why are YOU so dependent on your WEATHERBY RIFLE,
I don,t know how you may go about selecting your ideal hunting rifle,
but the looks and the feel when you shoulder the rifle,
,how its fit and how naturally the sights seem to line up and how easy and naturally you can work the action almost without thinking goes a long way.
and obviously the cartridge its chambered in must have the power and have the reach or flat trajectory to allow you to make any reasonable shot at anything like a reasonable angle and range that your likely to encounter in the field hunting, for the intended game its designed for , while being light enough to not feel like a damn truck axle by the end of the day while you cover a good deal of terrain, and in the case of an elk rifle much of that terrain is either 30-45 degrees , up or down, in inclination, and you find yourself in some lonely canyon 6 miles from the nearest dirt road, you darn sure don't want to regret your choice in rifles.
http://www.realguns.com/articles/633.htm
we all find favorites,
and ever choice is a compromise in rifle weight, flat trajectory, acceptable recoil, useful, bullet mass and potential impact energy and penetration.
from what Ive seen Id suggest the 270 win with a premium 150 gain bullet, or a 30/06 with a 180 grain makes a dependable choice, if recoils an issue.
everyone will compromise in some area and find what they are comfortable using.
if your looking for a reasonable compromise in rifle weight and recoil yet still having a rifle that works rather well on both deer and elk.
personally I am very willing to carry a bit more rifle weight, and accept a significantly increased level of recoil and I prefer the 340 wby & 375 H&H,
yes I'm very well aware I'm in the minority, but no one I hunt with disputes the results,
I have total confidence in the rifles based on decades of almost exclusively, one shot kills their objections to owning one are always, centered on ammo and rifle cost,
on the rifle weight and recoil,
no one disputes the lethality, trajectory or penetration.
my rebuttal, is that if 2 extra lbs of rifle weight, or a bit of extra recoil in a rifle you might shoot only a once or couple times on a hunt,
keeps you from comfortably exploring the next canyon, with some old geezer like me, you probably need to eat better and exercise more often.
and the cost of the rifle amortized over the 45 plus years is negligible, hand-loading puts the ammo price in a reasonable range.
Im now 70 plus years old, noticeably slower than I was,
but more persistent and far more skilled and knowledgeable,
it may take me longer, to get in and out of the canyons ,
but I know what I'm doing and where to look, and I can still shoot accurately.
now let me point out I really like my weatherby 340, 375 H&H and 378 rifles, but I also have a couple sako 375 H&H rifles that see's use, and do about 80% or more of my ELK hunting has been done with a fiber-mark 340, and 378 weatherby, rifles, and 375 H&H sako rifles, Why? well because over 45 plus years of field experience I know for a fact those calibers do a fine job of dropping any elk we hit!
I keep coming back to my 340 wby after trying many of the other popular and semi-popular cartridges, for similar reasons and have come to the conclusion that each of our individual experience's and the resulting trust and confidence in what the rifle we have used ,will do and OUR ability to consistently get results with it has a great deal to do with the choices we individually make
.when I bought my first wood stock mark V weatherby in 378 caliber I remember talking to the guy at weatherby,while placing the order, he ask what type of wood I was looking for, he could not quite believe I asked him to find the straightest grain, and darkest wood with the least figure he had available, If you know walnut that's most likely going to be the structurally strongest, and I was far less concerned with looks than durability,
but yes surely not the most visually impressive.
while I really like the mark V actions I prefer the synthetic stocks
Ive hunted with a 340 wby for over 40 plus years in my case and my two sons , as soon as they were old enough to handle the rifles have both hunted with 340wby rifles since each boy was about 20 or so, all of the wby 340s were converted to fibermark rifle stocks as soon as those were available, after awhile you get to know the few minor flaws but the basic rifles both accurate and dependable , only my 375 H&H sakos are in the same class in my opinion, Ive never cared for the wood stocks but really like the fiberglass versions
Ive always been a fan of the weatherby Mark V rifles, action design, 60 degree bolt lift and the 340 weatherby ballistics... but hated the idea of hunting with a fancy flashy wood stocks,or scratching one up badly, and they reflected light like a chrome bumper on a new caddy , and were as durable as cotton candy in a rain storm,
so I purchased a fiberglass fibermark stock and had it camo striped with dull tan,dark green and gray,as soon as they became an option for my wood stock, and the subsequent 340 wby rifles I bought for both my sons were the fiber mark versions, then they came out with the stainless synthetic stock version and I bought one, as a back-up to my old dependable 340 wby
every one of those rifles is accurate with my hand loaded 250 hornady bullets and H4831 but I vastly prefer a carefully epoxy bedded synthetic stock that you can touch up if it gets scratched with a bit of dull spray paint.
no thats not my rifle but its damn near its clone
how many of you gentlemen have and use a bi-pod on your rifle?
