Any comments on 300 Weatherby Mag?

[Mudder]

Any way you look at it, it is likely to have 30% more recoil than your .308. I shoot off a bipod, prone, at least occasionally. Picturing shooting the 300 wby mag from a prone position makes me cringe. Never tried it, doubt I ever will. Just something to think about. Or maybe try it once before you buy it.

 

[Gynaroo]

I too am in the same boat as the OP. I will be making a jump from a smaller caliber to the 300 weatherby. It may be the nostalgia for me but I do like the idea of a 300 weatherby. Especially a Sheridan, Wyoming made rifle (MarkV).

 

[SticksMcKinley]

Any way you look at it, it is likely to have 30% more recoil than your .308. I shoot off a bipod, prone, at least occasionally. Picturing shooting the 300 wby mag from a prone position makes me cringe. Never tried it, doubt I ever will. Just something to think about. Or maybe try it once before you buy it.

I agree, which is why my .300 WBY was released back to the wild. Doesn’t mean I won’t have another one, but if I do it’ll have a heavier profile with a threaded muzzle for a brake or suppressor. Not knocking anyone’s choices or opinions, but my Mark V Stainless was just too expensive to feed and more beastly than I wanted in a fairly lightweight package. I love the Weatherby marque, however. Them’s Weatherbys is good folk.

 

[rtraverdavis]

Picturing shooting the 300 wby mag from a prone position makes me cringe.

I have a scar above my right eye from that very thing. But I was young and very inexperienced and shot off of a pretty unstable rest. The 300 WBY is a great round, but I wouldn’t mess with it if I didn’t hand load. That said, mine is getting a makeover real soon—VX5 on top and Manners EH1 stock. Been waiting on the stock for over six months and should get it in the next couple weeks. Excited to see how the 181 Hammers do out of it once it’s finally put together. I’m hoping that stock softens some of the recoil—it’s sort of like trying to hug a fastball.

 

[rjthehunter]

No worries, next year the 416 Rigby will replace the 6.5manbun as the cool kid cartridge . . .

Don't make fun of my 416 Rigby...

As far as all the recoil comments, a muzzle brake can take the recoil down from a 338 wm to a 270, so it's really not that bad.

 

[dsinwi]

I also inherited a 300 Wby Mark V, German made. It is a fine rifle and you would do well to own one. I have been shooting mine quite a bit of late to prepare for an upcoming fall moose hunt. If you have no intentions of ever reloading then I would probably not recommend it. Reloading is not that time consuming and I find it a very enjoyable pastime. A quick internet glance shows the Wby(31.5lbs) has nearly twice the foot pounds of recoil over your .308(17.5lbs) in a 180 gr bullet, so there's that. The 300 WM shows 25.9lbs. If you are set on a magnum all those that have already been mentioned are fine choices. It kinda comes down to personal preference. I will choose the Wby almost every time in a .30 cal.

 

[memtb]

Don't make fun of my 416 Rigby...

As far as all the recoil comments, a muzzle brake can take the recoil down from a 338 wm to a 270, so it's really not that bad.

rjthehunter, I had the opportunity to shoot a friend’s Ruger #1 in a 416 Rigby. I didn’t find the recoil offensive at all....however, that was from a standing position. Shooting it from the bench may have been a different experience! I should’ve had my wife shoot it.....but she was hanging-out with the women! She may never get another chance to shoot a legendary caliber, larger than a 375 H&H.....which she thought was pretty mild. memtb

 

[88man]

I have a 300 weatherby mag light weight SS Synthetic I just never really like to carry it as its just not one of my favorites. I killed one elk with it and friends have borrowed it and shot deer. I would sell it as I never shoot it or use it.

 

[grandejuan]

To me it seems that lots of folks get bummed out over recoil without ever using the rifle and chambering first. A well designed stock and a good recoil pad e.g. Decellerator, Kickeze or Sorbocoil will make a huge difference. Some 308 Win rifles have plastic or metal butt plates that will wam you pretty good. I guess I'm just weird, but I shoot a lot of 12 gauge, 3 inch mag shells and my 270 Weatherby Mag (Kickeze pad) doesn't do much at all. My 340 Weatherby shooting 250gr Nosler Partitions @3050 fps does hit harder but is not hard to master (my daughter has). You might even try a 375 H&H Mag (Decellerator pad). Shooting 300 gr softs and solids. It actually spreads the recoil energy over a longer impulse and is more of a "push" than a hard punch. All this is predicated on shooting enough to master the rifle and having a scope with 4 inches of eye relief to avoid the fore mentioned magnum eyebrow. FWIW. GJ

 

[rjthehunter]

rjthehunter, I had the opportunity to shoot a friend’s Ruger #1 in a 416 Rigby. I didn’t find the recoil offensive at all....however, that was from a standing position. Shooting it from the bench may have been a different experience! I should’ve had my wife shoot it.....but she was hanging-out with the women! She may never get another chance to shoot a legendary caliber, larger than a 375 H&H.....which she thought was pretty mild. memtb

In all honesty, it doesn't kick that bad. It's a heavier rifle which helps a lot. It was another one of my grandpas that he took to Africa on many hunts. I handle recoil pretty well but I honestly think it's a fun rifle to shoot. We have cases and cases of .416 rigby ammo laying around. Probably close to 6-800 rounds. There was requirements on the amount of ammo that had to be brought with on a couple of his dangerous game hunts which is why he was required to purchase so much from what I understand. If I didn't have this much ammo, I would not be shooting it much. But since I've got a bit laying around I like to pull it out and shoot it occasionally! It's a great gun and it's topped with a Swarovski Z6i if memory serves correctly!

 

[memtb]

In all honesty, it doesn't kick that bad. It's a heavier rifle which helps a lot. It was another one of my grandpas that he took to Africa on many hunts. I handle recoil pretty well but I honestly think it's a fun rifle to shoot. We have cases and cases of .416 rigby ammo laying around. Probably close to 6-800 rounds. There was requirements on the amount of ammo that had to be brought with on a couple of his dangerous game hunts which is why he was required to purchase so much from what I understand. If I didn't have this much ammo, I would not be shooting it much. But since I've got a bit laying around I like to pull it out and shoot it occasionally! It's a great gun and it's topped with a Swarovski Z6i if memory serves correctly!

Ammo price was the reason I only shot it once. I knew that my friend wasn’t made of money! memtb

 

[rjthehunter]

Ammo price was the reason I only shot it once. I knew that my friend wasn’t made of money! memtb

Yes, at 8-10$ a round, it makes it difficult and painfull to shoot it, even with knowing I likely won't shoot all of the ammo I have in my lifetime.

 

[buffybr]

Any way you look at it, it is likely to have 30% more recoil than your .308. I shoot off a bipod, prone, at least occasionally. Picturing shooting the 300 wby mag from a prone position makes me cringe. Never tried it, doubt I ever will. Just something to think about. Or maybe try it once before you buy it.

After wanting a .300 Weatherby for 40 some years, I finally bought one in 2009. I immediately re-stocked it in a AA Fancy walnut stock that fits me, is pillar and glass bedded, free floated the barrel, and had a KDF muzzle brake installed on it. It shoots a variety of 168 and 180 grain bullets MOA or less out to targets at our 430 yard range.

I got it primarily for my new elk rifle, but it quickly became my favorite hunting rifle. Along with it making one shot kills on my last two bull elk, I have used it on five international hunts for a variety of animals from a 30 lb Klipspringer to 400-500 lb Red Deer stag and Roosevelt Sable antelope.

I go to our local gun range at least one day a week, every week that I'm home, all year long. I start each range session shooting 2-4 of my pistols, then move over to the main rifle range and shoot at least 10 shells from each of 1-3 rifles off a bipod in a prone position at 200, 300, and 430 yard steel gongs. Three of the rifles that I shoot the most are all Weatherby Vanguards in .223, .308 Win, and .300 Wby. One to two months before I go on any hunt one of those rifles is the rifle that I will be using on my up-coming hunt.

With it's KDF muzzle brake, my .300 Wby Vanguard does not kick any harder than my .308 Win Vanguard. In the ten years that I've had my .300 Weatherby, I figure that I've shot over 500 rounds through it off a bipod in prone positions.

And at each of my range sessions, after I shoot my rifle(s) I move over to our Skeet range and shoot 1-4 rounds of 12 gauge Skeet.

 

[Steiny]

I'm a big fan of the Weatherby cartridges and rifles and the .300 is pretty sweet, shoots a relatively heavy bullet real fast and flat.
Yes, it kicks a bit but if your rifle has a little weight to it and fits good, it's not a problem. Mine shoots 180gr Remington Cor Lokts great, have killed mule deer, caribou, elk, black bear, brown bear and wolf with it and they all pretty much just tipped over.
I did step up to 220gr bullets for the brown bear hunt.

 

[GlockZ]

I also think the 300 WBY is a great cartridge, but every rifle I ever shot in that caliber was heavy. Not something I'd wanna lug around while hunting, the only thing about the 300 Wby I don't like is the cost of ammo, other than that, I think it's a fine cartridge.

 

[buffybr]

I also think the 300 WBY is a great cartridge, but every rifle I ever shot in that caliber was heavy. Not something I'd wanna lug around while hunting, the only thing about the 300 Wby I don't like is the cost of ammo, other than that, I think it's a fine cartridge.

I've re-stocked or modified the stocks on all of my hunting rifles. They have all come out between 9-10 pounds, and several of them have been to the top of many sheep and goat mountains. On the plus side, the rifle's weight helps to absorb some of the recoil.

Many of my rifles, including my .300 Weatherby, have never fired a factory round. Other than the initial cost of the brass case, and using the same bullets and powder, it only cost's me 6 cents per round to load a .300 Wby round over a .30-06 round.

 

[sbhooper]

Every rifle cartridge is great and has its own place. That being said, if you are going to buy a new rifle, consider what your priority is, as to its use. That .308 is a great cartridge (caliber is the same as the Weatherby). With the quality bullets available, a .308 will do everything that you need to do and on top of that, you can afford to shoot it enough to be deadly. Big magnums have their place, if you feel like you need to fling bullets at the speed of light and absorb lots of recoil. They will cost you a fortune in ammo and even if you reload, you will pay LOTS for brass and for the mega-loads of powder necessary to throw those bullet down range. AND they don't kill anything any deader than one of the lesser cartridges.

If you have magnumitis and feel like that is the route to take, then jump on it. If you want to ease into it, then buy a 7 mag. It will sling big bullets more than fast enough without destroying your shoulder, or wallet. Guy Eastman made the stupid statement that the 7 mag is an "entry-level" magnum. I doubt that his dad would agree, as he has killed game with that cartridge for a lot of his life. I, too, have killed lots of stuff with my 7 mags, without complaint. I am at a point where I like to shoot a lot, don't like to mortgage the house to do it and have realized that I don't need a mega blaster to accomplish what I need.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[mtmuley]

Magnumitus. Really? mtmuley

 

[noharleyyet]

Magnumitus. Really? mtmuley

via Imgflip Meme Generator

 

[mtmuley]

Yep. Different. mtmuley