Weatherby and Sako Rifles

P

Prince

Guest
Hello All:

I'm looking to upgrade my current deer rifle, and I have a question for all of you. Do any of you have experience with Weatherby rifles? They're pretty pricey, and their bullets (that one must shoot out of their guns, right?) cost a wad of dough, but I hear they're very accurate. Anyone have any experience shooting one of these?

Also, I've heard a lot of good things about Weatherby's .257 magnum cartridge. At 87 grains in the .257 mag. caliber, the Weatherby bullet flies at 3,850 fps.

I realize that 87 grains is too light for mule deer and other similar-sized game, but one can increase the grains of the .257 mag. bullet up to 115 (Barnes-X), 117, or 120 (Partition). What do you think? Do you feel 115 grains is suitable for deer, especially if the bullet is flying super fast, thus increasing its downrange energy?

I know that the .25-06 is a rather popular deer cartridge, and the .257 Weatherby Magnum has better balistics than the .25-06.

I'm really just interested in several opinions regarding Weatherby rifles in general and what you all think about the .257 Weatherby Mag. cartridge for deer.

Also, my dad and I have owned a couple of Sakos, and we really like them. Within the last few years, however, they changed their safety mechanism, and it's not great. If it weren't for their awkward safety switch, I doubt Sako could be beat as the best gun around for out-of-the-box accuracy and quality of workmanship.

Any of you who have owned either of these two brands or who have family/friends who shoot them, I'd like to hear your experiences with Weatherbys and Sakos.

Thanks.
 
Try the Weatherby Vanguard in 257 Mag. Great rifle, great price. And yes, the 257 Mag with a good 115-120 grain bullet is perfect for deer. You can get the "sub MOA" Vanguard for a little more money.
 
I have the 240 and 270 weather mag rifles. They are GREAT rifles, they are very accurate and very lethel. I used the 270 last week on a late cow elk hunt, one shot and it was over in a hurry.

My dad has a 257 weatherby, and oh boy what a great gun. The girls in the family use it for elk hunting.

Yes the ammo is high dollar but you indeed have one of the best rifles made!

Good Luck,

EH4
 
Bob's right on. I shoot a Weatherby 300 Win Mag, fully outfitted, it was only $430 new, best gun I've had out of Remington, Savage, Winchester, Marlin. As far as bullet weight, the biggest deer I ever shot was around 230 lbs. and I took it with a 115 grain bullet. It went straight down.
Good luck.
 
I got a Weatherby Ultra-Lite 300 mag about 5 years ago. After shooting an 30-06 for a zillion years I wanted something that shot flatter. With the 30-06 I would never shoot over 350 yards because of the drop.
When I hunt I have my trajectory chart taped to the side of my rangefinder. So first year with my Weatherby I was hunting Mule Deer in Nevada I was able to stock a 4x4 until I couldn't get within 500 yards of the deer. I found a good rest and ranged the deer across the canyon.....514 yards, looked at my chart and new where I had to hold over the deer. The rifle did it's job, the buck dropped like a rock on the first shot. With my old rifle I couldn't have taken that shot.
 
I have the weaterby mark5 ultra lite in a 280. I own numerous other rifles, none of which have been out of the safe since I bought this one. It was very spendy by my standards, but now I understand why. It shoots flatter than any rifle I have owned. No recoil at all (literally kicks like a 22). Really Really lite. Was worth the investment. $1600 seems like a lot to spend on a rifle, but you will never have to buy another gun.

As far as the 257 is concerned I have never owned one. But my brother in law has a couple. I don't think he would hunt deer with any other caliber.

Basically, I don't think you could go wrong with the weatherby, or 257.
 
I would never shoot a .257 WM!! Let a lone have a name on a hunting forum after that POS!!! Just kidding, its a way cool, super cool hunting rifle. Fairly light, shoots soft, hits hard. Love it.
 
I use a 7mm W mag,, flat shooting == 160 gr bullet handload 61 grains 4831. doesnt beat you to death and is way more accurate than I am.. shoots flatter than most of these new hot shot magnums. Its all I have used for the last 8 years and it works really well. Not to mention its a very well made rifle.. Every hunter should own a weatherby once in his life.
 
