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

If you live in elk country and have horses you certainly don't need a 300 Weatherby for elk. When you pay several thousand dollars for guided hunts on private ranches most deer calibers will serve you well. If you shoot 10000 rounds a year and carry a 14 lb. 1000 yard Match rifle wearing an NSX you can pick a bunch of calibers that work just as well.

For public land hunters who might get one opportunity at 500 yards or get tag soup - the 300 Weatherby is as good as it gets. The down range power and flat trajectory kill elk with much better performance and stopping power than a 30-06 or 7 mag.

You almost can't be more cost effective than the 300 where an excellent, accuracy guaranteed rifle is available new for around $600 and used rifles for much less. Brass is widely available and Weatherby factory 180's can be had for less than $40.

Really cool 264 Win Mags are great but try finding reasonably priced rifles or buying off the shelf ammo almost anywhere. Super 338's are probably the ultimate long range elk killers but aren't practical for most shooters and most wallets. For my money the 300Weatherby is the best bang for your elk killing buck.

Specneeds –

While I agree in large part with much of what you say, and while I agree the .300 WBY is great for elk, “as good as it gets” is a bit of a stretch. A lot of hunters can’t handle the recoil well, ammo costs are higher than many can afford, many hunters want a lighter rifle and many hunters want a rifle that is shorter than factory rifles in .300 WBY. For the one rifle hunter, a .300 WBY is rarely “as good as it gets”. Daughter #1 went with a .308 Win which suits her much better for all the reasons above. Both of my son-in-laws, both new to big game hunting and centerfire rifles, got .30-06 rifles as wedding presents for the same reasons.

Practice is important and brass-cased .30-06 180g hunting ammo can be had for under $13.50, a price which suits limited pocketbooks much better and allows 3x the practice for the same price as a box of $40 WBY ammo.

As to the down range power and killing elk with “flat trajectory kill elk with much better performance and stopping power than a 30-06 or 7 mag”, that has to be qualified. Those qualities are not needed at ranges where most elk are taken and are helpful at longer ranges only if the shooter can take advantage of them. Many cannot. This year, my hunting buddy missed a 6x5 bull elk at 400+ yards with his 7mm RM. A few seconds later I shot the same bull at 411 yards using his rifle. The bull went “4 steps and down” according to my hunting buddy, performance that is typical of what I’ve experienced when using both my 7mm RM and .30-06 rifles.

The point is that “as good as it gets” is a qualitative assessment that is meaningless without the parameters with which that judgement is made. Every shooter is different and has different capabilities and needs. For many a .300 WBY would not be “as good as it gets” but rather a horrible choice.

What fantasy land are you living in, that a 215 berger at a conservative 3000 fps doesnt give you enough "reach"?

I agree its performance can be matched or bettered with much less recoil/powder..Thats why I dont use it.

That makes it impractical for LR,not incapable.

Merry Christmas

I want some of whatever eggnog Burnsfeld is chugging.
Tanner

Not when I shot them in the head. You have to admit, you don't fit into the average hunting and shooting scenerios with the equipment you use and where you hunt.

If there wasn't an advantage to larger calibers they would hunt elephants with a 17 Remington...

My favorite Montanan philosopher Teddy K. had it right when he warned against technological advances.

Sure I'll take a beating for this, but I would appreciate never having to hear-
"Oh yeah, what's its ballistic coefficient?"-again.

The last bull I killed with the 300 Weatherby was inside 20 yards. Jumped off a Colorado canyon edge after hearing him bugle. Somehow got between him and his cows and called him into that range.

Grew up reading Outdoor Life articles about putting the sneak on big bucks and bulls. Feel sorry for the up and coming hunter who will never know anything but yardages and bc's.

John, no argument here over your long range success but the 300 Wby with the right bullet--a good "slippery," 200-grainer is all that's needed--a good base/scope set-up, due diligence without retinal detachment, will go as far as I am going to shoot at them which is not as far as you will. I do like rifles that speak up though. 😄

Nothing against your choices at all.

IME You have to be just as precise with a 300 Weatherby as anything else.

So the only disadvantages you see with the .300 WBY have to do with factors that have no relation in how it actually works on elk?

When evaluating the suitability of a cartridge for a particular task you cannot separate it from the available launch platforms or the cost, availability and variety of ammunition. When you ask “Is there anything better?”, As the OP did, you must also consider “better for whom?” To answer the question you must also consider the capabilities of the person for whom the question is being answered.

My hunting buddy announced that this year was the last he would be hunting elk. He is diabetic and simply can’t do it anymore. As a result of his diabetes he has already had surgery on one shoulder and needs it in the other. His range of motion is severely limited for both arms and he tires easily. He shoots a 7mm Rm but doesn’t shoot more than 2-3 times a year because a) his shoulders won’t take the wear and tear and b), ammo costs are a major concern. He had to save up for two years so he could afford to go on this year’s elk hunt. Even if he was to continue to hunt elk a .300 WBY, while a fine elk cartridge in its own right, would be a horrible choice for him.

Daughter #1 is fairly petite and is recoil sensitive. Although she is a pretty good shot, she has a strong preference for short rifles with moderate recoil. Like my hunting buddy, she shoots 2-3 times in a good year with 1-2 more common and ammo costs is a significant concern. Moreover her practice at ranges over 200 yards is very limited. A long, rifle with stiff recoil and expensive ammo would not be a good choice and certainly not “as good as it gets”. Together we decided that a .308 shooting a 130g TTSX @ 3045fps or a 150g BT @ 2745fps, both with less than 16 foot-pounds recoil, would be the best options for her elk hunt this year. Both loads would be more than adequate for elk at ranges where she would/should be shooting.

Son-in-law #1 is a big strong guy that tolerates recoil fairly well and shoots a .30-06 and a custom .300Win Mag that has been handed down from his grandfather. The first thing my daughter asked when she found out I was giving him a rifle as a wedding present was “Will he be able to afford to shoot it?” The answer, of course, was “yes” as I was giving him the aforementioned .30-06. Like my buddy and Daughter #1, he generally shoots 1-2 times a year. His longest shot to date has been on an elk at 382 yards and his .300WM had it on the ground before he recovered from the recoil. A .300 WBY could not have done any better, it just would have doubled his ammo costs.

For myself, I’ve used a 7mm RM, .30-06, .300WM and .338WM to take elk, the longest being at 487 yards with my .338. I handle the recoil fairly well but the older I get the more I appreciate light and light recoiling rifles. I handload so ammo costs are not a major concern but, being a practical person, I prefer the less expensive .300WM brass to .300WBY brass. For my purposes, would a .300WBY be a “better” choice than what I already use? No, it would just be a different and more expensive choice.

Do you think there is a place on a bull where the .300 Weatherby works and 30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, 264 Win Mag or even the .243 Win/105gr VLD bounces off?

I think any of the 300 mags are great for elk, provided you use the right bullet and can shoot it accurately.

As to the OP, any thing the 300 Wbycan do, the 300 RUM can do better (ballistically).

BH63

So your answer to my question is yes?

I'd much rather have a 300 RUM and by a wide margin. I base this on actually owning, shooting and hunting with most of the 30 cal magnums from the 300 SAUM on up to the 300 RUM.

I'd rather a 300 win mag than a 300 Bee too.

Come on guys - your a spoiling the chance for the guy to sell his 300WBY at a great price....

Often when I see a thread where people are hooting up how good a chambering is, 2 or sometimes 3 people end up selling one soon after.