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A PH told me he preferred the 30-06 over the 300 Weatherby, both with 180 grain bullets, for plains game smaller than Eland, as the 30-06 would penetrate better. He recommended using 200 grain bullets in the Weatherby. Does this make sense when using premium bullets? I am going to use use 180 grain Nosler Partitions. Indy Life is short. Hunt hard. | ||
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No question, the 300 Weatherby is considerably deadlier on the animals mentioned than an 06. Will the 06 kill them? YOU BET! but man let me tell you the 300 Weatherby is just an amazing killer with 180s or 200s, especially on that eland. jorge USN (ret) DRSS Verney-Carron 450NE Cogswell & Harrison 375 Fl NE Sabatti Big Five 375 FL Magnum NE DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
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Not a Weatherby, but I got excellent penetration with 200gr Nosler Partitions on an eland with 300 Win Mag. Caleb | |||
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The PH's experience was probably limited to clients using Weatherby factory (w/Hornady Interlock bullets) ammunition. Put a Nosler Partition, Swift A-Frame, North Fork, or Barnes 'X' in a .300 Weatherby, and it will penetrate very well. George  | |||
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I used 180 gr. FailSafes for my Eland in my .300 WSM. Worked GREAT! _______________________________________________________ Hunt Report - South Africa 2022 Wade Abadie - Wild Shot Photography Website | Facebook | Instagram | |||
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I believe George has hit the nail on the head. Often times PH's are not real gun nuts or very savvy paricularly on bullets and I think they blame a rifle or cartridge for a problem that was generated by components. I had a PH of 30 years tell me Weatherby rifle were no good because a client got slam fires with his rifle. Well obviously it was just sear engagement but you couldn't convince him. Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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I think a lot of PH's just dislike the Weatherby. Most of these guys are not velocity nuts and prefer light recoil over sheer speed. If you have a 06 you shoot well and don't mind bringing then I suggest doing so, otherwise bring your weatherby and have fun! As long as you hit what you aim at the PH will be happy. ****************************************************************** R. Lee Ermey: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." ****************************************************************** We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, Which purportedly covers at least ten million more people, without adding a single new doctor, but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that didn't read it but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a President, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke!!!!! 'What the hell could possibly go wrong?' | |||
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I've personally witnessed the 30-06 take the big planes game and with amazing efficiency. I used a .300 H&H with total confidence and I doub't seriously that the 300 weatherby would be less effective and it certainly would have a slightly longer range. With today's bonded bullets any difference in penetration would be minimized and possibly reversed. I've also seen the case where the slower (to a point) bullet penetrated deeper. but many of these tests are more of an academic nature rather than one of practical usage. IMO this is another  as either will do nicely./////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill | |||
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In my limited exposure, 4 different PH's, it seems that in general PHs dislike weatherbys. One, my Brother's, went so far as to hide his 375 WBY ammo on the first day of the hunt so that my Brother had to use the PH's 375 H&H ammo. I think that they have seen a number of inexperienced hunters show up with weatherbys and flinch due to the recoil. In contrast, anyone can shoot a 30-06. They much prefer a 180 gr 30-06 in the heart/lungs to a weatherby miss. If you shoot it well, I'm sure that the weatherby will work. TerryR | |||
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I took a 300 Wby to Zimbabwe in 2003 as my light rifle for plains game. I shot warthog, impala, my second eland, steinbok, baboon, and kudu with the 180 grain partition. I have also shot several whitetails and mule deer with it and it is one of the most deadly rifles I have ever used. I have used the 257R, 270, 270Wby, 7mm Wby, 7mm Rem., 300 Win. 338 Win, 375 H&H, 458 Win,but the 300 Wby has something that makes it seem as they have been electrocuted. I know its just a 30 cal. and a 180 grainer out of a '06 or 300 Win is the same as the Wby. but I have had some good experiences with the Wby. round. Take the Wby and shoot premium bullets of 180 or 200 grains and don't worry about it. | |||
