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.
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?
Originally Posted by shrapnel
I probably hit more elk with a pickup than you have with a rifle.
Originally Posted by JohnBurns
I have yet to see anyone claim Leupold has never had to fix an optic. I know I have sent a few back. 2 MK 6s, a VX-6, and 3 VX-111s.
