2 year old  thread? 

New members and new thoughts.  With this thread the prices in the OP have probably changed, but the applications haven't.

I started reloading in the late '60s when I got my first centerfire rifle, a .30-06.  I think my first press was from Herter's.  I later upgraded to a RCBS Rockchucker press and after I got out of the Army in the early '70s and started shooting pistols, I added a Dillon 450 progressive press.

I'm now reloading for about 15 calibers and most of my dies are RCBS, but I also have some dies from Hornady, Pacific, and Lee.  They all work just fine.  I use a RCBS balance scale, both a RCBS and Dillon powder measurers, and both a Lyman and Forester cast trimmers.

I also do a lot of shotgun shooting and I kept my first shotshell reloader, a single stage Honey Bair, for field loads, and I have a Hornady/Pacific 366 progressive reloader for each of the four Skeet gauges.

If you are not doing a lot of reloading, a single stage reloader works fine.  The "O" type presses are stronger and supposedly make more accurate reloads.  A good scale is a MUST.  I weigh all of my rifle loads, but I "throw" all of my pistol loads. 

You also need at least one Reloading Manual.  They all have a good reloading introduction that you SHOULD read.  If you have more than one manual, you'll notice variations between them for the same weight bullets. That is because they tested their loads in different firearms.  Start with low to medium velocity listed loads and carefully work up.

Good luck, Be safe, and have fun.

Yesterday was the opening day of the Montana deer and elk rifle season.  I've killed a couple of large bulls in the past that I had mounted, so now I mainly hunt elk to fill my freezer.

At first light I saw a good bull near the top of the ridge that I was hunting.  He disappeared before I could get a shot so I decided not to push him and to come back and try for him in the evening.

So I returned late in the afternoon and just as the sun was setting I saw him feeding across an opening near the top of the hill.  I was able to close the distance to him to a hundred or so yards.

I steadied my custom .300 Weatherby Vanguard on a tree limb and made an instant one shot kill with a 168 gr Barnes TTSX bullet.  By the time I got him dressed out it was dark so I propped him open to cool out.

I returned to the bull first thing this morning and got some pictures, then drug him off the mountain.

PapaSzakal, I think we've conversed on other forums.  I'm also new to this forum and a fairly new proud Weatherby owner.

I've never shot a .378 Weatherby, but I have a .375 RUM that I've shot several hundred rounds through, and I've taken it to Africa twice.  I've shot a variety of animals from Steenbok and Jackal to Eland and Buffalo with it.  I have it scoped with a Leupold VXI 2-7x, and I've never had any complaints about the scope.

To tame the recoil on my .375 RUM, I had a KDF muzzle brake installed on it, and I wouldn't think of shooting it without the brake.  I'm a longtime shotgun shooter so wearing earplugs is second nature to me.  To also lessen the felt recoil, I installed a mechanical recoil reducer in the stock of my .375 RUM.

On my last hunt in Africa with this rifle, I shot several animals from prone positions, and I didn't have any issues with recoil.

I only shoot handloads, and both Barnes 270 gr and 300 gr TSX bullets shoot 3 shot moa groups that I've tested to 200 yds in my rifle.  Meat damage on Steenbok size animals is substantial, but on Bushbuck and larger animals, it is not bad.

Like others have replied, the 7mm Rem mag is a great elk cartridge.  Put a deep penetrating bullet in the crease behind the shoulder, and you'll have a dead elk.

My primary elk rifle is my.300 Weatherby Vanguard shooting 168 gr Barnes TSX or TTSX bullets.   My backup (foul weather) elk rifle is a 7mm Rem mag shooting 160 gr Nosler accubond bullets.  It's a stainless 700 Rem BDL in a plastic Rem stock.  It shoots great and weather can't hurt it.