The 257 was Roy's favorite cal.I have been using a 100 grain bullet in mine for over twenty years. Kills like leathal enjection. Don
 
My brother shoots a 7mm ultra mag in a remington sendero. He can hit paper plates all day long at 700 yards. He took a coues this year at 650. That think gets it on. My buddy shoots the 30-378 weatherby mag and it is real close to that ultra mag. Your up there around 3500 to 3600 fps on a 150 grain bullet. If your wanting to step out there and still have enough energy and accuracy to drop a deer, those are my two favorites.
 
I never had a buck (deer or lope) drop dead in its tracks from
my .257 with X bullet...yes all were deadly heart shots!
Just normal 400 yrds shots! Maybe just to fast? USE ONLY ONE BULLET AND YOUR GOOD(SAME GRAIN AND MANUFACTURE)!!
rackmaster
 
I sure love my Sako Finnlight 300 WSM super smooth action light weight and have never shot anything more accurate out the box like it did.
 
i have a weatherby 30-378 and it has the accubrake on it but it doesnt kick at all,,,it shoots great and it a great lookin gun,, its expensive but i wouldnt hesitate to buy another weatherby.,.cbryant
 
RE: Weather by and Sako Rifles

~ 30-378 that doesn't kick at all ?
I'll call B.S. on that one.

Never owned a Sako but have heard from several sources that they have the best action there is.

I've owned 2 Weatherby's & neither has been very accurate, I put a Christiansen's barrel on one & it performs nicely now.
 
RE: Weather by and Sako Rifles

LAST EDITED ON Dec-27-05 AT 10:23AM (MST)[p]My brother has a 338/378. It has a muzzle brake and has been customized to fit him. We are both 5'8" around 170. When I first shot it I was getting ready to get pounded. I leaned in and pulled the trigger and just felt a nudge. We were shooting 250 gr bullets at 3100 fps. You could keep the target in the sight picture during recoil. The funnest cannon I've ever shot. The only down side was that ammo is almost $5 a round.

I shot-up about $30 worth of ammo and smiled and handed it back to my brother and told him thanks (he's a Dr. he can afford it).
 
I HAVE A 30-378, LOVE IT TO DEATH, NOT ALOT OF RECOIL I ACTUALLY TOOK THE MUZZLEBRAKE OFF. THERE ARE 2 DOWNSIDES IF YOU WANT TO CALL THEM THAT TO THIS RIFLE. WEIGHT AND COST OF SHELLS BUT THE WEIGHT DOESNT BOTHER ME AND THE BOX OF SHELLS ARE AROUND $80 I DIDNT BUY THIS RIFLE 10 YEARS AGO FOR PLINKING. I ALSO HAVE WEATHERBY 300 MAG IN THE SUPER BIG GAME, LIGHT RIFLE LOTS OF BUCK & RECOIL, MAGNAPORTING COULD HELP. OWNED WEATHERBYS FOR LONG TIME. IN A WORD, WEATHERBY
 
My theory is, if you are shooting a gun for North American game, and you need a muzzle-brake, then you are shooting too much gun.

Weatherbys are fast calibers, but...you pay a premium for brass, not to mention an arm and a leg for factory if you don't handload. And...they are all over-bore in capacity and performance. You dump 50% more powder to gain 5% in velocity. Hard to beat the 300 Win mag in any bullet weight. And that includes all the whizzbang-super-duper-shorts.

As far as guns...get the Sako.
 
Hey Prince,
I've owned both Sako (A5 in 7mm Rem mag) and Weatherby (Mark 5 in 7mm Rem mag Super Big Game Master.)
The Sako was more accurate out of the box (5/8 to 1" 3-shot groups) but weighed nearly 10 pounds so it should be more accurate.
I got tired of packing it, so I sold it and bought the Weatherby because they weigh less than 7 pounds. It was not as accurate out of the box (1.5-2" groups) but with some tuning with reloads, I got it down to 1".
Most people don't know that Weatherby chambers a few other calibers besides their own, giving you the option of cheaper ammo. The barrels in these non-weatherby calibers are 24", compared to 26" for the Weatherby, but the big bucks are in the cover after opening day, so I like the shorter, better-handling gun and my ammo is much cheaper. If I can't kill a buck with the 7mm Rem caliber, I'm too far to hit him accurately with anything. Muzzle breaks aren't worth the noise to me.
I'm happy with my Weatherby and I don't miss my old Sako, even the fine rifle it was.


