.340 Weatherby As a LR Caliber

[hillbillybear]

Has anyone ever tried the .340 Weatherby for LR shooting? I have used the .340 some in various hunting rifles and I really like it. Also, many years ago (late 1980's) I got to shoot Savage actioned single shot .340 with a 30 inch barrel and a 10X Leupold MK IV that was an absolute terror on groundhogs out past 600 yards.


I am thinking a properly built long barreled .340 might make a very nice rig for 1K + shooting with one of the newer 250 or 300 grain bullets we now have.

Thoughts and opinions?

 

[ranger1183]

If you can hit a ground hog past 600 yards then you are already doing what most people strive to do. Sounds like a winner. These ultra heavy bullets might require a faster twist barrel than you have used in the past, but that's only if your current barrel doesn't like the heavies. Weatherby does make a very strong action (the Mark V), don't they?

 

[tylerw02]

My thoughts are:

Why reinvent the wheel?

If you're varmint hunting, why deal with recoil, noise and expense?

If you're planning on target shooting, there are already extreme range cartridges that are more established.

If your heart is set on it, then do it, with full knowledge that there are better options already there.

 

[hillbillybear]

My thoughts are:

Why reinvent the wheel?

If you're varmint hunting, why deal with recoil, noise and expense?

If you're planning on target shooting, there are already extreme range cartridges that are more established.

If your heart is set on it, then do it, with full knowledge that there are better options already there.

This would not be just a dedicated varmint gun or trying to reinvent the wheel. More of just a LR play purty and experimental test bed.

I already have a .280AI, 6BR, and a heavy barrel .30/06 that do very well at extended ranges. I also have a 6.5 Creedmoor to work out if they ever get done working on the rifle range at the gun club

 

[slm9s]

I think the 338 ultra would have cheaper brass, cheaper dies, and better resale. But if you've got an itch that needs to be scratched, I won't talk you out of it!

 

[tylerw02]

This would not be just a dedicated varmint gun or trying to reinvent the wheel. More of just a LR play purty and experimental test bed.

I already have a .280AI, 6BR, and a heavy barrel .30/06 that do very well at extended ranges. I also have a 6.5 Creedmoor to work out if they ever get done working on the rifle range at the gun club

How is it not trying to reinvent the wheel when there are .338 Lapuas and a few others (like the Norma, RUM, etc) that are already feeling the LR role quite nicely? It would be like trying to use a .300 Savage Ackley Improved or something like that rather than a .308. Sure, it works, but the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. You're wanting to zig-zag.

 

[hillbillybear]

No I am not zigzagging.

If I simply wanted straight line ease I would just load up some 162 AMax in the .280 AI and call it good.

The .340, especially with a long barrel, will produce Lapua like velocities and it uses the .535 case head as opposed to the larger .585 case head of the Lapua.

It will work thru a Remington 700 or a Weatherby Vanguard or a Winchester Model 70 action with less work than the .585 size cases. Should I tire of the .340 or take a hankering for a .300 Winchester, or a 7Mm Magnum or a.264 magnum of some sort all I have to do is rebarrel. With the .585 cases a rebarrel would entail another .585 case head caliber.

With the .340 case you can also form brass from .300 wby, or with a little fire forming you can also make cases from the .375 H&H and others. That is not the case with the .338 Lapua or the .338 RUM.

More of just a different way to skin a cat.

 

[FNARSHOOTER]

One word BRASS the only down side of Weatherby is the price of brass or finding it. Then again some of the oddballs are easy to find vs the mainstream that everyone is fighting over. I say rock on if you can find BRASS.

 

[hillbillybear]

One word BRASS the only down side of Weatherby is the price of brass or finding it. Then again some of the oddballs are easy to find vs the mainstream that everyone is fighting over. I say rock on if you can find BRASS.

If this project goes ahead I will probably neck up some Nosler .300 Weatherby brass to start. Thus far I have had really good luck with the Nosler brass in the .300.

 

[Marcoman]

I say build one! I have used the .340Wby for hunting on numerous occasions and if I could only use one cartridge to hunt with it would be near the top of a short list.

You have made some great points; brass is a non issue, case capacity is plenty sufficient to drive heavy bullets at respectable velocities, will function fine out of long action's and magazines. Weatherby cartridges also have long necks which is a nice feature for long for caliber bullets. I'm surprised no-one has beat up on it for having a belt but for me this is a non-issue. I bet I could easily get 300gr. bullets to shoot as fast from my MkV (.340Wby) as the .338 Lapua does from my TRG42.

 

[hillbillybear]

I say build one! I have used the .340Wby for hunting on numerous occasions and if I could only use one cartridge to hunt with it would be near the top of a short list.

You have made some great points; brass is a non issue, case capacity is plenty sufficient to drive heavy bullets at respectable velocities, will function fine out of long action's and magazines. Weatherby cartridges also have long necks which is a nice feature for long for caliber bullets. I'm surprised no-one has beat up on it for having a belt but for me this is a non-issue. I bet I could easily get 300gr. bullets to shoot as fast from my MkV (.340Wby) as the .338 Lapua does from my TRG42.

I just looked up the data for the 300 grain Accubond in the Nosler #7 manual (page 545):


The highest velocity listed for the .340 was: 2726 fps with a maximum load of 75.0 grains of IMR 4350


The highest velocity listed for the .338 Lapua (page 559) 2732 fps with a maximum load of 94.0 grains of Retumbo

So, they are very close.