Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 340 Weatherby

Or what have I gotten myself into? An Accumark Mk V in 340 was just a little bit too good a deal to pass on. I'm getting brass with it so that will help the ouch on the wallet. The Norma Weatherby brass isn't cheap!

I'm wondering what would be a good powder to start with? I'm thinking of starting with lighter bullets like 185 gr ttsx or maybe 200 Accubond, 210 partition or 210 Sirocco for a bit more manageable recoil.

I have a possible scope for it, a Sightron S3 3.5-10x44mm it should be good and reliable but the eye relief is listed 3.6-3.8" which might be borderline for something like a 340 ?

Anybody run one of these things? Not the ultralight minimalist rigs that seem to be so popular these days but I always wanted to try a Weatherby and the 340 seems to have an old school hot rod coolness all its own. I was just reading a little Bob Hagel, and he seemed to like his. I'm sure Elmer Keith would approve too, especially if I could find some 275 gr bullets to load for it... you know for raking shots on bull elk in the timber

I had a 340 WM. It was a deal I could not pass up on a SS MKV Maine Gun. The guy who had it said it didn't shoot. I took the rifle, mounted a proper scope on it. 3.5-10X Leupold the floor plate screws were loose so I torqued them down to spec's and with Factory 210 Nosler Partition Weatherby Ammo, that rife shot very very well, I would put four dead on at 200 yards and you could cover the group with a quarter and change left over. Get yourself a load manual, you should able to find a good load without much trouble. I hunted with it for a bit then when I downsized that rifle went down the road. I got a 338 Winchester and I could never tell the difference anyway,

This is what you need:

My buddies 340 Weatherby is fond of 210 gr. TTSX's and RL-19 and he's fond of the 340... I should know; I reload for him. The 340 is an impressive round that never got the credit it was due, IMHO. His is braked and not at all unpleasant to shoot with that load. He's a Weatherby fan, as in 300, 30-378, and 340. He formerly had a 257 but that now lives in my safe.

Had one for two decades plus. I love the cartridge. I tried many bullets and settled on the Barnes 210 TTSX. Many one-shot kills on bull elk and caribou to a step or two short of 500 yards.

Learn to shoot it and it will serve well.

I bet those 300 great bullets would have some kick. I was surprised to see that the 340 can kick them out over 2600 fps!

Anybody with experience with hard kicking rifles comment wether 3.75" eye relief would be sufficient?

my favorite rifle, in a weatherby fibermark stock, mine likes the 250 hornady bullets over h 4831 and a 215 fed primer,
at about 2800 fps, its always proved very lethal and accurate , 1" 3 shot off the bench groups at 100 yards are routine
sight in 3" high at 100 yards and go hunt!

I think so but it depends on your stock shape too. I had a Brown Prec Classic for mine — it had no to almost no drop at the comb with a Decelerator pad on it. My rifle weighed ~ 8.5 lbs ready to go regardless of scope it had, and I probably had at least three. Not because of scope failure due to recoil but more so due to the “evolution of scopes.”

But I would mount bases with 8x40 screws and use blue Locktite on the ring screws, minimally.

I’m pretty sure no scope I had had ~ 4” of eye relief.

ETA: I would get 3050-3100 fps with the 210 TTSX’s.

It’s an awesome rifle/cartridge combo. Congrats!

When I first bought mine 11 years ago, I thought the same way you did. I bought and first tried out some cartridges with lightweight bullets because of my fear of the infamous recoil. I went to the range and shot some 200 ad 210 grain bullets and was underwhelmed with the recoil. Loaded up some 250gr partitions and didn’t notice any difference.

I have settled on the CorBon factory 225gr TTSXs (https://shopcorbon.com/index.php?ro...oduct_id=72&mfp=11-type-of-cartridge[Rifle]&sort=p.price&order=DESC), which leave my 26” barreled Accumark at 3,140 fps (through three separate chronos).

They seem to work well in that rifle.

3-shot groups last fall at 100 Yds sighting in a new scope:





Okay on game:



I still have those 200gr & 210gr cartridges sitting idle in boxes in the garage 11 years later.

It also can kill fruit:

https://i.imgur.com/xMUu4AG.mp4

And notice how violent the recoil is in that video--not much--for a 225gr 0.514 B.C. bullet moving at 3,140 fps out of the muzzle.

Bought the boy one for graduation, Talley lw, 3.5-10 Leopold cds, great shooting rifle...

It's fed factory 225 hornadys..

We made our .340 brass from 8 mag. Rem.. It will need to be trimmed..

I have one that weighs about 8#. It is hard on scopes. I think I have been through about 4 now, currently without sights. I prefer the 250 grain bullets. Mine is a 12 twist or I would try the 300s. Factory Norma loads with 250 grain Woodleigh Round nose leave the the muzzle north of 3200 fps. I can't duplicate it with any handloads. There are a lot of new powders since I last worked up a load.
R17 and MagPro would give me 3000 fps with 250 grain bullets of various flavors. Seems like if you were going to shoot 200 grain bullets you would just use a 300 Wby and shoot 200 grain Partitions. Not sure there is a better bullet than that.

Been reloading it for years. TRy VV N-165 or RL-22 (MRP). I have A LOT of once fired and new brass plus a die to spare. PM me if you (or anybody0 is interested.

The number of experienced hunters who gravitate to the 33s for worldwide all around use is a good endorsement for the cartridge and most pick the Weatherby. If you want to come closest to book velocities use the Norma data since they load the factory stuff. I would think the number of scopes that have 4" plus eye relief are limited to lower power ones or scout & other specialty scopes. With good stock fit and form 3.5" should be good.

For me it would have to be a reloading proposition especially when you are getting over four bucks a round for custom loads.

That's the sorta gift a fella doesn't ever have the excuse he "needs" something else..

That and a 223/243 like rifle covers all the ground.

Thank you for your generous offer. I will look into both Rl22 and MRP. I have heard Rl22 and MRP are (or were) the same powder but I'm not sure, the data does seem different. Or is that because Norma is willing to publish data that is a little hotter, like the factory ammo they load for Weatherby?

I used IMR 7828 with the 250 grain Nosler Partitions.

Also used H-4350 withe the 210 grain Nosler Partitions.

Which is the better jackwabbit load?

DF