What Do You Like Or Don't Like......

[Lawdog]

Got a question for all.  Many a time I have heard someone say "I don't like that Weatherby Double Radius Shoulder" and I would like to know why?   :?   Is it the way it looks?  Is there some technical reason?  Personally I like the way the Weatherby shoulder looks.  Got to be the best looking shoulder on a cartridge going today.

Some have said the Weatherby case stretches more.  I have never found them to stretch more than other shoulder types in equal calibers.  In fact when I compared the 7mm Remington Magnum to the 7mm Weatherby Magnum I got more case stretch with the Remington than the Weatherby.  Anyway, state your view point and why.  Small groups and tight lines to all.  Lawdog
 

[leverfan]

In a front-locking, modern bolt action with bottle neck cartridges, I'd look at my dies and reloading technique if cases were stretching to an unusual degree.

I have no opinion of the Weatherby case design, as far as looks go, but many Weatherby rifle stocks blaze new trails into the outer reaches of "ugly."  The lack of taper in the case matters more to me than how the shoulder is shaped.  Cases that slide in and out of the chamber easily, even in extreme weather conditions or dusty hunting grounds, mean more to me than a couple hundred fps.  When Roy Weatherby decided to "improve" on the .375 H&H, for instance, there were some trade-offs involved.

[Zachary]

I really have no opinion on it either.  I generally think that the regular radius just looks better, but then again I like the look of the 300 Wby Mag too.

I guess another concern of mine is that maybe (or at least theoretically) the Wby cases will not cycle as smoothly as the regular cases.  I have only handled far less wby rifles than non-wby rifles, and I never had a problem, but it just seems that a regular tapered case will cycle better.

But again, just to re-state my point, I really don't have an opinion one way or another.  (That said, I might be purchasing a .257 Wby Mag in the future.)

Zachary

[Lawdog]

Zachary,

(That said, I might be purchasing a .257 Wby Mag in the future.)

The .257 Weatherby Magnum is the HOTTEST, SEXIEST Quarter Bore made today.  On top of that out of all the cartridges Roy Weatherby designed the .257 was his favorite.

In the 40+ years of owning/shooting Weatherby rifles I have never had one fail to feed as designed.  No matter what the caliber.

leverfan,

When Roy Weatherby decided to "improve" on the .375 H&H, for instance, there were some trade-offs involved.

I got to ask, What trade-offs?  Small groups and tight lines to all.  Lawdog
 

[Big Tom]

Amen Dog!!!
I have three Weatherbys, three Sakos, a Ruger 1A, an older Model 70 Winny, a custom TC Encore, and a Model 7 LS. The Wbys and Sakos are all tackdrivers,(ask Longwinters), and have been flawless mechanically.

I am strongly tempted to sell the rest( cept maybe the 1A in 7X57) :roll:
and order a .257 Wby Mag in an Ultra Lightweight  :grin: )

Do you think a factory brake would benefit  the .257 Wby Mag?

[Lawdog]

Big Tom,

Do you think a factory brake would benefit the .257 Wby Mag?

In a word, NO!  the .257 Weatherby with a 26 inch barrel has a loud crack anyway.  You add a brake and all you will do is make it louder.  The recoil isn't bad enough to need a brake.  Example;

.257 Wby. Mag., 120 gr. bullet at 3,400 fps. in a 8.5 lb. rifle has about 16.6
lbs. of free recoil
.30-06 Spfd., 150 gr. bullet at 2,900 fps. in a 8.0 lb. rifle has about 19.7 lbs. of free recoil
.308 Win., 150 gr. bullet at 2,800 fps. in a 7.5 lb. rifle has about 17.7 lbs. of free recoil

Like I said you don't need a brake on a Weatherby.  Small groups and tight lines to you.  Lawdog
 

[Big Tom]

The Ultra liteweight is only 6lbs but with a standard Decellerator recoil pad, recoil shouldn't be much more than a 7mm08 I would think. :?

