School me on 300 Weatherby

[Buckhead]

I have never owned one - never fired one.
What velocity for say a 168 grain TSX.
Handloading issues? Other issues?

[brewster29]

They burn a lot of powder, make a lot of noise, recoil a lot. Expect 3250-3300 fps with 165's. The big 300 mags are at their best with 180 or better yet 200 gr projectiles. Velocity is high, don't expect cheap bullets to perform well. The Mark V is an extremely strong action. The stock design helps mitigate recoil. They reload same as anything else. Weatherby brass is stupidly expensive but other manufacturers ( Hornady, Nosler) make it too. Factory rifles usually have a lot of freebore so you usually can't seat bullets close to lands. Some aren't as accurate as they should be, others are really good. Look for one with a 1-10 twist. They flatten critters, even better than a 6.5 Grendel.

What did I miss?

[elkhunter11]

I had a Mark V in 300wby, and while I kind of liked the cartridge, the rifle was a disappointment. It would push a 165gr to over 3300fps out of a 26" barrel, but my rifle wasn't very accurate with 165 or 180gr bullets. I actually much preferred my 300RUM rifles, as they were more accurate, and added over 100fps.

[Big Lou]

Originally Posted by brewster29

They burn a lot of powder, make a lot of noise, recoil a lot. Expect 3250-3300 fps with 165's. The big 300 mags are at their best with 180 or better yet 200 gr projectiles. Velocity is high, don't expect cheap bullets to perform well. The Mark V is an extremely strong action. The stock design helps mitigate recoil. They reload same as anything else. Weatherby brass is stupidly expensive but other manufacturers ( Hornady, Nosler) make it too. Factory rifles usually have a lot of freebore so you usually can't seat bullets close to lands. Some aren't as accurate as they should be, others are really good. Look for one with a 1-10 twist. They flatten critters, even better than a 6.5 Grendel.

What did I miss?

Not much. Pretty solid breakdown if you ask me. Shorter bolt throw with a Mark V(which I like) is about all I think you missed touching on. They are not bench guns. If I were shooting just, deer I wouldn’t bother with anything larger than a 168gr but as you mentioned, 180-200gr covers most if not all bases and eats up some velocity. I haven’t looked at pricing for a long while but for years, I was able to buy factory rounds for my Weatherby’s, cheaper than new brass. Absurd but was a real thing.

[bdub]

I have one built off of a Remington action as my main hunting rifle for many years. I have used 180 and 200 gr Nosler Partition in it exclusively so can't comment on the lighter bullets. I get about 3000 fps out of the 200's and 3150 out of the 180's with zero pressure signs using Reloader 22 in a 24" barrel. I'm not a fan of pushing the limit for a few extra fps. Simple to load for, no issues. Recoil is pretty stiff, this rifle all in with scope is right at 8lbs. This rifle is very accurate, the original factory rifle was terrible, hence the build. The 200's shoot exactly 1" lower than the 180's at 100 yards in this rifle, which I find pretty handy as well.

[waldedw]

I had a 300 WM that shot 180's under 1" at 100 yds, I also have a 300 RUM that will shoot 190's into 3/4" at 100 yds, I still have the 300 RUM and sold the 300 WM to a member on here.

There was nothing wrong with the 300 WM just that I got it in an estate buy out and really had no need for 2 big 300's so I moved it out, my 300 RUM is in a Remington 700 sendaro and shoots lights out, have had it for 15 years now and everything I have shot with it expires quickly, it burns a lot of powder and makes a lot of noise but it kills plain and simple.