Does anyone out there have a Weatherby DGR rifle in 375? If so, I'm just curious to know how well you like it/dislike it . . .

Here are the two I'm looking at:
http://www.weatherby.com/_images/products/rifles/_enlar...dgr_snowcamo_big.jpg
http://www.weatherby.com/_images/products/rifles/_enlar...r_desertcamo_big.jpg

Have not held one yet, but I hear good things.

I'll jump in first...I have .378 Wby that I've had for years and it is my favorite rifle for any use. It shoots 260gr NP and 300gr SAF perfectly.

I also have a DGR in .416Wby and I love this gun...it is a bit more specialized as far as what its good for, but it does excells at being a thumper.

Weatherby's custom shop does an excellent job on their guns. I would recommend the DGR in any caliber to anyone.

Finaly some one who understands and apreciates a well made and reliable action. Thank you Robert, i have several Wbys and have had no malfunctions what so ever. I have hunted with literaly dozens of others who have had the same report regarding Wby Mk.V's. I have and will continue to put my life on the line with one in my hands. It doesnt need anti bind rails . lug race ways and is the strongest action made by man for rifles. To all you na sayers buy one hunt with it and just as some one once said, " If Jack O Connor would have hunted with the .280 Rem you woulndt hear a story one from him about the .270" Thats what i think. Charlie

It is good to hear from you Charles..I agree with you 110%! Weatherbys are excellent rifles.

quote:

is the strongest action made by man for rifles

At the risk of offending the Wby folks, the last dangerous game rifle Weatherby made was an FN Mauser in .375 Weatherby made in the 1950's. THe Mark V is not a dangerous game rifle. It lacks controlled feed and only holds 2 rounds in the magazine. And would someone care to comment on whether the safety is a trigger block or hammer block design?

In contrast, here is a DGR (5 shot .505 Gibbs):

I love that "Hollywood Haute Culture" style!
That Mark V DGR in desert camo looks real nice.
Look, I planned on getting one, but ended up with Heym bolt gun by accident.
Say, that's a nice 13 pounder you got there, but will there be enough time to cycle that loooong magnum bolt 5 times?

Just to split a hair 500, does a DGR have to be a stopper too? I see them as a little different animal. However, the latter can replace the former but not the reverse.

500grains which make is that gibbs

quote:

To all you na sayers buy one hunt with it

I DID!!!!!

I'll stick with my Weatherbys..what I want to know is if everyone that posts here actually owns the guns they post photos of or do they just post pictures of other peoples guns, wishing that they had them...This is what a dangerous game rifle looks like with dangerous game:



It is a .378 Wby....and it shoots much better and has killed more stuff, including dangerous game, than any picture...

I have never seen any dangerous animals that have been killed by anyone who has posted on this thread, particularly those bad mouthing Weatherbys...so if you have actually killed dangerous game and you actually know what you are talking about, then I might be willing to listen to you...but if you are just vicariously living your life on the Internet and can only post photos that you steal off of other peoples webpages, then I think you you are full of beans .

velo,

It's a Ryan Breeding gun based on a Granite Mtn action.

Robert, I can post pics of my own guns and dangerous game (not bears) if you like. But that still won't prove that a Wby is a proper DGR.

500: I suppose that is true, but it doesn't disprove it either. There are plent of folks that use Weatherbys on dangerous game with great effectiveness. That said, I would like to own a Dakota, a Rigby, and a Dumoulin, but that doesn't mean that Weatherbys are bad, it just means I like well made guns, no matter who makes them .

You should post photos of your hunts...

RWJ- I think I'd be a little less critical. Some of us have a fair amount of EXPERIENCE with DGR's, and yes we actually own them and hunt Dangerous Game with them( all over the world). Possibly more than you are prepared to believe.
I have owned WBY's and actually don't have a very high opinion of them.Some shoot and others plain Don't. If you ever have a problem with one you'll quickly learn just how well WBY stands behind their product-NOT. ( ever hear of a carosel job?) I'm hunting ELE (again) in a few weeks and the last gun in the world I'd use would be a WBY. In many african hunting camps just showing up with a WBY (particularily a nice shiny PIMP GUN, marks you as a neophyte.500 grs has lots of experience including DG hunting and I concur with his assessment of WBY.-Rob

Rob: I was not trying to critize anyone, just responding in kind. I know there are lots of folks here that have plenty of experience. But that does cut both ways...you have your opinions and I have mine, so I suppose that is fair enough.

