Gentlemen:
I spend all of my AR time in the double rifle section but a new purchase sends me here.

I just bought a nice old .300 Weatherby on an FN Mauser action from the Southgate days. The serial number is <300.

What do you recommend for loads and a scope? the rifle will be used as a loner rifle when friends come to Alaska to caribou hunt. I expect it to get beat up and wet but it wasn't an expensive rifle. Distances could be a few hundred yards.

I've been looking at Ziess Conquest scopes. Your opinion?

What say you all?
Thanks,
Cal

I recently picked up a WW #70 in 300 WSM that has a Zeiss Terra 4x12. I'm normally a Leupold man but I like this Zeiss Terra very much. I'm sure you would be pleased with the Conquest as it is a higher quality scope than the Terra.
I have a Leupold 4x12 also. I like the Zeiss much better. If you want to save another $400.00 I would suggest the Terra.
For a load I would suggest the 200 gr. Nosler Partition ahead of H-4831 or H-1000.

Cal,

My 300 Wby likes anything I put down the tube with RL22 powder. I know the powder is not temperature stable but it shoots really good in my rifle.

Some thoughts, in no particular order:

Cup/Pb core minimum for best results = 180 gr.

Brass weight/internal capacities vary alot. Do not use charges/data developed in Norma/WBY brass if you are loading RP brass.

Have best accuracy with flat base projos. No experience with monometals, though.

Best accuracy with COAL adjusted to box mag length (just a smidge less so feeding is assured). Makes for a long cartridge but.........well........

Otherwise the .300 Roy perfectly well-behaved and flexible to at least 10% under max. IMR-4350 and slower GTG. Also have good results with any magnum primer - not just the widely recommended F215s.

My Roys shoot as well as my .300 Wins.

I just suggested the 200 gr. Nosler because it would be superior if used on moose or grizz.

Cal, if you can find some of the older stock, there should still be new ones around I’m using the discontinued Conquest HD5 3-15 x42. It’s a nice hunting scope with realty clever turrets.

Nathan does a nice write up on the 300 Weatherby

https://www.ballisticstudies.c...eatherby+Magnum.html

Cal,

I can second comments by the other posters with a few suggestions of my own. My 300 Weatherby is a Winchester model 70 barreled with a Krieger and is a superb overall performer. I am a heavy bullet guy and have found the 200 grain Nosler Partition (how can you go wrong with a bullet that has been proven since 1946) and IMR 7828 SSC and magnum primers. Shoots to 0.75” at 100 at nearly 3000 fps. I am starting to experiment with one of the new IMR Enduron powders, IMR 7977, for which IMR has published data on their Web site. I have had good luck with that powder in other large capacity cartridges, clean burning, very low standard deviations and little or no copper fouling. I like the 200 grains as it is a good hammer, pretty flat shooting at standard game ranges and works every time. I do have some of the 190 and 201 grain Nosler Long Range Accubond that I am starring to play with but they are pricey.

Conquest scopes are a great value. If you can find one of the original Conquests they would be less expensive but the new line of HD5 Conquests are superb. Go to EuroOptics Web site, search the Sale tab and you will find some great values from my friend Alex Roy. He is well known on AR and has many options to choose from. You might look at the Leica ER5 models as the glass on those is superb and they are priced very competitively for the quality you get. For example, an ER5 2-10x50 with a 4A reticle for $499. He also sells Leupold and of course all the higher end glass.


Good luck,
Paul

My dad purchased a rifle very similar to yours. It was a Weatherby built in South Gate on an FN action a little later than yours- I recall it had a 4 digit number. It came with a Weatherby made in Germany 4x scope, but when the Weatherby 6x scope on his 257 fogged he replaced both with Leupolds. I loaded some for it and used H4831 with 180 gr bullets- generally Nosler Partitions. the loads were a bit less than max in deference to the action - not that it was weak but not wanting to cause undue stress since there was no real advantage to the difference between 3050 and 3100 fps when shooting at something no more than 400 yards away. I'm not sure what the barrel taper was but I recall that the rifle, scope and all weighed 7 lb 15 oz and you needed to hang on to it when it fired.

