300 Weatherby Mag

[Blackbear3]

If your worried about recoil buy a 257 Weatherby for deer.  But the recoil from my 6.5-300 ULW is non-existent with the accubrake on, if you don't mind the muzzle blast.

[DW5]

My Mark V 257 bee is my favorite gun that I own. It accompanies me 90% of the time during deer season. I did however recently buy a Vanguard Wilderness in 240WBY. I wanted a lightweight deer gun for walking days and also something that had low recoil that I could let a few newer hunters shoot that I know I’ll be taking out in the next couple of seasons. If you are looking for a LOW recoil WBY that will take deer sized animals with authority, I’d also strongly consider a 240 in one of the heavier models...

With all that said, it’s hard for me not to recommend to anyone a 257 WBY. Like a lot of others on here, it’s what my favorite deer rifle is chambered in. 

[drtony]

That's good to know.  I have some weatherby made 150 gr and 165 gr.

DW5, I was looking at the 257 wby or 6.5CM for lighter recoil deer hunting.  I live in MN so my hunting is mostly in northern MN and WI (I will be using the 300wby for my elk hunting out west and hunting moose/bear/big horn one day... fingers crossed).  With the lighter caliber I was hoping for a light rifle as well for ease of lugging around the woods or mountains.  The 240 wby is worth checking out too now!  Does anyone think a 26" barrel is too long for a lightweight rifle used for the above applications?

What are the differences in shooting the 257 vs the 240 since you have both?

Any recommendations for a lightweight Mark V for me to start drooling over while I save some $$.  I was looking at the altitude maybe?

[Blackbear3]

Here you go drtony, drool away. I hunt in Mn by Park Rapids and Moose Junction in Wisc.

https://www.gunbroker.com/Bolt-Action-Rifles/BI.aspx?Sort=13&bl=200024&ca=5000037&mfg=1000296

[DW5]

I also think the Altitude is a really cool looking rifle. I’m currently casually looking for a lightweight MK V myself and it’s probably at the top of my list. I wouldn’t turn down an Outfitter or a regular Ulta Lightweight if I came across a good deal though. I will say that I’ve kind of steered away from the older U.L. on the gun auction sites, reason being is they seem to only very marginally cheaper than their newer (but still used) counterparts. I would suggest, if you are looking at for lightweight MK V in 240WBY, to also look at the Weathermark. The 240 in that rifle weighs in at just 6 1/4 pounds I believe, whereas the larger magnum rounds are 7 3/4. It will almost certainly be the cheapest option for a brand new MK V. I can personally say the Weathermark is an outstanding rifle too, it’s what my 257 is in.

I’d scour Gunbroker and well as check Buds and Reeds (Northern Firearms) websites often.

I’d say the way I’d compare the 257 to the 240 is... with scopes, straps, ammo, etc... my .257 weighs in at a little over 2 pounds heavier than my 240. The 240 still has a little less felt recoil to me. I run 110 Accubonds in the 257 and 100 grain Partitions in the 240. I’m far from the only guy on here with both though, maybe some others will share their thoughts.

[Blackbear3]

Here are some 240s on Gunbroker.

https://www.gunbroker.com/Bolt-Action-Rifles/BI.aspx?Sort=13&ca=5000026&mfg=1000296

[drtony]

Blackbear3, you are only a couple hours from me if you're in the park rapids area!  thank you for the link-- I have been looking gun broker over plenty lol.

DW5, I also gave consideration to the Ultra Light Weight-- seems like a nice entry level Mark V!!  I actually looked at that in a big caliber at the local cabelas before purchasing my accumark.  I decided against that light of a gun for this large of a caliber!

[drtony]

DW5, I really like the look of the weathermark.  I just couldn't understand why they would make a weather impervious rifle with cerakote coating on a chromoly barrel.  If that rifle had stainless instead of chromoly-- I would get that!

[Blackbear3]

drtony, I live in Rogers to close to the Cabelas. I drive up to Park Rapids to deer hunt. My father and uncle used to have places on Long lake by Hubbard.

[Chris338378]

I wouldn't worry in the least about using 180 or even 165 grain bullets out of your .300 for elk as long as you use bullets that are well made such as the Nosler Partitions or Accubonds to name a few.  They will penetrate and expand well and do the job as long as you place your shot well.  If you're looking for a "lighter" caliber for deer the .257 Weatherby Magnum is a good choice and to add another option so is the .270 Weatherby Magnum.  The .270's recoil is mild and it does it's job extremely well.  Heck I'd even use it for elk. 

When it comes to recoil everyone is different and it's some what of a subjective thing as to how hard a rifle kicks.  When I was a kid I was deathly afraid of recoil.  As I got older I wanted to get over that fear and my Dad fixed that for me.  He has an early post-64 model 70 in .375 H&H Magnum and the one day he brought it to the range with us.  Well me being curious I was eyeing it up and I asked if I could shoot it.  He had me sit on the bench, he loaded it, and put it on the rest for me to shoot.  The first I flinched about as much as a leaf in a hurricane but there was no bullet in the chamber. The second time I didn't flinch nearly as bad and again there was no bullet in the chamber.  Well the third time I figured it was going to be empty again and I squeezed it off really well but the surprise was there was a bullet in it this time and it went boom.  I didn't think it kicked too bad which might have been partially due to the shock that it was loaded and I just shot it but I wanted to keep shooting it, which I did.  Now I wouldn't say it was exactly the best idea to help someone get over being recoil shy but it certainly worked for me and since then I'd had a passion for magnum calibers.  The biggest I've shot is a Barrett .50B.M.G. and the two biggest I own are a .458 Winchester Magnum and a .460 Weatherby Magnum.  I've hunted with the .458 a few times but my favorite rifle is my .338-378 Weatherby Magnum which is one of the first ones they made.  On the subject of muzzle breaks I will say ear plugs are an absolute must whenever your shooting or hunting with it.  The break does take some getting use to when shooting off a bench because you get a "puff" of air blown in your face when you shoot it off a bench but with a little practice you get use to it and don't really notice it.