500grains: I was not trying to be mean or disrespectful...goad you on maybe (as you were me), but I was not trying to be mean...just defending the honor of me and my gun.. You may have vast amounts of experience, but I do not know that. Your posts for the most part are critical (on any topic)...sometimes with great clarity and sharpness, getting to the point in few words..and sometimes you are just being ornery. It is as if you do not like anything..except one or two very big very rare rifles. I think even the worst rifle on the market has some redeeming value, even if you wouldn't buy it. I do like Weatherbys, and until one fails I probably will not change my mind about that. But you have not yet posted a photo of a gun that I do not like..I wish I had them all.

Teat Hound,

Firstly I am a fan of Wby rifles but personally would not get the DGR in 375 for a couple of reasons.

One is that I just don't think a 375 H&H and Wby goes together on an expensive rifle. For the sort of money that Snow Camo Titanium Nitride rifle will cost you could buy a nicely done up CZ from American Hunting Rifles. Also, if want to make that Snow camo rifle complete youshould add the all steel bottom metal and it will become a $4000US rifle. Also,and this is just perosnal taste, I don't think a 375 H&H goes with one of the real jazzy rifle like the DGR Snow Camo. I mention the AHR rifles because like the Wby the CZ has a very long magazine and not all accurate 375 loads will shoot at their best with the 3.6" OAL and Model 70 is limited to that and Rem 700 just a tad longer.

Now if it was a 378 Wby, 416 Wby or 460 Wby then things get different because the big Wby uses an in line feed magazine and you can get them for 3 shots. For reliable feeding I will bet on an in line feed push feed against a staggered feed CRF any day of the week and doubly so if if very blunt bullets or flat nose bullet are being used in a calibre where the bullet diameter is not much smaller than the chamber diameter.

Another rifle worth considering is the HS Precision as that has an in line feed magazine in all calibres and will cost less but of you want sights you will need to have then added by a gunsmith. If yu are not familiar with the HS Precision rifle it has an action with Rem 700 external dimensions so what fits one fits the other such as stocks.

By the way, a 378 loads back very easily to 375 H&H with powders like Varget and 4064 and around 85 grains will give H&H ballistics and be still several grains under maximum with those powders in the 378.

If you want spend a few more dollars I would get the Snow Camo in 378 (Or 416 or 460) and have the Kreiger cut rifle barrel option and Kreiger action work done by Wby. A 460 loads back beautifully to 458 Win and 458 Lott using 4064.

Mike

Teat Hound,

One other thing I meant to mention is that if open sights are important for you then for some people the DGR stcok is not suitabe. The DGR is actually the Accuamark stock but with diferent colour and inletting for the barrel recoil lug mounted on the barrel reinforce for the big Wbys.

For some people the comb of the stock is too high as the Accumark stock is basically a copy of the Mark V Deluxe stock.

The Wby Safari uses a modified monte carlo with a slightly lower comb.

Mike

Teat Hound..for what it's worth I have the DGR (Black) in the 460 and 378. 1100 rounds out of the 460 and 1800 rounds out of the 378. The only problem I have ever had with them was in the rear sight adjustment. Both were minor fixes. Other than that never had a problem with them.

If you like it get it. I think it's a swank looking gun. I am from the crf camp but have NO experience hunting dangerous game, but may soon if I win the buff hunt.

Well men, I really appreciate everyone’s advice. I always enjoy the passionate responses such a question generates too.

To be honest, I do plan to do a little dangerous game hunting in my life, but have yet to do so. And to be really honest, I plan to take a Win 70 in 375 h&h (partially for the CRF issue, and partially for the history of the ol' winie in 375). I asked about the Weatherby because one doesn't really 1) hear much about the in the big bore forums, and 2) one never really sees any magazine articles about them (and I'll probably puke if I see another article regarding some new 15 round pistol-of-the-month or new AR variant, but that is for another discussion). I've read much of Africa, of the men who made and lost their fortunes there, and the mystique it holds over men like us. That place appeals to me greatly, and there is not a day that goes by that I don't picture myself out in the bush tracking down some old duggas or enjoying a sun-downer with a PH. For me, if I went to Africa and didn't take a Winchester, I'd be committing a sin against myself.

