Weatherby Mark V 300 WBY Magnum?

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DaBruins

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As I was browsing through my lgs this weekend, I came across a Weatherby Mark V in 300 Weatherby magnum (Japanese version), in what I would classify as very fine to like new condition, a beautifully grained wood stock, and a Weatherby 3-9x scope, for $950. I've never shot a 300 mag of any type, so I was wondering what to expect in the way of felt recoil? I no longer hunt, so it would only be used at the range for target shooting. Is this caliber too heavy for recreational shooting? I know this isn't an inexpensive cartridge to shoot, so I would most likely invest in a set of dies to add to my reloading bench.
 
It's kinda like a .30-06 with 40% more recoil and a heck of a lot more muzzle blast. Not to mention the cost of the ammo.
 
Roy Weatherby actually designed the .300 Wea Mag for hunting elephants with 220 grain projectiles. It is a brute of a cartridge. I have had a few Mark Vs, to mention a few, .300 Wea Mag, a .257 Wea Mag, a .270 Wea Mag. They hit hard. I never had to shoot twice, even with a 525 yard shot.

If you do get a rifle chambered in a Weatherby Magnum, be sure to get the 26" barrel to take full advantage of the velocity potential. I sold my Mark V in .300 Wea Mag and bought a Mark V in .300 Win Mag. The ammo costs much less, and still has enough power for anything in North America. Before you buy, price-check the ammo, then plan to reloading.

My take on Mark Vs, they are awesome rifles!!! They are worth the money. The have the strongest action of any shoulder-fired, hunting rifle. It is a good company and stand behind their product.

Geno
 
I'd say get what you want but personally it is a gun with more purpose than recreational shooting. Factory ammo is very expensive and Weatherby brass runs $40+. A plus for the 300 is that brass can be had from other companies and it is cheaper that way.
 
To me, the Weatherby Mark V has always been the epitome of classy rifles, with the reputation for power and performance to back it up.
If the OP has a chance to pick one up at what appears to be a decent price, then I encourage it.

The nice part about reloading is that you do not need to push top end loads all the time to enjoy the rifle, as a start load often can be both, accurate and enjoyable.

They are well crafted rifles that can only compliment any collection.


NCsmitty
 
I think it is a great deal. This is a beautiful gun that has " killed every species of animal on earth" . The recoil is heavy. The shells are $4.00 ea. The gun and legend are great. I do not find recoil bad. It is heavy. I do not want to put 40 down range a day, but it is not hard to group. The .300 wsm I had was much worse.
 
I bought a .300 Weatherby Rem 700 off a grocery store bulletin board 10 years ago. A life time .30-06 shooter, I was astonished by how flat the trajectory was. Don't care about ammo cost. I bought 250 cases cheap before anyone knew who Obama was.
 
I've never had one, not my cup of tea. But if you like the rifles they are well made and most have very good wood on them. With most bullet weights it will beat 300 win mag speeds by about 200 fps. I'd imagine recoil is stout, but Weatherby's are very heavy as a rule, so it may not be too bad from a rifle that heavy.

One advantge of magnum rifles that many don't consider is that you don't have to always shoot full power loads. By handloading you can easly load rounds to 30-06 speeds. You can have a light recoiling rifle shoooting 180 gr bullets at 2700-2800 fps if you want. If you feel the need you can load them up to their full potential of around 3200 fps.

Once you start reloadng and invest in some brass ammo costs are only slightly higher than for a 30-06.

For my personal use I woulldn't want to lug around a rifle that heavy. I can deal with the recoil and ammo costs by handloading But that is personal preference based on my hunting style. I might be just the thing for you.
 
The cartridge/rifle combination is a hunter's rifle. Target shooting a .300 Wby. is compromised by a very long free bore, meaning the bullet has to jump a long way to the rifling. Reloading will help but the Mark V and factory chambered .300 Weatherbys are all going to have a long free bore.
 
