quote:

Originally posted by AKA:
I do have a question for you pros. I had planned on taking over barnes X but my PH (John Sharp) asked me to bring over solids too. So i'll bring over FMJ. I'm only using factory loads on the trip. I thought Barnes X were classified as solids. Thanks for your help.

Aha! the worm can has been opened and i have my greedy paw in it. AKA if you value your life do not use fmj's as solids, they mushroom and do not penetrate when big bones are struck. Spend the money buy some solids and Barnes carries some well made ones, and shoot them in your rifle to see where they hit in relationship to softs. With Barnes softs and solids your ready for the hunt taking into consideration were not talking about a .243 win for Buff Jack Lott 's second round was a solid ( actualy a fmj 500 grn win) that mushroomed on the big boys shoulder, thats after he shot him through the guts with a 500 grn soft. Not the kind of thing you want to do if you want to saty unoticed if you know what i mean. Well have fun and shoot straight it helps to improve your horoscope. Charlie

I just wanted to thank everyone who responded:

THANKS!

quote:

Originally posted by BFaucett:
Weatherby Dangerous Game Rifle = oxymoron

-Bob F.

You could have just left out the words "dangerous game" as well....

I agree...

Vapodog

Can I safely assume you will not be joining the Weatherby Collectors Association

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Mike378:
Vapodog

Can I safely assume you will not be joining the Weatherby Collectors Association

Mike

Very much so.....and FWIW Weatherby sold a piss poor .22 rimfire years ago as well!!!

Their shotgun (made by SKB) however is a pretty good gun!!!

Vapodog,

It is a toss up whether you or 500 Grains are the most anti Wby on the forum.

Mike

I have used my 378 to take a Australian bull buff and a Cape bull buff in the Zambezi Valley
and lent it to a friend to take his Cape buff.
I would make the following observations-
The rifles are both powerful and well finished but ,of coarse ,need attention to bedding.
The big Weatherby is next to impossible to reload in a hurry from the top-better to turn it upside-down & load from below.
The straight round feed is such a big plus
I would rate it more highly than CRF
The plunger button ejector is a weak point-when using some factory loads for target work in hot weather the case head melted into the plunger ejector hole in the face of the bolt and prevented the rifle from functioning.
This brings me to the last point-I suggest hand loading using temp. stable powder and a chrony.to be LESS than factory specs by about 100 fps.The factory stuff I have used over the years was designed for max. speed not max. reliablity.

quote:

Originally posted by wombat:

The big Weatherby is next to impossible to reload in a hurry from the top-better to turn it upside-down & load from below.

Unfortunately this is a recipe for disaster, especially in a rifle that holds so few rounds (only 2 in the big Wby mag box.)

quote:

The plunger button ejector is a weak point-when using some factory loads for target work in hot weather the case head melted into the plunger ejector hole in the face of the bolt and prevented the rifle from functioning.

Another recipe for disaster.

quote:

This brings me to the last point-I suggest hand loading using temp. stable powder and a chrony.to be LESS than factory specs by about 100 fps.The factory stuff I have used over the years was designed for max. speed not max. reliablity.

Wby factory loads are defintely too hot for use in tropical temperatures.

Thanks for your honest assessment of Wby.

500 Grains

Note that he also said the staight line feed was better than CRF.

Also you can get Wby with 3 shot magazine in the 378 based calibress and you can reload the Wby while a round is chambered.

I will also bet I can load big cartridges quicker by dropping them in than you can with a stagger feed and scope mounted.

Mike

gentlemen--imho any game farther than 60 yards is not dangerous. if you have done your job correctly, the game does not know you are there, so how can it be dangerous.

quote:

Originally posted by two canoes:
gentlemen--imho any game farther than 60 yards is not dangerous. if you have done your job correctly, the game does not know you are there, so how can it be dangerous.

