340 Weatherby Ammo

[bullet-slinger]

Munnman,  great post!  That's the kinda stuff I was searching for.  I was hoping someone with some real  340 Weatherby experiences would chime in.  I also read some post at some other forums about their 340s being extremely accurate with lighter bullets.  Especially with Barnes bullets according to them. 

I intend to use the 340 mainly to hunt Black bear and white tail over a power line going down the side of a mountain.  Some of the bear in this area reaching 500 lbs and larger is fairly common.  Just a month or so ago another fellah were driving near where I intend to hunt and saw one that would probay be in that weight range.  I've also seen several more that would probably go 200 - 300 lbs.  the range going down this mountain would only be limited by my shooting ability.  I would only be comfortable shooting 300 yards though and possibly 400 yards if conditions were perfect.  Plus if all goes well I intend to hunt Mosse in Alaska with it.

Thanks for all the replies everyone,

Ken

[bboice]

i have owned my 340 for 20years  ishoot the 210 barns x at 3250fps. its very accurate i have a mark v custum. i only shoot the 210 when i first got it i tried other weights , but bullet selection was slim back then, i prefer the 210.The 225 is to close ballistically to say one is really better than the other, but they both produce more energy and shoot flatter then the 250,  hope this helps good luck and keep us up dated on what u end up with

[bullet-slinger]

bboice,

Thank you for your reply and information. 

I just ordered a new 340 Weatherby Accumark.  I also ordered a box of 225 gr TSX ammo, a box of 200 gr Accubond ammo, and 40 brass cases.  I figure that will give me a starting place on ammo untill I get some dies and start reloading.  I have other 338 cal bullets on hand including 210 gr Barnes TSX bullets.  Any chance I can get you to share your load data for the 210 gr Barnes load going 3250 from you?  What kinda accuracy are you getting with your load?

I'm considering putting a Leupold VX-3 3.5-10x40 scope with a Boone and Crockett reticle on this rifle that I already have on hand.  Any thoughts about the scope?

Thanks,

Ken 

 

[bboice]

I think u will enjoy the accumark, RL -22  90.5 gr,fed 215, 210 barns x . This is a compressed load it fills th case right to the neck. My average groups are around an inch, best group was 3/8'', the scope you got in mind sounds good,iprefer  leupold my self.I resently put the 3x9x50 with the cds on it it also has the fire dot really ipressed the cds tracted great to 500 yrds, i have a pic of it in my profile its on my 7mm ,hope this helps good shootin,let us know what u go with and how it does.

[HuskyMusky]

The new Leupold VX6 2-12x42 is a match made in heaven for the .340wby with the B&C reticle!

2x for that low up close in your face brown bear
12x for those long elk shots
B&C reticle for bullet drop at long range.

I have a 3-12x on my .340wby mostly because this was the best scope/range I could find back then

bboice,

I'm considering putting a Leupold VX-3 3.5-10x40 scope with a Boone and Crockett reticle on this rifle that I already have on hand.  Any thoughts about the scope?

Thanks,

Ken 

 

[bullet-slinger]

I got my 340 Accumark today.  As soon as I got it home I mounted a Leupod VX-3 3.5-10 scope in it and headed to the range.  I shot two rounds at 50 yds with Weatherby 225 gr soft point you to get very near zero and then moved to the 100 yd range.  There I cleaned the barrel and shot a 3 shot group with Weatherby 210 gr STX ammo.  The group was between 1 and 1 1/4 in.  Then I cleaned the barrel again and got no evidence of copper at all.  Apparently the barrel is pretty smooth.  Then the wind really picked up and I still attempted to shoot another 3 shot group with Weatherby 200 grain Accubond ammo.  The wind was terrible and a storm blew in pouring down rain and blowing really hard.  Needless to say the group size grew to about 3 inches.  Then I was forced to pack everything up and head home.  Anyway I really like the rifle.  It weighs 9.5 lbs with scope.  The recoil isn't bad at all.  Tonight I ordered different scope bases and rings  as well as 110 and 225 tipped Barnes TSX bullets.  I also ordered a new Leupold VX-6  2-12x42  scope with a illuminated long range reticle and CDS elevation knob which I'll have to return to Leupold to have laser etched after I come up with my best all arround  hand load.  A agree this will be the perfect scope for the rifle.  I talked to Leupold today about the scope.  I was amazed to learn the eye relief is the same on 2 power as it is on 12 power.  Hopefully you guy's won't mind me bugging you for some of your best load data.  I may even start a new thread just for that purpose

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.

Ken

[grizzly340]

Ken Ccongrats on the new Accumark. Sound like you dropped some coin. But Im eyeing that same scope myself Let us know what you think of her after you tried it out.

