Weatherby rifles, are they worth the cost.?

Question

Hi, i have a Mark V in the 30-378 that i got for a pretty good deal, but never the less it was still alot more than for say a Remington, Winchester, or some other brand. So do you get what you pay for or it are they just over priced. The energy that it produces is great almost 4000 fps with a 180 gr Barnes triple shock bullet.

Answer 1

To those who love Weatherby yes.
I my self like the design and aesthetics of the Weatherby Craftsmanship and Quality.
But I am not a Fan of the Weatherby Calibers, Weatherby loved his HOT loads.
To me you can push a bullet too fast and in the long run make it totally worthless.
To me pin point accuracy is the top goal.
Then I look at the price of the Weatherby ammo and cant help but shake my head in amazement.
There is a place for Magnums, but the Super Magnums and Ultra Magnums by what ever maker, is to me nothing more then a Macho trip.
Too often hunters turn to these to make up for poor shot placement, hoping to kill that 110 pound White tail deer or antelope with one shot that they could not kill with a 30-06 or 270 last year.

I have a 300 Winchester Magnum in a Ruger M77 Mark II and am buying a 338 Winchester Magnum in a Ruger No 1 for Alaska’s big Bear.
But I will reload them to get the most accuracy, not the Hottest round.
I look for the tightest one hole group I can get, and will tune the rifle and ammo for just that goal.

Is Weatherby a good rifle YES, they do understand Quality and produce just that.
But I would consider reloading to avoid that High ammo prices.

But I hunt from Oklahoma to Wyoming with my favorites 308, 25-06 or a 30-06 and make one shot kills using tuned weapons and tuned ammo for the best accuracy.
I also use a 357 Magnum for deer and wild hogs, and I do love swatting wild hogs with my 45/70 for nostalgia and the giggles.

D58


Hunting with Rifle, Pistol, Muzzle loader and Bow for over 3 decades.
Reloading Rifle, Pistol and shotgun for over 3 decades.

Answer 2

OK, I'll take the other side of the debate.

For one thing, I think most Weatherby rifles are ugly. I just do not like the stock design. Granted some of them have GORGEOUS wood, but the shape still sucks in my opinion.

As for the Weatherby Magnum calibers, I think they are way too much of a good thing.

Do you hunt with that .30-.378 WM? Can you kill a dear any deader than I can with a .357 Magnum Carbine? Nope. Sure it shoots flatter and further, but hunting is about getting close and making one shot count, not trying to make the longest shot possible.

Consult your reloading manuals, If you load that monster rifle of yours down to launch a 180 grain bullet at around 3000 fps, you will be using considerably more powder than it would take to get a .300 WinMag to do the same velocity.

And look at your brass cost. .30-.378 WM brass will set you back around $50.00 for a box of 20 unprimed cases. You can get 20 .300 WinMag or .30-06 cases for as little a ten bucks per box, even cheaper if you buy once fired brass. And I'll wager you'd be lucky to get five reloadings from that expensive .30-.378 brass. I have some .358 Win brass that I've loaded 15 or more times.

What goes for the .30-.378 WM goes for all the Weatherby calibers. The ammo costs far more than other comparable calibers, reloading componets are much more expensive, they use more powder to produce the same results, and the rifles are not only expensive, but ugly.

In my opinion, Weatherby rifles are not worth the price, and the calibers produce too much flash and blast for too little added performance.

Doc

Answer 3

Weatherby rifles are overrated, and so are the Weatherby cartridges. The 30-378 is not anymore effective then a .300 Win Mag, and it costs almost twice as much. Weatherby is big into "paper ballistics" and in that category they reign supreme, I guess. But as for "on game performance" a .340 Weatherby will not kill any better then a .338 Win Mag, and the .338 Win Mag will do the same thing at a fraction of the cost!

Answer 4

Generally yes, you have one of the best rifles you can buy. It's like Parker-Hale, you are buying all the history and craftsmanship that went with it.

Remember Winchester and Remington have to cut corners to keep prices low. Weatherby doesn't. They don't have to skimp on anything. That rifle will also serve you son or daughter well, and their children as well. Do you really thing a $400 rifle would become a family heirloom?

Make no mistake, you did the right thing. Always buy qualitly. You will never regret it. Quality is long remember after price if forgotton.

Go get a nice elk for me one day.

Joe

Answer 5

I echo what "Joseph G" said >"Buy the best you will never be sorry you did"

I have 4 Weatherby's - IMO they are the best.

I'm all about quality firearms, and IMO the finest rifle I own is a custom built Weatherby Mark V in 300WM.

Answer 6

as a weatherby owner, i can say it isone of the best of many rifles i've owned. however, mine is chambered in 7mm mag, not weatherby calibers. i believe the weatherby calibers are over-rated. but as for the rifle, it is great.