Favorite Weatherby Caliber - if you can only own one?

[smittyb]

I have a custom built .300wby w/ a 26" barrel that started as a plain blued Vanguard. I shoot the Weatherby factory 165gr Nosler ballistic tips. I use it mainly for white tail, which everyone says it's WAY too much gun. However I only take neck shots and it's my gun of choice because it's laser flat to 300 yards.

It’s way too much gun.

 

[BMF500]

It’s way too much gun.

That’s what she said!


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[HKShooter65]

.460

Just so I can say "Mine's bigger'n your'n is."


Actually the only rifle that intimidated me with it's recoil was a .378 Weatherby. Two shots were 1 too many.

 

[bsp212]

Granted this was 20 years ago, but I was unimpressed with terminal performance of the 7mm Wby. All of the deer I shot with it were DRT, but I never found a bullet that didn't fragment. I have no doubt bullets have improved since then, but I went back to .30 cal rifles and have not had that issue.

Bottom line, make my favorite .300 Wby

 

[kittyhawk]

300 Wby Mag. I’ve got one that’s been to Africa and shot Kudu, a Nigel in south Texas and Armadillo ay my Ranch for fun. The 300 just works.

 

[Lonesome Dove]

Caliber has nothing to do with bullet failure. Failure comes from weak bullets or too much velocity at close range. These are just two very common reasons bullets fail. Fragmented bullets don’t equal a fail either. If it did millions upon millions of animals wouldn’t have been killed.

 

[just country]

morning, what is the question about facility?
justme gbot tum

 

[WT_Foxtrot]

Have a .270 Vanguard that is an absolute deer slayer with the 130 grain for Texas whitetail. Fast and flat shooting. Although I haven't hunted them with it, I'd feel comfortable with it for mulies and elk too, but might go with the 150 grain. That said, if only one, maybe the 7MM or 300.

 

[just country]

Granted this was 20 years ago, but I was unimpressed with terminal performance of the 7mm Wby. All of the deer I shot with it were DRT, but I never found a bullet that didn't fragment. I have no doubt bullets have improved since then, but I went back to .30 cal rifles and have not had that issue.

Bottom line, make my favorite .300 Wby

morning, the barnes TSX 150 will do the job.
justme gbot tum

 

[bsp212]

Caliber has nothing to do with bullet failure. Failure comes from weak bullets or too much velocity at close range. These are just two very common reasons bullets fail. Fragmented bullets don’t equal a fail either. If it did millions upon millions of animals wouldn’t have been killed.

This was mid to late 1990's, all factory loads, Weatherby, Norma, Federal, and Remington because I didn't hand load anything back then.

Examples:

154gr Hornady spire point - complete jacket separation and fragmentation - heart and lungs looked like a grenade went off inside the ribcage, no exit wound, fragments were about the size of #8 lead shot - happened on several whitetail deer 175-250 yards

154gr Hornady spire point - failure to expand - entrance and exit wounds virtually the same diameter, heart and lungs penetrated, 300+ yards - several white tail deer, one mule deer.

?gr Barnes that was available back then - failure to expand - 100-300 yards - again, white tail deer - also, these caused some pretty severe copper fouling and didn't group well.

IDR the bullet weight, but somewhere in the 165gr territory ballistic tip - Remington loading if I remember correctly - failed to expand inside of 200 yards, failed to completely penetrate outside of 300 yards. Once had a complete jacket separation inside a hog, but the lead core kept going through at around 200-225 yards.

I've had similar experiences with 7mm Rem. Mag. but have not experienced any of these issues with .30s of any type. I'm not saying .30 calibers are the "be all, end all" of bullets, just that I've experienced better performance with them.