Howdy two canoes,

For me, you might have a point, but I beg to differ. It can be very dangerous. It is not the times when you just have BIG game in your sights at 60 yards that I call dangerous game hunting, but rather the times when you're have BIG game in your sights at 60 yards and come to find that a huge bear has had you in his sights and has thus snuck up behind you at twenty yards. Tracking bears in the alders/brush requires a rifle worthy of DGR recognition. It is for moments like these that "DGR" rifles become a class of their own, I think. DGR hunting is hunting with the potential of being hunted and killed yourself by the very animals that we've all come to admire.

With my luck, I could see myself falling down a hill after a bear instituted the "oh sh!t" factor behind me. I’m not a gambling man myself, so the last thing I want to worry about is having my action fail as I roll down a hill with mama bear on my a$$. I know, 99 times out of 100 = no problems. It is that 1% of situations I hope to avoid. Even the best, most experienced hunters have their day, and I am by no means a world class hunter (meaning that my chances for disaster climb significantly)

The African tales alone dictate the necessity for reliable tools in the field. Can anyone give me an Amen on this?

quote:

Originally posted by Mike378:
500 Grains

Note that he also said the staight line feed was better than CRF.

Mike,

Comparing straight line feed with CRF is comparing apples and oranges.

Straight line feed should be compared to staggered magazines.

CRF should be compared to push feed.

You can have a CRF straight line feed. I had one. There are lots of others out there.

But a properly assembled staggered feed CRF rifle feeds just great. I have some, and others on this forum do too. But a poorly assembled push feed straight line feed is not worth much. Neither is a CRF that does not work.

500,

I agree with your comparison but I am talking in the context of the threads and rifles normally available.

The facts are that an in line push feed can have a lot more going against it and still feed as compared to a staggered feed CRF.

I think I have already said on this thread that a peoperly working CRG staggered feed is the nicest of all actions to watch cartridges being cycled. A big Wby or HS Precision has the 22 rimfire look

But even with in line feed a CRF still needs the case rim to have an unhindered slide between the extractor and bolt face.

What I object to is that something like a CZ in calibres like 458 Win/Lott and with blunt bullets is all wonderful because it is CRF. An HS Precision in those calibres with in line feed would be dismissed because it is push feed. Yet it has a 100 yard walk uo start feeding that type cartridge, no stock splitting etc. and the round is truly controlled as it is being fed.

Mike

quote:

But a poorly assembled push feed straight line feed is not worth much. Neither is a CRF that does not work.

500,

But the former is much easier to have right. This site and others Gunsmithing forums illustrate that as does your recent post that to make a 500 Jeffery (staggered CRF) needs the Ryan Breedings etc.

Mike

Mike,

Push feed is easier to get to work than CRF, but muzzle loaders are easier to make then centerfire rifles. So why not advise switching from rifles to muzzle loaders? Bicycles are easier to make than cars. Do you ride a bicycle to work or drive a car?

Not all things worth doing are easy.

500

Sorry, but your analogies are poor because a bicycle does not equal what a car can do.

But a 460 Wby from a Mark V or a Granite shoot the same bullets as the same speed.

With the in line feed the Mark V or HS Precision will always be able to feed broader flat points.

In my opinion the Granite etc done right makes for a "nicer" action than the in line push feed and if chambered for bottle neck calibres will for practical purposes equal the in line feed push feed for reliability.

But if we stay within the context of this thread and other similar threads then if we take a 100 Dakotas, a 100 378 calibre based Wbys, a 100 HS Precisions then the Wbys and HS Precisions are the rifles that are most likely to be free of feeding problems.

If the shooter buys an ordinary Wby Deluxe the barrel lug is on the barrel reinforce which is much better (or less of a problem) than a lug near the open sight, the lug is epoxy bedded, the Wby has to non exposed cross bolts and the tang sits on top of the wood like a Rem 700.

For detachable mounts you can have Badger Ordnance or Nightforce.

