The good, the bad, the ugly.............

I use a wildcat that is very similar, the 338/8mmRemMag. I call mine the 340 Tyrannosaur. It is an VERY deadly long range Elk and Plains game cartridge. I do not find the recoil objectionable, but my stock is semi custom and fits me quite well. The Extra fat Limbsaver recoil pad is a big help also. My cartridge has a tad bit more case capacity than the original WBY version so can run 225GR TTSX's out of my cut rifled lapped barrel at 3100FPS with a stiff dose of 7828SSC. Since mine has been used by me AND clients in Africa I guess one could say I like it. If one can shoot his well there are no downsides and lots of killing power. Not really that much difference in performance between the 340WBY, my 338/8mmRemMag aka 340 Tyrannosaur and a 338 Lapua. Especially with the newer propellants we have.

The Good

Hammers chitt

The Bad

If it is in the wrong wrapper you will feel more recoil then necessary

The Ugly

Better Reload if you plan on shooting it much

I love my .338 Win.....and I'm sure the .340 is more of a good thing, but the only one I ever shot...a Fibermark...had the nastiest sharpest recoil of anything I've ever touched off.

maybe it was the stock....I shoot a .375 and a .450/.400 double so it wasn't my first rodeo with a kicker, but the recoil was really fast and nasty.

I'm sure it's even worse for whatever is on the receiving end.

Well put! Sums it up nicely.

I can just bet a fibermark in 340 would be pretty bad. My 340+P has a straight comb laminated stock with, as I mentioned above, a PHATT limbsaver recoil pad. Heavy 1917 action, 26 inch bbl, 30mm tube 2-10x44 Eurodiamond posi lock scope so have over 10lbs soaking up the backsmack. Pretty comfortable to shoot in that configuration, for me at least. MUCH nicer, to my bod anyway, than my hot loaded 416 Rigby.

It'll check your dental work and neck bones.

You can hunt the world with it.

They are the perfect "when you absolutely positively need it dead right now" cartridge. I have owned two and will have another one down the road. I've had one in an Accumark and a custom lightweight and they both shot very well and were comfortable to shoot.

I own two, an Accumark and a Lazermark. Arguably one of Roy's better creations right along with the 300 and 257. It's one hell of a cartridge. It has the range of a varmint rifle and the power of a 375 H&H. I've settled on two bullet weights, the 210 TTSX and the 250 TSX. Recoil is sharp, but to me manageable. The down side is expense. Brass (Norma) is expensive and case life is short and of course loaded ammo is hugely expensive. Perfect for Big Bears I would think. jorge

What type of accuracy/range is to be expected from the.340 ?

Depends entierly on the rifle and the shooter. Mine is a consistent 3/4 inch gun at 100, but as stated before is a full on custom from butt to muzzle. A ROY rifle should be able to do an inch or a bit better with decent well crafted handloads.

JORGE, if you ever sell that LAzermark, please put me on your contact list. I LOVE those beautiful WBY's! Need a picture of it here, PLEASE????

I don't own one but have shot my pal's rifle plenty out to 300-500 yards....and watched it work numerous times on hunts out west,since back in the 80's.It kills well when pointed correctly.A 210 Partition at 3150 is no toy....

Even formed cases from WW 375 H&H brass to get around the brass cost issues...this works pretty well.I think Paul just passed them through the 340 die and then fireformed with a lighter load...it has been awhile but IIRC he had no special form dies.

Great cartridge and IME very accurate as well. His is a left hand Weatherby Mark V from years back,bedded in a Brown Precision stock and for the caliber,is a pretty handy rifle....maybe 8.5 pounds scoped.

It groups in clusters at 100 yards with 210 Partitions.

I despise muzzle brakes but this is one rifle where I would suggest Magnaport....this does not attenuate recoil so much as it brings the recoil straight back and just about eliminates muzzle flip,while not having the obnoxious blast of a brake....with that straight,Brown Precision stock and Magnaport, the whole outfit is more manageable than it should be.

Still not for the faint of heart but a hell of a lot better than it is otherwise.

If you like to romp and stomp with a big 338,and a bit of Weatherby panache,this is your huckleberry!

I had one briefly in a Fibermark. Recoil was about the same as my .375, which is a lightweight at 7.5 pounds all up. Interestingly enough, I thought my .300 Win Mag NULA recoiled more, but don't think the stock fit me all that well on the NULA.

In the end, I sold the .340 because I saw my .375 as a bigger hammer with similar recoil.

if limited to one elk rifle, a synthetic stock stainless wby mark v
with a good leopold scope is my choice, loaded with 250 grain hornady bullets

Here you go:



As usual, TSXs rule the roost in accuracy...