Having said that (and on the lighter side), I also plan to go to Alaska and B.C. for some bear/moose/etc hunting sometime in the next few years. Africa will most likely come after that. I'm just saving my clams to pay for it all right now.

Since a Weatherby DGR, sans CRF, goes for a bit more than I can get a Winie Safari Express for (or a classic stainless), I was just interested to see if the extra costs really makes a difference to the folks who actually own one or have shot one before. Our local gun dealers here in Bakersfield have not a Weatherby in stock, especially a DGR, for me to handle. I'm left to the advice and experience of you fine gentlemen.

Lastly, a well respected boar hunting guide here in California uses a "Sakota" .375 H&H to back up his clients. A Sako action with a Dakota barrel. This guy, who has been to Africa 3 times, taken dangerous game, trusts this rifle enough to use it daily. He posts on this very forum as well, but I'll let him remain anonymous. No CRF, but he swears by the action. If it is good enough for him, then so it is for me. I have looked at the Sako, and they seem very strong. Will I buy one . . .? Please read paragraph 2 above ;-)

Teat Hound

Don't know if this helpls but....

Saeed is the biggest hunter on this site and his main PH, Rouy Vincent uses the Mark V 416 Wby as his back up rifle.

When it comes to CRF keep in mind that in the strictest sense it is the cenrte line feed rifles like the big Wbys, HS Precision and others that are the ones that are only true control feed. The trade off is less magazine capacity. Centre line feed rifle such as the big Wbys aslo allow you to refill the magazine while a round is chambered.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:
At the risk of offending the Wby folks,

You really didn't mean that! Did you?

quote:

Originally posted by Mike378:
Teat Hound

Don't know if this helpls but....

Saeed is the biggest hunter on this site and his main PH, Rouy Vincent uses the Mark V 416 Wby as his back up rifle.

When it comes to CRF keep in mind that in the strictest sense it is the cenrte line feed rifles like the big Wbys, HS Precision and others that are the ones that are only true control feed. The trade off is less magazine capacity. Centre line feed rifle such as the big Wbys aslo allow you to refill the magazine while a round is chambered.

Mike

Mike378, do you know if the Sako rifles are center line feed as well? I think my Tikka is (and I love that rifle).

I'd love to have a HS, to be honest. But that is unlikely to happen.

Don't know about Sako.

But Rem 700s work nice with the HS Precision magazine fitted. A mate of mine has several of them.

Another good one is the Sauer.

By the way you can by the HS Precision action and and I think it is about $1300US and everhthing for Rem 700 fits them, except the scope mount bases are 8 X 40 instead of 6 X 48 screws.

Tikka is very popular in Australia. Biggest selling rifle in Australia is the Wby Vanguard.

Mike

Well i see we have opened the can of worms again. I will agree Wby has had some quality issues in the past and one of the worst things they did is to put out the Vangaurd with there name on it as far as i am concerened. Roy has probably turned over in his grave several times by now. They seem to be getting back on track with quality rifles that live up to the Wby name. Now i will address the issue of their warranty. They give no time line and say something to the order of if it fails due to mfg problems we will fiz it. If you mucked it up we'll fix it and bill you. I have a .300 that has been around the world several times. The floor plate fell off of it while sheep hunting and after returning, i sent it off to their service center. It came back with a note thanking me for using their product and a no charge went along with it. I fired off a note back asking them if they had made a mistake. They replied no it was there fault the hinge did not stand up to more than 30 years of hunting!!!!They expect better. I sent Docs old .300 back to be totaly redone before going on display in his museuum. They sent it back with a note that read. " We wanted this rifle to represent this mans commitment to hunting and conservation, during his hunting lifetime with Wbys".I was agasp, it was as if brand new, they had done a very good job taking in account what it looked like when it left. It now stands along side Doc's safari hat,journal and his prized Ribgy. Wby isnt perfect but there better than most . P.S. you wont upset us we know what we know and thats all that matters. Thats what i think. Charlie