Ive used the 13.5" /27" swivel bi-pod for decades on my 340 wby synthetic bolt action, rifle.
the bi-pod allows you to have a steady rifle rest shot from both a prone or seated position,
now I'm sure I'm in the minority and many guys will object to the added weight , but I've learned to hunt by glassing and covering a great deal of ground slowly,
the key here is in carefully selecting the areas hunted and not randomly wandering aimlessly.
you want to study topographical maps carefully, and have experience, you can look over the options, get into productive areas well before other hunters and set up, before first light, allowing you to benefit from the influx p o hunter pressure as they move through the are disrupting game movement, and increase your odds of success by hunting ,
natural travel routes and terrain choke points, and not wasting time glassing the areas with lots off easy road access.
elk and deer learn very quickly that travel, during daylight, near logging roads with vehicle travel access , is not safe.
if you set up to glass for game on a natural game travel choke point , like a narrow side canyon, that has a creek and cover youll up your odds significantly.
having a bi-pod on your rifle and a good familiarity with your rifles trajectory sure helps.
HB25CS 25C Model S -13.5-27" Swivel Bipod
by Harris Engineering
I purchased that 378 wby long before the fibermark stock was offered,
Ive had a 257 weatherby Ive used for mule deer, and its an excellent rifle also,
I love the results, the accuracy is great, I would not change much, and the 378 wby is probably one of the few rifles I would trust to hunt dangerous game with, and If your only going to have one or two ELK rifles Id strongly suggest a 300wby or better yet in my opinion, the-340 weatherby fibermark as potentially one of the best elk rifles on the market, but in my opinion its a darn fine TOOL that DEPENDABLY gets the job done, but its NOT something that's vastly superior to everything ELSE that's available,maybe its because I look at it as a TOOL not an art object, and I like the utility of the fibermark, not the flashy wood stocks, its a darn fine rifle, its a bit expensive but a good value and its given me excellent service for many years, so much so that when my sons got old enough to hunt I bought THEM 340 weatherbys.
but I talk to some guys, in the field or at the range and they either HATE or LOVE WEATHERBY rifles, its almost, like a religious choice,and they seem to have almost a religious conviction either for or against the brand, while other brands don,t seem to evoke the same response, and after talking to many of the detractors I find many of them have never even owned one, but have strong negative feelings none the less.
while with some other guys, it seems like if their weatherby was broken/or stolen they would be forced to give up hunting until it was replaced and they could not use a BROWNING, SAKO,COLT SAUER , or maybe a REMINGTON without feeling as though they were being punished.
can you explain it! I can,t!
I don,t know how you may go about selecting your ideal hunting rifle,
but the looks and the feel when you shoulder the rifle,
,how its fit and how naturally the sights seem to line up and how easy and naturally you can work the action almost without thinking goes a long way.
and obviously the cartridge its chambered in must have the power and have the reach or flat trajectory to allow you to make any reasonable shot at anything like a reasonable angle and range that your likely to encounter in the field hunting, for the intended game its designed for , while being light enough to not feel like a damn truck axle by the end of the day while you cover a good deal of terrain, and in the case of an elk rifle much of that terrain is either 30-45 degrees , up or down, in inclination, and you find yourself in some lonely canyon 6 miles from the nearest dirt road, you darn sure don't want to regret your choice in rifles.
http://www.realguns.com/articles/633.htm
we all find favorites,
and ever choice is a compromise in rifle weight, flat trajectory, acceptable recoil, useful, bullet mass and potential impact energy and penetration.
from what Ive seen Id suggest the 270 win with a premium 150 gain bullet, or a 30/06 with a 180 grain makes a dependable choice, if recoils an issue.
everyone will compromise in some area and find what they are comfortable using.
if your looking for a reasonable compromise in rifle weight and recoil yet still having a rifle that works rather well on both deer and elk.
personally I am very willing to carry a bit more rifle weight, and accept a significantly increased level of recoil and I prefer the 340 wby & 375 H&H,
yes I'm very well aware I'm in the minority, but no one I hunt with disputes the results,
I have total confidence in the rifles based on decades of almost exclusively, one shot kills their objections to owning one are always, centered on ammo and rifle cost,
on the rifle weight and recoil,
no one disputes the lethality, trajectory or penetration.
my rebuttal, is that if 2 extra lbs of rifle weight, or a bit of extra recoil in a rifle you might shoot only a once or couple times on a hunt,
keeps you from comfortably exploring the next canyon, with some old geezer like me, you probably need to eat better and exercise more often.
and the cost of the rifle amortized over the 45 plus years is negligible, hand-loading puts the ammo price in a reasonable range.
Im now 70 plus years old, noticeably slower than I was,
but more persistent and far more skilled and knowledgeable,
it may take me longer, to get in and out of the canyons ,
but I know what I'm doing and where to look, and I can still shoot accurately.
now let me point out I really like my weatherby 340, 375 H&H and 378 rifles, but I also have a couple sako 375 H&H rifles that see's use, and do about 80% or more of my ELK hunting has been done with a fiber-mark 340, and 378 weatherby, rifles, and 375 H&H sako rifles, Why? well because over 45 plus years of field experience I know for a fact those calibers do a fine job of dropping any elk we hit!