I have a .340 that I bought from Mule Deer here at the Campfire. Its a 700 BDL .338 Winchester that was rechambered.

With full house loads it will get your attention on the bench.

MD worked up a somewhat reduced "deer load" with the 200 grain Hornady and IMR 4895 @ around 2760 fps for it that is very manageable on recoil and still packs a good wallop.

I get between 1.00 and 1.50 inch groups out this rifle.

Not a whole lot to add to what others have stated. Mine is a Stainless Fibermark with an affinity for keeping 210gr TSX's pushed by RL19 in pleasingly smallish groups. With a trajectory essentially identical to my 7mm Mag's favorite 150gr TSX load it shoots flat and brings a righteous amount of attitude upon arrival. 250 grainers (I've been remiss in putting together a load at that weight) can be taken past 2800fps without much fanfare in the 26" barrels and bumping right up against the venerable .375 H&H.

I don't find the .340 particularly punishing but some people have the Weatherby stock fit them better than others so I might well fall into that group.

In short I like the cartridge quite a bit. If I have a complaint about my .340 it is as I get a bit older lugging the Fibermark around becomes less appealing than other rifles I have at my disposal.

I think it is one of Weatherby's very best cartridges. It is a handloaders dream, as everything you can load in it will work well enough or better still.

I have loaded bullets from 175 grain X's through to 300 gn Woodleighs. Without being unreasonable, it is hard to name an animal or hunting condition where the .340 is out of place.

Why is it not typically included in .338 talk?

A fellow I know has one. His big problem with the gun is bullet set-back in the mag caused by recoil. It is a Wby rifle too, but I don`t know what model.

...................Thought about getting the 340 Wby in the Accumark, but instead got a new 338-378 Accumark w/brake about three months ago. A 340 Wby on steroids.

Although not quite the power of the 338-378, I`d still expect the 340 Bee to be an excellent longer range round. With the exception where a 375 is going to be the minimum caliber, the 340 Wby will cover any worldwide basis.

Where the 340 is concerned, I really cannot see any bad nor ugly categories.

As long as you are aware of its recoil (assuming your potential 340 rifle has no brake) and can handle that ok, and it fits your hunting needs (probably more so), then by all means go for it.

But I will tell you this. When firing my 338-378 w/its brake, I don`t get any close bench fellowship from anyone at the range, especially from any poor guy who happens to be bench shooting next to me. To those on either side, I usually offer a rotational firing sequence anyway.

In part, it is a scatter gun too! Really makes `em scatter!

A 340 Wby w/brake won`t be far behind in the scattering dept......

I have some first hand experince with the 340 and a hunting partner who lives in da UP still uses his.
It is impressive, load up a good 250 (or 275 Speer if you have any laying about), a dose of 7828 then hang on to your hat.
It does have reach and hits hard when it get's there.
An old friend from my Alaska days had one that he used and he summed it up "shoots as flat as a 7 mag and hits like a 375" probably not entirely accurate but close enough.

My .340 has been around the world and is the last big game rifle I would ever part with. It's accurate, flat shooting and powerful. It's has the trajectory of a .270 and the punch of a .375 as far as I am concerned.

Two of my shooting mentors, both with a couple more gray hairs than me intro'd the 340 to me. From there I ran totally amuck with it thru 2 barrels and am on my 3rd now.

So I'll ramble on with a few thoughts about the round I like so much.

First off, if put together in an intelligent manner it's one of the most accurate rounds I've ever been around. Most of the 340's I've been around have been built with Schneider tubes and on 70's, 700's and Mausers.

The tubes have been from 23" to 26" and generally a 4.5 wt Schneider. My first one was on my 700 and was @ 23" (went 8 1/4 with a 3-10 on it in Conetrols) and would consistently put 5 of the 250 Horns into sub 3/4"..!

Someone asked why the .340 isn't mentioned more in 338 talk and my thoughts on this is that it's for a couple reasons. One the Mark V's can be a bit expensive comp'd to the average 338. Two, many people just haven't the proper coaching and counceling as to how to put them together so they won't be too heavy (I want it all up at the absolute most 9lbs, that's rounds, sling etc..). And they're not sure as to how to build them so that they're as user friendly as they can be.

Too many people don't have enough weight out front and have too much in the action (Mark V), so they go lighter on the tube than one should or end up with a heavy rig. Either is unacceptable to me.

