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

A 24" tubed ultra will run 3300 pretty easy.

George recoil is SO subjective. But after a few sessions with a hunting weight 340, the 300 Weatherby can feel trifling.

I feel like the Mashburn offers the same down-level of recoil from a 300 Weatherby,that the 300 Weatherby does from a 340.....which makes sense because in each case we're burning less powder and shooting lighter bullets.

I do get to shoot 300 Weatherby now and then, side by side with the Mashburn. My buddy has a 300 Weatherby and I have owned several.

Bob -

Is that signature new or have I just not noticed it before?

In any case, my 7mm RM was my first centerfire in 1982 and my only bolt-action big game rifle for 20+ years. It go used for everything from light varminting to elk.

Now I have a safe full of rifles, lever, bolt and semi-auto and find myself asking the same question. The answer I keep coming up with is "They are fun and I can". Works for me, although I now find myself wanting suppressors for subsonic use with my Ruger .308 Scout and AR .300 Blackout rather than new rifles.

BTW, congrats on your new Remington .280 pump carbine - it looks like a beauty and I'm sure you're going to enjoy it.

I was very pleased with my 300Wby Vanguard topped with a Zeiss HD5 3-15x50 with the Z800 reticle this season fot elk and deer in Colorado. We practiced out to 800 yards getting ready and the rifle was automatic at 500 practicing from field positions.

I shot a large cow at 550 yards right behind the shoulder, she turned to face me and the next shot caught her right in the center of her chest, both exited just behind the off side shoulder and she cartwheeled down the steep slope several yards before lodging between tree branches - pretty spectacular results.

The only downside was damaged meat 6-8" away from the entry and exit holes including neck meat, flap meat and a piece of back strap. Not ideal but on a huge cow the lost meat isn't a big percentage. I shot a small buck on our last day hunting and took a 140 yard neck shot DRT and no lost meat.

I'm a huge fan of the 300 B for elk and since I picked up the Vanguard dirt cheap the set-up with the Zeiss and a Timney trigger is sub $1,200, hard to beat that bang for the buck on a longer range elk stopper.

CH: Thanks on the 280! Neat retro little rifle! Hope to hit the range today and shoot it.

I have/had other stuff, too...used lots of it on animals. I noticed about 20 years ago that I grabbed a 270 or 7 mag just about every time I hunted...except brown bear and for that brought 375's and 338's.

7 mags (most any of them) are easy to like. Fast, flat trajectory,accurate. Bullets of ample weight and everything from high BC, long range styles to lighter speed bomb monos. And (relatively) modest powder charges . They recoil but don't beat you up. Pronghorn to moose versatility,and about everything in between.

All this in moderate weight rifles.

What's not to like?

What is "flap" meat?

I have my own definition, but it's context is usually confined to threads that have "223AI" somewhere in the title.

I think the proper term is skirt steak, the meat along the ribs that around here we typically use for Carne Asada .

I grind most non steak or roast meat because I love elk burger by that cut marinated and grilled with beans and guacamole on a tortilla is just excellent.

My Dad left me his 300 Wby. It was a pre-64 300h&h that was sent to Weatherby to be chambered there.
I killed 5 deer and 1 elk with it, and it hit like the hammer of Thor.
But, when my best friends son wanted to get a "magnum", I gave him the gun. He will keep it in his family and use it and appreciate it.
My "problem" with it was simply that I didn't enjoy practicing with it, because of the sharp and strong recoil.
Because of that, I would shoot about 3 or 4 rounds at the range prior to deer season, then go hunting, get my dear, clean the gun and put it back in the safe until the next year.
So, I decided to get an 06', and shoot all year long and use it hunting instead. I think it was a good decision, because the extra practice has made me a better shot... funny how that works.

the nicest part about a 300 win mag is most gun stores have them in stock and that cartridge is very accurate.i have one in a Remington sniper rifle with a niteforce on it shoots 3/4 groups at 300 yards on a bench,but do not enjoy shooting my 300 win.mag it kicks nasty .i have built a new long range elk gun now 338 lapua with a recoil reducer on the barrel and that will be a better long rifle except ammo could be hard to find for some people. being a handloader for both not a problem.but if I went some place in the world on a plane for a hunt I would take the 300 win. mag just because ammo is easier to get all over the world.i own a 300 weatherby too and really see very little difference with a 300 win.mag except win mags ammo and brass is cheaper and to be honest the 300 win mag. is just a little more accurate, that's why the seals use them, seals use mostly federal ammo too,so sometimes that brass is around too,all three cartridges will kill elk and I like all three except the kick !

The 300 wtby bridges the gap between the 300 ultra mag and the 300 win mag. It doesn't have the redeeming qualities of either imo. I base this on owning all three.

A .300 Weatherby Mag is the best choice if a .300 Weatherby Mag is what you want.

For everybody else, not so much.

Well said!

I know many have a pet cartridge they love to hunt elk with , myself included but I did kill my biggest bull elk with a hoyt bow at 70 lb.s bull scored 374 b.c., all cartridges will kill a bull elk placed in the right place.just sayin

Back in the dark ages (1890's) the question would have been "The 7x57 Mauser for elk - is there anything better?"

Now, over 120 years later, for some people the answer is still "No".

The .300 Weatherby has a lot of positive attributes, but it has a lot of negatives, too. Among those negatives are:

1. Typical barrel length is 24". Not horrible but not compact, either.

2. Typical rifle weight. Again, not horrible but not lightweight, either.

3. Recoil with pull power loads is more than many people want to (or can) endure. Definitely more than necessary for the vast majority of hunters.

4. Factory ammo costs. This morning the cheap stuff at Midway is 1.78x more expensive than the cheap .300 Win Mag ammo and 2.56x more expensive than cheap 180g .30-06 hunting ammo. Comparing Remington Express 180g Core-Lokt ammo: .30-06 (2700fps), $22.99; .300 WM (2960fps), $30.99; .300WBY (3120fps), $69.99.

5. Ammo selection. At midway this morning there are 116 options for .30-06, 72 for .300 WM and 27 for .300 WBY.

6. Rifle options. Almost every bolt rifle manufacturer offers a .300 WM option. Don’t bother looking for a new .300 Weatherby from Remington, Winchester, Ruger, Savage, Sako, Tikka, Montana Rifle Company, Nosler, or Kimber. In other words, if you want a .300 Weatherby, be prepared to let your cartridge of choice dictate the rifle manufacturer and model.

This is not to knock the .300 Weatherby but rather just to point out some practical considerations. While I can’t say I‘ll never own one, I can say I don’t see any remotely compelling reason for me to do so. YMMV.

I still say there's something special about a 200gr Accubond whistling through the mountain air at 3100fps.

I was very impressed with my partners 300 Wby and 200 grain AB at 3050FPS this year. He shot a good 6x6 bull right around 200 yards in the rear of the ribcage and recovered it towards the front of the animal.. It didn't wander off at all and he hammered it with a 2nd that put him down for keeps.









Never would say a 100 other cartridges wouldn't have worked just as well, but it comforting to have that big Wby when the ranges are longer, if you can shoot it well.

The best caliber for elk is the one you can shoot accurately with the right bullet.

The .300 Weatherby is a decent elk round if you don't need much reach and love recoil.

But then if that fits the bill then the .340 Weatherby offers even less reach and kicks even more.

But then if that fits the bill then the .33-.378 Weatherby offers even less reach and will kick even more.

Need I go on??

Yes, go on.

How bouts a 338 RUM or a dinosaurus ultra rex magnum?


Merry Christmas, John and everyone else.

John what is your favorite round?