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

My experience with Weatherby Mark v rifles began in the early 80's, I worked as an Elk guide for a decade.
Dude hunters showed up with these things, they seemed to shoot terribly, one guy told me his rifle was factory zeroed.
The rifles were probably fine but performed poorly due to some amount of ignorance about them.
Got just in my craw and is still there. Funny how that works

I never could get into the Weatherby game. Belts are a negative, not a positive. Half of them are twisted wrong. The double radius shoulder seems to work slightly worse than an improve 40deg shoulder. All their guns are long barrel, long or magnum action behemoths that I can't see a reason to carry.

With the advent of the RUM and Nosler cases for ultra-magnums, I have a hard time imagining I'd ever buy a Weatherby.

Then, which of those terrible Wby rounds is your fav?

DF

Not Keith, but I’ve had rifles that I’ve set the bullets out further as the throat wore. In particular a 6mm on a Mauser action. I was young when dad built that rifle for me. After numerous PD shoots I noticed accuracy fading. When I seated the bullets out further accuracy came back.

I have and like the 257 and the 270. I’m not much of a magnum rifle guy but neither of them produce a lot of recoil.

I have used them enough to believe that something happens on game when you get over 3500fps as long as you’re careful to use good bullets or stay in the ribs using softer slugs. In numerous deer, elk, and caribou I’ve used these two on from 75 to 400 yards I’ve never had one move more than a few steps.

I’m not a MKV guy, one of mine is a M70 and the other is a Voere. I received both with badly pitted barrels and got a good deal on the blanks I ended up using, never actually set out to have a WBY mag just a matter of convenience. I haven’t used any Weatherby brass either. I have friends and family who aren’t handloaders but are 7RM shooters. They give me their once fireds and I run them through a FL die and Viola!

I’ve only been on 1 guided big game hunt in my life and I brought my well worn 70’s vintage Rem 700 300 Win Mag & left my Weatherby home. Guide & I got along great and since hunted on the personal side many times since - just didn’t want to give the wrong initial impression.

We used to wonder the same thing about dudes who showed up in camp with fancy Orvis, Sage, Winston etc fly rods - some of them could even fish. Generally they were surprised that a young cowboy could outfish them with an old Cortland & Pfluger setup.

Doing a search on-line, I can only find synthetic stocked 257 vanguards.
Have you had as good of results with synthetic Vanguards?


My 300 Weatherby’s are 700 classics. They don’t recoil badly. I believe they are probably heavier than Vanguards. I put a BDL stock on the one I use. They other is a safe queen.

Bugger,

Haven't had as good luck with synthetic-stocked Vanguards, even after rebedding, probably because the stocks were pretty flexible. But the last one I tried was a while back.

Have have much better luck with synthetic-stocked Mark Vs.

I have a 240 and a 300 Weatherby mag. I like both equally well. I use the 240 much more often. Both are re-stocked with McMillan stocks. The 240 got banged around a lot coyote hunting. I like the 240 because while out coyote hunting it's plenty to take down a pig if I run into one here here in Central California. Shoots flat and fast. I actually wore out that rifle barrel and re-barreled it with a Shilen. I got it early in my reloading days and experimented extensively with it. I like the 300 cuz it shoots 180 TTSX bullets sub-MOA and 200 Accubonds just as well. I had a 180 TSX once go thru both shoulders of an elk and exit. Good performance IMHO.

I’ve been thinking about this thread. If you like pure versatility then the .300 is very hard to beat. If you like a ridiculous point & shoot smallbore get a .257 or .270.

I went out & shot my 340 today. If you are looking for something that is incredibly accurate, punishing on both ends and able to inspire some awe - get a 340.

I hate that I love that rifle. Fibermark MkV. Its an honest rifle that asks a lot from the marksman but if you desire to poke holes in animals far, far away this or the .338 Lapua (almost indistinguishable) is your huckleberry. The 340 is best used in the field - not off a bench IMO - it’s got a stiff response to your best efforts but not terrible.

I had one of my 270 wby’s rebarreled with no free bore. Gun smith ordered a special reamer for this. He used what he called a throater to set up the leade I wanted. He borrowed my modified case and chamber all to set it up.
The bullet I wanted to use was a 140 Fail Safe. We seated the bullet to the depth we wanted in the case neck.
Then he set the ogive at 20 thousands from touching. He used my chamber all to get this measurement.
You could not use factory ammo in this rifle. Load was 70 grains of rl22 with 140 Fail Safe. 3335 fps avg.
Hasbeen

I have never owned a Weatherby rifle or rifle chambered in a Weatherby cartridge. IF I was to ever get one, it would have to be the 270.

Thought it would be pretty cool to push a 85gr TSX to 3900fps.

Never thought of that CRS - I’m gonna do it (if I can find the bullet)

I have a 240, a 7 mm Wby and a 300 Wby, all in Mk V’s. I’ve had the 240 and 7 Wby since about ‘81 and the 300 for a few months. My favorite is probably the 240 but since it only took a couple of loading series with the 300 to attain groups less than an inch it is pushing to the front.

I don't know about dude fishermen, my experience is with client hunters but often then didn't do this on the skinny....in those days. I suspected Daddy funded some of these hunts. Shiny Weatherby's , German glass etc. Many were Safari club guys.
My favorites were tradesman, construction worker types that saved up for this vacation. A 10 day hunt reveals alot....some fine folks...

A friend put a Shilen 270 Wby barrel on an old shot out 7RM Ruger 77 Tanger. That thing is amazing, It'll shoot a 130 gr. as fast and flat as the 26 Nosler will a 140 gr and with a lot less powder. We had built a pair of Noslers. Our deer can't tell the difference between a 130 and a 140 gr. bullet.

The 270 Wby is a great round.

I'd be a bit cautious pushing a very light, low S.D. bullet at hyper velocity. I had a 80 gr. TTSX out of a .240 Wby at 3,600 fps blow up on the chest of a WT doe. BIG blast effect on the rib cage, not much internal damage. She ran 100 yds, had to find her in the woods at night with lights. Not a lot of fun.

That gun now has dedicated load of 100 gr. NPT over MRP. No more 80 TTSX's at 3,600 fps. for me, at least not for WT's. It was very accurate, but not quite as accurate as the NPT load (half MOA). Others may have different experiences. Once burned.....

DF

I have a 224, and custom rifles chambered in 240 and 257. For deer, and antelope and also coyotes that think they’re out of range, the 257 weatherby is a fantastic cartridge.

.270 wby. Because it's what I killed my ram with. Lol.

I'll cast the odd vote for the 375 Weatherby. In a pinch you can feed it standard 375 H&H ammo and what's not to like about a 300 gr. Nosler AB at 2800 fps.

Nice.

DF