300 Wby mag. Good choice?

Don K

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So on our upcoming safari I had planned on taking my .300 wsm but am now leaning towards my 300 Wby mag. I don't shoot it a lot anymore but looking through the hi room I have about 200 rounds on the shelf... I figure that's lots for some practice and the hunt. They are loaded with 180 gr Nosler Partitions which I assume is lots for any plains game??
It has a Swaro Z6i on it now, but I might switch that out for a Meopta or a LEUPOLD 3-9 vx3...
Wanted to take the WSM originally as next year my daughter is coming (she will be 12) and it's a really light kicking rifle. But over the holidays while practicing I've discovered she's way better left handed, and there's no way that rifle will work with the thumbhole stock.
So I will also need to get a gun that works for her, any ideas on a lighter caliber? Her 'wish list' is a Gemsbok, warthog and an Eland.
 
I would suggest .308, 7mm-08, and I think even a .270 will work.
 
I shoot left but have used right hand guns for so many years a lefty bolt feels foreign. I would lean towards the 7mm-08 as enysse suggested. real light kicker and plenty of energy with good shot placement
 
I'm in the same boat , mate
I've never fired a left handed riffle
I've got a left handed shot gun stock on my under & over
30 firearms is a lot of guns !!
I've tried a couple of right handed bows and it hurt
 
7mm-08/260rem/308win would be excellent choices.
My daughter used a 257Roberts for warthog/kudu/zebra/Impala/red hartebeest at ranges from 135-410 yards using 120gr Swift A-Frames.
A 257Weatherby will have less recoil and flatter shooting than a 270. I would use 120gr Swift A-Frame bullets. A 25-06 would be another choice.

For you either the Weatherby or WSM will do the job. Take the one you shoot best. Heck take the other as back-up. Nosler PAR/Swift A-Frames or Barnes TTSX bullets will work just fine. I usually shoot Nosler PAR but used the Swift A-Frames for my 338win mag and my daughters 257Robets in Africa.
 
Got to agree. Correct me if I'm wrong but African game, Rino, elephants excepted are not armor plated as far as I know. A quality bullet well placed will drop the ungulates quick.
7mm-08/260rem/308win would be excellent choices.
My daughter used a 257Roberts for warthog/kudu/zebra/Impala/red hartebeest at ranges from 135-410 yards using 120gr Swift A-Frames.
A 257Weatherby will have less recoil and flatter shooting than a 270. I would use 120gr Swift A-Frame bullets. A 25-06 would be another choice.

For you either the Weatherby or WSM will do the job. Take the one you shoot best. Heck take the other as back-up. Nosler PAR/Swift A-Frames or Barnes TTSX bullets will work just fine. I usually shoot Nosler PAR but used the Swift A-Frames for my 338win mag and my daughters 257Robets in Africa.
 
So on our upcoming safari I had planned on taking my .300 wsm but am now leaning towards my 300 Wby mag. I don't shoot it a lot anymore but looking through the hi room I have about 200 rounds on the shelf... I figure that's lots for some practice and the hunt. They are loaded with 180 gr Nosler Partitions which I assume is lots for any plains game??
It has a Swaro Z6i on it now, but I might switch that out for a Meopta or a LEUPOLD 3-9 vx3...
Wanted to take the WSM originally as next year my daughter is coming (she will be 12) and it's a really light kicking rifle. But over the holidays while practicing I've discovered she's way better left handed, and there's no way that rifle will work with the thumbhole stock.
So I will also need to get a gun that works for her, any ideas on a lighter caliber? Her 'wish list' is a Gemsbok, warthog and an Eland.

How tall is your daughter Don? I ask, as I was going to recommend a Tikka T3 Lite in .308 Winchester. My 15 year old used one with 165gr North Forks to down an Eland this past June. .308 is about as light as I'd go with Eland on the menu. The Tikka's come in left handed models and the .308 Win is crazy accurate, at least my son's is. But it may be a bit long for her especially with a proper recoil pad.

Left handed youth sized rifles may be a challenge to find.
 
I'd assume by next June she will be about 5' tall. I'm thinking a modified stock may be in order if I can't find something to fit her. Irregardless of gun I will get a muzzle brake installed. I'll look into the T3 for sure. I was also thinking about the Browning Titanium mountain rifles. Pretty light and short but with a brake I think they'd be ok...
 
So on our upcoming safari I had planned on taking my .300 wsm but am now leaning towards my 300 Wby mag. I don't shoot it a lot anymore but looking through the hi room I have about 200 rounds on the shelf... I figure that's lots for some practice and the hunt. They are loaded with 180 gr Nosler Partitions which I assume is lots for any plains game??
It has a Swaro Z6i on it now, but I might switch that out for a Meopta or a LEUPOLD 3-9 vx3...
Wanted to take the WSM originally as next year my daughter is coming (she will be 12) and it's a really light kicking rifle. But over the holidays while practicing I've discovered she's way better left handed, and there's no way that rifle will work with the thumbhole stock.
So I will also need to get a gun that works for her, any ideas on a lighter caliber? Her 'wish list' is a Gemsbok, warthog and an Eland.