I've used 8 Rem mag and 375 H&H brass to form .340 brass and finally just went to using Wby brass and being done with it. Now I think that someone mentioned that they felt that the Wby brass life wasn't very good but that wasn't my finding at all. My first two boxes I went 13 loadings on the one and 12 on the other.

I used mine a ton on chucks at long range as well for yotes and the occaisional pd or porky. The 250 Horn is one of two rounds/loads that I ever found that would tear up a porky. Had one winter where we did a somewhat extensive test and shot 47 porky's to see what would really tear em up and what wouldn't.

The round is a wonderful and decisive killer of big game and it does it's work very well to long range. And when you hit something like an elk @ 400-600 yds it does have an effect. And that's something I happen to appreciate in a round. I took a good bull last fall @ a skosh over 400 yds with an 06 and it took two rounds and sat there and looked around. That's not something that would I would expect would happen if I had been using my .340.

Now some witch and moan about the bump of the round. And it can be a bit feisty, but if people want to master it they can. It does take a bit more commitment than most rounds is all.

And if I wished to go across the pond and take on M' bogo I'd sure not feel out of my element in using a 275 SAF.

Great round and totally under appreciated by my way of thinking.

Dober

Ruger270man,

The first time I fired one I held it loosely and pointed it toward the ground. I was going to work up a load. The bolt knob entered between my thumb and first finger. I told the guy to send it off to get a KEEPER installed.

When it came back I worked up a load for the Nosler 210. This Mark V loved them. They averaged 3,212 feet per second and regularly grouped 3/4" at 100 yards.

Nothing penetrated like the original 300 grain Barnes.

I like the round itself, but like Mark, I don't really like the average rifle that it comes in (Mark V, though that's what mine is). My next one will be on a M70 action with a better stock. I haven't shot as many animals as Mark, but I've shot ground squirrels, jack rabbits, coyotes, and elk with it and have liked the results.

Stick one D'Arcy's handles on it along with a Schneider 4.5 weight on it and rock on. I'd start with a 25" barrel and it'll be an instant rock star for you.

Dober

Mark, why do you specifically call out Schneider? That's not a barrel name I see too much (as opposed to Lilja, Hart, Shillen etc.), is there something specific you like about it and the 340 or is it just a combo that worked great for you?

I ran the reduced "deer load" for my .340 thru the JBM calculator just to see what the numbers looked like on paper. Even this mild load is no slouch.

200 grain Hornady SP @ 2761 fps =

3384.8 foot lbs of muzzle energy:


Here is what the trajectory read out said:

100 yards: +1.8 in.
200 yards: 0.00 2377.1 ft. lbs ME
250 yards: -1.3 inches
300 yards: -8.4 inches 1970.6 ft. lbs ME

Metallic Cartridge Handbook by McPherson and Fackler said that brass formed from 8mm Rem Mag cases has about 5% less internal volume than Norma/Wby brass. Said to reduce max loads by about 5% to compensate. Example, Wby info might say max 88 grains MRP and 250-grain Partition. Reduce the 88 grains to about 83-84 grains Max for the 8mm Rem Mag brass as an initial Max point. Your rifle may take the entire 88 grains MRP in that brass w/o problems.

Two of us bought rifles in Southgate, one from their display and one NIB - they only had two in stock. We tossed a coin, and I got the display rifle. Mine would get sticky with Rem brass and 84 grains MRP and 250-grain NosP or Hdy. His would take all 88 grains with no trubs. His max loads Chrony'ed over 3000 fps, but accuracy fell off so he backed down into the 29xx fps range for his loads.

Just run the 8mm brass through the .340 sizer and, it is ready to load - fairly low cost way to get .340 brass. I did not shoot mine enough to go broke paying for Wby brass.

It would shoot 1-inch 3-shot groups at 100 yards, as long as I remembered to hang on and keep still. It shot the NosP and Hdy 250-grains about the same as I recall. My last target has two overlapping 3-shot groups, with a 1-click windage adjustment between groups. The budget Tasco scope adjustment tracked. The Tetra one-piece base lets all four screws reinforce each other, and the hour glass studs let the scope rings align as needed.

Takes concentration to shoot it well - try to remember it kicks and blasts just as hard if I flinch. Three three-shot groups per session is enough for me.

The 250-grain NosP and the Hdy looked so alike when seated that telling them apart was nearly impossible w/o marking the rounds.

http://www.realguns.com/articles/318.htm article on .338 RUM has a chart comparing the .338 Mags with 225-grain bullets.

