Really curious of actual velocitysize of the 270 Spire point factory load which is listed as 3180! the 270 TSX is listed almost 200fps slower? (With the 26" barrels + brake)...
Also what maker is the 270 Spire point?...will it stay togethe) Thanks

Hornady I believe..

I had a 378 Weatherby in Mk V and the Weatherby factory ballistics were very close the actual.

I can't say who made the bullets.

But in an interesting turn I was going to post about an action size for building up a 378 on something other than a Mark V Weatherby action.

Contact POP. I believe he has had a few 378 rifles and has done extensive loading for them.

Andy B

I think JR is right. Spire point is a Hornady trade mark and design.

Yes, used to be back in the day, and No, the 270 gr Hornadys pushed to 3200 fps with RL-22 will blow all to hell on deer and pigs, although so did the deer and pigs.

A much better load with the 300 gr Partitions at an even 3K was stellar on everything else I hunted that rifle with, admittedly the largest being a second hit on a buddies 5x4 bull elk that got by him and went past me, it put him right down with a less than perfect hit on my part, IIRC, I broke the last few ribs in the back pulverizing the liver.

What a bloody mess at the field dress.

The ballistics of the 378 Wby are incredible. I imagine a 250-270gr TSX would be an absolute lightning rod on long range Elk, Moose, Kudu, Zebra, and Sable. It's like the 22-250, but 270gr bullets!

Yes...considering one but I want ultra velocity to DESTROY pigs...just because! so the 270 Hornady should be like a grenade at that velocity..I think the same in the 270 TSX would do let damage and just whistle though them?!

LOL, how silly of me for not asking, I thought you wanted a bullet to hold up a bit better.

Well, if you really want to blow hell outta pigs, the 235 gr Speer bullet at 3450 fps with a big charge of IMR-4350 is your Huckleberry.

I have a rifle built by John Lazzeroni.

It might be the only one he built at my request.

It is basically their 416 necked down to 375.

I was getting 3140 fps with a Barnes X 300 grain bullet.

I used it on one safari and was not impressed with it at all.

Penetration was terrible, which really reflected our own tests here . Where we found that velocities around 2800 fps penetrated best with these bullets.

Saeed...That is shocking info!!!....Especially with Barnes X Style Copper Bulletso? I wonder why???

Excessive velocity promotes early and excessive bullet expansion which will severely limit penetration. I have found the same thing with the 300 magnums. Push a bullet that was designed for a standard 30 cal. cartridge to 500 fps faster than it was designed for and they will start blowing up on the surface like varmint bullets. Bullet expansion is nice but penetration is absolutely imperative. Be it a Barnes copper or a Remington Core Lokt, too much expansion is bad. All copper bullets that blow their pedals off are just small light weight solids which will create very small, shallow wound channels.

Saeed. Did you try the Lazzeroni with your lathe made bullets? I am just curious - not that I have any of your bullets or any lathe turned bullets at all. But I am thinking about getting another 378 just because I always liked the caliber and its something a little different too. Thank you.

Ive only seen such a caliber used on game twice, once with Saeed, and another time with a PH named Koch..I was not impressed either time as penetration was lacking, recoil was over the top, and the kills were not spectacular..I would much prefer the .375 H&H or a 416..I thought Saeeds .404 on the 416 case as best I recall was a dandy DG rifle. It had a muzzle brake on it and was real nice to shoot, and the brake come off and had a thread protector..I think he did that to appease Roy Vincent!

I’ve had a German .378 (no brake and relatively light) for about 20 years. Fun to carry and a bit of an “experience” to shoot. Over the years many people have asked to shoot it. Even with a rubber eye cup on the back of the Leupold it comes back to me bloody more often than not….

This past year the Weatherby Custom Shop took a look at it and finally got it grouping well with the 270 gr TSX bullets. I carried it most of the summer while guiding pig hunts.

The load I worked up was an attempt to copy the factory loads with the 270 gr. TSX. I believe I ended up using RL-22, but it might have been IMR-4350. As I recall the velocity was right around 3,000 fps, but I don’t have my chrono notes handy.

The load was grouping about an 1” at 100 yards. Sighted in a bit high it does just fine for any shots where I need to help someone put down a wounded pig.

I never took this rifle to Africa, but at least on local pigs of all sizes and all angles I haven’t recoverd a bullet yet. I can’t say the same about the real fast 300 gr. X bullets in the .460 Wby. I’ve recovered about 30% of them - with several petals missing in most cases.

My favorite experience with the .378 this summer was on a wounded pig caused by an unusually arrogant client (And that’s saying something after 29 years of guiding! He spent most of the hunt telling me how much his custom Land Rover cost and how much better Europeans are than Americans… he’s on my list that I’m permanently “too busy” for him after that hunt). He had a nice standing broadside shot - off of shooting sticks - at about 100 yards, but the pig took off like a scalded cat toward the neighbor’s fence line. He missed a second running shot so I took a shot just before the property line. The pig did a spectacular cartwheel at my shot. When we walked up to the pig the hunter was convinced the difficult to find hole through the guts must have been my .378, but the three missing ribs on each side with lungs hanging out and holes you could pass a baseball through must have been his .308…. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Thats a great 378 story. ^^^

quote:

Originally posted by TexKD:
Saeed. Did you try the Lazzeroni with your lathe made bullets? I am just curious - not that I have any of your bullets or any lathe turned bullets at all. But I am thinking about getting another 378 just because I always liked the caliber and its something a little different too. Thank you.

No I have not.

But, our perform just like the Barnes X in our penetration tests here, so I assume they would do what the Barnes did.

Agreed!

Well,thinking I will just use the 458 Lott with 300 TSX @ 2900 or so!
Gain a lot of "meplatt" and a little weight..Should make some nasty gapping wounds and DESTRUCTION!
(If the shots were further it would be the ticket!)
Thanks for all your responses.

I think you need a few sessions with Dr Phil.....you have "issues" ! :-)

My favorite Boar rifle. My 460 Weatherby with a 350gr TSX @ 3050fps. Super accurate!



Shot at 75yds bullet entered the cheek and exited the opposite rear ham. He flip over at the shot!

A five-panel Lasermark no less....NICE!

I seem to remember that picture on the Weatherby forum. Nice rifle!

Now that's a Boar Blaster! Very Nice!

Thanks Guys!

quote:

Originally posted by SAFARIKID:
Well,thinking I will just use the 458 Lott with 300 TSX @ 2900 or so!
Gain a lot of "meplatt" and a little weight..Should make some nasty gapping wounds and DESTRUCTION!
(If the shots were further it would be the ticket!)
Thanks for all your responses.

Don't you have a 600 Overkill and a 4-Bore? They would REALLY make a mess out of a pig! Just make or purchase some light for caliber soft lead hollow points and let em rip!

That said, I love my .458 Lott and properly loaded it does plenty of damage. The .378 Wby is a hell of a round too. I shoot a .338/.378 with a 225 gr TSX at around 3,300 fps and it is devastating! I'm sure the .378 is even more destructive. Still, if I had a .600 OK, I'd sure use it. Right now, my biggest thumper is my puny, little .500 A2. One of these days I'll have to upgrade to a real pig rifle!

378 Weatherby Magnum 26" no brake

270 grain Hornaday SP
115 gr H-4831
Fed 215 primer
Norma/Weatherby Brass
MV 3180 fps Oehler 35
3 shot group @ 100 yards 5/8"

I've had a 300 grain bullet up to 3000 fps with no pressure signs.

HSM Ammo is $58 off right now...$76/20 on clearance through Midway

quote:

HSM Ammo is $58 off right now...$76/20 on clearance through Midway

That price is for 30-378, I believe

A good post so I brought it back....
"ITS ALIVE"

The 378 is the perfect platform for the 350gr 375 bullets now available.

Pig hunters are a cult of their own..One cult uses a 17 cal., and the next cult uses a 50 BMG necked down to a phonograph needle! or a Long throated 20 mm with a round nose soft..

They are a weird bunch...Everyone used a 25-35, 32-20 or 22 long rifle on pigs until 15 states legalized Marijuana!!

My standard load is similar to what Steve Lefforge uses:

Weatherby brass
CCI Magnum Primer
116 grs weighed 4831SC
Nosler 260 gr Accubond

I like the Nosler because it has a pretty good BC compared with other bullets of a similar weight.

No pressure issues at all, could probably go higher but recoil is already beyond my limit off the bench.

That being said the 378 is "Numero Uno" of the big bores. Shoots as flat as a 223 with the power of a 500 Nitro.

The .378 is a rockstar. Shot a roedeer with one...no walks or crawl...

The problem with Barnes X bullets not penetrating as expected at upper end velocities is the petals are still intact and are creating drag. The penetration you desire along with the destruction can very likely be achieved using a Cutting Edge Bullets Raptor.