Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 6.5-300 Weatherby – for Elk?

I'll just shoot my .375 Wby first, and then it will feel like a 22LR.

It weighs in at 9.9 lbs, which should help as well.

I'm going to take the Vortex scope off, even though I like it. Just ordered a 42%-off Bushnell Forge FFP 4.5-27x 50mm, which is what is on my .340, except that that one is a SFP.

Thanks for the suggestion TOM. Unfortunately, no one loads the 140gr NP in the 6.5-300, and I don't handload. This cartridge may make me change that eventually. That, and wanting 265-gr ABLRs loaded in .340 Wby, which no one does.

I could convince myself to go beyond 500 yds, but only if the wind is calmer than normal, but I'm sure the NP would do that.

The area around the pond in the pics below is frequented by elk, the center of the pond is about 550 yds away.





I do like the NPs. Just one knocked this guy down in 2010:

MarineHawk, my 11-year-old son saw me reading this thread, and asked me some questions about the moose in your OP, so I thought to ask the guy who would know the answers!

Where did you hunt that moose, and how did you decide that he was a trophy before you shot him? Thanks in advance for the answers.

I’d shoot it first before I floated it myself since those WBYs tend to shoot well the way they come. Checking to see if it likes being floated only takes a minute to set up.

If that rifle shoots well and your optics do as they are supposed to that’ll get to 550 pretty quick MH. Not saying I’d take just any old shot but a broadside bull would be in big trouble with a fast mover like you’ve got.

JMan, that’s a cool shooting iron.

It’s over 100 miles north of Dillingham. The lake we land on loaded is not big enough to take off loaded. So, we unload, and then the pilot picks us up 11 days later 48 miles down river on a big wide stretch that is an infinitely-long landing/take-off strip.

The only mammal I have shot at that I missed was a giant bear at about 450 yds. I should have aimed lower with the .340 Wby through the brush he was in, but I aimed for the spine, which was clearly visible. Just as I pulled the trigger, he dove into the ground after some animal or something. In the ½ second of the bullet’s flight, it went over him. We later saw a moose approaching us at one point, but when we got close, guide said that he was about 47”, just 3” below legal.

Then we had 3 days of terrible weather. 70mph – 80 mph gusts, constant driving rain. When that was over, we had to head down river—leaving prime brown bear country. I was still hunting from the raft and when and where we camped along the way. 7.5 miles along the way, at about 3:30pm on the last day of moose season, we approached one of the countless splits in the river, and the guide decided to go river left, as that looked a bit better then river right, although they both looked decently navigable.

Just as he was committing to the left current, we saw a large cow and her calf running down river on the right bank of river right. The guide managed through intense effort to make it back to the river right current before we had gone too far in the left current. The guide reminded me that, in mid-September, if you see a cow, there is certainly a bull nearby. I listened and looked down river where the cow and calf had run off to. All of the sudden, the guide took three decisive actions very quickly that could have saved me from going home empty handed.

He spotted a bull in the same clearing (now a little behind us on the right bank of river right) where we had seen the cow and calf running down river. From the front of the raft, I was looking away (i.e., the wrong way) down river in the direction the cow and calf had run off to, which was pointed down river. Then, before I saw anything, the guide quickly cranked the oars to spin the boat clockwise so that it was perpendicular to the river, and I was facing the right bank, and he yelled at the top of his lungs “SHOOT IT!!!!!!” Without seeing anything yet, for a fraction of a second, this all registered, and I shouldered my .340 Wby as I scanned the bank from left to right, figuring (giving the emphatic nature of the guide's voice) that I would see either a giant bear or a big bull on the right bank. Within a second, I had a giant bull in my crosshairs at about 60 yards away quickly running to the right (up river) within seconds to some dense alder brush and trees on the right bank that probably would have prevented us from ever seeing that bull again.

Within a second, just as my crosshairs covered his body, I squeezed the trigger on his front quarters. I wanted to shoot a bit more forward of where I otherwise might because he was jogging quickly to the right, and I didn’t want the bullet to hit too far rearward on his body in case I wasn’t leading enough or he sped up. That first shot went through both lungs and exited.

The bull then, while hit up front, sped up his pace going the same direction to the right. Within a second after the first shot, I shot him again. This one again went through both lungs and exited. It was behind where I was aiming, but I was just trying to hit the running bull with an anchoring shot at that point to slow him down. Now, he slowed down. A second later, I hit him a third time through the ribs, through his vitals, and through his left shoulder and stopped under the far hide. He hobbled about 20 yards further away to his left into the brush away from the river and was apparently going down. For a few seconds, I could see his giant antlers wavering back and forth in the one stationary place in the brush where he was going down.

Then, the fun part began.

Thanks Beretzs. That's what I was thinking. I doubt I will mess with the stock unless there is mediocre accuracy to improve. And that is a pretty hefty barrel, which may be somewhat resistant to any modest pressure from the stock.

Great story in the bull! Congrats!

Thanks Beretzs. It scored 231-1/2 on the B&C scale. The all-time record book qualification starts at 224. I looked up on the B&C website all moose that had exceeded 230 over the last 70 years. The hunters’ names appear on the list. Not one hunter ever registered two of those. So, I figure I’ve maxed out on moose hunting, and have moved on to other things closer on this part of the continent.

A few months ago, I noticed that I had a 3-lb bag of its backstraps mixed in the extra freezer with some more-recent deer meat, and my fiance and boys went ahead and grilled it. After six years, it was still really good.

Once I get my ammo, I will start shooting and collecting the empty cases for your brother if you want.

Shoot it first then take it from there.

That tenderloin find was a SCORE.

YES sir, we’ll buy that brass when you’re ready.

Yeah, the backstraps on that thing were 25 lbs a piece. I thought we had eaten them all years ago. It was kind of cool to have one last taste of that moose. I cooked it like prime rib at 170 deg. on the gas grill for about 3-1/2 hours. I know that 6 years is beyond the normal expectancy, but it was awesome.

No need to buy the brass. It's yours. I'm not good at selling that type of stuff, so, it would just sit in the garage, along with other unusable things. I also have a lot of once-fired .375 Wby, .340 Wby, and 7mm Wby brass if you or anyone else is interested. Again, no charge.

Scotty don’t shoot mine much but I’ll send ya my brass as well. 👍

The last ones I ordered, the 140gr Interlocks, are now scheduled to appear first--tomorrow, one day before I get the new scope. So, I might just leave the scope on for now, and try them out. Hopefully, my bore-sighting worked better than last time. I think I've corrected the error.

Thanks fellas. I appreciate it a ton. I figure anything that keeps my little brother energized and shooting is a good thing.

Again, that’s awesome fellas, thank you.

MH, it’s amazing how well meat holds up when it’s packaged up nicely. I’ve eaten some 16 killed elk a fee weeks back. Nothing but goodness.

If you decide to upgrade the stock MH, McM is making and shipping fast and the Sako Classic stock is darned nice on those Vanguards. I just got two in less than a month from ordering. Surprised my credit card quite a lot.

I need to think about that Beretzs. I actually like and have had good success with the Wby MC stocks. They seem to recoil less than expected and fit me well. But, if there is an issue, I will regroup and rethink.

Just got the first 6.5-300 ammo in today – the 140gr.

Scope arrives tomorrow, and the 130gr Sciroccos tomorrow or Friday. 127gr LRXs on Saturday.

Probably going to wait for the 130s and head out to the range on Friday.

Can you identify the five cartridges below, from left to right?

5.56, 308, 7 Wby, 6.5 Wby, 340 Wby....

Looking good buddy!

You got it.

Just for fun, can you name the three additional cartridges?