Good Q. I've not seen a dog, they're accurate as all get out, and they clean up better than anything I've seen to date and lastly they handle the life cycle of the barrel (from beginning virginity to fried) better than anything else I've used yet. (many people have thoughts and comments on barrels and yet haven't run them thru their life cycle and I'm interested in how they break in, how they shoot from begging to end, how they clean up and yeah how and when they die)

Long and the short I totally love the Schneider tubes and how they do their thing.

Dober

I have a Sako Finnbear that wears a Schneider 12 twist tube in 340. My most accurate load was with 225 Hornady Spire Points. I had a few boxes treated with Arizona Ammunition's proprietary coating (not moly but similar) and had great luck. The barrel I have is 'fast'. I get 3000 fps with 250 grains loads pretty easily. Not often that you can duplicate Roy's factory stuff. It is throated to take 300 SMKs seated to the bast of the neck so that I could built a long range single shot with that reamer should I decide to. I fixed my mag so that i can seat out to 3.85 with this rifle. Wears a Micky swirly in a subdued color scheme and probably weighs about 8 1/2 all up.

I built one in the early nineties and have taken about 12 elk with it now, caribou, deer, even a couple come-what-may coyotes. It is as Ross Seyfried once said a .375 that shoots as flat as a 270-- kind of the same thing Jorge was saying. It's not magic but has a fairly leggy engine with enough steam to boot fairly heavy bullets over 3000 fps. My hand loads with 250-gr bullets wouldn't quite get past 2950 fps but 225-grs would hit 3100 and the 210's trip the Chrony at just at 3200 fps. But the Swift A-F 275-gr would hit 2750 with ease. That's a brown bear bullet if I ever saw one. I agree with Dober in that I wouldn't feel at all under gunned with that bullet against cape buff or about anything for that matter.

I seem to gave taken more elk at 400 yds and over than many here according to a past thread but I don't plan it that way. But when you do get shots at that range and provided you've done your homework there are not many cartridges that are better. It is a long range hammer to use an over wrought phrase. I'm being careful not to exaggerate but the elk I've killed with it from 400 to 550 yds went down like elevators with bullets through the chest/shoulders.

My 340 was right at 8.5 lbs all up and I wouldn't want it heavier but I also had a 375 H&H that weighed the same and I found the 340 the more challenging. Not necessarily greater recoil but at least the same, and faster. Much depends as has been said on the platform. Mine was on a Rem 700 action, Shilen barrel, and in a Brown Prec stock with a Pach Decelerator pad which worked very well.

I've hand loaded everything with few exceptions. My rifle is an honest 1.5" 'r at 100 yds with everything shot through it. The most accurate bullet after all these years though is the 210 TSX which gets down to the MOA mark-- but not quite. Considering the size game hunted with this cartridge this does not bother me in the slightest.

It's certainly not needed for elk or moose but it's very good for that type of game and at long range. I think it would be an excellent choice for grizzly or brown bear. Its not for everybody but for someone who who is willing to put in the time and wants a powerful cartridge in a caliber with a lot of good premium bullets it's a very viable choice. Understand, though, it not the cartridge you build a light rifle around.

Well said Geroge!

Dober

It is a heck of a hammer on both ends . I feel a guy should go shoot 8-20 rounds through a .338 Roy or Ultra mag. before he dumps his money on one. The recoil is fast and brutal.

I find the Weatherby stock extremely uncomfortable to shoot as well. The design of the stock punches me in the jaw really hard, due to the high reversed slope or hump of the comb.

The .338 Ultra mag. has a wider array of rifles and stock designs, MUCH cheaper brass and similar velocities compared to the Roy.

I don't find the recoil of either round "manageable" at all. You have to really be paying attention when you touch one off. I saw a friend of mine get knocked out cold (the scope hit him) while shooting a .338 Ultra, due to crawling the stock. He's a big guy, but lost concentration. I am a stock crawler, especially prone, so for that reason, among the others listed, I won't own one.

It is a specialty round for seasoned shooters/hunters, not for the new guy that isn't familiar with stout recoil. I like to shoot for fun and I don't find the big .338's fun at all, but that's just me. Flinch

I agree with Flinch, the recoil was simply to much for me. I sold mine, then years later bought a 338 WM and haven't looked back. Funny thing is I love my 338, but hated the 340. Might have been the stock, but what ever it was it slammed me hard everytime I shot it.

...........Who was Popeye`s plumpy sidekick who loved hamburgers?....LOL!!!!

You run into this with both the FL, blown out 375 cases,and the Ultra Mags;and for some reason, when powder charges reach into the mid 80's and low 90's,bullets heavy and velocity high,the recoil in portable rifles goes up disproportionately.

