So let's hear some opinions about this round on moose, grizzer bears, and long shooting. I just picked up one of those nickel plated, synthetic Weatherby rifles in .340 Wby. It is topped with a 4.5-14X Leupole VariX-III. I also bought a box of 230 grain "Fail Safe" bullets to load for it. Anyone shot these with this caliber on moose or bears? Why were results like. I'm expecting excellent penetration and weight retention if the are like the one's I shoot in my .30-06.
Figured if I wanted opinions about a rifle Weatherby has called "The Alaskan", I may do well to just ask an Alaskan.
CDW

As with all Weatherby cartridges, the .340 is a revved-up version of a popular caliber, the .338 Win Mag... Due to the velocity it's flatter and longer shooting and of course has more punch than the old classic .338 Winnie.

You can easily take just about any animal on the planet with the correct bullet choice and assuming you do your part in placing it where it needs to go. Certainly anything on the North American continent.

Use TOUGH bullets for the .340 for hunting, as it's a very high velocity cartridge and most .338" bullets are designed for 2600-2700fps rather than 3000fps or more with the .340 Wby. The Trophy Bonded Bearclaw, Woodleigh Weldcore and Swift A-Frame are just a few of the better ones - I personally would go with bonded core bullets for this round especially. The 300gr premium bullets will have very high Sectional Density and give very deep penetration.

One of the hardest recoiling rifles I've ever shot. It will work fantastic for Alaska, I would stick to premium grade bullets too.

i have the gun inq' since 1997. i would not use the trophy bonded bear claw in it.

i have used the 250 n.p. to good effect on a b. & c. brown bear and a moose with dramatic effect. the moose guide of 25 years said it was the fastest kill he ever saw. a neck shot. both animals taken at over 200 yards.

this gun is heavy to carry, particularly in the mtns. i have a muzzle brkae and a pad on it that helps a lot.

i think that it is a good compromise between the .338 w.m. and the .375 h.h. good luck.

cold zero

In reality, "The Alaskan" is the .338WM, so introduced in 1958. The .340 Weatherby is an outstanding cartridge. It produces from 150 to 200 fps over "The Alaskan," which should make it a great bear gun with 275-grain Swift A-Frame bullets, or even a 250-grain Barnes-X.



Congratulations! You have purchased a great rifle.

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Almost forgot:



I have used 230-grain FS bullets (Lubalox coated) with my .338WM. The new FS is "Moly" coated, so I have decided not to buy the new FS, or at least to remove the coating before I shoot it.



I load the 230-grain FS to produce 2,830 fps at the muzzle. I have killed moose with FS bullets as close as 100 yards, and as far as 300, but most a little over 200 yards.



I shot one through the shoulders a few years ago, and the bullet broke both shoulder bones and exited. I aimed to almost touch the rear edge of the shoulder bone, low on the shoulder, but it hit the bone, clipped the heart's arteries, broke the far shoulder bone, and left a small hole on the far side. The moose dropped like hit by lighting, at the 200-yard mark.



Most of the moose I have shot with my .338 have dropped to one shot, but the largest one I have killed walked perhaps 25 yards after the 225-yard shot. On this one I took a quartering-away shot through the right ribs, and the bullet passed through the lungs/heart, broke the far shoulder bone, and stopped on the hide. My hunting partner retrieved the bullet.



A great number of .338-caliber bullets shoot well around 2,700 to 2,800 fps. For example, Federal 250-grain NOS HE, advert iced to produce 2,800 fps, clocked at 2,770 fps from my rifle. The temperature was 55 degrees, at altitude of 480 feet, and the Chrono 20' ahead of the muzzle. I killed a moose with one of these 250 grainers a couple of years ago. The moose had seen me, and was walking away through the trees 250 yards away, then it stepped in front of a trail. That's when I shot it through the lungs. It pivoted on its hind legs, then dropped about a foot from the trail, facing the direction it had come from. The Nosler left two holes on its way out, but it dropped fast.



Last year's moose dropped 250-yards away, to a 250-grain A-Frame. The bullet hit the lungs, and the moose fell over on it's side with it's spine towards the low side of a hill, and two legs up in the air. If you want to see a picture of the FS I retrieved from a moose, as well as the A-Frame, here is the link:

Pristine Adventures

Hey there Ray. I got an "ERROR" when trying your link.
CDW

I shoot an old beatup Sporter model .340 Wby that has taken many Elk, Mule Deer, and a huge Alaska Yukon Moose. My rifle likes North Fork 240 grain bullets, Barnes XLC in 225 grains, and Nosler Partition Gold in 250 grains. The rifle has served me well mounted with a 4X16 Burris Signature scope and has scratchs on top of scratchs from Colorado to Alaska. My powder of choice is RL-19 with Fed 215M primers. In my opinion the .340 is one of the classic rounds with the ability to achieve great things with the tougher bullets on the market. Good shooting.

Did the link work for you? If not, try it this: Cut and paste the URL below (it's too long).

http://www.pristineventures.com/cgi/messageboard/board.pl?b=cc,m=1088692883