300 Weatherby... Opinions?

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blueoval56

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Since the other thread about the 257 bee brought up some great info I thought I might start the same thread for the 300.

For the last year I've been looking for a stainless vanguard S2 in 300 win mag and they seem to be non existent, although I have found plenty of stainless 300 Weatherby mags. The stainless part is just a personal preference and if i'm going to spend my hard earned cash then I might as well get what I want.

Anyways, I have been mulling over the idea of just going with the 300 Weatherby. I already have brass, dies and components for the 300 win but swapping over to a new caliber isn't too big of a deal for me.

What are your thoughts on the 300 Weatherby? Is it worth all the extra? I have never owned a weatherby caliber personally. I have only ever heard two very distinct thoughts on weatherby chamberings in general; either they're the greatest thing to come around since the model T or they're garbage and "that damn free bore will ruin your accuracy".

Help me out a little on this one folks.
 
My father has had a 300 wby in the Mark V deluxe for probably 35 years now. Its a great calibre I've shot it quite a bit and I like it, so does he. It's show moose, elk, deer, caribou and done a great job on all of them. He always says in hindsight he would have rather bought the .300 win since ammo is way cheaper if you want to go out plinking, and there are just a ton of factory options at reasonable prices. With the weatherby you have to handload with brass that isn't the cheapest and doesn't have the longest life if you load it up to full honk, or buy factory ammo at a premium. The other part is, if you're in the middle of nowhere and you forgot ammo, or something happens, you're way more likely to find 300 win than 300 wby.

If you're fine with that stuff... go for it. Its a great cartridge which has been around a long time and has only recently started to be outclassed by non-wildcat .30 cal cartridges (the .300 rum and I guess the 30-378 wby but that's just craziness). I believe I've read somewhere that the .300 wby in the vanguard needs handloaders to be very aware of the overall length because the round maxes out the magazine. I dont own one nor have I played with one so I'll let someone here that has one chime in.
 
Seen a couple times - Sako m75ss 300 Wby Mag listed for sale in the EE. Might be something to consider. IMO, since you have the 300WM , don't really need a WBY unless its a good excuse to buy another rifle !! LOL

I don't have a 300 Wby but love my 300WM in a Sako m75ss that I have had since new back from 1997.
 
Just got back from the range finalizing my 300 wby load. 3194 fps with the 175gr LRX, 10 shot average and sitting at sub .75moa. Mine is an accumark. Whether or not it makes sense in a 24" is debatable but it won't be slower than a 300 wm in the same barrel length.
 
we have a Ruger No.1 in 300 Wby mag. It rarely gets the call. My oldest son dropped a black bear in it's tracks with it as it was running across a field. A nice cartridge when it's needed.
 
I've got both the .300 Win and .300 Weatherby, and to round out the set a 300 WSM and a RUM as well. In the field, with an ordinary zero to 500 hunting rifle it isn't going to make much difference which one you use. Bullet choice will make more difference.


Having said that, it doesn't mean there aren't any differences. The Weatherby has good and expensive brass, and I find it to be a constant battle with the free-bore. It can be awful picky about which bullets it likes; you may find that boat tails in general may not be the path to happiness. The factory Spire, Partitions and TSXs all don't seem to have trouble making that 3/8" leap of faith to the rifling and are almost certain to meet the 1" warranty. Keep that in mind when you start handloading it, if results are less than stellar. Recoil is noticecably higher, but velocity may not be. You are required by law to say "Nuttin' shoots flatter and hits harder than a Weatherby, Nuttin" at every kill. Its a little awkward at first but you get used to it.

The .300 Win in hand-loaded form, set out to the rifling will give the Weather a run for its money in velocity. Mine are put up in Norma brass and 26" barrels, and in a general sort of way equal the Roys speeds. Sometimes they exceed the Weatherby. With Vanguard and longer magazines reaching the rifling with most bullets is easy. The chances of you telling the gun what you want to shoot instead it deciding go way up. From what I've seen of .300 Win Vanguards, some custom rifle makers should consider selling fishing rods. Recoil is down, which is what happens when you use ten grains less powder to do about the same thing. Selection, price and availability of factory ammo favor the Win, these days brass availability is spotty for everything.

There's usually a harder way and an easier way to do anything. The difference isn't huge but easier favors the Winchester.
 
Dogleg said:
I've got both the .300 Win and .300 Weatherby, and to round out the set a 300 WSM and a RUM as well. In the field, with an ordinary zero to 500 hunting rifle it isn't going to make much difference which one you use. Bullet choice will make more difference.


Having said that, it doesn't mean there aren't any differences. The Weatherby has good and expensive brass, and I find it to be a constant battle with the free-bore. It can be awful picky about which bullets it likes; you may find that boat tails in general may not be the path to happiness. The factory Spire, Partitions and TSXs all don't seem to have trouble making that 3/8" leap of faith to the rifling and are almost certain to meet the 1" warranty. Keep that in mind when you start handloading it, if results are less than stellar. Recoil is noticecably higher, but velocity may not be. You are required by law to say "Nuttin' shoots flatter and hits harder than a Weatherby, Nuttin" at every kill. Its a little awkward at first but you get used to it.

The .300 Win in hand-loaded form, set out to the rifling will give the Weather a run for its money in velocity. Mine are put up in Norma brass and 26" barrels, and in a general sort of way equal the Roys speeds. Sometimes they exceed the Weatherby. With Vanguard and longer magazines reaching the rifling with most bullets is easy. The chances of you telling the gun what you want to shoot instead it deciding go way up. From what I've seen of .300 Win Vanguards, some custom rifle makers should consider selling fishing rods. Recoil is down, which is what happens when you use ten grains less powder to do about the same thing. Selection, price and availability of factory ammo favor the Win, these days brass availability is spotty for everything.