I ran into this with the 375 AI,and the 340 Weatherby when I tried them ( belonged to friends)and the wildcatted 358 STA,which I built.Those large doses of slow powders and the heavy bullets made recoil BOTH hard and fast.

Then I figured out that a 375H&H weighing 8 pounds could sling a 250 gr bullet over 2900 using only 77-78 gr of faster powders like 4064,and later RL15.My last chronograph session showed 2940 with RL15 from my Krieger barrel.And recoil, while there,is a lot more manageable than any 340 or 338 Ultra.

You can say you are somehow handicapped by the ballistic differences between 338 and 375 bullets,but I have shot this load against my pals 340 Weatherby and to 400-500 yards there is not much difference at all.And with todays bullets (235 and 250 TX or TTSX,Northfork,Swift)the 375 combo is just as effective on game, and more manageable to boot,and IME seems to make bigger holes.

If you like going beyond 500 yards I suspect the big 338's will shade it,but at shorter distances,if you want a 340 without the baggage and boot, the old 375H&H and todays lighter high tech bullets, will deliver it without the excess baggage.

I believe that is a very good point Bob.

George: I've used the combo on brown bear with the 250 BBC,and a pal has used the 235 TX on moose,eland,kudu,gemsbok and elk.All the traditional medium bore fodder.So we know it works as well as the other mediums.Which makes sense because that's the kind of stuff H&H had in mind when the cartridge was invented.

As to the recoil...well I have flopped prone and shot from the bench with the 338, 340, 375,375AI,etc,and the big wildcat 35,all quite a bit.The 375 with the quicker powders and lighter charges just lacks that heavy, hard snap of the 340 and its' ilk.The Holland recoils slower..and to me just feels more manageable...

You just don't have the recoil related issues Flinch mentioned...very shootable combo.

Admittedly these are small differences going either way, and I think the 340 is a great cartridge...but if you like something more manageable, even if just a little,the H&H with lighter, tough bullets provides it.

Having or having had a 340, 300 mags, 375 H&H, 375 AI, and a 416 I have to agree. Though my 416 Rem was a lb heavier at 9.5 lbs, even it didn't recoil so fast. My 458 Lott was a different story.

I have actually decided what you have just written and am trying to sell my 340 (a left hand 340 is not in high demand) and meanwhile picked up and tuned a 375 Ruger for use with the lighter mono bullets or bullets like the 260-gr Accubond. The Ruger is also 8.5 lbs all up. Im not a 700-800 yd game shooter so the lesser ballistic ability of these 375 slugs relatively to the 338s will make very little difference to me.

George you know of course that your 340 could be easily rebarreled to 375H&H with few or no other alterations(check feeding, etc).

Something close to a #4 contour would keep weight manageable(similar to a 375 Ruger African barrel would be great).

This may save you a few bucks, but not sure.In any event you would have the familiarity of the old rifle.

3 of my Elk hunting friends used to shoot them (one still does). They were all Weatherby Mark Vs with fancy wood --- beautiful rifles. 2 of the 3 guys couldn't shoot them well. Just too much recoil. The third guy has dropped back to 210 grain bullets and I suspect is loading them @ less than max.

Amazing how many owners use light bullets. Might as well shoot a .300 Mag and get better BC.

Hence my comments about getting them built right, the factory Mark V's will fit some folk but I don't think they'll fit the majority.

If they had them built right and the weight where it should be then they'd have rifles with decent weights and rigs that were very accurate and very shootable.

Dober

Here are some loads I worked up.

.340 Weatherby Magnum

Bullet Load Powder O. A. L. Velocity Energy Comments

175 gn Barnes X
93gn H 4831 3.635" 3138 Original Surplus
93gn WMR 3034
93gn H 4831 3241 Mulwex Manufactured (Hodgdon)
94gn H 4831 3281 Mulwex Manufactured (Hodgdon)
95gn H 4831 3.641" 3307 Mulwex Manufactured (Hodgdon)
92gn H 4350 3.603" 3364
85gn 760 3280
87gn 760 3310
85gn IMR 4350 3158
87gn IMR 4350 3290

185 gn Barnes TSX
83gn 760 3.665" 3150 Mild
84gn 760 3162
92gn Rel 22 3252
93gn Rel 22 3268
94gn Rel 22 3310 4501
95gn** Rel 22 3372 4672 .517" Best Accuracy (2 touching-seat deeper)
87gn H 4350 3161 4106 Mild
89gn H 4350 3252 4344

200gn Speer
93gn H 4831 3092
91gn Rel 19 3092
93gn Rel 22 3173 4472 MOA. Best load this bullet
63gn* AR 2206 2656 3134 Reduced Load
65gn* AR 2206 2722 Reduced Load

200 gn Barnes X
90gn Rel 22 3218 26" Tobler barrel/Rem 700 action

210 gn Partition
90gn Rel 19 3124 4552
91gn H 4831 3010 4256 Original Surplus
93gn H 4831 3.621" 3116 4529 .7 MOA
93gn WMR 3104 4494

225 gn Speer BT
91gn H 4831 2981 4441 Original Surplus

225 gn Hornady
90gn Rel 22 3088 4765 ,7 MOA 3 shots
92gn Rel 22 3101 4806
91gn H 4831 3012 4537 Original Surplus
93gn H 4831 3042 4624
89gn Rel 19 3030 4588 1.5 MOA
90gn Rel 19 3121 4868

225 gn Woodleigh
90gn WMR 3.553" 2925
91gn WMR 2981
92gn WMR 3.585" 3037 Warm Load
90gn Rel 22 3042 Good Load - Seat out 1/2 turn
93gn Rel 22 3238 5240

225 gn Barnes TSX
90gn Rel 22 3.679" 3049 4648
91gn Rel 22 3086 4681
92gn** Rel 22 3100 4809 .908" Best Accuracy
92gn Rel 25 2865 Mild
94gn Rel 25

225gn Barnes TTSX
91gn Rel 22 2924 Mild
94gn Rel 25 2904 Mild
95gn Rel 25
89gn H 4831sc 2720 Very Mild


230 gn Fail Safe
91gn WMR 3.674" 2965 4341
89gn Rel 22 2994
90gn Rel 22 3025 1.5 MOA

250 gn Hornady
86gn Rel 19 2861
87gn Rel 19 2903
88gn Rel 22 2917 4726
88gn H 4831 2839 Original Surplus
89gn H 4831 2870 4574 MOA 3 shots
88gn WMR 2910

250 gn Partition
88gn Rel 22 2921 4738
89gn H 4831 2895 4658 MOA Best Accuracy
89gn WMR 2927 4756

250 gn Swift Sirocco
88gn WMR 2908

250 gn Grand Slam
88gn Rel 22 2902 4678
88gn WMR 3.602" 2889 4634

250 gn Woodleigh
88gn WMR 3.553" 2852
89gn WMR 2925 .7 MOA load
90gn WMR 2941 4803
87gn** Rel 22 2907 4692 Best load this bullet
88gn Rel 22 3.659" 3005 5014

275 gn Speer
87gn H 4831 2742 4591 .7 MOA Load
86gn WMR 3.598" 2812 4829

300 gn Woodleigh
83gn** Rel 22 3.541" 2684 4800 Same POI as 185/225 TSX & 250 Wood

* Denotes reduced loads using Mulwex AR 2206 (Similar to H-4895) and Fed 210 Primers
** These 4 bullet/load combo's shoot to the same point of impact. (Interchangeable loads)

John

I cannot comment on the .340WBY. I don't own one. Never fired one. I understand that the recoil is very heavy. I have a .300 WBY, a .338-06, a .338 Win, and a .375 H&H. I never felt a need for the .340.

I agree to a large degree with Bob about the 375 vs the 340. If I wanted to use one of the bigger boys again I'd go 375 as I could build it 8 lbs or very close to that all up and have a relatively user friendly rig.

The recoil of the two is very different to me. And I see that when I shoot 375ish loads in my 375 Wby as well.

As I mature (ok get older dang it) I have less and less desire to hunt with a rifle that goes much over 8 1/4 lbs all up and ready to rock. Can I tote the heavier ones yet, yeah I can but I prefer not to.

I would like to have one bigger gun and the 375 H&H seems like a very good candidate.

One place I don't have much experience with the 375's is the 250's and speeds. I have used the combo with a 250 Sierra to take elk but I don't think the load was close to hitting 2900.

Guess what I'm getting at is a question for Bob and others is do you feel that most 23-24" 375's can get a 250-260 bullet to the 2900 range? I've always considered a bit over 2800 to be the max but I may well be a bit out of touch about it. (nice way of saving face and say that I have no friggin idea...grin)

I'd use a 6x36 Leo with dotz in it so whether it's 28 or 29 really doesn't matter just a curious question is all. And, from my use with the 235 TSX in my 375 Wby I've seen incredible accuracy so could go that way as well. But, the new 250 TTSX is really calling my name. But dang, that 260 Accu is one sexy beasty bullet and that's how I pick my bullets..

