30-378 Weatherby

[bearcat2]

"Ohh man, just read some of the last posts. I didnt mean to bump a controversial topic. I was just curious about the .30-378 loads."

Don't worry, I'm sure more than myself got a chuckle out of the comment that 9mm doesn't penetrate as well as the 357 sig "due to its smaller bullets"

 

[rodneymoncrief]

I'm bumping last years topic up. I'm curious if you guys are trying the ELD-X and the A-Tips?

Ohh man, just read some of the last posts. I didnt mean to bump a controversial topic. I was just curious about the .30-378 loads.

I have shot 200gr Barnes LRX with 104 gr H Retumbo @ 3200fps in the past. Shooting past 500 yards my groups would open up, so I tried 220gr H ELD-X with 103gr H Retumbo @ 3140 and shot very well past 500 yards. So you might want to give them a try. Keep watching Midway USA I caught Norma brass on a couple of months ago. I bought a box of H Precision Hunter 220gr factory ammo to start with and they shot very well, so I bought a box of 100 of 220gr bullets and hand loaded them shoot even better groups than the factory ammo and gained an extra 100 fps.

 

[Overkill338]

"Ohh man, just read some of the last posts. I didnt mean to bump a controversial topic. I was just curious about the .30-378 loads."

Don't worry, I'm sure more than myself got a chuckle out of the comment that 9mm doesn't penetrate as well as the 357 sig "due to its smaller bullets"

Yeah, I'm here for rifles, so I won't get into the pistols. I will say, it's not the weight, or the speed necessarily. It's the construction of the 6 pedal 125 grain Gold Dot, made FOR the .357 SIG.

I was just dreaming of a .30-378 with a 1:9 or 1:8.5 barrel, slinging those 250 A-Tips.

 

[Overkill338]

I have shot 200gr Barnes LRX with 104 gr H Retumbo @ 3200fps in the past. Shooting past 500 yards my groups would open up, so I tried 220gr H ELD-X with 103gr H Retumbo @ 3140 and shot very well past 500 yards. So you might want to give them a try. Keep watching Midway USA I caught Norma brass on a couple of months ago. I bought a box of H Precision Hunter 220gr factory ammo to start with and they shot very well, so I bought a box of 100 of 220gr bullets and hand loaded them shoot even better groups than the factory ammo and gained an extra 100 fps.

Factory rifle, or custom rig?

 

[rodneymoncrief]

Factory rifle, or custom rig?

HS Precision Pro Hunter Long Range 26" barrel 1in10 twist

 

[Overkill338]

HS Precision Pro Hunter Long Range 26" barrel 1in10 twist

Do you wish you had got it in 1:9 ?

By the way, sounds like an awesome machine.

Side question, are the Christhens (sp?) Rifles worth the $

 

[sw282]

As a longtime of the old VHA I remember the 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 yard clubs. The 30-378 was quite popular for the 1000yd club... 1500 yards was a bit out of its reach... The 338s were the least ctg for that distance... The Cheytac and BIG FIFTY family of ctgs seem to 0wn any distance a MILE and beyond.

 

[yobuck]

Yeah, I'm here for rifles, so I won't get into the pistols. I will say, it's not the weight, or the speed necessarily. It's the construction of the 6 pedal 125 grain Gold Dot, made FOR the .357 SIG.

I was just dreaming of a .30-378 with a 1:9 or 1:8.5 barrel, slinging those 250 A-Tips.

Realize that back in the day that the 30x378 was most popular and most desired among PA long range hunters, there were very few powders offering full potential from the cartridge.
The best by far was WW2 surplus H570 followed by H870 which was in production up until about 10 years ago.
WC 872 also a surplus powder produces pretty much identical results as H870.
In my gun with a 36" barrel built on a Wolfe action, 113 gr of
H 570 produced 3500+ FPS with a 200 gr SMK.
118 gr of H870 would produce about the same velocity with the same bullet.
As for the BC factor, the 200 gr would out perform both the 220 SMK and the 240 SMK by a considerable amount as for elevation up to about 1500 yds with my gun.
In PA very few deer have been killed at 1500 yards or further.
In fact in 50 years of L/R hunting there i only know i man whose word I'd trust claiming a 1 mile kill. And the reason is conditions, not lack of guns or shooters.
For someone wanting to shoot that far and further, using the
Heavier bullets, by all means go to one of the larger 338s that will produce 3000 FPS or more with 300 gr bullets.
Yes you can get the 30 cal bullets out to the longer distances.
But you will do it better by way of accuracy with a 338 sending 300 gr bullets at 3200 + FPS.

 

[dreamhunt]

Long Range Hunting, it is the best of the .30's. As a target round, not so much. Throat wear in the barrel can be seen in less than 300 shots. It truly is a cannon, and I've wanted one for a long time, but ended up getting a .300 Rem Ultra Mag which isn't THAT far behind the big Weatherby.

If you are a reloader, the .378 Roy case is expensive to feed, if you shoot factory ammo, it is REALLY expensive to feed. New brass for the 30-378 is $60 per 20 cases. Factory loaded ammo can go over $100 per box. Not to mention it's hardy appetite for powder. The .300 Win Mag, will in most cases serve every need you will encounter. I just went with the Ultra for something new to toy with.

 

[Overkill338]

Long Range Hunting, it is the best of the .30's. As a target round, not so much. Throat wear in the barrel can be seen in less than 300 shots. It truly is a cannon, and I've wanted one for a long time, but ended up getting a .300 Rem Ultra Mag which isn't THAT far behind the big Weatherby.