In short, I can't agree with the opinion you have sometimes stated (as have others)of "run the other way" if it is a Wby for DG.

And just for the record by two favourite looking rifles are the tarted up Wbys and the Ryan Breeding rifles.

Mike

Mike,

You can compare Wby to Dakota if you like, but neither would be my choice. Let's compare 100 wby to 100 Reimer Johannsen rifles. I will bet you a brand new Wby that not a single one of the Johannsen rifles has a feeding problem (with factory ammo - crappy reloads can be assembled that will misfeed in anything).

Of course we would be comparing a $3K rifle to a $15K rifle. If you want an equal price comparisn, then we could compare a Wby to a factory 100 model 70's worked over by Mark Penrod or Dennis Olson. Once again, I bet the Olson and Penrod guns would not suffer a single misfeed.

If a guy is willing to find out who the good gunsmiths are and wait until one of them can do the project right, then he can have a perfectly reliable CRF rifle for a reasonable price.

500,

If you are going to pick the 100 Reimer Johannsen rifles then you need to compare them to Wbys from the custom shop....and if you have crappy case rim or extractor groove dimensions the Wby will win. You can say such such ammo should be excluded but it simply points out that a CRF needs more going for it.

If a guy is willing to find out who the good gunsmiths are and wait until one of them can do the project right, then he can have a perfectly reliable CRF rifle for a reasonable price.

Given ammo with correct case rim and extractor groove I agree. However you are in reality saying the CRF needs more going for it so as to have reliable function.

My point is that the in line feed push feed such as Wby or HS Precision will win when all conditions are taken into account and those conditions can include ammo with burrs on the case rim etc.

I realise that the pluses of in line feed can be had in CRF but apart from those mega rifles and custom guns what CRFs come with in line feed.

Mike

quote:

If a guy is willing to find out who the good gunsmiths are and wait until one of them can do the project right, then he can have a perfectly reliable CRF rifle for a reasonable price.

500,

That quote of yours underlines the basic design problems with stagger feed CRFs as compared to in line feed push feeds.

Mike

Mike,

Good stuff costs money. The problem with a Wby is that it is cheap stuff which a relatively large price tag. And a Wby is just not a substitute for a good rifle.

500,

If we do a 460 Safari with upgrade wood and Kreiger cut rifle barrel and action work we are at about an $8500US rifle

Whether the quality of that rifle is comparable to custom guns at same price the answer is probably no as we both know factory customs generally cost more for a given result.

But you are missing the point. A standard Deluxe 378 or HS Precision has a feeding system that does not require Ryan Breeding or D'Arcy Echols spending hours and hours to make it feed reliably.

And you are missing the point that even after Echols and Breeding have done their work a cartridge with a burr on the rim will stop their rifle cold.

Your staggered feed CRF must allow a case rim to slide between the extractor and bolt face and do it unhindered and do it at an angle. If our calibre has a bullet diameter not much smaller than the chamber diamter and with broad flat points or very blunt large lead esposed soft points the in line feed is best able to handle that situation.

In line pusg feed is the most reliable but at the expense of magazine capacity.

What Echols and Breeding and others can do is take an action system that was designed for very tapered cases of relatively small size such a 7 X 57, 30/06 where the angle coming from the magazine is small and make it work for other calibres.

BUT, no matter how well they do their job their staggered feed CRF is vey dependent on case rim and extractor groove dimensions.

But to wrap this thread up let's go back to the thread starter. He asked about the Wby DGR. I assume he meant that standard Wby DGR, a $3000US rifle. He did not ask about upgraded Wby Safari, upgraded Wby DGR, Echols Legengm Ryan Breeding etc.

If he selects that rifle in 378, 416 or 460 Wby or HS Precision in any calibre from 375 H&H and up (and that is only a $2400US rifle) what can he buy that matchs those rifles for reliability or feeding and no stock splitting.