I likey Bob's idea of a 8 lb 375 for my uses here. Be a heck of a yote rifle and when I hit a elk at 400+ yards the darn thing wouldn't stand around wondering what on earth happened. It'd have some reaction and or hit the deck! (last fall I stuck two from an 06 into a bull @ a bit over 400 and it was like I hadn't even hit it, and yeah I know the next 10 or so may well react totally differently..grin)

Dober


(and the coup de grace is the 375/250 combo would match up well with my 270/150 combo-anyone still reading all this..grin)

To the first part as others have mentioned the Wby stocks don't work for everyone. Either they do work well for me and/or the stock material of my rifle (it's a Fibermark) helps dampen felt recoil. Either way in conjunction with the Decelerator pad I've never found my rifle's recoil that bad. (OTOH I'm kind of a big 230lb knuckle-dragger so I may just be too dumb to notice)

As to the .300 mag comparison the .340 can easily be pushing the 210gr TSX past 3100fps. This is going to be around 200fps faster than a .300 Win and the 200 TSX. My ballistics #'s have the .340 flatter out past 400yds which is all I'll ever need. Dropping down to the 180gr TSX in the .300 will still only get you to within 100fps of the .340 and trajectory is basically a wash out to 400 but you've given up frontal area and now a decent amount of bullet weight. I certainly don't see the .340 conceding much.

BUT...if one wanted to go to 225, 250 or even 275gr bullets the .340 gives you that option where the .300's clearly start losing ground. (where I start to really see your point is when people start shooting sub-200gr bullets out of .338 magnums. Not sure I get that part.)

Dober I have used that 250 gr load with 4064 and later, RL15 going back quite a few years....IIRC the barrels have been 3-4 pre64 factory tubes,M70 Classics,an A&M CM, and the present Krieger 410 SS.....all have been 24" or 25".

I have not had a problem hitting 2900 (2875-2940)from any of these rifles.I won't state the load because rifles vary, but case life has been fine,and I have had no problems of any kind.

For example,when we lost WW brass for the 375 I was a bit concerned that Remington would be different; last year,I bought some and worked up to those velocity levels with the 250.The cases are going on the 4th firing, and the primer pockets are just as tight as they were with the new brass....there is no undue swelling of the brass,and it rechambers easily in my rifle.

As to recoil,yeah, it is there, but like you say,not as heavy, fast, or sharp as the 340 or 375 AI with that weight range of bullets.I flop prone with this rifle all the time with no concerns about getting whacked around too hard...kind of a big "push"...

And "yes", the trajectory is very similar to a 270 with a 150 gr bullet.Zeroed 3" high at 100 yards, I am about 4-5" low at 300,and about 14" low at 400 yards.This means as you know, that a hold top of shoulders will catch an elk with a solid chest hit to that distance....you will still be holding on hair on Bullwinkle.

Have not run dots but bet it would work swell. Will they put dots in a 4X?

Yea, Bob, I know but as much as I like the H&H I was curious about the 375 Ruger plus I have slowly been trading my PFs for CRFs for my own "compare and contrast". Being a lefty I've spent the majority of my shooting years "push-feeding". I now have three CRFs but have yet to hear angelic choruses break out in song or to feel a tingling feeling go up my leg .

I may yet do what you suggest or even keep my 340-- I've become quite fond of it in spite of it's few shortcomings one of which is, like Dober says, a little more weight than I like anymore.

I have to admit a real liking for the 375s too-- there's just such balance there.

George: 375 Ruger is, of course, good as well and does the same things with a bit more velocity.

Anything else you want to know?

George,

Didn't Ross tell you, more or less, that the 338 Winny now occupies the niche of its bigger brother?

Being a huge 338 Winny fan, I'm about to tube one of my Sakos in 340 Roy.
If you had a big, fat Sako Finnbear action, what tube, bullets and why?

Thanks for the input!

[size:14pt][/size]Yes, he did, in a lengthy response to a letter from a reader-- me. . IIRC, with the intro of the Win Failsafe and then the Barnes X, one of which (Barnes X I think) he tested in Australia on feral donkeys, he felt the effectiveness of a cartridge went up "a click". He did then opine at one point that he felt the 338 Win had "closed the gap" with the .340 with these type premiums. He might have been the first to mention the new mono- bullets and the Failsafe lifting each cartridge class up to the effectiveness of the one above it.

'Course, the 340 becomes more wicked too but maybe there is a threshold beyond which "less is more" is true.