I keep coming back to my 340 wby after trying many of the other popular and semi-popular cartridges, for similar reasons and have come to the conclusion that each of our individual experience's and the resulting trust and confidence in what the rifle we have used ,will do and OUR ability to consistently get results with it has a great deal to do with the choices we individually make
.when I bought my first wood stock mark V weatherby in 378 caliber I remember talking to the guy at weatherby,while placing the order, he ask what type of wood I was looking for, he could not quite believe I asked him to find the straightest grain, and darkest wood with the least figure he had available, If you know walnut that's most likely going to be the structurally strongest, and I was far less concerned with looks than durability,
but yes surely not the most visually impressive.
while I really like the mark V actions I prefer the synthetic stocks
Ive hunted with a 340 wby for over 40 plus years in my case and my two sons , as soon as they were old enough to handle the rifles have both hunted with 340wby rifles since each boy was about 20 or so, all of the wby 340s were converted to fibermark rifle stocks as soon as those were available, after awhile you get to know the few minor flaws but the basic rifles both accurate and dependable , only my 375 H&H sakos are in the same class in my opinion, Ive never cared for the wood stocks but really like the fiberglass versions
Ive always been a fan of the weatherby Mark V rifles, action design, 60 degree bolt lift and the 340 weatherby ballistics... but hated the idea of hunting with a fancy flashy wood stocks,or scratching one up badly, and they reflected light like a chrome bumper on a new caddy , and were as durable as cotton candy in a rain storm,
so I purchased a fiberglass fibermark stock and had it camo striped with dull tan,dark green and gray,as soon as they became an option for my wood stock, and the subsequent 340 wby rifles I bought for both my sons were the fiber mark versions, then they came out with the stainless synthetic stock version and I bought one, as a back-up to my old dependable 340 wby
every one of those rifles is accurate with my hand loaded 250 hornady bullets and H4831 but I vastly prefer a carefully epoxy bedded synthetic stock that you can touch up if it gets scratched with a bit of dull spray paint.
no thats not my rifle but its damn near its clone
how many of you gentlemen have and use a bi-pod on your rifle?
Ive used the 13.5" /27" swivel bi-pod for decades on my 340 wby synthetic bolt action, rifle.
the bi-pod allows you to have a steady rifle rest shot from both a prone or seated position,
now I'm sure I'm in the minority and many guys will object to the added weight , but I've learned to hunt by glassing and covering a great deal of ground slowly,
the key here is in carefully selecting the areas hunted and not randomly wandering aimlessly.
you want to study topographical maps carefully, and have experience, you can look over the options, get into productive areas well before other hunters and set up, before first light, allowing you to benefit from the influx p o hunter pressure as they move through the are disrupting game movement, and increase your odds of success by hunting ,
natural travel routes and terrain choke points, and not wasting time glassing the areas with lots off easy road access.
elk and deer learn very quickly that travel, during daylight, near logging roads with vehicle travel access , is not safe.
if you set up to glass for game on a natural game travel choke point , like a narrow side canyon, that has a creek and cover youll up your odds significantly.
having a bi-pod on your rifle and a good familiarity with your rifles trajectory sure helps.
HB25CS 25C Model S -13.5-27" Swivel Bipod
by Harris Engineering
I purchased that 378 wby long before the fibermark stock was offered,
Ive had a 257 weatherby Ive used for mule deer, and its an excellent rifle also,
I love the results, the accuracy is great, I would not change much, and the 378 wby is probably one of the few rifles I would trust to hunt dangerous game with, and If your only going to have one or two ELK rifles Id strongly suggest a 300wby or better yet in my opinion, the-340 weatherby fibermark as potentially one of the best elk rifles on the market, but in my opinion its a darn fine TOOL that DEPENDABLY gets the job done, but its NOT something that's vastly superior to everything ELSE that's available,maybe its because I look at it as a TOOL not an art object, and I like the utility of the fibermark, not the flashy wood stocks, its a darn fine rifle, its a bit expensive but a good value and its given me excellent service for many years, so much so that when my sons got old enough to hunt I bought THEM 340 weatherbys.
but I talk to some guys, in the field or at the range and they either HATE or LOVE WEATHERBY rifles, its almost, like a religious choice,and they seem to have almost a religious conviction either for or against the brand, while other brands don,t seem to evoke the same response, and after talking to many of the detractors I find many of them have never even owned one, but have strong negative feelings none the less.
while with some other guys, it seems like if their weatherby was broken/or stolen they would be forced to give up hunting until it was replaced and they could not use a BROWNING, SAKO,COLT SAUER , or maybe a REMINGTON without feeling as though they were being punished.
can you explain it! I can,t!
Last edited by a moderator:
