Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Your favorite weatherby caliber and why?

I’ve owned several 257’s , three 270’s, one 7 mm, and two 300’s. And I almost forgot a 224.
My favorite is a 270. Hasbeen

.270 WM. Cause it’s the one I have. Nipponese Euromark, which always seemed weird to me. A Kalifornia engineered design, given a slight European look, made in Japan. But it is accurate. Before I loaded my BIL helped me with some 150 gr Interlock loads, with way too much RL22, because I refused to pay $19.99 a box for ammo anymore. After sighting the first 100 yd 3 shot group was 3/4”. Had another target at 200 yds and I immediately went to it for a 5/8” group. I’m really not that good consistently, but that day I was. Only issue is that skinny fore end. From the factory it had heavy pressure on the left side of the barrel. Relieved that but it has returned. It’s headed for a bedding job soon, perhaps full length.

I have a 300 and 340. Also had a 30-378. I much prefer the 340. With 210 PTs, it’s nearly as flat shooting as the 300, but I find the recoil to be more of a push than a sharp crack (they have identical stocks). I’ve shot deer, antelope moose and dozens of elk with the 210 PTs and have never been disappointed. It was amazingly accurate and regularly shot 1/2” to 3/4” groups with the now discontinued factory loads.

There’s nothing wrong with the 300, in fact, it is my preferred mule deer rifle. It is literally a 1/2” gun with 165g factory loads.

I played with 30-378 accumark for year but had a hard time getting excited about it. I hate muzzle breaks for hunting, and without one, it would leave me with a headache after every range session. It easily shot into 1”, but I could never cut that substantially with either factory loads or hand loads. In the end, the extra weight and recoil did not justify the 200fps advantage it had over the 300 and it went down the road.

The only other cartridge that tempted me was the 270. Because I already have a great shooting 270 wsm, I doubt that itch will be scratched.

The only other weatherby I can imagine purchasing at this point is in 30-06…and that will take some rationalization (I’ve got a great shooting T3X). I’ve got the fast 7mm itch scratched by a STW, and smaller calibers have never appeal to me…. Perhaps I’m in danger of forfeiting my rifle loony card.

I really don't have a reason why the 270 WM is my favorite. Fell in love with it when I was in high school. 43 years later I finally put together one. Got a Mark V and barreled it with a #3 Pac-Nor polygonal. Rifle shoots very good and seems to be "lucky"...I have seen game every time I carried it in the woods. Feel like I shoulda done this sooner!!!!

The 240 Wby is my current fav and the one I still have.

It's not actually a Weatherby, but an H.S. Precision SPL in a Hunters Edge, wearing a VX-6 in steel Talley's.

It really likes the 100 NPT over MRP. It's enough round for most anything I hunt.

DF

My favorite is the one they never built. The 8mm Weatherby Magnum.That blatantly obvious performance gap between the 300 and 340 just begs to be filled by the might 8mm Weatherby.

DF,
You sir, have some amazing rifles!

Thanks for those kinds words.

Guess I've been a gun nut for a very long time.

DF

I love all of them. I currently have .240, 257, 270, 7mm and 300 Weatherby Rounds. I use the .240 the most, for prairie mule deer and white tail. The 300 Weatherby has a muzzle break on it and recoils like a .243. The wife is going to use it for a buffalo hunt if she can ever draw a tag for the Wyoming license. I love the .257 but have not used it. I have never fired the 7mm or .270 weatherby.... maybe this coming summer.

Have used the .240, .257, .270, 7mm and .300 Weatherbys on big game, and those from .257-.300 on animals from pronghorns to elk. Have used the .257 and .300 in several rifles.

Prefer the .257, as its plenty for any legal big game in Montana, recoils about like a .270 Winchester, and in my experience is extremely accurate, whether in custom or Weatherby factory rifles.

No need to surrender your rifle loony card. There’s no expiration date on them.

The 7STW is a fantastic round, IMO. I’ve always wanted a 340 wby. Had a 300wby for a short time, but the 7STW won out on that battle for me.

I’ve used two of them, a 30-378 and a 7mm. Both killed deer like the hammer of Thor.

I still have two 7mm’s in the safe. Not planning on them going anywhere soon.

I had two Weatherby Mark V in 257 Weatherby, increasable killing ability on this round with the factory 117 Ornx bullet I believe. Friend kIlled 6 bull elk with his Mark V. Then I met a gunsmith from San Diego that had a custom 257 with zero freebore and was shooting the 100g Nosler BT and Partitions at 3850. We shot the barrels out in 1600 rounds on chucks and coyotes. We got extra barrel life, due to the fact that the zero freebore added extra barrel life. Then I had PTG grind a reamer with zero freebore, and over time wore out 5 barrels shooting the 87's at 4130 and 100's at 4000 fps on a 30" hart bbl, with 26" Harts giving 3850 with the 100g bullets, and surprisingly, the 100g Partitions shot half inch groups.

With a Gentry muzzle break on a 26", #5 contour that I now have, you see the water vapor fly off the deer's opposite side as the bullet exits...so little recoil you see the animal collapse. I have never had a deer run when shot within 250 yards with this caliber...never.

Rock chucks detonated like a paint ball splattering on a black rock, and coyotes were cut in half at times.

I always shoot R#22 with 215's with 100g-117g Bullets, 3850-3600 respectively.

270 wthby mag shot some of my biggest WHITETAILS with it..mb

Only had one, 257 WM. Barnes 100 TTSX was very accurate in that rifle. Only reason I sold it was H1000 was no where to be found.

The only true Wby was my first .240 w, an Accumark Ultralight. Had a custom Mod 700 made up in it for my Godson and I tried a new Vanguard (really a Howa) in 240 also. Two 257s (one a converted Mod 700 Classic 25-06 original) and a full custom Mark X. I had one Custom Mod 700 in 340 Wby. All three are great calibers, flat and hit hard!

Had a few but the 340 is my favorite.

Here here. I have owned a few and all of the 257's have been death rays on everything up to elk. I wish they were not so hard on barrels but man they shoot and kill well.

Pards only/favorite rifle. I’ve seen him work some straight magic with that rifle

I have had both a 240 and 257 Weatherby magnum but decided for my 240 was my favorite so the 257 went down the road.