Rebarreling to a 340 I'd probably follow Dobers experience and try a Schneider no shorter than 24" but probably go 25" and ~ .65" at the crown. ROH, I'm not sure what contour that is. Bullet? Depends on your application of course. Are you going heavy, ultra long range with 300-gr high BC fast twist or a general hunting arm with say 210-gr TSXs which I can tell you will suffice for elk to 500 yds. I would stay away from the Wby "free bore" if you plan on hand loading everything just because I had it in another Wby chambered rifle and it gave me fits or at least I thought it did.

I would not have weight go over 8.5 lbs include scope and mounts because I'd use it for elk in the mountains and I'd try to get just under that. There are lots of bullets but the TSXs are perfect for the Roy-- 210 - 225 grains-- a good compromise of weight, SD, BC, velocity, weight retention (I e, a shoulder at 100 yds). And they are usually very accurate.

At that weight, I'd tap the receiver for 8x40s and even epoxy the bases in. Even then, I shot the rear base loose at about 500 rds

It's a very good cartridge.

.650" at the crown sounds like a number 4 contour, roughly what Remington uses on the Model 700.

Nope, Think I want to get one now, nothing wrong with any excuse for buying a new gun.

George,

Thanks for taking the time to have some input.

I have a pile of the Barnes stuff, 250 Partitions and even a decent stash of FailSafes. I generally use 225 or 250 Hornady's for everyday in my 338's.

I am looking at the long throat for the 300 target bullets just hve that option.

Who knows, it seems like a dandy cartridge, but I don't think I'll get a Sako down in that weight range!

Cause I hold a rifle very light, and tend to be a stock crawler for me mag na port works very well with rounds like this.

Dober

I Concur. The .340 Weatherby is very responsive to Magnaporting.

John

I bet it way overpenetrated on that 'yote.

It is my understanding that porting of most any kind (mag na/brake) becomes more efficacious as velocity increases, right? If that's the case is would make sense that the .340 would benefit from such things.

Having said that my .340 throws a pretty big party at the muzzle when fired as is so I'd have to imagine a brake, while it might make a substantial difference in recoil, would be nigh intolerable. I just don't dig brakes. I've never shot a Mag Na ported anything (though my .500 S&W seems to have a similar top muzzle vent but still no rifle) so I was wondering what the blast was like compared to a brake?

Im surprised it didnt bounce off like a .270 !

My best hunting buddy has a Sako in 338 that is Magna Ported and I bought one of the first KDF brakes for my 340 when they first came out.

The Magna Porting does help with muzzle jump I think but the KDF took ten years of high frequency hearing away from me when I first used it back in the days before good hearing protection. I took it off and haven't used it since. The muzzle blast was atrocious.

Both require good hearing protection IMHO and a warning for a guide or bystander.

Not sure about 2900 from an H&H with a 23-24" barrel. If guys say that's what they are getting I am not about to doubt their integrity. The "without any trouble" part makes me scratch my head a bit.

I run (almost exclusively) 250 gr. SGK's in my .375 Wby. It is a 26" gun. I get 3060 fps and, although I don't know how much faster I can safely go, I know it isn't a whole lot.

I would think that 2900 from an H&H with a short barrel has to be pushing the envelope.

I will also concur with the "fast and hard" recoil impulse from rifles of this class, mentioned by others. At 8.5 lbs scoped and loaded, my .375 Bee is a fairly vigorous old gal.

Good Question.
I was doing a muzzle break review about 20 years ago when I sent a couple of rifles off for Magnaporting. When the .340 came back I noticed two things:

1. The advertising was correct and verifyable.
2. The muzzle stayed considerably straighter with minimal lift and the sensations of recoil was considerably reduced. As I owned both .338 and .338/378 Wildcat at that time, I was able to make direct comparisons before and after.

These comparisons lead me to unload the .338 because it offered no advantage over the ported .340, and also the .338/378 because I could not detect any difference whatsoever in the field, which also negated any justification for the heavier recoil, extra powder, more expensive cases and increased rifle weight of the .338/378.

If there is a point 3, there was no difference in chronographed loads before and after porting.

If there is a point 4, There was no perception of increased muzzle blast for the user which coaligns with the advertising.

John

Helped a guy sight one in. It was a Weatherby with a muzzle break. They kick some but IMO the muzzle blast/noise was worse than the recoil. The good part, other than getting it sighted in and putting it away, was having an open bench on either side to use for a spotting scope and other range equipment. He had been using a 7Mag for elk and went back to it the next year.