Gentlemen:
Thanks for your thoughtful replies and information. I have dies and brass in hand. My next trip to town I will obtain some bullets. I have the powders here what you recommended. I am searching for a Conquest scope, 3-15x42.
Shooting bolt rifles with scopes will be somewhat new to me and an interesting learning experience.
Cheers, all.
Cal

A full load of IMR 7828SSC and a 180 grain TTSX is my go to combo for pretty much everything these days. Book COAL and the top charge yield small groups and dead critters.

I scope the Bee with a VX-6 2-12. No knobs to twist. Hold on hair and pull the trigger.

Cal,
My .300 Weatherby is a Vanguard that I had a KDF muzzle brake installed on it, I put a mechanical recoil reducer in the stock along with a Limbsaver recoil pad. It kicks less than my Weatherby Vanguard in .308 Win.

I have had several Leupold scopes on it, and have settled on a the Leupold VX 3i 4.5-14x40 CDS reticle system. It makes shots at 400 m (the longest target at out range) almost easy.

My current hunting load for it is the 180 grain Barnes TTSX over IMR 7828SSC powder, that gives me sub moa accuracy at 3248 fps.

May I suggest you stick to 4-15X scopes and 180 grain mono metal bullet.

I believe each caliber and cartridge have one bullet weight that seem to stand above anything else.

For the high velocity 30 calibers, 180 is my go to bullet.

I built a 30/404 and hunted in Africa with it.

Several makes of 180 grain bullets were going close to 3500 fps.

Killed every thing like a bolt of lightning!

In regards to velocity you should able to reach the 3200+ fps range with 180 grain and 3000+ with 200 grain bullets. Otherwise it's just a fancy .300 win mag. The 300 weatherby is a great cartridge that needs a good load to show its true potential.

quote:

Originally posted by Cougarz:
The 300 weatherby is a great cartridge that needs a good load to show its true potential.

Well Said!! X2 & a great platform (Mauser)

Zeiss Conquest is a fantastic scope.

Barnes TTSX
H4350: 84.5 gr
3648 fps

H4350 is one of the best powders available. You won't be disappointed with its temperature stability.

quote:

Originally posted by ar corey:
Barnes TTSX
H4350: 84.5 gr
3648 fps

Sir with what bullet weight is that?

Might drop to 168 TTSX. Best elk bullet I have found in the 300 wby

I'd 1st check the headspace with some proper gages. I've had a few of those Southgate FN's in my shop with very excessive headspace

Which is why Weatherby went on to designing their own action......

Buffy,

Is the KDF the most effective muzzle brake?

130 grain, too light, sorry.

I would use H4350 with the 168gr TTSX at 3310. Barnes lists IMR4350 but I would choose H4350.

Hello Cal,

Here's some info about one of Roy's very earliest builds that might help you.

I have a very early Southgate 300 Weatherby Magnum from July of 1951. It has a Pachmayr Side Mounted 2-1/2x Lyman Alaskan All-Weather Scope. That's the "Scope of the Day" that Roy liked to use and recommend. He would install them for his customers at the time of the build if desired.

This rifle was built on a Remington M1917 action. Roy used any / all actions available to him in those early days at Southgate that could accommodate the very long 300 WBY cartridge. I purchased the rifle from the Gunsmith that ordered it direct from the Weatherby Factory in July of 1951. When I purchased the rifle, it came with the original #5 Weatherby catalog, and all the paperwork from the original order, including all the correspondence back-and-forth from Weatherby. The Gunsmith had ordered it for one of his customers. But, by the time the completed rifle arrived 7 months later in February of 1952, the customer had backed-out of the deal, and the Gunsmith got stuck with it. The paperwork shows that the Gunsmith received a 20% Dealer discount from Weatherby, but the rifle remained "forgotten", "unsold", and "unfired", buried in the back of a cluttered work-shop closet, for over 58 years, until discovered by, and purchased from, the Gunsmith's Son in 2010. Interestingly, the rifle has the Gunsmith's Name and action serial number, elector-penciled on the bottom of the barrel.