There's usually a harder way and an easier way to do anything. The difference isn't huge but easier favors the Winchester.
Click to expand...

I appreciate all the feedback so far, Dogleg definitely makes me lean back to the 300win. I don't currently have a 300 at all, I traded a tikka T3 300win and, although I very much enjoy the rifle I traded it for, I have been kicking myself and been looking for another 300 ever since. I love the feel of the Tikka but that action leaves zero room for seating the bullets long unless you single feed them.
Which I could solve by buying a 300wsm and running a long action mag.

I was also very leary of the 300 weatherby with a 24 inch tube. I know the 300win also does better in a 26" barrel but the weatherby is really burning a lot of slow burning powder for a barrel that short.

I appreciate the input thus far.
 
Ive hunted with a 300 wby quite a bit over the last 15 years, factory ammo only costs about $50 a box, One of my favorite 30 cal magnums. A 26" barrel is a good thing to burn so much powder , but with a 24" barrel there is still a velocity advantage over the 300 win mag
 
I own quite a few 30 cal magnums, the Wby and the Norma are probably my two favorites. On the other hand I have four 300 WM's, because they are so common, and so useful. Overall the Wby version is a little quicker then the 300 WM's, slower then the RUM, and the 30-378. For hunting, really the 300 WM will do all you want. It is just a slight variance between them that makes them interesting. - dan
 
I have hunted over most of the planet with a 300 Wby and taken something in excess of 100 big game animals with it..........needless to say I love the cartridge and my 700 Remington stainless. Is it better than a 300 WM, YES, however I went to the Wby from the Win because I very specifically wanted to use 200 gn bullets and still get them over 3000 fps, which the Wby does easily. I would also say though that I would never feel undergunned with one of my 300 Wins either. I have had a close to 40 year love affair with 30 cal magnums, and I must say they are one of the best all around choices out there for hunting anything........with the usual exclusions of course, elephant and the like...........
I too have every 30 cal magnum out there EXCEPT the H&H offering, which is an oversight I intend to deal with in the near future.

Here's a photo of my 300 Wby..........








I have modified this rifle to a 4" bolt throw and magazine using Sako bottom metal and a Brown fiberglass stock designed for a Sako L61R . I can now with 200 ABs or Parts reach the lands AND gained 100 fps in so doing. As you can see it shoots just fine when I'm having a good day!! For many, many years it wore an old Zeiss Diavari 3-9 however I decided I wanted a little more magnification and to lose a little weight so I went to a 4-12 Leupold, and I almost forgot that the Sako bottom metal and stock allow 4 shells under.
 
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Wow, 4 inches of bolt throw and mag space is pretty incredible. My CZ 550 magnum doesn't even have that much room and I thought it had quite a bit at 3.85". If there was a rifle readily available that had the specs of your Remington 700 then I would probably go that route. I think I have settled on the 300win in a Vanguard S2 for now. If they can squeeze a 300 weatherby into that action then there should be plenty of room to seat 200gr bullets out in the 300 win. I'm okay with 300win 200gr velocities. Now if only the damn thing came with a 26" barrel!
 
I shoot a 300 Weatherby Lazermark. With carefully prepared handloads it will shoot .75 M0A at 100 meters. Many 300 Weatherbys mark 5es will shoot even better than that, some worse. The recoil is manageable for me, however if you are recoil sensitive this is not the rifle for you. It is a beautiful rifle well finished and a gorgeous walnut stock. It is a rifle similar to a Rolex watch in quality. The down side is how long will it look prutey when you are undertaking a hard hunt in northern B.C or Alaska? Are U a road hunter? Are U a reloader? Are U willing to ding the stock while walking up slides, crossing big blow down and the inevitable face plant from the hidden vine, rock, just being tired? If so go for it. I have around 16 or or so rifles to choose from when I go hunting. The go to gun is the Weatherby 338/378 that has a Bell and Carlson hand laid stock that cant be dinged, is not effected by rain and ante too pruety, but shoots real good very, very good.
When shooting hand loaded 190 grain Burger bullets in the 300 Roy with hunting hand loads I am averaging around 3150FPS with Alient RE22. My longest shootin distance was 400 meters on a 10 inch gong from a bench rest and were getting 3.5 - 4 inch groups in a railroad track hold down plate. The bullets were almost going all the way through this 3/8 mild steel plate. Now this is with a 26 inch barrel. Any barrel shorter will lose velocity any barrel longer will, (26 inch) may be less accurate because of barrel whip on discharge but give you better velocity. Have fun and shoot safe.

Cheers and Tighter Groups: Eaglesnester
 
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We have a 300 wby that shoots 1/2" groups and from time to time 1/4" groups. If your looking for the best of the 300 magnums, I would suggest to go for the 300 H&H. It has more to offer than what you think.
 
I bought my first .300WB from Elwood Epps when he was in Clinton Ont. It was a custom on a Husq, action and 24" barrel.
My only comment was it would hurt the unwary - me included at the time. A lad from Ohio wanted it "badly" so I foolishly
sold it in about 1989. Missed the .300WB so kept my eyes open, also wanted a Ruger #1 and one day in about 1990 came
across that particular combo in Toronto so I brought it home. 26" barrel, no need to worry about cartridge length very much,
a bit heavier than the Epps, this one I won't part with. I paid $400 brand new, what are they now about $1500??? --- John
 
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