Long Range mule deer

[Angrybull338]

I'm looking to buy a new weatherby for mule deer out to 700 yard . Need help choosing the most accurate caliber with good knock down power. I'm new to weatherby I have a couple buddies who have 338-378 and 30 378 and swear by them but seems a little much for mule deer would I be better off with a 257wyb 300wyb or 340wyb 
And I would like to have it in a ultra light RC or accumark RC.   Any  input would be great.

[eford]

A 300 Wby gets my vote because it moves a 180gn bullet with the speed you need for long shots. You could go with a 7mm mag and use the 160/162gn bullets. You need something to deliver a kill shot so the hunting part ends, no wandering looking for the animal after the shot. Whatever you get, practice a lot at the range you anticipate to shoot. It pays off.
I would not get rid of my 300 Wby for any other long range hunting rifle. Good luck.

[Angrybull338]

Thanks  now I just have to choose from the accumark RC and ultralight RC I would like to have a light rifle for once but I just don't know if it's worth losing the accuracy.

[zonie]

No doubt the big 30's or 338's are powerful, but I don't think the deer is going to much care.  It's what you are comfortable with,  how you hunt,  and how much you want to carry.  While it's true ultra lights are not known for super consistent ultra accuracy they can be pretty darn accurate for the first few shots, so long as you find the correct load.  I have friends that hunt long range Coues deer  that are really small with some ultra flat shooting   big boomers,   the whole intent  to shoot flat with as little clicking up as possible, using good longer range scopes of course.   It's not easy to do in the wind plus other factors of un-improved shooting positions, etc.   There are plenty of calibers out there that would qualify for deer.    If you re-load you a huge leg up on accuracy consistency and you can choose the bullets with the highest BC's.  Deer are not that hard to drop even with lesser constructed bullets where as if you decided down the road to use the same rifle's load  on elk or similar I wouldn't make that statement.   I prefer a 257, but and this is a big but the 257 doesn't have the best assortment of ultra long range bullets ,  same with the 270 although it is getting better.   Your 7mm, 30 cal's, 6.5 and even the 338's to some extent have a broader range of long range bullets to choose from.  Even the 243/6mm's have pretty decent long range bullets, but other than specialized  rifling twists start to become a problem, plus amount of power needed for whatever game at these super long ranges can start dropping off.    It's really what you want and give plenty of time for you to get the rifle and scope dialed  with confidence for these longer ranges.   When I need the extra power my personal choice is  300 WBY although nothing wrong with the 378 based cases. Not something I would be interested in, but a lot of guy's do.   

[Angrybull338]

Ya I'm just gonna have to research the 300 340 and the 30 378 some more. 257 might be a little to small  cuz there are a lot of big black bears where I mule deer and white tail hunt.   

[godscountry]

It would be hard to beat a 7mm Wby magnum with a 160 grain partition. Now if there was only a .264 Wby magnum, HINT, HINT.

[O C hunter]

The .300 with a 180gr is always a good choice for Mule deer and Elk. Accumark is good rifle to go with but the famous question of what caliber is the hard part. Let us know what you go with.

[badsection]

Another twist on what caliber is best!  Anything over a 22 caliber you shoot best will work! My dad and his fishing buddy went to ice fish during deer season and got into camp to hear this exact same conversation. They hit and killed a deer on their way. My dad`s comment was the best caliber was 88, a Olds 88!   

[WBY MAG MAN]