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Northfork state that their bullets achieve maximum mushroom dia. at 2100fps.and state that any increases in impact velocity above that will just contribute to greater penetration. I can see no disadvantage with the superb combination of .300Wea.200gnNF@3000fps. It offers you the best of both worlds,up close and for reaching far out. Read this: http://www.northforkbullets.com/308-200.htm I dont have any ballistic data on NF, but if you launch a 200Aframe@3000, at 400yds it has about 2150v/2100e. Now look at the mushroom/weight ret. of that 200NF at 420yds,compare it to the mushroom/weight ret. of same bullet At impact/muzzle vel. of 3000fps. If I still had my 300Wea and they shot in my rifle well, I would consider little else. As much as I respect the 30/06-180gn, If I didnt want the recoil/range of the Weatherby200gn@3000,rather than straining the 30/06, I would to opt for a smaller magnum(308Nm),and lazily keep the 200gnNF@2750 at relaxed pressures. Having said that, recoil did not bother me with that 300wea.rifle, I had amazing confidence when using it, and as a result,some spectacular shots and very rewarding hunts. | |||
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I may have some insight into this. When Wbys came out, they, along with the Win 264 etc. were to fast for the bullets of that day. They had a habit of blowing up on contact. I've seen it. They were crap. The fact that most of them looked like a pimp gun with all the glitz didn't help. If a dude showed up in camp with a Wby., it was immediately assumed he either had more money than brains or didn't know crap about guns. Usually the assumption was right on both cases. The Wby. and 264 got a bad reputation. With the development of todays monolithic etc, bullets, they don't blow up on contact. Now, with the proper bullets they work fine. It may take a long time to remove that sigma. PS, I've never seen an Alaskan guide with a Wby. Wonder why?  | |||
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In Australia the gun room was nicknamed the "Weatherby rebuilding room". | |||
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I think TerryR nailed it....
A client shows up on a 14 day safari with a Mark V .300 Wea. and starts off shooting well. Then about the 5th day the flinches start.  Rich Elliott Rich Elliott Ethiopian Rift Valley Safaris | |||
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Magnum Hunter: My experiences mirror your pretty much the same. With modern bullets not affected by velocity, velocity DOES contribute to the killing power. As far as flinching, I don't know what the big deal is, a 300 Weatherby's recoil is really not that bad at all and if you don't flinch on day one, why start on day 5? One should have been practicing WAY before the safari started. jorge USN (ret) DRSS Verney-Carron 450NE Cogswell & Harrison 375 Fl NE Sabatti Big Five 375 FL Magnum NE DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
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jorge, you are right it's not that bad but still it often works out the way I stated. Personally, when it comes to Weatherby's, I think the stock is the main culprit. Recoil is cumulative and after a while it starts to affect anyone who hasn't "been practising". I saw a client miss an elephant @ 20 yards with a .460 Wea. one time. But that's another story  Rich Elliott Rich Elliott Ethiopian Rift Valley Safaris | |||
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Rich, The stock may contribute. I waited until Weatherby came out with the Classic Mark before I got one. I am probably in the minority among classic stocked Weatherbys. Apparently thats the case since they dropped the option due to lack of interest. Recoil is fast from the 300. | |||
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What a load of bull! Velocity does not contribute to "killing power"! It is penetration alone (assuming same size bullets, of the same make), that kills as it destroys vital tissue. Yes, a high energy round has more potential to penetrate, all else being equal, but if both bullets exit, or sit under the skin on the opposite shouilder, no more harm can be done to any vital tissue. Do you kill an animal "deader" at 100 yards than at 200 yards? I think not, though there is a difference of more than 200ft/sec if you were using a .300 Win Mag with 180gr A-Frames @ 3000 ft/sec muzzle velocity. Some PH's are in fact gun nuts, and have common sense... I prefer the .30-06 or the 300 Win mag, above the .300 Weatherby, because it does all you need it to do up to 300 yards, with a lot less recoil (& very important) muzzle blast. You cannot kill anything deader than dead. Why this obsession with high speed? Karl Stumpfe Ndumo Hunting Safaris www.huntingsafaris.net karl@huntingsafaris.net P.O. Box 1667, Katima Mulilo, Namibia Cell: +264 81 1285 416 Fax: +264 61 254 328 Sat. phone: +88 163 166 9264 | |||
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Good point. Don't claim to have anywhere near the experience you have Karl, but in *MY* limited experience, there is a significant difference in how animals react, (given all things equal when it comes to caliber, type of bullet, etc., if the impact velocity delta is great). I've seen it for myself, animals react quite differenntly when hit with a 300 over an 06 and no amount of obssesing over it is going to change my mind, so, we'll just have to agree to disagree. jorge USN (ret) DRSS Verney-Carron 450NE Cogswell & Harrison 375 Fl NE Sabatti Big Five 375 FL Magnum NE DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
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I gotta agree with Jorge. I own and hunt with both calibers and there absolutely is a difference. But I will note this. Some bullets really perform poorly at Weatherby velocities that would do just fine at '06 velocities. The 180gr Weatherby factory rounds with Hornady bullets are spectacular deer killers. Also the partition loads 180gr and higher are great. | |||
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There is nothing wrong with the 300 Weatherby cartridge. I owned one and killed a hella lot of game with it. However after a while I began to wonder why I used that much gun when all my shooting was under 350 yards and 90% was under 200 yards. After coming to my senses I sold that rifle an replaced it with a new SS Model 70 in 30/06. To this date there has never been an animal escape or get lost in the bush. That rifle has taken every typical plains species including several Eland, sable zebra, wildebeast etc. I have never really struggled or required more then this rifle for all the plains game my clients have shot with it or that I myself have shot with it. The Weatherby becomes a better choice when shooting over 350 yards or so. Under that distance both the 30/06 and the 300 weatherby have flat enough trajectories to be just fine. Both have sufficent velocity to get the job done easily under 350 yards. They both shoot the exact same bullet which means the only difference is the speed it leaves the barrel. That additional speed is wonderful for longer ranges, but not all that relevent for the more typical ranges we hunt at. So the question for me was,...... why do I need all that recoil, muzzleblast, weight and barrel length when the simple easy to shoot light weight(7.5pounds loaded with scope) 30/06 does just perfectly? Anyone who likes the 300 weatherby has a great tool that will function with authority on plains game. But the guys using a simple 30/06 are just as successful and have absolutley no struggle on their hunts either. | |||
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Indy, Can only speak of my experience with the 300 Weatherby. Used it first on Mule Deer out west,then a bear in Canada Then the time came for my first safari(6/04). Practiced with only Federal trophy bonded 180 Grain. Fired over 200 rounds before I left. Used this gun on Leopard,Zebra,Impala and a Kudu(taken at 300 yards). Every animal taken was from 1 shot. Bullet performed exactly the same every time. Going to Namibia in July, will use the same Weatherby, same Federal loads. bobga | |||
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All I can tell you guys is that I've killed a few animals of the same species and or the same weight class with both the 06 and 300 Weatherby at ranges less than 100 yards and the difference in killing power is spectacular. And all shot in the same place roughtly 1/3 of the way up the leg, more commonly labeled the "shoulder." jorge USN (ret) DRSS Verney-Carron 450NE Cogswell & Harrison 375 Fl NE Sabatti Big Five 375 FL Magnum NE DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
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Around here, we call 1/3 of the way up the leg the "knee". ______________________________ "Truth is the daughter of time." Francis Bacon | |||
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oops you got me Forrest. Sorry. THIS is what I meant:  jorgeUSN (ret) DRSS Verney-Carron 450NE Cogswell & Harrison 375 Fl NE Sabatti Big Five 375 FL Magnum NE DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
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I still disagree on the velocity issue, but will leave it at that. IMO the 300Weatherby is the same at 250yards than a 30-06 is at the muzzle. You only gain 250yards. In my experience, gemsbok can be killed dead at 400yards, with a 180gr bullet (Nosler Partition.) The only time I have seen big game go down quicker, was with a 8x68 S, .338 Win mag, 9.3 (various), or a .375 (H&H or Weatherby), in other words, bigger bullet, mostly heavier as well. If you can handle the recoil of a .300 WBY Mag (many cannot), use a bigger caliber. Karl Stumpfe Ndumo Hunting Safaris www.huntingsafaris.net karl@huntingsafaris.net P.O. Box 1667, Katima Mulilo, Namibia Cell: +264 81 1285 416 Fax: +264 61 254 328 Sat. phone: +88 163 166 9264 | |||