In fact to go one step further, his standard DGR he will probably be able to buy for $2500US and probably do the HS Precision at $2100US or so at Hendershots.

Just recently you told someone enquiring about doing a 500 Jeffery that they needed to see Ryan Breeding and similar. You highlighted the problem of stagger feed CRF.

An in line feed push feed would deal with a 500 Jeffery type calibre with ease. In fact considering the diameter of the 500 Jeffery I reckon a 30/378 Synthetic Wby ($1100US rifle) would probably do a 500 Jeffery with just a rebarrel....perhaps widen the lips on the magazine a little.

Again, Teat Hound was asking about a $3000US rifle that can probably be bought for $2500US.

Mike

Mike, For $2400 he gets a rifle full of design flaws and weakness. Some Wbys feed, and some do not. And loading from the bottom? Come one.

500,

Loading from the bottom, especially big cartridges is quicker than a stagger magazine on a scoped rifle.

I have never seen the 378 based Wbys fail to feed.

Even the stagger feed Wbys are very reliable feeders. They scratch the brass up.

Do a search on Gunsmithing and you will be lucky to find one Wby thread started because of feeding problems.

Wby problem threads are usually on accuracy.

Wby stagger feeds are not unlike the 303 SMLE. All controlled by the magazine box with heavy feed lips

The Wby action has many negatives, I listed them for you once before, but reliability of feeding is not one of the problems. When worked slowly they are not smooth feeders. But they are reliable feeders.

There are plenty of threads on Wbys, especially HA, they usually run long but feeding problems does not come up even from the anti Wby group.

Mike

W= Will kill any thing
E= Eat what you shoot shoot what you eat
A= Any time any place any where
T= Tough, Acurate, Reliable
H= Hope you get to hunt with one
E= Eooooowwwwwwww! that was one hell of a shot
R= Right on target
B= Been the best and will continue to be
Y= Yes you are wrong about Wbys, but we forgive you.


Charlie

Mike,

As for Wby feeding problems, I can only rely on info from the gunsmith I know who worked there.

quote:

Originally posted by Charles Mc Williams:
W= Will kill any thing
E= Eat what you shoot shoot what you eat
A= Any time any place any where
T= Tough, Acurate, Reliable
H= Hope you get to hunt with one
E= Eooooowwwwwwww! that was one hell of a shot
R= Right on target
B= Been the best and will continue to be
Y= Yes you are wrong about Wbys, but we forgive you.


Charlie

Correction.....
W...Wimpy
E...easily overpriced
A...accuracy deprived
T...the pits
H...has a M-70 complex, wants to be
E...Ed Weatherby.....nuff said
R...Rich man's gun
B...butchered for appearance
Y...your last pick on a hunting trip

OK men, let me take this thread in a slightly different direction. Let me ask the CRF guys who responded how they feel about the H-S precision rifles . . . specifically the Pro-Punter in 375 h&h?

I've been following the arguments on both sides of this debate and I'll add my own comments:

1) There is no way that I'll spend more than $3000 for a bolt-action rifle off the shelf (sans optics, of course). (If I had my way, I'd own a 470NE double. I would never get to enjoy it though, as my wife would kill me before I could buy some rounds ;-)) Just giving you the facts.
2) I would not want to spend more than $1500 to work the action/stock, etc.
3) I have heard of weatherby problems in the past, and would hate to spend $2500 on a DGR that is going to need $1500 worth of work.
4) I have yet to hear bad things about H-S products (but then I don't know many guys who own them either, to be honest and fair).
5) This rifle will most likely be used for bear hunting in Canada/Alaska more than anything else. Maybe once to Africa for buff in a few years. I like the idea of one super-versatile rifle that I can take anywhere and kill just about anything. 375 h&h is the round I'm going to do it with.

So, can a H-S be considered "dangerous game" safe?

500,

I am alwys wary of people who worked somewhere plus ifr it is true he is only seeing the problem ones.