The cartridge/rifle combination is a hunter's rifle. Target shooting a .300 Wby. is compromised by a very long free bore, meaning the bullet has to jump a long way to the rifling. Reloading will help but the Mark V and factory chambered .300 Weatherbys are all going to have a long free bore.
My factory Rem 700 .300 Wby does not have free bore. I seat the bullets .010" off the lands as with any other gun.
 
I was looking around in my ammo collection for a .300 Wby, but instead I found a .300 Pegasus. If you think the .300 Wby is a barrel burner, the .300 Pegasus has been known to cause noticeable barrel wear and throat erosion after just 50 rounds :)

Put next to the .500 SW for perspective:

104jiic.jpg
 
I can't seat any bullet I have found .010" off of the lands of my Model 70 or Mark V in .300Wby. and have a C.O.A.L. of 3.562". Any .300 Weatherby with a chamber using S.A.A.M.I. dimensions is going to have free bore which is long in comparison to non Weatherby magnum chamberings.
 
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dont let everyone scare you. If you can handle a light 06 you can handle a 300. Yes they bark a bit more but they wont physicaly hurt you.
 
It's a terrific rifle/caliber combination. I hunted elk and brown bear for twelve years with one using 180gr. for elk and 200gr. for bear.

The recoil is not bad at all. The Weatherby stock is designed to handle it well.

I sold mine about two months ago and still have fifty factory rounds left over. 20-165gr. NBT, 10-180gr. NP and 20-200gr. NP. If you're interested, or anyone else, let me know.

If the rifle is in decent condition, the price you were quoted is more than fair.
 
so it would only be used at the range for target shooting. Is this caliber too heavy for recreational shooting ?
Uhhh....yes, at least in my world. I have a friend that has one of the older style, the ones with the excessive drop at the end of the butt stock. Three or four shots from the bench leaves you black & blue. We use slugs for deer here, and I'd rather shoot a 3" 12 gauge than that Weatherby. It's literally like having someone hit you full force with their fist in your shoulder every time you pull the trigger.

Me, for strictly target I'd get a 6BR. Less blast, nearly zero recoil, far cheaper to shoot, easier to load, and far more accurate.

If your are gonna elk or bear hunt, that's one thing. Doesn't take much to kill paper. If you want it for the "Cool" factor or just to get it, knock yourself out.
 
As I was browsing through my lgs this weekend, I came across a Weatherby Mark V in 300 Weatherby magnum (Japanese version), in what I would classify as very fine to like new condition, a beautifully grained wood stock, and a Weatherby 3-9x scope, for $950. I've never shot a 300 mag of any type, so I was wondering what to expect in the way of felt recoil? I no longer hunt, so it would only be used at the range for target shooting. Is this caliber too heavy for recreational shooting? I know this isn't an inexpensive cartridge to shoot, so I would most likely invest in a set of dies to add to my reloading bench.

The 300 Weatherby would make a fine elk rifle, but the recoil is like getting punched in the jaw. It's fast and hard. A long session on the bench would make you wish you'd taken up something less strenuous like kick boxing instead. It would be worth putting up with for hunting where the power actually means something, but there's no point in putting up with it for targets. Even if you reload, it's going to suck down powder like beer at a Fourth of July picnic. It will generate way too much heat for group shooting.

All in all, it's one of the most unsuitable cartridges I can think of for target and recreational shooting.
 
It depends on what floats your boat, rifles like that generally end up in that "like new" condition because they don't tend to be much fun to shoot recreationally. A quick perusal of the internet doesn't show any reduced recoil factory ammo and very little data for reduced recoil loads as well. If you could find data for handloads for equivelant performance to .308 or .30-06 it would proably be good to shoot recreationally and should offer decent accuracy as the Weatherby's have always been noted for good accuracy.

If you like the rifle enough it'd be worth the effort to find a good shooting, low recoiling load. Be honest with youself though as to how much you really want it, otherwise it'll probably end up gathering dust in your safe only to be resold yet again down the road as "LNIB".
 
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