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

I'd point out that the bullet you use is doing ALL the work, and the bullet placement is critical to getting good results.
I have used a 340 wby on over a dozen elk, using a 250 grain hornady bullet, but a 300 wby on only two,(200 speer bullet, on one 190 grain hornady on the other.) so I can,t really make a valid judgement call on the difference with so little to compare between the two.
As you stated both calibers in both rifles worked, but Ill stick with my 340wby based simply on the consistently good results I've had, neither 30 cal bullet exited , most of the 338 cal did

I believe it was John Jobson, O"Connor's pal and .270 fan, said if there were a perfect elk round it would be the .300 Wea. with 180 grain Partitions..
The .33's are great, but for me the .300's more versital and far easier to shoot than any .338 I ever owned..

Technically, the 338 win mag was built for elk hunting. Hard to improve on that one..

Well boys lets just split it down the middle and say the 8 mag is the perfect Elk round!

Ok Boddington..

I can reliably kill elk out to 500 yds with a 270. If I'm undergunned, my freezer doesn't know the difference. Fire once, and if they're not DRT, it's a 75 yd blood trail. All but one of my elk killed with that rifle were with partitions, mostly 130 with a couple of 150's and my last with a Hornady 130 GMX

My #2 elk rifle is a 300 WSM, so I'm not exactly biased against the 30 cal stuff. But a 6.5 lb, scoped and loaded 270 is my go-to elk rifle. Shoot what you want, my freezer's full, too.

I like that idea. Do you prefer the 150 or 130gr. partition for elk? I have a great 150 gr. load worked up for my 270 and think it would work great on elk.. Thanks for your input..

I have thought similar to this for a long time. I hunt most with a 22' bbl .338WM as it is a compromise between long range capable & good for close deep-woods shots. It's usually loaded with Woodleighs or Partitions. I still have a .300 set up long range, and sold my big bullet lever gun.

I used the 7RM for a long time with very good success and bought a cheap used Vanguard 300B with 24" barrel as a back up. It shot so well after a Timney trigger was added it is the primary these days. The extra oomph is tough to resist since we hunt close to the private boundary.

The jury is still out on the rifle with only a small cow taken but it really rings steel at 6&700 yards off sticks. If 3-4 years of hunting don't prove it better I'll go back to the 7 or try something different. I am fond of the crappy plastic stock since scratches don't bother me at all now.

The answer to the OP's question boils down to how you define "better."

From the autopsies, it makes little difference in penetration, BSA1917. I worked up a good 130 load, and shot most with it. If you have a good 150 load, I would not change a darn thing. The partition penetrates very well, and has the side benefit of not destroying a lot of meat.

Thanks buddy. I figured as much. I might just have to drag the ol 270 out this year. I'll probably use it for deer too. Never been one for shooting a 270, but it grows on me more and more. My buddy has been using one since we were kids and it sure does work for him..

If only these critters could appreciate our efforts of their planned demise.

With so many cartridges out there today I'm not sure you can label the 300 Weatherby the "best". It's obviously very good and certainly as effective as many others,and maybe more effective than some.

It will drop elk like sash weights...if you hit them right. If you don't hit them right it will also wound them as well as anything else.

It's a great elk cartridge but it's not magic.

So true Bob that it's surprising it bears repeating so often; kind of like reminding each generation that the earth is not flat.

Lucy, you know the world aint round,
Drops off sharp at the edge of town.
Lucy, you know the world must be flat,
'Cause when people leave town they never come back.
Hal Ketchum

Generally I steer clear of Weatherby calibers because they are priced too high. I don't feel like paying extra for a name brand when the generic will do the job just as well.

I hunt elk with a 30-06 and 180 grain Nosler Partitions with Spitzer points, hand-loaded to perform like a .300 magnum (61 grains RL22 – 2,870 fps). BTW the trajectory is close enough to factory loads Federal Premium 30-06, 150 grain Sierra Game King BTSP, that I can switch loads without adjusting my scope.

I think the middle calibers, anything from as small as .270 to as big as .338 magnum, are best suited for hunting elk. I recommend a minimum of 150 grain premium controlled expansion bullets. A 30-30 will kill an elk but its’ range is limited to about 200 yards. It’s my opinion that anything bigger than a .338mag is more gun than necessary and I don’t enjoy the recoil of those big calibers. A well placed shot from just about any legal caliber will kill an elk but nothing will work right with bad bullet placement, so one needs to use a caliber with which they are comfortable and proficient and take the time to get it right the first time.

KC,
Good post. ^^^^

A weatherby chambered rifle need not be name brand. When I pieced mine together, I was after a 300 Winnie. I couldn't find components anywhere, but R-P headstamped brass and RCBS dies were surplus at every gun show, so that's the direction I went. I'm happy with the results.

Do you need a drop tube to get that much RL22 in a 30-06 case?

I've killed several elk with a 350 Rem Mag and 375 Ruger, they really don't recoil any worse than a 300 or 338 magnum. To each his own though. My dad has been hunting with the same 7x57 since the late 70's, smart man I suppose.

Got to remember that the buffaloe and almost the elk were annilated before any of these magnums were in exitance.