Zonie brought up one of the most important subjects connected to long range hunting / shooting, WIND. I have A 1500yd range set up on the mountain out back of my house, I live in the Cascade mtn range in WA. state. I have Mule deer and Elk out back I hunt yearly. I'm retired at 54, I shoot long range almost every day of the year. In doing so, of the many thing's others have listed above to over come, wind is with out doubt the trickiest aspect of A long range shot. I've had it blowing as many as 3 different directions at once. With all the tech out there today, you can, with A LOT of practice, dial all but two variables out, shooting position, and wind! I'm using A G-Seven long range shooting system hand held computer and Bushnell 1600 ranging bino's with a portable weather station to compute all the others. I shoot all kinds of different angles, distance, weather etc...etc. In choosing one caliber for shooting long distance, In my opinion I would look at 1. bullet wt and BC to caliber, for cutting wind, flatter trajectory, retained energy down range. 2. Horsepower/ speed, also for, wind, trajectory, and energy. 3. Can you shoot it with accuracy EVERY shot, there's no excuse for wounding or maiming an animal do to Vanity at long range. A 10 mph cross wind at 700yds will move A 190gn VLD shot from A 300 Ultra mag at 3210fps over 22". 4. Cost / Availability of ammo / components to reload, I can tell ya it costs A lot more to reload my 30-378 and 338-378 than the other 34 calibers I own. 5. Weight, can you pack it up and down mountain's all day and still make A 700-800yd shot, you might be surprised. 6. Expense of the gun in general, It took over A year and around 350 round's, and I can't count the different load's, to get my 30-378 shooting .5 MOA out to 1100yds. I hope this post help's you in some small way on your decision. Good luck on your choice, And good shooting to Ya.....Jerry

[dubyam]

I'd think at this point in bullet availability, the starting point among Weatherby chamberings is the 270Wby, as there are now good .277cal VLD-style bullets from Berger, Matrix, and even the new 150gr Nosler ABLR, among others.  Push a high BC bullet at 3200-3500fps (expected velocities for 130-150gr bullets in the 270Wby) and you'd be well served by both trajectory and wind resistance out to 700 or maybe 1000.  Obviously the 7mm, 30cal, and 338cal have plenty of bullet options for longer ranges.

Don't overlook the idea of sending a heavy 308cal bullet (180-200gr) downrange at 3000+ and just letting the bullet do its job at the point of impact.  I've had excellent "drop where you shoot" results on white-tails from 180gr Nosler E-Tips in my 300Wby.  Now, my shooting has been confined to under 250yds, but with the right bullet and velocity, 700 is no problem.  I would not use E-Tips at that range, but a Partition, ABLR, or Berger VLD would be a good choice.  If you use the Bergers, closer shots become an issue, but that's a different story altogether.

[257 Shooter]

To the issue of the big stuff, the 30-378 and 338-378 are totally unnecessary for mule deer to 700 yards. Of course they will work but they're like plowing your garden with a D6 Cat. (Maybe you have a big tough garden)

An accurate 270 Weatherby would be my first choice; I happen to have one. The 7mm magnums are more than sufficient. I wouldn't stay home if all I had was a 257 either.

There is no right or wrong answer here.

[dmhiggz]

The 30-378 or 33-378 may be "unnecessary", but it is going to shoot flatter, fire a heavier bullet, and thus have a greater margin for error than the other rounds being discussed.  If you going to shoot out to 700 yards, something that can propel a heavier round at higher velocities is going to have definite advantages.  I'm not saying a 270WM or 7mmWM won't get the job done, but if you're shooting 700 yards and you're dealing with wind, varying temperature, varying altitude, slope, etc, I'd much rather have the big guns.  If I'm hunting anywhere where I might need to shoot 600+ yards, I'm taking my 340 or 30-378.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't hunt with a 7mmWM, but if you own both, take the big one.

[dmhiggz]

Ya I'm just gonna have to research the 300 340 and the 30 378 some more. 257 might be a little to small  cuz there are a lot of big black bears where I mule deer and white tail hunt.  

I own all three of those, and have had a lot of successful hunts with all three...but for long range HUNTING, the 340 is my favorite....that's because I can load it up with 300 grain accubonds and really minimize the impact of the wind (and it shoots them very well).  Read what WBY MAG MAN wrote above - great advice.  Not saying you need to shoot 300 grain bullets, but I'd shy away from going too light at long range.  The difference in wind drift between 140 grains and 300 grains at long range is huge.

[ccc23454]

You can't have to much gun! I like the idea of a heavy bullet 7 but honestly the big 30`s with heavy long bullets are awesome at range if you push them. The 200 AB gets my vote as best bullet for big 30`s. While a lot of work to get it dialed in and it sure ain't cheap I think a 300 or 30-378 would be great.

Chris

[257 Shooter]

Whatever rings your bell.