Weatherby

[BRL]

What are your thoughts on Weatherby rifles and their calibers? I am considering a .257 Weath. Mag. The ballistics seem intense. What about recoil, say compared to a .30-06? I would be shooting 200 - 300 yards at deer sized game up to mule deer and caribou.

Thanks for any input.

[340wby]

I OWN A 257 WEATHERBY, IT SHOOTS VERY FLAT AND ITS RECOIL IS ABOUT LIKE A 270 WINCHESTER, (LESS THAN MOST 30-06 LOADS)

since you seem concerned with recoil....MY ADVISE FOR YOU WOULD BE BUY A 25/06 OR 270 WIN.  BECAUSE AT 300 YARDS THERE WILL BE NO DIFFERANCE IN THE AMOUNT OF DEER KILLED , THE RIFLE AND BRASS WILL BE CHEAPER AND THE BARREL ERROSION WILL BE LESS, NOW DON,T GET ME WRONG IM A HUGE FAN OF WEATHERBY RIFLES, I OWN 8 OF THEM, BUT FOR WHAT YOU  WANT TO DO...SAVE YOUR MONEY BUY A NICE SAKO IN  25/06, 270 WIN OR 6.5 mm SWEDISH , perhaps 7mm rem mag? youll save more than enough for a good scope,
 but if your determined to get a weatherby buy a  weatherby in 7mm mag or 300 weatherby mag,  sure it recoils noticably, but with a good shoulder pad , a muzzel brake,and a good sling its fairly easy for most people to handle ,theres nothing in north america that you cant hunt with that one rifle, learn to hand load,you can load it down to 30/06 levels for most deer hunts and once you get good with it load it too its factory level of power

[Lawdog]

BRL,

The .257 Weatherby was Roy Weatherby's favorite of all the ones in his line of cartridges.  It is a great long range cartridge.  Don't believe any of the rumors of them being barrel burners, NOT TRUE.  I have over 1800 rounds thru mine and it's as accurate today as the day I bought it.  As far as recoil goes maybe this will help;

.30-06 Spfd., 165gr. at 2,900 in a 8.0 rifle gives 22.5 lbs. of free recoil.
.257 Wby. Mag., 120 gr. at 3,500 in a 8.0 rifle gives 19.6 lbs. of free recoil.

I've taken game up to and including Elk with mine.  I love the Weatherby Mark V rifles and the Weatherby calibers.  For the game you named it’s an excellent cartridge.  Lawdog

[TopGun]

I think 340Wby gave you sound advice. Fo me, I luv my 30-378 Accumark.  I can honestly say though, that I wouldn't shoot it nearly as much if I didn't handload. New ammo is $90/20.  I can load it for about $22 with premium bullets.  I'm not sure about all Weahterby's anymore, but my Accumark is awesome in fit and finish, and accuracy. :grin:  The only knock I have agaisnt is it's weight.  I'm looking at a 270 Wby mgnum right now.  :grin:
Buy it and shoot with the best of em!!  

[BRL]

Gentlemen, great advise...thank you for your posts. The reason I was asking about recoil is that I like to shoot my hunting rifles often, throughout the year. I just enjoy rifle shooting. I do own a .30/06 and feel that is the maximum amount of recoil I would want when shooting for a half a day. I've always liked the Weatherby, but didn't stop to think of the cost of ammo. Maybe I should consider reloading for my .30/06 and use a 125gr bullet? However, it is a Remington 7400 auto. I'm not sure how it would function. Also, I have a Browning BLR in 7mm-08. I guess I'm looking for a "load" OR new caliber that I can hunt with AND shoot at the range all day without punishing my shoulder and wallet. I feel that the more I shoot a rifle with the load I hunt with, the better shot I will be.

Thanks again for the posts!



www.relaxsupplement.com

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Why not a .223 or .243??  Oh wait---that's what I did---I have both.

Easy on the shoulder and on the wallet.

[Zachary]

I have heard, but not confirmed, that Winchester's next WSM will be a .257WSM.  If you are not in a rush, you may just want to wait.

Zachary

[BRL]

Sounds very interesting...I might just wait.

Thanks everyone!