Oh and one more thing, some people state that Wby isnt a DG rifle. When Roy unleashed his new rifle and rounds on the market and the reports came back from the field, many vets stated " They sound like thunder and hit like lightning" Every conceievable DG has been taken many times over I guess aside from us double people if it doesnt have the aquried control feed of Mauser design it doesnt measure up? Thats a bunch of B.S. Thats what i think. Charlie

quote:

Every conceievable DG has been taken many times over I guess aside from us double people if it doesnt have the aquried control feed of Mauser design it doesnt measure up? Thats a bunch of B.S. Thats what i think. Charlie

Me2 Charlie!

rwj:

Here is 3 of 4:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/500grains/scan0007.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/500grains/scan0008.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/500grains/scan0006.jpg

It's not much, but all I could come up with on short notice.

500grains: Congratulations..That is a nice cow...what did you shoot it with? Is that Zimbabwe? I hope to shoot an elephant some day, and I would be very happy to shoot one like yours. . Good work

I bought a nice new .340 WBY about 7 years ago. Left hand, nice wood etc. First and BEST groups were 6 inches at 50 yrds. I tried different loads and same thing. Good crown, straight barrel, no obvious stocking issues. I bore scoped it and found a section two inches from the muzzel with Two lands missing for 3 inches! The others looked flat wierd. I sent the gun back to WBY and demanded a new barrel. They returned the gun with a bloody target showing a 1.5 inch group at 100yrds. Swore it was with factory ammo. I contacted their service dept and asked if they looked at the bore and how could it group like that with so obvious a problem.
They said it was just fine. Within factory tolerances in fact. Talked to a Moron by the way. It took about 10 seconds to realize their customer service was non-existant! I told them to stick it where the sun doesn't shine. Guess what no refund either. I sold it for parts at a gun show a week later. Took a $500 bath in the process. I would not even rebarrel it myself as they left so bad a taste in my mouth!No Wby's for this hunter ever again!
By the way ,I actually like WBY cartridges, just a piss poor rifle and a really crappy company. -Rob

Rob: I have heard others, and one gun dealer here in Anchorage in particular, that are unhappy with Weatherby's methods of doing business..but I have never had to send a rifle back to Wby to be worked on...and the rifles that have come out of the custom shop (one was a .378 barreled action that I put an HSP stock on and the other was a .416 DGR), those rifles are stunning in the way they work...the bolts are fit so perfectly you can set them solidly in place at different postions along the action and they will hold that position. I stopped looking at off the rack rifles after using these rifles. I have handled Dakotas and some doubles, and at Champlin Arms in Enid Oklahoma, I have looked at very expensive rifles, double and bolts actioned rifles,..but for the money, usually about $3000, I will choose a Weatherby over any other rifle for the money spent. A sample of one bad rifle is a very small sample, and it sounds like an odd case anyway...

rwj- Unfortunately, I've sen a few more Wby's with similar problems. No issues with the actions or cartridges, but their barrels and stocks are crap. For $3K you can do far better with a CZ550 mauser/etc via AHR, Dennis Olsen and many others. At least this way you have a company or gunsmith that stands behind its products and cares about You as a customer and friend. integrity is a very important value to me when it comes to firearms that I may have to stake my life on!. I too have a couple of Wby's that shoot just fine, its the principle of buying a gun that the manufacturer won't stand behind. I'm far from alone in this perception -Rob

rwj,

Those are 3 different cows. Yes, in Zim.

Here's an article that I quote from on this forum quite often. The reason is that most gunwriters are unwilling to write a frank and honest evaluation of a product, but the author I am quoting writes a truthful report of what he observed.

quote:

I’ll start with my least favourite rifle:- the Weatherby. We don’t often see them out here, thank goodness. The one we had this year exhibited the usual Weatherby failing of going off when the safety catch was disengaged. Like all I’ve seen with this problem, they work fine on the range. It is only after they have been bounced, bumped or jolted whilst loaded and on safe that they do this. I’m sure the problem is correctable and not all do it, however, this one would also not extract at all after the eighth round. It showed decidedly sticky extraction after the first three shots and finally died on number eight. It gives me great pleasure than to dig out my 2lb hammer and beat the bolt of a new rifle open whilst giving the owner a lecture on the benefits of reloading. Weatherby factory ammo always gives extraction problems and needs to be down loaded for use in hot conditions. The .460 is notorious and this .416 proved no different.

http://www.african-hunter.com/lessons_learned.htm

Not that I have anything against the Wby cartridges per se - I don't. The venturi shoulder is just a bit of marketing hype, but it does not hurt anything.

