I recently acquired one, and sought and received some good input from folks on this board on selection of a new scope for it. Here's my next question. I know this caliber could be used on elk, although it might be slight overkill, but what other game is the .340 Weatherby suited for? At what point does one need to move up to something bigger, like the .375 H&H?

With "proper bullets" there ain't no difference between the 340 Wby & 375 H&H (or any other 375)..... but in some African countries, the 340 would not be "legal" on dangerous game... but it could/would kill said game with proper bullets and shot placement.

In North America, any you could kill with a 375 H&H,you can kill with a 340 Wby. Assuming premium bullets and good shot location.

I 2nd AzGuy,s comments

I knew a guy when I lived @ False Is, who had , used and preferred the 340 Weatherby .. He had killed several brown bear with it . Mostly at pretty close range and mostly with the 250 gr Nosler Partition bullet .....He said it worked every bit as well as the 375 H&H ... It is fairly popular up here ....

Great cartridge & not overkill for elk. In fact, I don't understand the term overkill. Dead animal is a dead animla. My buddy hunts deer w/ his 340wby. Just drop to a lighter bullet. It becomes a pretty flat shooting all purpose rifle. Yes, abit heavy & recoil is there, but a fine hunting cart. for elk, moose & bears in NA. Of course it would be a fine African rifle as well, but not legal for DG, but w/ good bullets would certainly be effective.

If you want perfection, load the 340 with 210 TTSXs @ 3100 fps and you have a rifle that will cover about 98% of the world's animals at ANY range. Superb caliber. jorge

The 340 Weatherby might be the best all round elk rifle out there. It not only has the ability to knock an elk off it's feet but can also make that cross-canyon shot if need be and would be somewhat better than the old standby 338 WinMag. IMHO you have a very good elk rifle. I also think the 340 can take just about any animal you want providing it is legal to use.

My .340 Wby has served me well on several Bull Elk and Deer and one Alaska Yukon Moose. It will be fine for anything in North America. I went from there to a .416 Rem when I cast my eyes toward Africa. Good shooting.

Technan

Once upon a time I had a 340 Wby, and I killed elk with it.

It is a great NA calibre for BIGGER game.
I find the recoil of the 340 to be less than a 375 H&H, but all of my 375's have been fairly light.

When you step up to game than needs a solid, or cape buff, that are shot at usually under 100 yards, the 375 is a better choice. And legal in most places.

If I had a 340 that I had a lot in NA, and bought a 40cal or bigger for Africa, I would not hesitate to take the 340 for plains game.

I would however, have a few solids for the 340 just in case I bumped into some elephants while hunting plains game.

So the consensus is that the .340 Weatherby is appropriate for African plains game, but typically not legal for dangerous game. Thanks for the info folks. I feel better about the range of use this gun will provide me. Hopefully I can make it to Africa some day and use this gun on plains game.