338-378 Wby on Elk

[2ndccn]

I would like as much input as I can get from anyone that has had experience using a 338-378 on Elk including any load information.

[eaglesnester]

The 338/378 is the hammer of Thor on anything in North America, including the big Alaskan browns. This caliber  is capable of putting a 300 grain burger in a 10 inch pie plate at 1000 meters and beyond.  You shoot anything in North America in the right place with this rifle and it will be DIRT, Texas speak for, dead right there.  I shoot 225 grain Burger TTSX with 107gr of RE Loader 25 and am getting .435 inch groups at 100 measured meters on the bench using a Caldwell bipod. I have skim bedded the action and have added a timney trigger set to 2lb let off. I have a Leupold MK lV 6.5X20 - 50MM Tactical scope with TMR cross hairs and Near Pictanney rails and 3 ring Alpha scope mounts. This rifle is a keeper. The recoil is not bad but you do have to hang on to the weapon when you touch it off. I wear electronic ear muffs as the rifle is braked. She be a bit loud. Hope this helps. I have never killed anything with this rifle but there is no doubt in my military mind that it is lethal.

[Oregon Jim]

There isn't much left to say about this caliber, as the other guys have summed it up well. If you do your part, this caliber will put down any animal you can hunt other than the largest African game. I have witnessed shots at long range targets with a .338-378 Wby that simply defy belief. However, do not overlook its little brother, the .340 Wby, as it is so very close in every way.

[jimincolo]

And with practice, you can probably learn to handle the .340 without a brake. This gives you an easier package to handle under field conditions.
                                                                         Jim 

[eaglesnester]

The Weatherby 340 does buck a bit but it is easy to master without the brake if you are not recoil shy. My hunting partner has one and I have shot it numerous times and it is accurate (sub moa).

[Chris338378]

If for some reason I could only have or keep just one gun, any gun, it would be without question or hesitation my .338-378 Weatherby Mag Accumark.  The caliber and gun are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING .  Yes it is loud with the break but oh my is it accurate and it will kill any animal that walks in North America, and in my opinion Africa if it was legal to use on all animals WITH PROPER BULLETS and SHOT PLACEMENT.  I'd say the only reason I'd go with a .340 over the .338-378 is because of the price of loaded ammo and brass but if you don't mind spending the extra cash go with the .338-378, you won't be disappointed. 

[bboice]

i reomend the 210 barns tsx with some RL22,25,the 225 would be a good choice to the 225 will have about 1 to 2 hundred more fpe, I like the 210 in my 340 it is absolutly devistating on whitetail and very acurate.More than enough gun to take anything on this planet. hpoe this helps you out. 

[Oregon Jim]

I love my .340, but every now and then I wish I had the .338-378, though I don't know why. I can shoot my .340 accurately as far as my scope will allow, and for a few bucks for different scope mounts I could reach out much farther.

Just for fun, consider the range of bullet weights available in the .338 caliber, and imagine how much fun it is to shoot them. You have amazing velocities if you choose with 150 grain bullets, or you can deliver up to 300 grains and awesome energy. I love big guns!

[FMFDRED56]

225 hornidays with 103.5 of H1000 is best shooting round iv found for mine all holes touching in 3 round groups!

[ALASKALONGSHOT]

I have some info from experience that you may use, first of all I live in Alaska but I'm originally from Oregon, I have shot allot of Roosevelt Elk.   I live in Anchorage so I hunt mostly moose! All the elk are out on islands.  Anyway if your going to shoot a large animal with the 338/378 its not a good brush gun! I shot a moose at about 50 yards with a 300 grain the bullet didn't expand and went strait through the animal animal runs off! use hollow point in closer proximity. On the other hand In Ketchican Alaska while bear hunting a buddy bet me I couldn't hit a bird that was on the water a mile away, sounds crazy right! Not so just about anyone can do this in 3 shots here's how!  aim straight at the bird or target pull the trigger watch where the bullet lands on the water on your recticle in this case my scope is a 5.5 to 22 night-force any way put that on the  target pull the trigger don't move the gun wait about 1.5 to 2 seconds fire another round the bird will swim to where the first bullet hits thinking its a fish- the second is the end of the bird!!   Good luck hunting.

[yuma93]

My 338-378, is both a long range instrument and a reasonable 500 yd (-) harvester. I shot, participated with this rifle winning a few 1000 yd matches then replaced the night force 6x20 with a Pentax 4-16 and have taken a few cow Elk ...instantaneous kills no walking no thrashing around simply game over. I use a Hornady 225 SST and 100 grans of Rotumbo for hunting. This is an Accu-mark a bit heavy to carry but. Extremely accurate and efficient.I  Bought this to go to Russia on a Moose/Brown Bear hunt but politics cancelled the hunt. Oddly My 30-378 with the same scope is heavier in weight I guess because of a lack of fluting on the # 3 contour barrel. It to is a tack driver and I might be taking it  this year on a Pronghorn hunt.  These are skittish down here in New Mexico. Heat and wind is a long range factor here.