I have owned over 20 Mark Vs, one of my best shooting mates has owned about the same number and I have been directly involved with probably another 30 or 40 of them where I have bedded them for people and shot them and other friends who have or have had 2 or 3. My experience with dates from about 1972 except for one German 460 which is a late 60s rifle. My own ownership also dates from about 1972.

I could and have done listed more faults with the Wbt than most anti Wby people even know exist.

Feeding is not one of their problems except in general smoothness and the way they tear cases up. Although with rapid repeating they are very smooth for a practiced Wby user. I believe the big heavy bolt tends to produce a flywheel effect.

Any discussion feeding must include extraction. Their weak point here is the poor primary extraction caused by the 54 degree bolt lift. That is, the bolt does not mobe back far when it is opened. A combination of hot loads and old tired brass will often mean you need to tap the bolt handle to complete the extraction.

For a practiced Wby user I will back him to cycle the cartridges quicker than two lug front locking action.

If someone wants me to list all the faults they have the I will do it again.

Most of the negatives on Wby come about by designing an action with the "blow up proof" aspect and being able to have a long magazine in a receiver with Rem 700 dimensions. But many of these negatives are accompanied by positives.

Accuracy through different periods of time has been a problem. It starts with the freebore diamter being too big and very light long barrels. Such a specimen might shoot OK, as like the into an 1.5" or so but bed and FREE FLOAT one these specimens and you will be pulling your hair out and doubly si if the barrel is only so so.

If the freebore is to specifications then it provides some positives. Firsly accuracy is good, after all HS Precision and Empire do not exclude Wby calibres from their accuracy guarantees.

But in general they will not shoot well with as many loads. On the other hand they tend to be more inclined (with their accurate loads) to put bullets into the group from cold clean barrels or barrels with cold hard fouling. They are also freer from pressure spikes. Tbey also tend to get higher velocities than comparable calibres with normal throats when powders that are faster than normal for the calibre are used.

They probably have one of the best leverage systems of any trigger out there. With a light trigger return spring most will adjust a reliable pound and it can be done with out the rifle being apart since both weight of pull and engagement are adjustable with the rifle assembled.

They will often come down to 1/2 pound and work with fast bolt closure but only when a round is being chambered because the spring loaded ejector acts as a buffer.

They are a high integrity company which is why the Wby agency is prized in Australia.

The rifles are over priced and especially anything done via the custom shop and doubly so if it is not a catologued item. For example you could do a 375 Wby Deluxe via Product Upgrade and it will have a $39US increase over a 300 Wby. But in reality the difference will be much greater because the deals change.

Their custom shop is superb to deal with and by superb I mean what happens not just politeness.

In a nutshell I like them as an overall package which also includes the company and their export arrangements to Australia.

Their best rifles in my opinion are those that are not catologued. For example a Crown Custom is catologued as being available from 257 to 340 and what they call their Fancy Claro. After that is Exibition and then Special Select and they have the rating system with French Walnut. As soon as you do someting different which could be a wood upgrade or doing a Crown Custom in 378 that produces the best rifle and highly personalised service. It even happens with Product Upgrade of a Deluxe or a DGR etc.

A bit of trivia for you. Roy Weatherby never fired a 460 and had no interest in them. It was strictly a product of the old minimu 40 calibre DG laws. Contrary to what many people think the 257 is not number 2 after the 300, it is 270 Wby that is number 2. The 300 and 460 dominate the wood custom guns. While in the Deluxe and old Eurmark the 416 was deader than dead in the custom shop it does as well as the 378. Of the 3 big ones the 416 is the one most often chosen by people who will only use the rifle on very big game and in relation the number of 416s sold it sells far more factory ammo than do the 378 and 460. The only area where the 300 comes second is with done up Accumarks and the 30/378 leads there.