[Oregon Jim]

I have been shooting my .340 for a long time. I haven't kept count, but I am sure I have sent well above 1000 rounds through it, perhaps nearly twice that, but during that time I have not really experimented much with different loads. Initially I bought this caliber for hunting elk, but truthfully all I really knew of the caliber was that it had massive power and great ballistics. I began loading 210 grain Nosler Partition bullets, and had good results. I didn't kill much game with it, but it worked very well in all "normal" hunting distances and conditions. Briefly I tried 150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets to see how fast I could make a bullet fly, but my accuracy was poor. As my experience and confidence grew I began shooting more distant targets and to be more accurate I began shooting 225 grain Nosler Accubond bullets. In a short time I found a load that was very accurate for me and for years I have not changed the recipe because it works. I have on good days shot MOA groups, and occassionally better, even at distances beyond 1200 yards. Given the opportunity to place my bullet accurately, there are few animals on the planet that cannot be taken with this amazing caliber.

This is my load. It is a MAXIMUM LOAD.

225 grain nosler accubond bullets
88 grains of reloader 22 powder
federal 215 magnum rifle primers
3035 ft per sec      .550 BC

I actually get about 3015 fps with this load, but I have a 24 inch barrel.

[bullet-slinger]

Ken Ccongrats on the new Accumark. Sound like you dropped some coin. But Im eyeing that same scope myself Let us know what you think of her after you tried it out.

Mark, just as soon as I start playing with the scope I'll make another post about it.  What I'm really wanting to see is how well the CDS works.  Leupold told me today after I send the CDS knob to the it will take 4 weeks to get it back.

[bullet-slinger]

Jim, thanks for the data.  I have some  226 Accubonds on hand.  As soon my  dies arrive I'll give the load a try.  What is the COAL length on your loads?

Thanks,

Ken

[Oregon Jim]

I do not have that COAL info on hand right now, but my general rule is to make my cartridges as long as possible while still allowing enough room to fit in the magazine and feed well. My book says "For best accuracy, bullets should be seated as long as the magazine will allow." That has proven true in my rifles.

[bullet-slinger]

Range and scope update. 

Well, I mounted the new VX-6 on my 340 Accumark and took it to the range Saturday.  After zeroing the scope at 50 yards my visiting son and I headed to the 300 meter range to see what kind of groups we could shoot.  I wasn’t sure exactly how many clicks I needed for elevation so I gave it 16 clicks up which actually turned out to be to many but we were still on paper.  My son shot a group that was right at 1 ½ inches at 300 meters with my new rifle/scope combo.  We let the rifle cool for about 30 minutes and then I shot a very similar group with it at 300 meters.  The shooting was all done with Weatherby 225 grain Barnes TSX ammo which my rifle really seems to like.  I can’t hardly wait to get my dies when they come in so I can start reloading.  The rifle is going to be a shooter for sure.  My rifle hates Weatherby 200 GRAIN Accubond ammo and will barely hold 4 or 5 in groups at 100 yards.  I haven’t tried 250 grain bullets yet but will.  I believe my rifle will probably prefer heavier bullets from what I’m seeing so far.  We’ll see?

New Leupold VX-6 scope:  The scope is very sharp and clear.  The eye relief is absolutely the same whether on 2 or 12 power setting.   Just that is a really nice feature I’ve never had on another scope.  It has always been with other scopes that I may have full view on low power and lost half of the view at full power.  Not the case with the VX-6.  The scope adjustment dials are considerably different than a Leupold VX-3.  The VX-6 adjustments don’t seem to have the crisp audible clicks that I’m used to on the VX-3s.  The VX-6 adjustments feel a little mushy and not audible or as decisive when adjustment’s are made. You have to be careful that your not turning 3 clicks when you only want one click.  The Leupold service center said the scope should not be that way and the clicks should be very decisive, crisp and audible.  The adjustment dials have a little wiggle also which the VX-3 does not.  I’m guessing that is because of the design of the dials being made so you can pop up the dial and freely rotate the dial back to the zero mark without changing your scope setting.  Would I buy the scope again?  Yeah, probably.  There are some things about the scope I love and other things I’m not so crazy about.   But so far the good out weighs the bad.  The illuminated reticle works really great and is very easy to turn on, off and adjust the brightness.  If the scope holds zero and the CDS dial works as good as I’ve read about I’ll be very happy.  If I find myself not caring if my scope is gone for a while I may send it back to Leupold because of the adjustment dials.  If everything else works perfectly I can probably live with the adjustments not being as decisive as I think they should.   

Ken

[bustinbirds]

1/2 MOA at 300 yards sounds like a shooter for sure. That Accumark in 340 + Leupold is a great combo. Let us know how much the groups tighten up once you start reloading. If your gun has a preference for the 225 grain bullets you might want to try the Accubond as well. You will have a little better BC for longer ranges if you ever get into shooting further. If you are going to stick to 300 yards and under, B.C. really doesn't make much of a difference. Good shooting, keep us posted.

[bullet-slinger]

Hi everyone.  I finally got to reload some ammo and head to the range yesterday.  I'm going to attempt to post pics of the two best grops @ 100 yds.  I wanted to head back to the range today and shoot both loads again @ 300 meters to see how well the groups stay together at longer distance.  But, since it was 108 degrees today I decited I would wait for a cooler day.  One grop is .6 and the other is 8. I'm pretty happy with both loads and will probably hunt with whichever loat holds together best at longer distances.

Ken