"Boutique" Calibers .300 .270 Weatherby .270WSM

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SwaneeSR

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So shot a .270 Weatherby Magnum today. Last week at the range, ran into a dude with a Browning X-Bolt in .270WSM. Really nice rifle.

So I am a handloader. I am told the .270 Weatherby Mag is $85 per 20 round box. That is crazy.

So before I buy my next rifle. Is it worth exploring these calibers? Are these fufu boutique passing calibers?

There is the old standby of the 7mm Rem Mag. I own three .30-06 because that is what our deer party uses.

Shooting the Weatherby Ultra Light in .270 Weatherby Magnum was enjoyable. I guess I tolerate recoil just fine.

Am I crazy to want a rifle in a funny caliber? Is it time to consider a caliber that is not "throwing pumpkins"?

Swanee
 
My deer rifle is an old Mauser sporter that shoots 6.5x55 sweedish some say it's a boutique caliber since your a handloader I say go for it
 
If someone made a 7mm or 300 WBY available to me I'd be happy to shoot it: they seem the most sensible WBY calibers. I'm not a fan of the cost of ammo, and (though I could see where other people would like the other calibers, they just seem overkill.

Having said that, I agree with the above; my cup of coffee doesn't have to be yours...pour a cup and enjoy!

Greg
 
I've never really figured out what the point of the small bore ultra-magnums is (whether Remington, Weatherby, or whoever). They don't throw a bigger bullet. They barely increase your point blank range. All they do is drive the bullet faster, increasing your reach. But the increase is out past sane hunting distances. A 7mm-08 will drive a 175gr partition at elk-killing velocities for 550y. So if I move up, I get what? Well, I can kill elk past 550y. But will I ever shoot at an elk that far away? Nope, because even with a rock solid bipod or ruck firing position there's too much risk that unexpected wind moves my shot off target. Give me a rifle in 7mm-20mm cannon shell, and I still won't take the shot.

The short magnums sort of have a purpose - getting the length and weight of your gun down while giving some modest velocity boost. It comes at the expense of barrel life though - not a trade off I'm eager to make since I like to actually shoot my guns.
 
The Big D said:
All they do is drive the bullet faster, increasing your reach. But the increase is out past sane hunting distances.

I bet the same thing was said when smokeless cartridges were introduced. How about when the 30-30 Win was king and the 30-06 Sprg was brought out?

What is the definition of "sane" hunting distance and does it change with time/skill/technology?
 
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"Boutique" Calibers .300 .270 Weatherby .270WSM

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1445760218.813569.jpg

Big D, I can not argue with your points. I own not only three .30-06's but two .30-30's. Most of my hunting takes place within 100yard shots. And the game is whitetail. I do shoot at a rural range with targets out to 400 yards. My one .30-06 bolt gun and I have some work to do to get my skill level out to the 400. We have been working on the shooter. The rifle can only do its part.

I have considered getting a .308 or 7mm-08 bolt gun for several years. I also think a standard .270 bolt gun would suit me fine.

All that said, the Weatherby Ultra Light with the Leopold VX-R that I shot yesterday was a beautiful rig. Easy to carry, black fluted stainless barrel. Looked like the gun would hold up on a trip out West. I can not say about the barrel life. I had not considered it an issue.

If I did not handload, I would not even consider a non-standard caliber. I also am not one that needs the snazziest rifle. I have no problem wandering the woods with the late 1940's Stevens 325B in .30-30.

These calibers and others do seem to use the powder better and do seem like a move ahead on the old .30-06. But you are correct that there are more practical options.

It would be fun to work on loading up some rounds for my buddies Weatherby's. Also, I can tell you they are well built rifles with the price tag to go along.

Swanee
 
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If you hand load why not? Don't like it sell it off or trade it. I have to start loading myself. Ammo prices are to high no matter what you shoot imho. I really liked a cousin of mines 300WSM. Liked the shorter action a lot.
 
I'm not sure "boutique" is the right word. Maybe obscure. Seems to me that a 7MM is a good choice for an all around North American hunting rifle. You can take everything from deer or black bear in Ga. to Dahl rams and grizzlies in the Northwest. Ditto with 30/06. So, if you do not want to experiment with various calibers, I would choose one of those. Hey, anybody remember the .264 Winchester?:)
 
Krimmie

Those are pics of the empty brass my buddy gave me. I showed him my reloading setup and I was encouraging him to start loading himself. I rarely allow others to shoot my hand loads. He has three Weatherby's (.22-250, .270 WeaMag and .300 WeaMag). I am not sure he has the patience for hand loading.

I have a firearm wish list and I have been saving since last January. A shotgun for sporting clays is next on the list.
 
A good friend of mine bought a Weatherby Sporter years ago in 270 Weatherby. Nice rifle, flat shooting with more than enough power for white tail deer. Not that you have to take that 500 yard shot, but as I see it, its less guess work for hold over on longer shots.

Having said that, I shoot and load for my bread and butter 308 bolt action Remington. Perfectly satisfied with that ho hum cartridge and it does everything I have asked it to do.

With the price of ammo these days, it seems odd to me that more people do not reload even in standard calibers. But, being the tinkerer that I am, reloading has become as much a hobby as shooting firearms so it fits my lifestyle well. Maybe reloading is just not for everyone?
 
I was considering a 7mm-08 prior to running into some of these other options for whitetail. 7mm Rem Mag must be the Elk common choice.

