Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 257 WBY or 300 Win Mag as the all around western rifle?

If you plan on shooting elk at 400 to 600 yards with a 257 Wby I would say no!!! Not only no but hell no!!! Most of the ones I shot where under 300 yards the ones that where killed at longer ranges did die. But not like the ones getting hammered with a 300 or 340 WBY. Also I had all kinds of time to get the prefect shot, most folks don�t have those luxuries.

Take it as you like, but I do know a little about killing elk� took these pics just a few minutes ago from my deck they are at my 400 yard target and they are at 500 yards now.

I think we all have! Though generally I like to at least go back and read the original question.

Personally, I kinda think a 2-rifle battery of a .257 Weatherby and a .375 H&H might be pretty much ideal.

By now we've dragged out all the old standbys for this sort of question, including the one (can't remember whose post) that suggested a .375 is going to be a lot heavier and kick more than a .300 Winchester. I have not found this be true, especially the kicking part. To me a .300 Winchester with a 180 at 3100 and a .375 with a 260 at 2700 kick pretty similarly. Certainly anybody that can shoot well with a .300 Winchester can shoot well with a .375.

The average .300 might be a little lighter than the average .375, but not by much. Even at a relatively advanced ago I have found that an extra half-pound or whatever doesn't make much difference whenh hiking around the hills. (Now, get a rifle down around 6 pounds and that DOES make a difference....)

And I have hunted quite a bit with both a .300 magnum and a .375.

Joe Cool,

If you have some fresh coffee, I might just skip work and stop by!

Where's Bandon? I'm in the Tri Cities

No problem but if you come make sure you bring Dave H with you I have met Dave and did some gun buying and swapping with him, he is a great guy. My BIL and SIL live in the Tri Cites.

Bandon is in southwestern Oregon on the coast.

That be me JB.



I'll stand by that statement.

I've taken elk out to 650 using 200 NP's I don't need a 375 at any angle, I also don't want to be lobbing 260 grains bullets out at distance. It's a rare 375 rifle that anyone would want to haul around without the use of a horse.

I now shoot a 6.75 lb 700 Ti in 300 WSM shooting 180's at 3,000.
It shoots flatter than a 375 and will also will kill elk as well as any 375. Bull, cow, big, little, makes no difference.

I shoot 130 TSX's at 3,500 fps. It shoots within a couple of inches difference of a 257 wby at 400 yards.

One rifle, one cartridge that fits what the title of this post says. " 257 WBY or 300 Win Mag as the all around western rifle?"

As I've posted before, the 300Win would be my choice and I believe it to be the single best "all around" cartridge for any western hunting that involves elk or moose. I don't think a 257Wby is even in the same ballpark, but that's just my opinion, based on what I hunt and where I've hunted. A two rifle battery of the 257 and a 375 is also not very practical, IMO. They are both specialized rounds, in spite of what some say they have done or can do with either one. If I had to shoot at 400+yds, and I have on several occasions, the 375 with any bullet is about the last thing I'd want to use. As an out of state hunter who has to spend a considerable amount of money to make the hunt, gets a short period of time to do the hunt, and is somewhat trophy oriented, the 257Wby would never be my choice for any elk hunt. I'd love a 3 rifle battery of these three, but if it's going to be just two I think one specialized cartridge is enough.

I'm thinking a NULA in 7 Rem Mag will fit the bill.

John55-a couple of things to consider are:

*it's of no big trick to build a 257 Wby into a light weight rifle and with a 120 @ 3250 or so there isn't much I wouldn't take on with it. (and 4 me, a elk would be the last of my worries) That turns the user friendly 257 Bee into a very user friendly round that will lights out most all that move in a very quick manner.

*as for the 375 and your concerns with 400 yds. If you ever get the chance to come by Bozeman and have the time and or interest give me a call. We'll take my 375 (it happens to be chambered to Wby) out to the range and ring it out to 500. With a scope with dotz and or turrets 400 plus is as easy as it gets. Or we could mount my 3-10 with an M1 on it and go out to Brad's property by the Crazies and run it to 1K...

Realistically neither round is that specialized unless one limits one self to the confines of what the manufactures build...

Scoped as such it is no bigga deal to take elk in the 400-700 range if the conditions are right, and the shooter is ready and has put in the proper practice time. IMO if a shooter is gonna be shooting consistently in the 400 plus range then it big time behoves him/her to have his scope set with either dotz and or an M1. With those reticles I can take any round from 2500 on up in speed and make em work to a long long ways. And this pretty much eleviates mucho of this ballistic gack that we all love to spout about.

*have you ever used a 257 Wby on elk, and or have you not hunted and taken elk with it or any round?

*lastly, the old theme of the poor old non rez only has so many days is a total bunch of bunk and just doesn't have the time that the res does is pure horse hockey! Most non res elk hunts puts the hunter on the elk fields longer than most residents get year in and year out. And if it's a guided hunt then things change even more so in the non res favor. No a public land non guided hunt for either a res or a non res is a totally different cat and not to be confused with a guided hunt.

Seriously if you ever get by look me and we'll get out and you'll become a believer of dotz and or turrets.

Dober

Quick hijack and I'll let you gackster's get back after it.

Does Logan have a 500 yard gong Mark? I'm aware of the 430 yarder, didn't see the 500.
Thanks Dober, Sam

430 is right at Logan Sammy, unless you go to the other side of the interstate...grins

Dober

grin


Thanks Dober.

Can't really abide by your statement that in-staters don't have more hunt time that out of staters, Dober. I don't think that's true at ALL. I think it's about like blacktail hunting is for me- if you came over here to hunt one (which would be way cool BTW!) it'd be for a set period of time. If the weather wasn't right at that time... or the hunting pressure was high in the area of choice... or you had a bad cold... or WHATEVER, you'd be screwed.

I, on the other hand, have a month to hunt 'em. I can hunt on a Tuesday when the weather is perfect. I can fail for 3-1/2 weeks and still tag out by hammering those last few days. Etc.

I mean... be honest (figure of speech, I know you are honest <g>)- how long exactly was your resident elk season this year? Isn't it STILL GOING?!

Yeah Jeff it's still going here, but......if you did a pole of the average Mt elk hunter you'd find that there is no way that he got 5 days or 10 days to hunt the critters. Between time and work and the wife day in and day out it just isn't gonna happen.

And of course there are a few nut cases out there (here) that will hunt them 8-10 days a year. But they're the exception and not the norm.

As for certain days, many of my friends can only go on this or that days during the season and they're dependent on the weather as well.

Nope, day in and day out the out of stater on a guided elk hunt will no doubt have more quality time on quality land than most all in staters.

And with most all things in life there are exceptions to this rule.

Dober

Dober , I'd argue the point about the non-res versus the res and whose got the most time and money tied up in the hunt all day long with ya . We gotta a pay a minimum of $500 for a bull tag and first ya gotta drive like hell for a day to even be near elk country...just no comparision in time and money invested.

Personally I'd take the 300 as an all arounder over the 25 , and especially if you are a handloader the old tale about too much recoil goes out the window . You can load the big case to any recoil level you want. And if you knew John better , you wouldn't ask him if he's ever hunted elk .

But for sure I know I want to visit joecool's place during elk season(grin)

SD-you're most likely right about the thing with John, I don't know him from Adam, and for all I know he's taken a slug on public land non guided elks...grin

As for Joe Cool's place it'd be a great place for a Fire get together to sanction some elk... (I'm all packed and waiting...)

Dober

Mark,
Would love to stop in and shoot some with you! I can use my own rifle too, as I have a 375Wby, and it even has a multi-reticle scope on it. The new scopes have made long range shooting much easier, but they haven't replaced frontal area or bullet weight, both of which the 300 has all over the 257.
Yep, have hunted with more than one fellow who carried a 257Wby and seen what they could do. Devastating on deer and antelope but the two elk I saw killed did nothing to make me want to start using one for that. To each his own is all I can tell ya!
As for my comments about us out of state hunters, there may be situations where we get as much field time as you do, but there aren't many of them...and we darned sure spend a lot more cash to do it.

The cash no doubt....well maybe depends on if you ask my wife or me...grin

I do likey my 375 Wby and if you get by we'll get out and get after it a bit. A 260 Accu at 2850 or so...is a heck of a long range yote rig!

I seen a fair number of elk taken over the years from 22/250's to 416's. For the most part you wreck the lungs and things are over quickly. But then from time to time you meet that bull that just has to be the exception and or maybe it's the cows.

I've seen enough elk killed with the 257 and the 270 to know they're pretty much the same and if pointed correctly day in and day out there'll be lil or no issues.

Let me know if you're gonna get this way, where do you live now?

Many thx and sorry for the thread diversion gang.

Dober

Still stuck in the midwest. I've not been up in your country in several years, been spending most of my hunting time in CO. or NM. Have several friends up in Cody,WY that want me to come visit and do a bit of hunting with so if that comes to pass I'll try to extend the trip and get up your way. BTW...killed my first elk just outside of Cooke City many years ago. The drive over Beartooth Pass still ranks as one of the best in the west.

Edit. Ever tried R15 in the 375H&H with those 260s? I can just about match the 375Wby for velocity with that bullet. They shoot flat but that short stubby bullet just doesn't compare to the 200gr 30cal. or a 160-175gr 7mm.

I do agree he is a nice fellow ... not to be a smart-a$$ though, who hasn't DaveH traded or swapped with here on the 24HCF??? I think that list may be a bit shorter


Dat 270ROY Deluxe is still dancin' in the back of my mind!!

avagadro is just trying to horn in on the trip with Daveh and me.