What would be the largest game animal that the .240WBY is suitable for hunting with?

I'd say white tail deer. The .243 is efective around here.
Gene

Loaded with the best bullets, like the Nosler Partitions, it will do the elk class stuff, just like the .25-06. No, I'd hunt elk class stuff with more of everything, but they do work.
They are ideal for the largest of the deer, and Pronghorn.
You really need to use use premium big game bullets with one. I've had the Hornady 100 gr. bullets self destruct on the hide 200 yds. out.
Barnes, in their #2 manuel, said they could get 3550 fps. with their 85 gr. XBT bullet with three different powders. That's what I'd use if I still had mine. E

EXPRESS: I have a custom 240 Weatherby and have used it on Antelope and Mule Deer with excellent results. It is a lung wrecking machine! An Elk hit in the lungs with this cartridge using a good bullet will die - I am just not sure how far he will run before doing so. I would think 200 yards. Yeah - I would choose another caliber for Elk but the biggest Mule deer will not go 100 yards when lung shot with this caliber! It is also a very fine long range Coyote caliber.
I use my 240 Weatherby almost exclusively anymore for Antelope Hunting. I can't imagine a better Antelope cartridge - and I have tried about 10 of them so far. Let me ring them up while I am thinking about that!
30/06, 300 Win. Mag., 7mm Rem. Mag., 270 Win., 280 Rem., 25/06 Rem., 243 Win., 6mm Rem., 308 Win., 220 Swift, 257 Roberts and if I get drawn this year I might try my new Remington 700 VLS in 260 Remington on Antelope. But I will say this so far the 240 Weatherby is my all time favorite caliber for Antelope and the new 260 will have to really perform to take over as my number 1 Antelope Rifle!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I would shoot up to and including stag, it is a liitle light for Kudu. We have been thinking about an accumark in .240. I really like the calibre. What a springbok round!

Aleko

Express:

In 6 mm for optimum performance I have to agree with those that Recomment using the 85 Gr Barnes XLC.

Their max load listing actually gave me 3700 fps in my 6 mm Remington with 24 inch barrel, higher than what Barnes indicated. Accuracy was real good also. The rifle use to be an '06, so I can seat bullets far out, and had it chambered to be able to do just that.

Minus real big trophy bulls, I would not hesitate to take that Bullet and tackle Elk.
With the velocity potential and the way I have seen Barnes X bullets perform in a gun you can get to shoot them accurately. If it is the only rifle you got, then go elk hunting with it. At woods ranges, I would not hesitate to use it on any elk, as long as the guy pulling the trigger knows where to place his shot.

The best bullet on the planet and the biggest caliber possible, still does not make up for shot placement, pure and simple. That is up to the shooter.

If I was going to rebarrel something to that performance, I would go to a 6 mm Remington, or 6mm/06 or 6/284. All brass is going to be cheaper than the Weatherby, and that should allow you more time shooting it at the range to get good at that shot placement.

Good luck.

I had a Ruger M77 converted to a 240 wby mag this winter. I am currently working up a good mule deer, black tail deer, and wild hog load for it using 100 grain Nosler partitions. I may play with the Barnes Triple shock as I see they now have one in 95 grain 6mm bullet. I purchased 100 rounds of Norma brass, and purchased 100 rounds of ammo on the net from one of us here on the forums. I thought about the cost of the brass, and in the end I decided I wanted to play with this great cartridge, and it is a great cartridge. I put a 26 inch Douglas No 3 X barrel on it and I am getting excellent accuracy with it. It is fast! That is the first thing you notice shooting a 240 wby. I took a 175 LB wild boar about 2 months ago with the 100 gr partition, and it exited the other side of the boilerroom, and the boar only went about 60 yds, and dropped. I choose to reload this cartridge because it just seemed like it was pretty awesome. I am glad I didnt let brass cost deter me as I really do love this one. The 240 will impress for a 6 mm. Frankly, it also appealed to me as a reloader, that not alot of people shoot it. It's fun to shoot something not every tom dick and harry has, if you know what I mean. I'll use it on Mule deer on down. I have a 7 mag, but I've been having so much fun with the 240 that it will go out of state with me this year.

Loaded all the way up, it is a good deer/antelope rig. Trying to stretch it for anything bigger is "stunt" hunting (JMO). Yes, you could tackle elk size game w/ it but why, when there are many other rounds more suitable for bigger game. Big game minimums should probably start @ .25 & go up. Maybe I'm just form the old Elmer Keith school? I have just never thought of a .24 anything as a proper big game round.