Here is a 460 Wby which I would not be afraid to hunt with (loaded down to 2400 fps):



This is another .460 Wby that would serve well as a DGR:



And here is a .416 Wby that is ready for some faithful service:





Note the features which make these rifles DGRs:

- controlled feed/claw extractor for reliable feeding and extraction

- blade ejector for reliable case ejection

- drop box magazine - just in case

- 4 shot capacity for hot and heavy moments

- hammer block safety for safety (safer than trigger block)

- iron sights because dirty work is done up close

- quick release scope mounts to get the scope out of the way when not plains game hunting

- adequate caliber for the big fellows

quote:

Lastly, a well respected boar hunting guide here in California uses a "Sakota" .375 H&H to back up his clients. A Sako action with a Dakota barrel. This guy, who has been to Africa 3 times, taken dangerous game, trusts this rifle enough to use it daily. He posts on this very forum as well, but I'll let him remain anonymous. No CRF, but he swears by the action. If it is good enough for him, then so it is for me. I have looked at the Sako, and they seem very strong. Will I buy one . . .? Please read paragraph 2 above ;-)

Well respected

The person you are referring to has never been to Africa. His "African" photos are all pictures from Parkfield that he touched up with his "Photoshop" software

Now, here is a real photo of a dangerous African game animal taken with a stainless synthetic Sako M75 in 375H&H




When it comes to cape buffalo, I only use a classic rifle with a wood stock and "rust" blue metal

500grains: Your gun and your elephant will have to speak for themselves.

Shumba: I like the AK-47 with the Cape buffalo. I suppose that is a DGR by any definition .

quote:

Originally posted by Shumba:

The person you are referring to has never been to Africa. His "African" photos are all pictures from Parkfield that he touched up with his "Photoshop" software

Shumba, are you busting on my parkfield buddy? He is, then, very good with his camera. I should be so lucky!

rwj

Each of the features I list were invented for a reason. But if you need me to go into any more detail, I will have to begin charging tuition. A review of one man's experience with multiple Wby rifles is found in the quote I posted above. But don't read it if you don't want bad news. And if you compare a Mark V with the features I listed, you can see why it is not a DGR (I am ignoring Wby's quality control problems).

For some reason, most Wby owners (including you) are very thin skinned about their Wbys. They like to brag them up, but get all bent out of shape is there's someone in the crowd not willing to praise Wby up to the heavens. Kind of like the Wby owners know they are saying something that's not true, and got caught at it.

Generally I don't post pics of my animals or rifles because it might not come off well. The guns which I post are either for sale (buy one if you like) or are made to order by high end rifle makers (order one if you like). But since you seem interested in what I have, here is a bolt gun which I has been in my hands in moments of anger:

Of course I know a lot of guys hunt with crap equipment and get away with it. The old time elephant hunters used to use whatever was available, such as .303 Lee Metford rifles. But that does not mean they are a good tool for the job. Current day poachers use 7.62 x 39 on elephant. It has worked lots of times, but again not the right tool. Just like the eskimos who shoot polar bear with .222 or 30-30. It's just foolish.

If you think bear hunting is the ultimate challenge, the stick to it and leave those passive elephants to the rest of us.

quote:

Mike378, do you know if the Sako rifles are center line feed as well? I think my Tikka is (and I love that rifle).

Teathound,

The Sako 75 is a staggered magazine which has the advantage of being loaded from the top whilst the mag is in the rifle or you can remove the mag and load it separately.
The Tikka is a vertical stack mag and very smooth feeding - love it. The mag cannot be loaded whilst in the rifle like the Sako.

quote:

For some reason, most Wby owners (including you) are very thin skinned about their Wbys. They like to brag them up, but get all bent out of shape is there's someone in the crowd not willing to praise Wby up to the heavens. Kind of like the Wby owners know they are saying something that's not true, and got caught at it.

500,

Can't speak for others but quite sometime ago on one of RIP's 375 Wby threads (I think) I elaborated in detail for you the faults of Wby actions that went well beyond what you had listed.

Mike