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KarlS, I dont under stand, If according to you, the 200gn-300weath offers little or nothing over the 180-30/06, then why would the 8x68s heavier weight pill make a difference to make "game go down quicker"? Surely we are not going to 8mm for better penetration cause we are getting plenty of that with the 30s' and surely we cannot attribute game going down quicker cause of the minimal difference of the larger dia.,... can we? For eg:Assuming that the 30cal and .323cal expand to double their orig dia., .616(15.65mm) .646(16.40mm) respectively, that makes a difference of .030"(.85mm) increase in total mushroom diameter, or about 5.4%. Draw two circles at those two different mushroom diameters, using the same centre, and tell me that the difference between them, would make any practicle field difference....Unless that % difference over the length of penetration, adds up to something. | |||
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JJHack got it right... For 90% of shots in the field the '06 with good bullets and well placed will do the job wonderfully and with less meat damage. When you get to 300+ yards is when the Wby will shine - before that you're beating the crap out of yourself with blast and recoil IMHO. .22 LR Ruger M77/22 30-06 Ruger M77/MkII .375 H&H Ruger RSM | |||
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Hi Woodjack I presume that that added up difference of the whole wound channel makes the difference. Most of the animals that has been shot by my 8x68 S, I was the shooter, so perhaps slight shot placement advantage over most .300' s & lighter calibers, wher clients are normally the shooter. Also, I use 220gr Swift A-Frames, and most of the other hunters use 180 gr Nosler Partitions in .300's. One hunter used 220 gr (I think TBBC) in his .300 WBY, and in my opinion, it killed better than most. The magnums, IMO, where developed to use heavier bullets. So if you stick to 180gr bullets, all you have is a turbo charged 30-06, (not a bad place to be), but if you use heavier bullets, which normally expand to greater diameters, you have a better killer (though magrinal, this is the only time you have an edge over a .30-06) Now we can argue the whole week if you need that edge, mostly you dont. Karl Stumpfe Ndumo Hunting Safaris www.huntingsafaris.net karl@huntingsafaris.net P.O. Box 1667, Katima Mulilo, Namibia Cell: +264 81 1285 416 Fax: +264 61 254 328 Sat. phone: +88 163 166 9264 | |||
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458RugerNo1 I second that motion. I switched from a Wea. Mark V .300 to a Rem. .30-06 on my third safari. No more 26" barrel in the bush. No more cut eyebrows from uphill shots, and no more blows to the chops every time I shot something. It may be I could hear better now if I had done it sooner. But then, most likely the .375's and .458's finished the job the Weatherby started  Rich Elliott Rich Elliott Ethiopian Rift Valley Safaris | |||
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Hmmmm, by some of the above reasoning, why go 30-06, just get a 30-30 loaded with Nosler Partitions and you're golden! Less recoil, shorter bbl, what's to lose? Actually, I prefer the 300 mags as they allow me to use 200 gr Woodleigh softs and 220 gr A-Square Monolithic solids with adequate velocity, something I think the 30-06 cannot do. Better trajectory is a bonus as well. | |||
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What the PH means is that the diamond shaped inlays, skip line checkering and gloss stocks scare off the game.   Join the NRA | |||
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I really don't have the experience that most of you have, but my PH also recommended an 06 over my other rifles, when I got there and we talked at length about this, his comment was that 'you Americans always show up with some big new gun that you either haven't shot much or that you're afraid of. I'd rather have somebody with a 30/06 that he knew and could shoot. And a 30/06 with 180 grain bullets will kill any antelope." Work hard and be nice, you never have enough time or friends. | |||
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JoeR, I agree, the 200 and 220gr bullets is where the .300 Mags give you the real advantage. I'm not a fan of ultra high velocities - long heavy-for-caliber bullets are more reliable IMHO. If I had a .300 I wouldn't bother with anything less than 200gr bullets. In my .243 nothing less than 100gr, in my '06 I don't use anything less than 180gr bullets, in my .375 nothing less than 300gr, etc... That's just me... I go by the "one gun, one load" theory (the guy two posts above this one in the big hat always said it and he's right - you know your rifle FAR better when you aren't switching loads and bullet weights all the time). .22 LR Ruger M77/22 30-06 Ruger M77/MkII .375 H&H Ruger RSM | |||
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