378 Wheatherby Magnum, opinions please

C Gamboa

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Everybody mention 375 HH and I'd like to have one,they are extremly rare in my country but someone is selling a 378 wheatherby magnum , anyone knows how good , bad or problematic is this caliber, what about the recoil?
I've never shot (or seen) anyting biger than a 300 win mag. Thaks for your input.
 
I think the 378 WBY is kind of cool, at least the idea is (ive never shot one). its a high velocity 375 cartridge capable of pretty spectacular results if loaded correctly. id love to try one with 270gr Barnes TSX bullets.

recoil will be quite stout compared to a 300 WM, id say it should compare to a 416 in terms of recoil. you would want the gun to weigh around 10+ pounds and steer clear of shooting off the bench (I will hurt!).

-matt
 
I do not have a 378 Wby, but I have shot the H&H & the RUM. According to loading manuals the 375 RUM approaches the performance of the Wby. If shooting full power loads with heavy (300-350 grain) both will get your attention but the RUM will really get your attention. However, with lighter loads (250 gr) I find the RUM not a whole lot different from other less imposing cartridges. If you can get the Wby at a reasonable price and you have access to loading equipment so that you can load your own bullets, some of which will be slightly reduced recoil practice loads, then I'd day yes, if not, I'd continue looking for an H&H.
 
You will be assuming a bit of a reputation burden - not altogether positive - if you show up in camp with a .378. Way back in the day, the big WBY earned very bad press among African professional hunters. There were bullet failures and there were client failures resulting in enough wounded game to create quite a negative reputation about the round. A lot of that still persists, however unwarranted. I am confident, that with a premium 300 gr bullet it would be extremely effective on African game. The second concern, at least for me, is ergonomic. Weatherby styling looked very sleek by standards of the time. For a modern safari rifle, particularly one with that much recoil, I would prefer something with the straighter stock in the English tradition. The high Weatherby cheekpiece and low butt would seem ideal for accentuating the recoil of an already punishing caliber. Finally, the standard Mark V did not have open sights, which I find essential on a dangerous game rifle.
 
I pulled the trigger on one once...it clocked me! Headache the rest of the day. A 375 H&H is my comfortable limit.
Like a 10 ga goose gun I got a great deal on! Sold it with only 3 or 4 rounds gone from the only box of shotgun shells.
I’m 156 lbs, so maybe more of a man could handle it. The recoil from a 416 Rigby sets me back enough that the first shot had better get it done. If not, I’ll get run over by what ever freight train I’m shooting.
JMwhimpyO! Good luck in your decision!
 
I pulled the trigger on one once...it clocked me! Headache the rest of the day. A 375 H&H is my comfortable limit.
Like a 10 ga goose gun I got a great deal on! Sold it with only 3 or 4 rounds gone from the only box of shotgun shells.
I’m 156 lbs, so maybe more of a man could handle it. The recoil from a 416 Rigby sets me back enough that the first shot had better get it done. If not, I’ll get run over by what ever freight train I’m shooting.
JMwhimpyO! Good luck in your decision!
A heavier man gets slapped harder by recoil than the lighter man. More resistance to it, where the lighter man will get shoved back easier. For a handloader, the .378 could be loaded to H&H specs and not be too bad, but if only factory loads, forget it.
 
OH NO!!!

Just forget about it. Way too much velocity and unless you are immune to recoil it will beat you until you give up.

If you plan on hunting Africa with it, make sure the PH has a spare rifle in camp for you.

Look for a 375 H&H.

Best of luck.
 
As stated—if you reload, and the price is right, you can load it down in FPS and match the HH.
If you can handle the Weatherby configurations [stock]. And the price is right.
You can always load down but not always up. So if the price is —you get the message.
 
