're well.

Thanks for your input on the thread, I appreciate you taking the time.

My experience is predominantly with deer/bear/sheep sized animals and I do my level best to emphasize that always as I don't know how much that differs from larger animals.

For us and I'm guessing perhaps yourself as well, when we began processing our own game meat, then helping family and friends to theirs here, it was eye opening to see the results of different bullet weights and types in terms of tissue damage.

As you and others here know about me, I'm a fairly firm believer that twist or better said bullet rpm will also play a role, so a fast twist .300 Win that gives higher initial projectile rpm than a slow twist .300 Weatherby with lower projectile rpm will yield different results in tissue damage, certainly more with some bullet construction types than others, but likely noticeable.

When my .308 Norma was a .338 Win and something like 3 mulie bucks and 3 black bears got perforated with it, I really didn't see any difference in tissue damage or animal reaction being hit between it and an '06.

Further down that thought path T, when we were evacuating for one of the neighborhood wildfires, I recall saying to my good wife that if the place burned, I'd not build another "magnum" rifle as the recoil vs results weren't worth it for me.

That said T, I still hunt with the .308 Norma all these years later because the place didn't burn down and it's become a wee bit of a "lucky" rifle somehow.

Oh and yes, I realize that there's no such thing as "luck" and that superstition is silly - nonetheless, here I am...

All the best to you my friend.

Dwayne

This is pretty much how I look at it, using a sledge hammer to drive a trim nail.

A bit of a different deal but this is part of the reason I got rid of my 10 gauges. Still using the same shot size in smaller gauges but I am not packing a 10# shotgun and getting my brain scrambled every time I pull the trigger.