I've seen it kill a spike elk (250 Kg.), and black bear. I second the recommendation for good bullets, though the black bear succumbed to a 58 gr. Vmax (wasn't bear hunting at the time). FWIW, Dutch.

Fred:

Who would have guessed you are an Elmer Keith disciple with the Handle Fredj338?

Are you going to use a 338 when you draw that Antelope tag you were talking about on another post?

I never knock a man no matter what he carries, if he knows how to use it.

Not that I hunt Elk with a 6mm, but when you compare a 6mm anything versus a Bow, I think that the 6mm will have more wallop than a bow.

And how many guys bow hunt elk each year? and are successful?

Once again, a good bullet, and SHOT Placement is the name of the game.

It is not the firearm the hunter is carrying that makes the difference; IT is how well the hunter knows how to use that firearm.

Dang it Seafire,the more I read your posts,the more I like you.

Brian.

I new that would get someone fired up. I'm not knocking anyone for hunting w/ what ever caliber they choose. I think the .24s are great varmint guns. I would not hunt deer/antelope w/ one unless that was all I had, then I would use a premium pill & get as close as I could & surgically place the shot. That's how a bow hunter works. THe problem lies in the fact that many rifle hunters don't hunt like bow hunters. If they did, we could all hunt w/ a .22lr, because any decent rifle shot could slip a .22lr in the ear of a deer @ 30-40yds. No, many light caliber/bullet guys will bang away @ ranges beyond the bullets humane capabilities. That's my only point. Also, bullet placement is only half the equation. Bullet terminal performance has to be there as well. Remember, someone asks for an opinion & thou shalt receive. I have never flamed anyone for their choice, it's just not mine & that's JMO.

As far as what I would use to hunt lopes? The only pronghorn I have taken was w/ my 7mm Dakota (he took no steps). The 160gr bullet carrys the wind well & won't blow up if I get a shot in close. If I get drawn this year I will probably use my .280 w/ 150-154gr bullets. This is still more than needed for the small antelope but I have confidence in the combination out to 400yds if I have to. If I were looking to put together a rig just to hunt deer & antelope, something in a .25-06 would be just about right. Then again a .270 is really all one needs (which is why I have a .280). Would I hunt lopes w/ a .338? Maybe, if I get my #1S finished in time to work up a good 200gr load for it, I may just see if it can bring one down? Then I will be one w/ the late EK.

[ 06-02-2003, 14:05: Message edited by: fredj338 ]

I'm just keen on 6mm because I load for .243W & 6PPc, with bullets boting what they do here (up to USD$60)I was after a hard hitting 6mm for pigs and deer.
The .240WBY should be very effective on these animals here, as well as chamoise should I ever get to go hunting in the alps.
...just that I have so many other "ideas" t play with...

Express, you will like it if you go the 240 route. It is a fast, hard hitter of the 6mm crowd. Nothing against the others, but the 240 is fun to shoot.

FredJ, that spike elk I was talking about was shot on the run, in the a$$$. Not my shot, but it would have been fatal, had the followup shot not broke it's neck. The black bear was shot at between 300 and 400 yards, on a flat run. Again, not my shot, but a dead bear.

Surgical precision required? Gotta love it. Dutch.

JMO Dutch, but the .24s leave little room for error. "Surgical" precision is an exageration of course. WHat I'm saying is you had better put that little bitty bullet exactly where you want or you could have a badly wounded animal to track. I really don't like to track wounded game, maybe that's why I try to place my shots as carefully as possible & use a big enough bullet so if it doesn't work out that way I have a bit of insurance. Kind of why I like "premium" bullets for bigger game as well. It just "feels" right.

BTW, how can you laugh at "surgical" precision after talking about an a__ shot elk? Man you gotta love that one?

I want to add that this doesn't imply that I never miss, I have, but I really don't enjoy tracking wounded game so I let the rifle/bullet combo I'm hunting w/ dictate the risk of the shot (ie, I wouldn't try an a__ shot on anything w/ a .243 but might w/ a .340Wby & 250gr NP, or I might try a 400yd shot on an undisturbed bull elk broadside w/ a .300mag & 180gr bullet but not w/ a .7-08 & 140gr NBT). That's just the way I hunt.

[ 06-03-2003, 23:31: Message edited by: fredj338 ]

Brian M:

You are just an astute guy and an excellent judge or character, that is all there is to it!

Seafire,
Correct you are,once again.



Brian.