Of their more expensive rifles the Safari is the number one seller. That is probably due to a 6 to 9 mth wait and conservative appearance but still looks like a Wby. But if you upgrade a Safari then it becomes the 18 months wait. Their most expensive rifles are the upgraded "pimp" rifles done on the French Walnut. Of course if your cheque book is big enough then you could go to the old birds eye maple, myrtle and Mesquite.

You can option for the Kreiger cut rifle barrel and action work and that also allows you to pick contours that would not normally be in the calibres. For example with the Kreiger option you could have the 460 contour barrel on a 378. Or you could have a 257 with the 460 contour in an Accumark stock with widened forend.

End of rant

Mike

So now that we have this Weatherby stuff out of our system, why not a CZ550 in 450 Dakota for only $1500?

Some possible modifications:

M70 safety/triiger: $250
Cross bolts: $150
glass bedding: $50
slick up the action: $50
Obendorf bolt handle: $50

And it is CRF. The CZ's I have handled have fed just fine, although every company into mass production mucks up quality once in a while.

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:
So now that we have this Weatherby stuff out of our system, why not a CZ550 in 450 Dakota for only $1500?

Some possible modifications:

M70 safety/triiger: $250
Cross bolts: $150
glass bedding: $50
slick up the action: $50
Obendorf bolt handle: $50

And it is CRF. The CZ's I have handled have fed just fine, although every company into mass production mucks up quality once in a while.

I've had the pleasure of handling a CZ550, and I like the fit and feel of the Win safari express more. The CZ I saw seemed a little rough, plus I'm not sure about the hog-back stock. I'm not saying that I didn't like it, but I like the winnie more. I handled a Sako in 375 which was nice too, but I still prefer the winnie. The 70 stainless in 375 seeked ok, but the stock SUCKS, imho.

Now, I was looking at an H-S precision rifle in 7mm Rem Mag which was a real nice. The fit and finish were pretty sweet, and the action was pretty slick as well (though I'm not sure how good a super tight-fitting action would be if you get a bunch of sand in it, a lesson I learned in the ARMY via a colt M16). It was selling for about $2100 I think. I think a 375 would cost about the same. I know thier stocks are considered tough and element resistant. What else would such a rifle need so that I might trust it to cover my arse?

eric

The HS Precision is an in line feeder. You can't beat in line feed for reliability.

It has a Wby beat in a couple of areas. Firstly, Wby only comes with in nline feed on the 378 based cartridges.

The HS Precision has greater primary extraction than the Wby because it is a two lug action.

If peak accuracy is a consideration then the HS Precision will cost far less because on the Wby you would take the option of the Kreiger cut rifle barrel and action work since the HS Precision has a match grade barrel as standard.

As is the case with Wby DGR, forget splitting stocks.

The standard Wby DGR has that awaful black oxide finish and the HS Precision is Teflon. Wby will be another $350 for Teflon or $615 for Titanium Nitride.

In a nutshell the Wby DGR made to match the barrel and action work of the HS Precision plus the same sort of finish or better will be a twice as dear as the HS Precision.

You can buy the HS Precision as a barreled action and just deduct the price of their stocks. Whatever fits Rem 700 fits HS Precision so you can pick any stock going and fit that to the HS Precision.

The only negative on HS Precision is they are a very plain looking rifle.

The action comes with the 8 X 40 scope mount screws instead of the smaller standard 6 X 48. Their scope mounts are top class and a detachable muzzle brake is an option.

The in line feed does not look as nice when cycling cartridges while watching the TV. But it will beat staggered feed for reliability every day of the week.

If you buy a 375 and later want to change to 375 Ultra etc only a new magazine box is required because like a Wby the action rails are not involved in the feeding. By a 30/06 bolt and magazine and your rifle becomes a 30/06.

However, if you want open sights then you will need to get something like NECG fitted.

Mike

quote:

And it is CRF. The CZ's I have handled have fed just fine, although every company into mass production mucks up quality once in a while.