I have owned a 378 Wby and a 460 wby, I very rarely sell guns, when I do it is because I need cash to upgrade or I hate the gun. When I sold both of those I didn’t need money. The recoil of both were as close to being hit with a baseball bat as I have ever been without it actually being a baseball bat. I agree with RedLeg and attribute much of this to the hairlip design of the mark V stock. I have shot custom rifles chambered in both and the results were very different and quite manageable. I also have issue with Weatherby brass, it is costly and the case life is poor. I have to attribute this to the Weatherby shoulder as to the best of my knowledge Norma makes Weatherby brass and all Norma brass I have used is top shelf.
The 378 is a performer, but at normal hunting distances I believe a man is best served by the old 375 H&H.
Cheers,
Cody
 
If you have need for a 375 at long range, it makes sense. The velocity is excessive at close range, although the right bullet can handle it, there is no need for it. You can handload it to match a 375 H&H. As I see it, it is a specialized cartridge that very few people have a proper use for, unless it is just for fun
 
The guys I know that enjoy shooting it all hand load. Given what everyone is saying here, that must be the way to go.
 
If you have need for a 375 at long range, it makes sense. The velocity is excessive at close range, although the right bullet can handle it, there is no need for it. You can handload it to match a 375 H&H. As I see it, it is a specialized cartridge that very few people have a proper use for, unless it is just for fun

speed + mono-metal bullet = more spectacular kills in my experience. I run a 300gr TSX in my 416 RM for this very reason.

I bet a 270gr .375" TSX at 3200fps from a 378 WBY would flatten critters like you wouldn't believe!

-matt
 
Back in the 1980's, a guy at my range had returned from a safari in I believe Zambia. He had shot just about everything there with his .378 WBY. Now he was selling it. He warned me about the recoil but being a "tough" 28 year old I "knew" I could handle it. Keep in mind it didn't come with a muzzle brake at the time. So I bought the rifle with a Redfield scope and three boxes of ammo plus some brass for about $750, if I remember correctly.
BOY WAS I WRONG... Not only was the recoil hard, it was FAST! I tried loading it down but that didn't do much. It reduced it from a car crash at 80 MPH to one at 70 MPH. I really tried to learn to shoot it but just couldn't. I think nine shots was the most I fired from it in a day. I owned that rifle for about three years and only fired maybe 150 rounds thru it before I sold it.
After all that, I have still occasionally thought about giving the round another chance. After all you have to love the idea of a round that shoots the same bullets as a .375 H&H, has a trajectory like a 7mm mag and more muzzle energy than a .458 Win mag. Sounds like nearly the perfect round. If I would get one, it would need to weigh about 11 or 12 lbs and have a couple of recoil reducers in the stock. No muzzle-brake... Too loud on a hunting rifle. Too bad A-Square is out of business. I might have had them build me one.
 
I bet a 270gr .375" TSX at 3200fps from a 378 WBY would flatten critters like you wouldn't believe!

Correct-on both ends of the stock.
 
As stated—if you reload, and the price is right, you can load it down in FPS and match the HH.
If you can handle the Weatherby configurations [stock]. And the price is right.
You can always load down but not always up. So if the price is —you get the message.

Never makes sense to try and make something it is not...just because the price seems right, wrong way to go about it.

Loading it down is not always the right way to go especially if you plan on using heavy for caliber bullets. The twist rate of the barrel is wrong and you will have issues with bullet stabilization.

Now you have a push feed action rifle, with the wrong barrel twist, with an excessively long barrel, probably fitted with a muzzle brake, that has no "iron"/open sights, that needs brass that is very hard to come by and expensive and it only takes two in the magazine, what for???

So you can say, I have a 378 Weatherby that I download to 375 H&H velocity but it aint as great as what I thought?

No No No sir, let common sense prevail, pass on this deal and buy yourself a proper hunting rifle in any number of calibers you prefer, but not a 378 Weatherby.

Make an arrangement to go and shoot this rifle, one shot will make the decision for you.

Good luck.

PS. Make sure you dont creep the stock.
 
C. Gamboa,

300 gr. bullet, 3000 thousand fps equals a cool 6000 foot pounds of absolute meat ripping, bone smashing joy and happiness at a distance that old people can't even see at anymore.

I spoke to the almighty years ago and he told me that the 378 and the 460 are what he uses, and who am I to argue with the supreme being?

I have some of the original rifles as well as the new and I have never had a problem with any of them.

Yes! They both kick, but its worth it and if you're a hand loader you can even make that even worse if you like.

Hi five!
 

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