So how do you calibers?
Obsolete
Historic (.45-70, .45LC)
Common
Not Common
New/Emerging

I am sure this conversation has been discussed before. I guess my buddy must not have thought about ammunition availability before the purchases.

I do not think Mr. Ackley was concerned about always making the practical choice.
 
"Boutique" Calibers .300 .270 Weatherby .270WSM

I agree with you Delmar - the loading is as fun as the unloading, even for common calibers. It is time well spent.

My buddy only shot his Weather 9 times before his first hunt a few years ago. That is 9 total shots. At $4 a shot he doesn't get to shot it enough.

To own a rifle in theses calibers, handloading is a must.

Swanee

Maybe I should not have used the term "Boutique". That is how some of my hunting buddies referred to these calibers.
 
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I have a 300 Wby and will be using it on an upcoming mule deer trip because it is pretty flat out to 300 yards. I have a lot of ammo for it and truly, I don't shoot that many rounds in a range session. My shoulder won't take shooting a box a session.
 
I bet the same thing was said when smokeless cartridges were introduced. How about when the 30-30 Win was king and the 30-06 Sprg was brought out?

What is the definition of "sane" hunting distance and does it change with time/skill/technology?

My definition of sane hunting distances is the distance where it's possible to guarantee a vitals hit - ie. ethical hunting. Once you get past a certain distance, it's impossible to do that even if your shot is perfect because you can't know for sure what the wind is, and even if you do know right now it can change during flight. I think a reasonable threshold is that when your round hits 2" of deflection per MPH of wind, you're at serious risk of a wind miss regardless of skill.

That distance barely scales with bullet energy. Going from a 7mm-08 to a 7mm Weatherby only pushes it out 50-75y.
 
It's also worth mentioning that some previous cartridge upsizings DID matter. For example, with one particular bullet I picked .30-30 would be suitable for elk to 75y, and .30-06 would be suitable to 375y. That's a pretty big gap.
 
"...That is crazy..." Any proprietary cartridge, especially those with 'Weatherby' in the name, primarily just cost more without doing anything other cartridges do not.
It's really only Weatherby brand ammo that runs $80 plus per 20. Hornady stuff isn't to ugly. Midway values. Lot of it depends on what bullet is loaded.
The .270WSM is readily available at "normal" prices. Even Winchester brand.
 
The .300 Wea Mag is an awesome cartridge, as are all of the other Weatherby Magnums, especially with 26" barrels. As to cost, MidwayUSA has the .300 Wea Mag ammo, with 180 Norma projectiles for $37.49 per box. That is less than Hornady SuperFormancy, .300 Win Mag, 165 grain GMX. Here are some links for comparison:

.300 Wea Mag, 180 gr Norma SP ($37.49 / 20):
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/74...-norma-spitzer-box-of-20?cm_vc=ProductFinding

.300 Win Mag, 165 gr GMX: (41.99 / 20)
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/72...tail-lead-free-box-of-20?cm_vc=ProductFinding

.300 Win Mag, 180 gr SST: ($36.49 / 20)
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/39...-180-grain-sst-box-of-20?cm_vc=ProductFinding

About a month ago, maybe two months, I came across a LNIB, Weatherby Fibermark, .300 Wea Mag, with a Leupold 3-9, rings and bases...$700.00 and it was mine. I snapped it up real quick. I picked that up for my nephews. They plan to use it out west, for whitetail deer, mule deer and elk. It will also work Jim-dandy for moose and bear.

As with any firearm, if you want it, like and and can afford it, buy it and enjoy it. Will other cartridges and rifles work just as well, of course. I've owned and used a lot of Weatherby rifles. Great firearms. So are Remingtons, Winchesters, Rugers, and many more. My all-time favorites remain the .25-06 Rem, the .270 Win, .30-06 Sprg, .30-30 Win, 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag. Oh yeah, and .308 Win. All are excellent, and many more are equally fine.

Geno
 
I want a .257 Weatherby mag, in a Lazermark..........just to shoot coyotes.
Yup. Just for that (I own two .243s and two .223's).

Buy what you want. That is all the justification that is needed :)

One day, I'll have my Lazermark.
 
I hand load a box of 300 WSM for only pennies/box more than I can load a box of 308 or 30-06. I load it for a lot less than factory loads for either. Most folks who buy the less common rounds hand load for them anyway.

You were probably looking at some premium premium ammo at $85/box. The better 30-06 loads with premium bullets will sell for $50-$60/box so the price of many of these loads isn't quite as drastic.
 
boutique vs antique

those Weatherby's can sure hold some powder, and they cay can launch a pill pretty fast too.
Personally I don't think you need that much velocity out to 300 - 350 yards, I use antique's like 7x57, 7.65x53, and 8x57,
and with practice all are fully capable of dispatching game at that distance;
now if you're talking 400+ by all means grab that big case and practice, practice, you know the rest. :D
Of course reloading is a must with those rounds, but then I have reloaded all my centerfire's for many years.
 
"Boutique" Calibers .300 .270 Weatherby .270WSM

That is true. I guess after you get the brass, it really is just pennies more per round than the big batch of .30-06 I am working on now. Same amount of case prep, not my favorite part of the loading process.


As far as the .257 Weatherby Mag. I bet that would work great on coyotes and such. I had to go look up a Lazermark. Doesn't look like that is something available in the Walmart gun rack.

Swanee
 
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