[leverfan]

(big snip)

leverfan,

When Roy Weatherby decided to "improve" on the .375 H&H, for instance, there were some trade-offs involved.

I got to ask, What trade-offs?  Small groups and tight lines to all.  Lawdog
 

Lawdog-

The Weatherby gained quite a bit of velocity over the parent round, which many consider to be a good thing.  I'm not overly impressed by high velocity, but it has some advantages.  On the down side, recoil is increased, although there are plenty of ways to deal with recoil, so that's not too bad of a mark against it.  

On the flat out bad side, the Weatherby does not cycle and extract as smoothly as the original H&H case, especially in very hot weather.  I reload with temperature insensitive powders, but I like every edge I can get when it comes to reliable feeding, especially in hot or dirty conditions (like the sort of conditions one might hunt dangerous game in).  

It could very well be that I'm just stuck in an old-fashioned rut, since I'm well aware that Weatherby rifles and rounds can be quite reliable, but like I said, I want all the advantages I can get in terms of reliability, rather than speed.  I'm unconvinced that a well placed 300 grain solid at 2550 fps from an H&H will be less effective than a well placed solid at 2700 fps from a 375 Weatherby.  

Now, the 378 Weatherby may well have a real advantage in terminal effect, but I'll never know, as I have no plans to abuse my shoulder and ears with that cartridge.  It's velocity also exceeds the effective range of many bullets, narrowing choices by quite a bit.

To be honest, I'm prejudiced in favor of cartridges that throw a spitzer bullet between 2500 and 2700 fps, have low peak pressure, and even lower pressure as the bullet exits the muzzle (my choice in lever action cartridges is different, of course).  Such rounds are easy to shoot, easy to hit with out to my effective hunting range, non-finicky to load for, and inoffensive to folks sharing the rifle range with me.  They also offer all the performance that hunting requires, as long as the bore size and bullet weight match the game being hunted.  Bolts never get "sticky" in hot weather, cases last a long time, and life is generally good.

[Lawdog]

leverfan,

First there was no "(big snip)" intended, I was curious as what you considered a trade off was.  The rumor of Weatherby cartridges having problems cycling and extracting is just that, a rumor.  I have fired thousands of Weatherby rounds through Weatherby rifles and never a problem.  I know of many other owners of Weatherby rifles and they say the same thing.  The bottle neck design of the H&H cartridges do offer ease of feeding but they do have a major drawback.  They stretch like crazy.  I get more loads without trimming from sharp shouldered cartridges than I do from either my .300 or .375 H&H rifles.  I prefer the .22 Hornet but I do admit that users of the .22 K-Hornet get more loads without trimming than I do.  I would still like to know what is wrong with the double radius shoulder design of the Weatherby cartridges?  Small groups and tight lines to you.  Lawdog
 

[gunnut69]

Horse feathers!  No belted round is more prone to stretch than is another when the 'norm' is calculated.  The belted rounds all have problems if the dies are not adjusted to headspace the case on the should and not the belt.  The long slender cases such as the H&H rounds do feed a bit smoother do to case shape but nothing one would notice in the field.  The straighter cases and more abrupt shoulders of the Weatherby rounds are a bit more tollerant of high pressures than the more tapered rounds might be.  The way a cartridge looks has precious little to do with the preformance of the round.  In heavy kickers the Weatherby stock design does seem to moderate felt recoil more than the straight combed clasic styles.

[Lawdog]

gunnut69,

Horse feathers!

I own and reload for .300 H&H, .300 Weatherby and .375 H&H, .375 Weatherby.  In brass of the same make(Rem., Win., etc.) I end up trimming the H&H calibers more often than I do the Weatherby calibers.  I set my dies so it sizes on the belt and shoulder at the same time.  I do this on all belted cartridges and have done so for near 40 years.  If it is not the cartridge design then what do you believe causes this?  Lawdog