I'm just getting a little bored around here, so I thought I would post this. Has anyone ever used a .460 WBY on game in Africa? I've done a lot of looking in magazines and some books, but I haven't heard a lot about it's use (except people saying it's too hard for most people to shoot, which is true, but I know some people had to have used it with some success). So, let's hear some stories, guys!!!

Dude: You might just go into the Guns & Ammo archives if you can. There have been a lot of Roy Weatherby press and exploits when he tested the big Weatherby's in the long past.

Hey Dude, I'll play.

Back in 1984, whilst stationed at Whiteman, AFB, MO, I visited John Wahl Mercantile in Blairstown, Missouri. Lo and behold, a Weatherby Mark V Deluxe was waiting for me there!

I bought it and used to get it out once a year for kicks, on my birthday.

I used it to shoot a 1500 pound mad cow water buffalo in 1997, on the farm of a local doctor who raised water buffalo in Kentucky. The herd bull was sold and the old cow became dominant and killed every last sheep on the farm. She had to be taken out.

She was leading a herd of about forty water buffalo around over 300 acres of fenced woods and pasture.

It was exciting stalking them. After about 2 hours of hide and seek, I cornered them against a barbed wire fence. The old mad cow made a break for it and came quartering toward me. At fifty yards, I shot a 500 grain Hornady at 2650 fps into her chest and it ended up in her paunch, vaporized.

She stopped running, put down her head and just stood there bleeding from the muzzle.

My faithful gun bearer, Lemuel, the Pfizer "Drug Rep" who volunteered for this expedition, swapped me my Featherweight Pre-64 .375 H&H for the .460 Weatherby.

I shot the sheep-killing mad cow in the neck and she dropped dead.

It was fun, but now my old .460 Weatherby brass is used to make .510 JAB brass. I prefer the 45 Lapua over the .460 Weatherby nowadays.

I had another .460 Weatherby made on a BBK-02 after the Mark V was traded off. I could shoot 1/2 MOA groups with that McGowen barrel and 500 grainers at 2500 fps. That barrel went on to become a .45 Lapua, which will do the same accuracy and velocity with 500 grainers. I much prefer it.

Well, it wasn't Africa, but it was fun. And if I hadn't taken out the sheep-killin' Kentucky mad cow, I am sure the good doctor's Llama would have been next.

Aloha

I don't but have hunted with a couple PH's that use it (Wayne Grant and Billy Lemon). Apparently they have for several years, so they are happy with it.

Ernst Scholz of Tanzania Game Trackers used a .460 Weatherby. He's probably used it for 50+ critters. He handled it like the rest of us use a 300 magnum.

I borrowed his rifle to take a buff, impala, grants gazelle, and thompson gazelle. With spirepointed, 500 grain Barnes X bullets it shoots quite flat out to 300 yards. Ernst's attitude is that it is a most versitle caliber. Shoots flat out to 300 yards but also a decent stopper.

I think he's upgraded to a 500 A-Square.

This much I can tell you; the recoil is stout. It was all I could do to squeeze the trigger and not flinch knowing what was about to happen. I shot the 25 pound Tommy from the prone position. It barked me up pretty good. I whacked the Tommy quite well and he went down. The bullet whisleted right through and did little meat damage.

Justin,

It's more than most can handle recoil wise. We had a client who was obviously quite afraid of his .460 Weatherby miss an elephant completely at around 20 yards. Now that's a real flinch!

Had one guy (back in the elephant campaign) show up with a .460 with the barrel cut off to 20" Talk about muzzel blast. I think the .458 Lott is a whole lot (pun intended) more sensible round and we never could see any difference between it and the .460 as far as penetration was concerned.

Rich ELliott

Justin, I have two Weatherbys MarkIV in 460�Wby.

My first rifle I bought in 1985, and have around 2500 rounds through it without a failure. It does not groups well any more, 10 cm at 100 meters is the average.
I have it restocked , the original stock doesn't fits me, and had the barrel shortened to 550 mm.
I made a new cover for the magazin box, so it takes 3 rounds and one in the chamber. The muzzle brake (pendleton)is gone, and I feel no diference in the recoil. Have used it mainly on elefants (have used a 459 Win before) and can assure you that is the gun you want to have when hunting DG.

The second rifle was a bargain (1000 US) with a EAW and a Zeiss scope on it and came with rel. dies. Just bought it from a guy who was afraid of it because it was so cheap and my first rifle needs another barrel.

You can always load it down to the level of a 458
Win or Lott or whatsoever. Dont shot it from sittings position, shot it standing. When hunting you will barelly feel the recoil.
I can send you some pictures of my rifles,I don't know how too post them here.