[dubyam]

You're getting great advice here, drtony.  I'll corroborate the idea that a stout 180gr or a very stout 165gr bullet from a 300Wby is going to be good medicine for elk.  I'll have my 300 with 180gr E-Tip handloads should I get the chance to go after elk in the future.  It's on my list, but other things seem to keep bumping it down - college costs for my kids, orthodontics for the kids, new truck for my wife (I see a theme here...).

As for recoil, I'll offer a couple of thoughts.  First, noise is a huge factor in recoil.  I've found a lot of folks get noise-based flinches, and they carry over to such hard kickers as 22lr and 243Win.  If you're not wearing double protection, I'd suggest you get some good plugs (30-31db reduction) and some good traditional muffs (>30db reduction), rather than electronics.  Wear the plugs and muffs together, and get situated behind the rifle in a comfortable, not too bent over position.  If you need to adjust the seat height or the rifle height, use a cushion (I suggest a padded boat cushion) to raise your seat (or more than one if needed) and raise the rifle with a rest or sandbags.  Getting in the right position does wonders for mitigating recoil.  The range I frequent has too short a bench for the seat height for me (I'm 6'2" and a little long in the torso).  I have to raise my rifle a bit from the surface of the bench top to get really comfortable.

The last tip is to get a recoil pad for your shoulder.  PAST makes some excellent ones.  I use an old bath towel most of the time.  I figure it simulates the thickness of my hunting clothing during the colder part of the season (when most of our deer activity occurs here in northern Alabama), so it works well for me.  It also pads my shoulder from the barrage of rifles and ammo I take to the range when I finally get time to go shoot.

Beyond that, start with the 150s in your 300, as the recoil will be 5-10% lower than the 180s.  Expect it to be a sharp jolt at first, but over time you'll get used to it.  Just work on the fundamentals, and swap out to smaller stuff with lower recoil frequently so you can maintain your form and trigger pull and breathing.

[buffybr]

drtony, after wanting a .300 Weatherby for almost 40 years, I finally bought a Vanguard about 10 years ago.  I bought it primarily for my elk rifle, but it quickly became my favorite hunting rifle.  I also enjoy prone plinking at the 300 and 430 yard steel gongs with it every week at our range.

I like fancy walnut and enjoy working with stocks, so before I took my new Weatherby to the range for the first time, I re-stocked it in AA Fancy Walnut, built to fit me, put a Limbsaver recoil pad on it and installed a mechanical recoil reducer in the stock, and had a local gunsmith install a KDF muzzle brake on it.  The resulting recoil of my .300 Wby feels less than the recoil of my .308 Win Vanguard in a similar fitting stock.

As for bullets for elk, for many years I killed my elk with 150 and 180 grain Hornady and Sierra cup and core bullets from my .30-06.  Probably the quickest kill that I've made on an elk was from a 117 grain Sierra GameKing on one of my largest 6x6 bulls.  Bullet placement is more important than bullet diameter, weight, or brand.  For 20 some years my favorite elk bullet was the 180 grain Nosler Partition at .300 Win velocities.  My first two bull elk with my .300 Weatherby were with a 168 grain Barnes TSX bullet and a 168 grain TTSX bullet.  Both bullets performed superbly on those elk and also on a hunt in New Zealand and several hunts in Africa.

I think the ultimate bullet for a .300 Wby weighs 180 grains, and last year when I put a Leupold VX 3i 4.5-14x40 CDS scope on mine, I developed a Barnes 180 grain TTSX load for it and had Leupold make a custom dial for that load.  That will now be my hunting load for just about everything.

[Boone646]

i have owned a mark v deluxe Without a break and a mark v KCR with a break both in 300 weath. Holy cow what a difference in recoil!!Brake might be the way to go.. i dont even have to hold the Kcr down with my left hand .. like shootn a 243.. Both my rifles shoot fantastic with weatherby ammo..180 accubonds

[drtony]

That all makes pretty good sense!  I am glad to hear that 165 grains will be good for elk... I have weatherby made 150 gr partitions and 165 grain BT for hunting.  I also invested in 180 gr nosler AB which I had planned on shooting, but that might change!

[drtony]

Update:

Went to the range yesterday and shot some weatherby made 150 grains.

Recoil was not unpleasant at all. I’m gonna shoot light for a few weeks and then start to increase grain to help get used to it.

Action, I played with it a bit and it definitely felt better— learning the action will take some time. There were a couple times that it really went smooth!!!

Now, hopefully you all can help with a different problem. I have a Burris veracity 4-20x50 scope mounted on my rifle. Cabelas mounted it for me. It is dead on vertically at 100 yards. It shoots 3-4 inches to the right though. The problem is, it cannot be adjusted left any further.

I called Burris after my first trip to the range and they told me to loosen the turret screws and remove the turret. Then he told me to adjust the zero stop to the left . Unfortunately that did nothing to help me as there is no way to adjust with the turret off (that I could see). I don’t want to use a pliers and scrape up the silver knob. It doesn’t matter where I put the turret cover back on— still can’t adjust left anymore.