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

Yay for the Big 8. I have an 8mm Rem Mag myself.
But I've yet to draw an elk tag, so what do I know?

Again, glad you liked it.

And Mule Deer still lied.

No, I was just amazed he would lie so blatantly when it was so easy to prove that's what he did. He lied.

Coyote Hunter cried.

That's the best you have? Really?

It may be that in his original post Mule Deer was just confused. When his error was pointed out he could have acknowledged as much and I would have accepted it. Instead he intentionally chose not to do so and at that point, if it wasn’t already, his statement became an intentional lie. And not, I might point out, the first one he told about me.

The truth can be stated in just 3 words:
1. Mule
2. Deer
3. lied

I have checked in on this post from time to time.. Coyote I think you are making a fool of yourself.. I mean it kindly.. Let it go.. I simply say this as a friend..

Let's settle this argument, the 338 RUM is the best Elk rifle you can carry, period.

+1 you've clung to this way too long...

I would add to this stop giving out advice. The guy doesn't have a clue.

Let's get back to the .300 Weatherby. Has anybody owned a .300 WM AND a .300 Weatherby and noticed a big difference?

I have both.. Both with custom barrels by Lilja. I have shot the win. since the early 70's.. It is on its third barrel.. The Wea. bests the Wins. vel. on the average by about 100 fps.. IF the Wea. could be made in an action to seat the bullet out farther, I think the difference would be greater.. That is the major handicap I see with the Wea. Mine is very accurate for a large caliber hunting rifle..
I like them both, but the Win. is my favorite simply because I have hunted with it since the 70's, and we have been on hunts all over the U.S., Canada, and two trips to Africa..

My 300 WBY is built on a 700 action. So why not go Bee is you have the room?

Could have went Win for more Brad's availability though.

What does "more Brad's availability" mean?

No, but I've had a .300 Wby for years now, it's very accurate, hits like the Hammer of Thor, and I rarely find myself taking it out of the safe.

I've killed bull elk with both. You will never in a million years see a difference.

You can back that "almost" down until you get to a 22 LR and still lose the argument on what is better. This has gone on for 5 years and has made enemies and little children out of more than a few during that time.

I would bet few here have killed as many elk total as I have with a 30-06 and I have to say it is a fine round, but when it comes to serious elk hunting I grab the 300 WBY as anything less is not enough of too much and any more is too much of not enough...

Good lord. Autocorrect gone amuck.

*brass*

That ship sailed awhile ago. At this point he might as well keep on with it. The damage is done. To him anyway. I don't think any less of Mule Deer.

You and Donald Rumsfeld must be related

Is "serious" elk hunting done with a big frown?

The .300 WBY may be the best for some but it is definitely sub-par for others. Daughter #1 is rather petite and hates recoil. When it came time to choose a big game rifle for her we went with a .308 Win. For antelope she will be shooting 130g TTSX this year and may use those for elk, as she did last year. While 'd like to see her get up into the 150-168g range with AccuBonds or TTSX respectively I don't know if that is going to happen. Guess we'll find out when we get to the range this summer. In any case, getting her up to a .300 WBY is a non-starter - the best we would do is get her up to a downloaded .300 WBY and what's the point of that when a maxed-out .308 Win is above her comfort level?

There are also a lot of people who shoot factory ammunition and for whom ammunition cost is a big factor. For many of them a .30-06 is a better choice just due to ammunition costs. When I purchased a rifle as a wedding present for my first son-in-law the first thing Daughter #2 asked me was whether he would be able to afford to shoot it. She was much relieved when I told her it was a .30-06. When Daughter #1` got married, guess what her husband got? Yup, a .30-06. I am hoping Daughter #3 will get married late this year or early next year, in which case her intended will also get a .30-06 rifle as a wedding present. None of my daughters or their men reload, nor do I expect them to take it up as their interests lie elsewhere. Relatively inexpensive factory ammo, whether for practice or hunting, is more important to them than extra range they are not prepared to use - and more so if that extra range comes with additional recoil that isn't necessary or is above their comfort level.

In my case, while a .300 WBY would be a fine choice for elk, would it be the "best"? Would it mean an otherwise unnecessary purchase of a new set of dies and brass? Yes. Would it mean dealing with increased recoil? In most cases, yes. Would it most likely mean carrying around a heavier, longer rifle? Yes. Would it actually do something that my other rifles can't do? Probably not. If hard hitting and flatter trajectory were my primary concerns I'd probably jump to a .26, .28 or .30 Nosler instead.

Arguments about what is "best" tend to ignore that "best" is a qualitative measure based on a specific set of criteria - and that the criteria against which "best" is judged varies from person to person. There is no universal "best".