The Christian
 
I use nothing but the 257 wby mag on deer and antelope anymore. That 115 gr barnes bullet is tough to beat. I also have a 30-378 wby mag and a 338-378 wby mag I love weatherby. I grew up with Roy Weatherby being one of my heros.
 
Was thinking of bulding a custom rifle in the 257 and then ran into the Weatherby Mark V Ultralight. Looks like a FINE rifle but have SEVERAL folks saying it will shoot 300 fps at best less than a custom. I think they are talking a 30-32" barrel and a 10lb rifle. I still find it hard to believe there is that much difference using the same handload.

What do you think?

This appears to be a VERY NICE factory rifle.

Archer
 
Archeryelk: I agree with you as most gunmakers will tell you that for every inch of barrel in a magnum rifle, you'll gain 30-50 feet per second because of increased powder buring efficiency. So if someone's custom gun of the same caliber/powder charge is shooting 300 fps faster, it must have the length of barrel (30+ inches) that you mention.

If a person is packing a rifle with a normal length stock and action and has a 30" barrel, there better not be any trees in his unit or he won't be able to turn around with that thing.

My friend had a custom rifle with a 30" barrel and it was like packing an 11 pound fishing pole. It wouldn't fit in a gun scabbard or gun racks and was noticebly harder to manuever in the brush.
He always told me though, if a buck appears at 600-800 yards, this was the gun for the job. I couldn't argue with that, but I'm still shooting my 24"-barreled Weatherby in 7mm Rem mag with no complaints. It is the ultralight or the Super Big Game Master as Weatherby calls it and weighs 6 pounds 12 ounces before I scoped it. I love carrying it.



The Christian
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-01-06 AT 03:59AM (MST)[p]My friends and I have had nothing but good luck with weatherby rifles.We've owned calibers chambered from the .240-.338/.378 and have had no problem getting under 1" groups with handloads at 100 yds.As far as the .257 weatherby goes, I've witnessed my friend harvest two big mule deer bucks at 300 yds. plus+ with no problems at all.He shoots a super hot load with 115 gr. nosler partition bullets.To take full advantage of the .257 weatherby the 26" barrel is the way to go.
 
Dad was in the Gross Venture Wilderness 2 yrs ago with his .270 Weatherby Mag. and took a muley at 242 yrds with one shot to the back of the head. The deer was mostly hidden by brush and had not stood for over an hour and a half, so dad used my shooting sticks and put the cross hairs on the back of his head. One shot and the bugger dropped out of sight.

5 stars for Weatherby if you ask me.

Cactus Dave
 
My accumark in 270 Weatherby Magnum is a fine machine. The .257 Weatherby is the premier 25 caliber round.
 
Hey, thanks everybody for all of your advice and comments.

By the way, Happy New Year to everyone.
 
I shoot the Weatherby "Alaskan" Mark V in 300WBY and it is nothing short of outstanding! This fall in Utah, i had a nice buck broadside at 368 yds. I knew i could make the shot because i practice all summer shooting. When the 180 grain Ballistic Tip hit him, he buckled like a cheap suitcase and didn't even know he was dead. I didn't even have to fold his legs in for pics, he fell perfectly! Now i'm not condoning or encouraging these shots for anybody or any gun, but i knew i had the right gun and the skills to make it happen. Good luck!!
 
I own a 300 WBY in the Accumark version w/o the muzzle break. I also lightened up the trigger. It is a sweet rifle and I have used it to take several bull elk and a few muley bucks. It isn't the most accurate thing in the world, the best group I have gotten out of it is 1 inch with the usual groups hovering about at 1.5 inches. I do own other rifles (non-Weatherby) that will group way better. So I do believe Sako may have a better edge overall in accuracy but you can't go wrong with a Weatherby. From what I am hearing the cheaper line Weatherby Vanguard models seem to be more accurate than the more expensive models?
 

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