The recommended load was with 150g or 180g Speer bullets. Speer bullets are what Roy used in those early days and you could order them with the rifle, loose or pre-loaded. If you supplied the brass, he would load it for .15 each. ($3 a box of 20) The powders recommended were IMR 4064 and IMR 4831 to obtain approx velocities of 3500 fps with the 150g bullets and 3200 fps with the 180 grain bullets . This rifle also came with 2 boxes of 150g Factory Ammo ordered at the same time as the rifle was built, for $6 per box. The head-stamps are Speer. As a side note, that early "Speer head-stamped ammo" had blow-up problems due to brass failure. It almost put Roy out of business. It is rumored that this is what led to the Company's early Corporate reorganization, to divest itself from liability of that early ammo. That is likely the reason Weatherby switched over to using Norma brass. Never, Never use or re-load any early brass with the "Speer head-stamp".

quote:

Originally posted by ar corey:
Buffy,

Is the KDF the most effective muzzle brake?

I don't know how it compares to other brakes. Other than my AR which had a brake on it when I got it, I only have brakes on two of my rifles: my .300 Weatherby and my .375 RUM. Both are KDF brakes that are the same diameter as the barrel, and I am 100% satisfied with both.

Thanks for posting that Buckstix. I should have known you would pull something like that out of your hat!

I have always used Reloader 22 with 180 gr Nosler partition at 3130. Great accuracy. Has room to get hotter, but why.
Jim

Gentlemen:
Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I will load some 180s soon. The next gun show is in two weeks and I'll get some bullets then. I will have the headspace checked when I take the rifle to town to get some mounts and rings after the scope arrives. I don't have much experience (if any) with small bores so it should be fun!
I've picked up some old Weatherby catalogs and advertising information from the late 1940s and early '50s. Roy was quite a marketing and rifle innovator. It's cool to have two of his early rifles.
Cal

180 gr TTSX w/83.5 gr Norma MRP at 3.56" and Norma brass with CCI 250s.

I have a Remington Classic in 300 Weatherby. tried bunch of Handloads but nothing beat factory weatherby ammo with 180 nosler partitions. Stuck with that for going on 30 years. Served me well here in the Rockies and in South Africa. Just what my particular rifle liked.

Roy dropped the FN Southgate gun because they didn't hold up to his fast high pressure rounds. Ive seen a number of them with headspace..The FN is a great 30-06 case gun, but the belted rounds are a bit much as a rule. If I had one Id shoot it with starting book loads at least..

quote:

Originally posted by buffybr:
Cal,
My .300 Weatherby is a Vanguard that I had a KDF muzzle brake installed on it, I put a mechanical recoil reducer in the stock along with a Limbsaver recoil pad. It kicks less than my Weatherby Vanguard in .308 Win.

I have had several Leupold scopes on it, and have settled on a the Leupold VX 3i 4.5-14x40 CDS reticle system. It makes shots at 400 m (the longest target at out range) almost easy.

My current hunting load for it is the 180 grain Barnes TTSX over IMR 7828SSC powder, that gives me sub moa accuracy at 3248 fps.

Buff, could you please pm me the details of your mechanical recoil reducer ? I have a Weather 300 that has too much recoil for me. I plan to go add the muzzle brake , really interested in the stock modification .
Thanks

On the scope, 2x-7x at the most. Any higher magnification is overkill for game animals the size of Caribou, and will only add more weight to the rifle without yielding a shooting benefit.

Unless your friends are semi-blind Mr.Magoo types, they should be able to place first-round hits on Caribou out to 300-yds easy with the flat-shooting .300WB, assuming nothing's screwy about the rifle (like a shot-out barrel, bad crown, warped stock, etc.)

The 300 WBY is a great cartridge, a killing machine with 200 gr. Noslers...Wby and others have proved that over and over..I shot it for awhile and really had not one complaint. I don't like Wby mark 5 actions, they are just butt ugly IMO..Same with a Mossberg.