Posts: 7541 | Location: Salt Lake City, Utah | Registered: 20 April 2002 Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete Message

Teat Hound,

The CZ550 in 450 Dakota, 404 Jeffery or 505 Gibbs is a higher grade rifle than the hogback stock version you saw. And it has a classic stock, not hogback. Personally I would not buy one with the hogback stock either.

As for the HS Precision, there does not seem to be a rush of African professional hunters seeking to turn in their Model 70's and Mausers in favor of an HS Precision push feed, for whatever that's worth.

Thanks Mike. I appreciate it.

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:
As for the HS Precision, there does not seem to be a rush of African professional hunters seeking to turn in their Model 70's and Mausers in favor of an HS Precision push feed, for whatever that's worth.

Nor have I heard of such a rush either. I was reading on African Hunter that most of the PHs still use CRF 70s/CZs/mausers. Noted, for sure.

I sure would like to see one of those newer CZs though . . . Our biggest gun store here, while pretty good, has never had one in stock. I might just take a stroll over to Las Vegas to snoop around.

There does not seem to be a big rush for African PHs to have D'Arcy Echols, David Miller or Ryan Breeding rifles either.

They must be shit.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Mike378:
There does not seem to be a big rush for African PHs to have D'Arcy Echols, David Miller or Ryan Breeding rifles either.

They must be .

Mike

I saw one of the Breeding rifles. Very nice. Seems like he uses both types of actions. How are they priced?

He is $10K stuff.

PHs use cheap rifles and what they can get.

It is interesting that the deadly game of being a sniper has rifles that are push feed and in line feed and are some big money rifles.

Mike

I had a 270 weatherby years ago ,and it was a great gun ! the only thing i didnt like about it was the cheap tinny crappy magazine follower that annoyed me so much i was going to send a complaint to weatherby about it .I had a new BRNO 243 26 years ago and would not feed at all from new ,i had a new Brno 458 7 years ago and it would not feed at all, either! .Why do people have'' model 70 ise'' everything with model 70 saftetys ?? there is nothing wrong with the BRNO safety.I did have a cheap 670 winchester.243 years ago ,and i dont think i ever had a rifle that fed more perfectly than that thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike378:

It is interesting that the deadly game of being a sniper has rifles that are push feed and in line feed and are some big money rifles.

Mike

As are the H-S rifles that the FBI just authorized for purchase.

Just a few points.

I have owned a 300 for 43 years and have never had any kind of problem with it. I have shot a 3/8" group with factory ammo. I have owned a number of 378's and the only problem is that it is a vicious kicker in a usually light gun if there is no muzzlebreak. My favorite caliber is the 338/378. I had one of the first ones in the early 60's. I have reloaded it and the KT version for MANY years. The Weatherby factory ammo is puny velocity in comparison to a better powder like 7828. I have turned hornady bullets into plasma at 3450FPS with 250 gr bullets. Barrel life is lousy over 3250 fps. I think factory is about 3050 FPS.

I would prefer to see a larger extractor on the big cases, but have never personally had a problem.

The main Weatherby problem was not metal but wood. Even my 300 eventually broke the thin wood behind the recoil lug, and this was the ultra strong Mesquite. The Weatherby wrist design is incredibly weak from being both thin and having no backing directly in line behind the top of the action. These problems were attacked by the 5/16" steel pin added through the wrist and glassing of pin behind the recoil lug. However, the pins did not start until the late 60's (I believe) and then only in the larger calibers at first. They should be added in earlier guns. I saw a 270 which caused the owner brain damage which was missing the pin in the hole. It is a good thing for which to check.

A gunsmith/machinist friend tried lapping the recoil lugs flush in a friend's gun, but it is a tough job. He stopped when 4 were flush-but the others are still there, just in case.

I don't like the German trigger. The Japanese trigger is better, but I trade them in on Canjars.

I don't have a problem with 3 rounds any more than I have a problem with two rounds in my 470 Double.