Thanks for all of the comments, even the snarky ones.

I have lighter rifles. I usually take my Wby Mk V Ultra Lightweight 7mm Wby when I go on backpacking hunts. It weighs 6-3/4 lbs / less than 8 lbs with scope/mounts. When I am hunting from a camp with a daypack, I generally take whatever I want. I use a safari sling that puts the rifle weight in front of me, which offsets the pack, and seems to make it feel lighter.

I carried the .340 many miles over rough Alaskan terrain with no problem. Same for this 375 Wby on an earlier hunt, which is even heavier.

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I can’t recall being encumbered by its weight. Body weight + gun + gear/ pack is about 250 lbs. The extra weight of the 340 is less than 1% of that. Better to lose a few pounds on the waistline than worry about 1.5 lbs of rifle. Though, when I go heavy (backpacking), I bring the lighter 7mm.

As to recoil, yeah, you really can ignore it if you don’t convince yourself otherwise. I just took the 340 to the range today and chronoed it again. I got an average of 3,163, bout the same as above. If I am going to flinch, it’s at the range, shooting from the bench. Still, I shot eight 3-shot groups from the .340 and all of them were under an inch at 100 yds. I was using a Labradar, and what’s interesting about it is that it records downrange velocities. So, you can check the claimed ballistic coefficients. The TTSX’s claimed BCs were right on. I wear a Cabaela’s version of the Past-style shoulder pad when sighting in at the bench. It makes a BIG difference. If I’m flinching at the range and getting sub-MOA groups, I’m never going to think of that when I am upright and viewing an animal through the crosshairs.

The .338 RUM and Wby 338/378 may beat it by margins if you reload, but for available production loads, no. For example, Cor-Bon, which loads to the max, manufactures the load mentioned above, and they load the .338 RUM load for the same bullet at 100 fps less than for the .340 Wby. And the .338/375 loads (there are few) from Wby lists the .225gr TTSX as going 3,180—only 17 fps faster than the 340 I am getting. I’m sure you could reload the 338/378 faster than the .340 by a bit, but factory ammo options do not reflect this.

There are plenty of great elk rifles from the .270 on up. But I think this one is pretty capable. And I can carry it.

Never had a problem with a 26” barrel even in thick cover. Maybe it’s how I carry it.