30-378 Weatherby

[Wrenches]

The Bergers seat a little too deep if you are wanting to run as a repeater, taking up some powder space.

Good thought. I will try your load. Thanks.

 

[Chamberman]

Good thought. I will try your load. Thanks.

Start your powder charge a little lower and work up, and seat your bullets to the suggested OAL at first to be safe!!

 

[Wrenches]

Start your powder charge a little lower and work up, and seat your bullets to the suggested OAL at first to be safe!!

Got it! Thanks.

 

[memtb]

I'm starting to load for my MKV 30-378 and was looking for some recommendations for powder type that you have used. I purchased this rifle in 1996 when first available and 10 boxes of factory Ammo loaded with 180 grain Barnes X bullets. At the time there were no unprimed cases or load data available so Factory ammo was the only choice. Those 10 boxes cost more than the rifle back then. I have most of the slow burning powder on hand plus all Magnum primers from most manufactures. I plan to use 180 or 200 grain bullets and I have most varieties on hand except Barnes and Hammer. I shot two elk and one deer with the factory loaded Barnes 180 X's and they did not expand well and I don't want to use them now. Let know what has worked for you. I also have all the current loading books on my library shelf. Hodgdon lists a max load of 113 grains of Retumbo with a 180 grain doing 3460 FPS. That would make this rifle a long range hammer for sure. This is part of the reason for the question as no other books list much over 107 gr of Retumbo. Thanks for the help.

The newer Barnes are not the same as the original Barnes X. Unless you have sufficient quantities of other bullets……do not discount mono bullets! memtb

 

[Window]

I'm starting to load for my MKV 30-378 and was looking for some recommendations for powder type that you have used. I purchased this rifle in 1996 when first available and 10 boxes of factory Ammo loaded with 180 grain Barnes X bullets. At the time there were no unprimed cases or load data available so Factory ammo was the only choice. Those 10 boxes cost more than the rifle back then. I have most of the slow burning powder on hand plus all Magnum primers from most manufactures. I plan to use 180 or 200 grain bullets and I have most varieties on hand except Barnes and Hammer. I shot two elk and one deer with the factory loaded Barnes 180 X's and they did not expand well and I don't want to use them now. Let know what has worked for you. I also have all the current loading books on my library shelf. Hodgdon lists a max load of 113 grains of Retumbo with a 180 grain doing 3460 FPS. That would make this rifle a long range hammer for sure. This is part of the reason for the question as no other books list much over 107 gr of Retumbo. Thanks for the help.

I load for many of these including my own. Powder of choice is H1000 with 180's. Specifically the 180 Hammer Hunters. Most settle in the 102.5 range with velocities in the 3350 range. You can push them harder but brass life will suffer. Run a ladder test starting at 101.8 and increase .3 grain increments till you hit pressure. Hammers aren't very sensitive to COAL so start with your mag length and work them back till you find your sweet spot. I have found one yet that couldn't achieve 1/4 MOA.
Good luck and enjoy!

 

[budlight]

I'm starting to load for my MKV 30-378 and was looking for some recommendations for powder type that you have used. I purchased this rifle in 1996 when first available and 10 boxes of factory Ammo loaded with 180 grain Barnes X bullets. At the time there were no unprimed cases or load data available so Factory ammo was the only choice. Those 10 boxes cost more than the rifle back then. I have most of the slow burning powder on hand plus all Magnum primers from most manufactures. I plan to use 180 or 200 grain bullets and I have most varieties on hand except Barnes and Hammer. I shot two elk and one deer with the factory loaded Barnes 180 X's and they did not expand well and I don't want to use them now. Let know what has worked for you. I also have all the current loading books on my library shelf. Hodgdon lists a max load of 113 grains of Retumbo with a 180 grain doing 3460 FPS. That would make this rifle a long range hammer for sure. This is part of the reason for the question as no other books list much over 107 gr of Retumbo. Thanks for the help.

Depends on where you live. I bought mine used in @ 1990. It already had a 28 inch barrel and two inch brake making it 30 inches long. It came with a set of Redding dies.... Back then the local sporting shops had bags of 50 new cases for $45 bucks and later on then went up to $55. So I bought a couple hundred.

back then powder types were limited and Retumbo then H870 was about the slowest unless you bought 50 BMG. I found reloading info and settled in on 200 and 210 grain SPBT type bullets available then.

I've owned wildcat magnum rounds with NO data and figured it out on my own using burn rate charts and cases close in capacity. Example is going to case that can hold 10 more grains. You can start with about 4-5 grains over the parent case and incrementally work up till you see pressure. Not a big deal. sometimes lots of bullet pulling

Sometime back then US869 showed up. I jumped on that and started testing with a chrono at the range. More high BC hunting and paper bullets were showing up and my barrel was gone somewhere under 600 rounds so I bought a 30 inch barrel with I think a 9 twist so I could shoot the new 220 and even 240 grain. 210 220 hunting rounds are just most excellent.

My advice is to quit looking at books and just go to something like Hodgdon reloading online. Or nosler barnes online. Just get away from bragging rights 180 grain with retumbo. move up in bullet weight and go with us869

 

[Marine sniper]

If only Wby would make good brass- the big Roy's would be more in favor than the Lapua based cartridges.

 

[birddog 68]

I thought Norma made brass for Weatherby. I also thought Norma was good brass?

 

[30378wbymag]

V V 20N29 is your huckleberry @ >200 gr.

 

[Wrenches]

V V 20N29 is your huckleberry @ >200 gr.

I have some of this. Thanks

 

[COmtnman1]

I'm a big fan of this cartridge & have been loading with it for 10+ years. I tried the 180 class bullets up to the 230 grainers. I dropped the 180's & only load the 210 Berger VLD's, Barnes 200 LRX, & Berger 230's. I ended up using H 50BMG for the 210's & 200's & never actually finished working up a load for the 230's but was using either Retumbo or US 869 for those. The elk in my avatar, I killed in 2018 in CO with the Berger 210's. The 210's shoot fairly well in my rifle as do the Barnes 200's, I guess that's why I never finished working up a load on the 230's(definitely a future project).

 

[Northkill]

Thanks for the heads up. I have always used 180 grain in my 30's. I have never given a thought to anything heavier. I will try some of the new high BC bullets from the various manufactures. I see that Berger Makes up to 240 grain hunting 30 cals. I will give them a try if I can find some. I have all the slow burners on hand so, will post the results. Again thanks for the help.

Your twist rate will dictate how heavy you can go. If you are loading for monos such as Hammer Bullets, the powder and bullet weight will upset normal parameters and things start getting fun and fast. They usually come 10 twist, right?

 

[Wrenches]

Your twist rate will dictate how heavy you can go. If you are loading for monos such as Hammer Bullets, the powder and bullet weight will upset normal parameters and things start getting fun and fast. They usually come 10 twist, right?

My MKV is one in ten twist.

 

[Northkill]

It would zip with the 180 or 196 Hammers or a 175 Badlands Bulldozer-2.