If you are a reloader, the .378 Roy case is expensive to feed, if you shoot factory ammo, it is REALLY expensive to feed. New brass for the 30-378 is $60 per 20 cases. Factory loaded ammo can go over $100 per box. Not to mention it's hardy appetite for powder. The .300 Win Mag, will in most cases serve every need you will encounter. I just went with the Ultra for something new to toy with.

I had a 300 RUM in a Sendero SF-II, but it had a wonky chamber. I traded it to a member here, named "joecool" or something like that.

 

[yobuck]

Long Range Hunting, it is the best of the .30's. As a target round, not so much. Throat wear in the barrel can be seen in less than 300 shots. It truly is a cannon, and I've wanted one for a long time, but ended up getting a .300 Rem Ultra Mag which isn't THAT far behind the big Weatherby.

If you are a reloader, the .378 Roy case is expensive to feed, if you shoot factory ammo, it is REALLY expensive to feed. New brass for the 30-378 is $60 per 20 cases. Factory loaded ammo can go over $100 per box. Not to mention it's hardy appetite for powder. The .300 Win Mag, will in most cases serve every need you will encounter. I just went with the Ultra for something new to toy with.

Well fact is most long range kills are considerably less than 1000 yds. So considering that, then yes the larger cartridges probably aren't necessary.
In the late 80s my wife and i were fortunate enough to visit Hawaii. While there i chartered a boat at Kona for a full day trip for Marlin. We were trolling with just 2 rods, each with a 130 size Penn reel on a heavy bent butt trolling rod. Each rod had a live Skipjack tuna tethered to a large hook. After a couple hours slow trolling one of the rods got hit and i was told to get into the fighting chair. Less than 10 min later a 68# Striped Marlin was brought on board. later the Captain shook my hand and told me i had done a good job with the fish.
I thanked him and said i would have rather it had been on much lighter stand up tackle. He just nodded, but a few seconds later said, but what if it had been a 500 pounder that swam up and ate that fish?
Hindsite is always 20/20.
Different hunting styles and distances, due to different areas of the country certainly factor into our decisions.
But when your glassing all day from a location that could produce an opportunity at 500 yds over there, 900 over there, and 1500 or even more over there, it's best having a gun for the longest possibility.
We've had long discussions on this site on how far you can shoot guns like 300 WMs. Besides shooting is one thing and hunting is yet another, especially considering the rare opportunities we get. But to each his own, it's your time and your money, so use what you like, and the rest of us can do likewise.

 

[Overkill338]

Besides shooting is one thing and hunting is yet another, especially considering the rare opportunities we get. But to each his own, it's your time and your money, so use what you like, and the rest of us can do likewise.

Well said. Myself, personally, I don't have the coin or the ability to be taking animals at over 500 yards (even if the opportunity presented itself). I limit myself to 400 yards, and my longest kill was 386 with my .300 Win Mag. You need a nice, solid, consistent setup to shoot over 500, and even better to take game at those distances. For me it's not about ego, it's about being humane to the game I'm pursuing. I want them to suffer as little as possible. That's why 400 is my limit.

 

[memtb]

Realize that back in the day that the 30x378 was most popular and most desired among PA long range hunters, there were very few powders offering full potential from the cartridge.
The best by far was WW2 surplus H570 followed by H870 which was in production up until about 10 years ago.
WC 872 also a surplus powder produces pretty much identical results as H870.
In my gun with a 36" barrel built on a Wolfe action, 113 gr of
H 570 produced 3500+ FPS with a 200 gr SMK.
118 gr of H870 would produce about the same velocity with the same bullet.
As for the BC factor, the 200 gr would out perform both the 220 SMK and the 240 SMK by a considerable amount as for elevation up to about 1500 yds with my gun.
In PA very few deer have been killed at 1500 yards or further.
In fact in 50 years of L/R hunting there i only know i man whose word I'd trust claiming a 1 mile kill. And the reason is conditions, not lack of guns or shooters.
For someone wanting to shoot that far and further, using the
Heavier bullets, by all means go to one of the larger 338s that will produce 3000 FPS or more with 300 gr bullets.
Yes you can get the 30 cal bullets out to the longer distances.
But you will do it better by way of accuracy with a 338 sending 300 gr bullets at 3200 + FPS.

I guess that I'm kinda "hijacking" this thread a little, but, if any of you guys that shoot the big cased stuff are interested....I've got 95 pounds of WC 860 available at a good price! Shoot (pun intended) me a pm! memtb

 

[yobuck]

Well said. Myself, personally, I don't have the coin or the ability to be taking animals at over 500 yards (even if the opportunity presented itself). I limit myself to 400 yards, and my longest kill was 386 with my .300 Win Mag. You need a nice, solid, consistent setup to shoot over 500, and even better to take game at those distances. For me it's not about ego, it's about being humane to the game I'm pursuing. I want them to suffer as little as possible. That's why 400 is my limit.

Actually, it isn't your limit, you've simply chosen it to be your limit which is fine. Again, it's a personal choice thing.
What we shoot as for cartridge and bullet choice makes up the vast majority of conversation on these sites.
How we shoot, as for how we support the gun gets little attention. Most guys are only interested in what they can carry along for support. Again a personal call determined by hunting style. Spot and stalk hunting isn't a reality in PA, mainly for terrain reasons. In other words, it just don't happen there.
Same locations are used year after year, and various improvements are made. A very young kid can easily be taught
To kill a deer at long range with the right platform to shoot from, And many of them do.