The WSM is surely not a real light kicking rifle, especially for someone not used to it as you are. As others noted she would be well armed with any of the lighter calibers from .257 to .308 Win. Eland are big and these rounds are on the small end, but I doubt if an eland could really tell much diff between the .308 or the WSM; put the right bullet in the right place and it will work. And you may not actually need the muzzlebrake after all, hint, hint.:rolleyes:
 
my daughter is coming (she will be 12) and it's a really light kicking rifle. But over the holidays while practicing I've discovered she's way better left handed, .

just out of interest did you not check to see which was her master eye before she started to shoot?
 
just out of interest did you not check to see which was her master eye before she started to shoot?

Yep. She didn't favour either eye, and when we tried finding her dominant eye we'd get the right then the left... Both my kids are ambidextrous so she started shooting right handed as it felt better for her. I was obviously ok with this, as doing anything left handed is just plain wrong! Lol!!
She decided to try shooting left handed with her .22 and her groups improved markedly. So I guess that's where we are at, or she can just learn to juggle the gun a bit and work a right hand bolt shooting left handed.

My son is really confusing. He shoots right handed in hockey, left in lacrosse, shoots a bow left and a gun right... I must have been dropped on my head a lot as a child because my left hand might as well not be there for the good it does!
 
The WSM is surely not a real light kicking rifle, especially for someone not used to it as you are. As others noted she would be well armed with any of the lighter calibers from .257 to .308 Win. Eland are big and these rounds are on the small end, but I doubt if an eland could really tell much diff between the .308 or the WSM; put the right bullet in the right place and it will work. And you may not actually need the muzzlebrake after all, hint, hint.:rolleyes:

It actually is a very light kicking rifle. You can literally keep the scope on target with the shot. It kicks less than my old .303, my .257 Wby or .243 win I have. That said, I won't put a new stock on it for her to use. I love her, but I think a new gun would be better! :)
Always good to have a reason (excuse) to go gun shopping!!
 
Yep. She didn't favour either eye, and when we tried finding her dominant eye we'd get the right then the left... Both my kids are ambidextrous so she started shooting right handed as it felt better for her. I was obviously ok with this, as doing anything left handed is just plain wrong! Lol!!
She decided to try shooting left handed with her .22 and her groups improved markedly. So I guess that's where we are at, or she can just learn to juggle the gun a bit and work a right hand bolt shooting left handed.

My son is really confusing. He shoots right handed in hockey, left in lacrosse, shoots a bow left and a gun right... I must have been dropped on my head a lot as a child because my left hand might as well not be there for the good it does!

must be hard work remembering which hand to buy things for which sport....:D wife is left handed but the golf pro she was having lessons from got her playing right handed as she was better that way, and he said it would be cheaper with the clubs, so i totally agreed with him.... also if your daughter is into shooting/hunting maybe you need to bite the bullet and get her a left handed rifle of her own instead of changing one of yours...
 
It actually is a very light kicking rifle. You can literally keep the scope on target with the shot. It kicks less than my old .303, my .257 Wby or .243 win I have. That said, I won't put a new stock on it for her to use. I love her, but I think a new gun would be better! :)
Always good to have a reason (excuse) to go gun shopping!!
Well if you say so, but I dont see how its possible for a .300 WSM to kick less than a .243Win, unless the .243 weighs 2 pounds and the WSM about 15.:confused:
 
must be hard work remembering which hand to buy things for which sport....:D wife is left handed but the golf pro she was having lessons from got her playing right handed as she was better that way, and he said it would be cheaper with the clubs, so i totally agreed with him.... also if your daughter is into shooting/hunting maybe you need to bite the bullet and get her a left handed rifle of her own instead of changing one of yours...

Luckily lacrosse uses one stick, just hold it left or right handed. My daughter plays ringette as well and there only 1 stick (basically a hockey stick with the blade cut off).
A friend I golf with hits the ball both ways and carries both left and right clubs in his bag. His woods are left, long irons and putter right and short tons/wedges are left. He's an 8 handicap!! It's something to see...
I'm actually headed in right now to start looking at guns with her.
 
Luckily lacrosse uses one stick, just hold it left or right handed. My daughter plays ringette as well and there only 1 stick (basically a hockey stick with the blade cut off).
A friend I golf with hits the ball both ways and carries both left and right clubs in his bag. His woods are left, long irons and putter right and short tons/wedges are left. He's an 8 handicap!! It's something to see...
I'm actually headed in right now to start looking at guns with her.

shopping for firearms is definately a father /daughter thing .
have a blast ,mate :dance:
 

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