Regards

Pantanal

I am an accomplished Weatherby fanatic and the 460 is indeed a proven round, but I like CRF for DGR rifles, and the MKV is essentially a "two round" rifle due to the large size of the case. I don't think Winchester ever made a 375 Featherweight. jorge

On a safari about ten years ago, took a 500 Nitro Express double for my heavy, took a 460 Weatherby for my medium, and took a 375 H&H for my light rifle. Used the 500 on buffalo and the 375 on lechwe.

The 460 Weatherby had a McMillan fiberglass stock. Had a Leupold Scout 1 1/2 power scope mounted on the barrel in Talley rings all set up by Jim Brockman.

Used 460 handloads with 500 grain Swift bonded-core partition bullets. Firing from a military-style sitting position complete with loop sling, took an eland at about 200 yards with the 460 from a straight on facing it position. Bullet stopped fully expanded in the eland's hip. From 200 yards, the bullet had obviously slowed down but the initial velocity allowed me to shoot without too much holdover.

When shooting from a bench, noticed that the point of impact changes dramatically with and without the screw-on muzzle brake. Definitely like the brakes when plinking, but do all hunting with brakes removed. Also have 460s with the built-in Pendleton brake.

Hammer

[ 08-19-2003, 18:19: Message edited by: Hammer ]

Have a Mark V .460 Wea with a built-in brake, probably a Japan manu, which I use as a tune-up rifle for other heavies where the ammo is more expensive or hard to come by.
IMHO, the .460 Wea got bad press in Africa because the hotdogs that could afford them flinched too much and the ammo at that time couldn't hold up to that velocity. There are quite a few good cartridges now, which are essentially downloaded .460 rounds.

I wouldn't consider the 460 Wea for hunting because for fast bolt cycling I have trouble adjusting to the 55 deg bolt rotation, not like a Mod 70 or Dak. The cartridge in another action and downloaded a bit is fine with me.

Acquired the rifle second-hand from a previous owner, who attempted to use it as a white tail rifle or so the story goes. But I wouldn't refute it as I got two old boxes of 460 ammo with 3 rounds missing and the gun was as new.

In Africa, if you brought a 460 Wea into field, you would attract a lot of attention until you proved yourself by accurate shooting, almost would be fun to try and break the myth of the Weatherby as a Safari rifle!

pmm

Here's a pic of one of the first 460's. It was made with a Brevex Mauser action in 1957 for Bobby Burns of Wichita Falls, TX, a friend of Roy and investor in his company, among other things. This rifle accounted for some big tuskers (pics in "Memoirs Of An African Hunter" by Terry Irwin).

Roy Vincent backs up Saeed on Elephant, with a 460 Weatherby. Some video footage of this may be found in the files of Saeeds video page.

Jorge,
My "Featerweight" .375 H&H is a Pre-64 action with No.3 contour stainless Douglas barrel in a Brown Precision "Pounder" stock with NECG banded ramp front and Lyman receiver sight. It weighs 6.75 lbs bare. I used it on plains game in Botswana to good effect. It is not a factory rifle!

Dagaron: Thanks for the info. It must be a nice rifle. Can you post pictures? FLa3006, I've seen pictures of that rifle before, how many rounds does it hold? is it your rifle now? Incidentally, where exactly do "Big Bore" calibers begin? Most folks in the know say it 45 caliber and above, but I thought it began at the 40s. jorge

I know a few that use the 460 Wby and it may surprise you that George Hoffman had a nice 460 that was presented to him by Dakota Arms..I shot that gun a little...It kicked like hell but you could load it down to 2250 witha 500 gr. bullet and that big case with all that room in it just took the recoil right out of it..It was a creme puff and kicked less than any 458 I ever shot...

As to its effectiveness on game, I have witnessed a number of Buff, a couple of elephant and one lion killed with it by clients and it is a hell of a hammer...Those 500 gr. X bullets will kill anything in the ton plus catagory with a heart-lung shot....

Its more recoil than I want to deal with unless loaded down.

All replies thus far are interesting, guys. Keep them coming and thanks already for them.

Anyone can pull one up and take a shot at a tree, and be a self-proclaimed man.
To effectivly, and consistently kill game with well placed shots, is another story.
I own one that has seen nothing but paper, but I dont just thunder off a few, and stick my chest out, and pound on it. I shoot it from the sitting position.
I'll admit that it's not easy to be accurate with it. It is'nt impossible though.
My 416wby is mush nicer to shoot, and is alot more manageable for me with the 400 gr SP.
.75 moa.
Trigger