7mm Weatherby: Why so little attention?

[Weatherby Fan]

7mm Wby is an excellent cartridge,
IMHO Weatherby Hamstrung themselves in years past by having expensive and hard to find ammo/brass and not offering the 7mm Wby in the vanguard line up, if they made it easier and more affordable to acquire it would have a bigger following

I shot that cartridge for years and I never had so many one shot kills from any cartridge,
I shoot a 280AI now but the 7mm Wby will always have a spot in my safe.

 

[Shawn Carverelli]

What are the drawbacks of a belted case

head separation in 3-4 firings

 

[VinceMule]

I have often wondered how a custom 7 Weatherby would shoot with reduced freebore to match the 7 Mag's freebore, or at least have the freebore adjusted for the appropriate VLD bullet. All that bullet jump (~.300)does nothing good for the bullet alignment with the bore(getting the bullet started straight in the throat).

 

[Shawn Carverelli]

with newer, better scopes, lazer rangefinders, and better reloading methods and components....coupled with all the rage of fast twist barrels for high BC bullets the average shooters are extending their shooting range far beyond their own abilities to make ckean kills on game at extended distances.
Don't you all gets your panties in a bunch, I said average. I'm guessing a minority of 10% or less practice and take the time to develop the skill needed to be successful at extended range.
But all the latest lazer like rifles sure sell based on the promise of that on e in a lifetime magical shot

 

[btap1991]

What are the drawbacks of a belted case

Feeding issues

 

[Dragoon300]

The 7mm-300 Weatherby was a great long range precision round back in the day, and still would be. However, most people want to get away from belted Cases, regardless of what shoulder they may have. You could neck the 30-378 Wby down to 7mm, that would really do it! They tried 6.5 but that was a lost cause, way over bore.

 

[big johnson]

The 7mm ,270 ,and 257 are the same case and you can neck any one to the caliber of choice

 

[sxssixteen]

I have some factory loaded ammo in 340 Weatherby Mag and 257 Weatherby Mag, but alas no rifles in either. I do have a 240 Weatherby Mag rifle that is a tack driver with factory and reloaded ammunition. If all Weatherbys shoot that great, I say buy one.

 

[747fullscale]

Just tossing this out there to generate discussion and probably ruffle feathers but the more I see about this old cartridge the more I can't understand why it's so far removed from the commercial success of 7mm-"anything else"magnums. It's what the 7mm rem could have been but wasn't. It nips right on the heels of the STW, Nosler, and RUM cartridges out of ordinary hunting rifle barrel lengths with waaaay less powder. Whatever about the curvy shoulder voodoo, I don't know that there's anything to that, but it hasn't been crippled by an arbitrarily low SAAMI pressure and hooray for freebore. (Also the .270 weatherby comes to mind for the same virtues…).

So what are your thoughts? It wouldn't be hard to fire form brass, and we love tinkering with things enough that the weatherby case design and expensive factory ammo can't possibly be all there is to why this round isn't more popular…can it?

If I ever get a 7mm of any kind this will probably be the one.

It is an excellent gun/caliber. I have a bunch of Wbys. IMHO, it is the gun manufacturers that keep coming up with the "latest & greatest calibers", just to sell more guns. I look at these new calibers and there isn't enough difference to justify the money involved. But the public is just as guilty, "Look at what I got!"……

 

[RidgeTop]

Finding ammo and brass has always kept me from going to the Weatherby magnums, plus very few factory guns chambered for them when compared to whatever Win or Rem magnums. I want a 340 really really bad and have for 20 years but I haven't jumped yet.

I find ammo at flea markets - factory ammo, new old stock. When I see it I grab it. Also find new factory Weatherby brass. Example, last fall a guy had new Weatherby .378 brass for a $1 per round. That is a buy if you have a .378.
I am between 2 large Flea Markets and over time you see almost everything. One allows firearms the other does not.
Pic. is my .340 Mk V , other is ammo supply.

 

[Calvin45]

It's a great cartridge. But I went with 7mm Dakota. Outshines it a fair amount and better case design. No belt, straight case walls from the parent .404 Jeffrey. But the 7mm Wby should have bumped up to the larger .300Wby case.
As for the .270 Wby….it's a beast. I had 3 customs built but without freebore and a 1:9 twist and MB. Perfect case size for the .277" Love mine. But check the 7mm Dakota if you reload.

I know the Dakota came first but isn't the .28 Nosler the exact same thing at this point?

 

[Starbuck]

I had a LH Weatherby ULW in 7mm WM. Regret selling it very much, and can't even remember why I did. Was a great marriage of cartridge and rifle; ahead of it's time, really. Still have a couple standard Mk5's and a LH ULW in 300 win. By and large they all shoot great, but ULW's are a bit finicky and can sometimes take some messing around with loads and free floating to coax the most out of them.

Even with the slow oem twist, the 7mm WM shot 175's well. Likewise for a Mk5 7mm rem mag I have. The 7mm WM is certainly a fine long distance big game cartridge and Weatherby should be doing what they can to keep it relevant and market it as such.

IMO, the negative attitude towards belted cartridges is way, way over blown these days. I've found that many who say they don't care for them can't make a compelling case against them when asked.

 

[spladi]

Just tossing this out there to generate discussion and probably ruffle feathers but the more I see about this old cartridge the more I can't understand why it's so far removed from the commercial success of 7mm-"anything else"magnums. It's what the 7mm rem could have been but wasn't. It nips right on the heels of the STW, Nosler, and RUM cartridges out of ordinary hunting rifle barrel lengths with waaaay less powder. Whatever about the curvy shoulder voodoo, I don't know that there's anything to that, but it hasn't been crippled by an arbitrarily low SAAMI pressure and hooray for freebore. (Also the .270 weatherby comes to mind for the same virtues…).

So what are your thoughts? It wouldn't be hard to fire form brass, and we love tinkering with things enough that the weatherby case design and expensive factory ammo can't possibly be all there is to why this round isn't more popular…can it?

If I ever get a 7mm of any kind this will probably be the one.

I think that the 7 mm rem mag. came out so strong that the WBY. just wasn't thought about plus the era of muzzle breaks hadn't arrived back then like now, preventing the severe recoil of the Why. which even with free bore kicked like a jakass. Also, it was a Weatherby and not a Remington or Winchester whose popularity was well established. First off you would have to have wanted a Weatherby, then maybe the 7mm. Remember back when our gun magazines had articles and not so much advertising? Articles about the GREAT 7MM Rem. Mag. were common and the Weatherby not so much.

 

[WWG55]

I own a Remington 700 chambered for 7 Weatherby Mag. Guy sold it because ammo was so high. It will shoot 154 gr Hornady SST pushed by IMR 4350 (All you SST haters need to listen up) into 0.3 inch groups at 100 yds. Since I bought the rifle it has killed 15 Bucks at ranges from 75 yds to 380 yds. One buck required more that 1 shot. It probably wasn't required but I didn't want him to get off the farm. It has killed one size XX Large cow Elk, one shot dropped her in her tracks. Recoil is very manageable, considerably less that either of my 300 Win mags. There really is no fault except for the price of ammo and brass.