• The Lonely 7mm Weatherby Magnum

    Are there any 7mm Weatherby fans out there? I can't remember ever having seen a new 7mm Weatherby rifle in any configuration on any dealer's shelf, and I have seen 2 new .240 Weatherby Magnums in the past, one in a Deluxe model. What does this say? This is a difficult cartridge for me to write about because I've never been a fan of the 7mm in any configuration. In fact, I'm not a fan of any metrically designated cartridge, but that's just my own biased and really means nothing. Where does this cartridge fit? That's where I struggle. The 7mm Weatherby is tightly shoe-horned between the .270 Weatherby and the venerable .300 Weatherby. It's too tight of a squeeze for me. I guess if a hunter wanted to forgo the .270 and .300 Weatherby, the 7mm Weatherby starts to make a bit more sense, especially when combined in a 2 rifle battery with something like a .340 Weatherby Magnum. In spite of these comments, for some reason, my interest in the 7mm Weatherby is increasing, lately. The .284 caliber is extremely popular and, in the heavier bullets of 160 grains up, the sectional density is outstanding.
    The 7mm Weatherby was among the first of Roy Weatherby's original cartridges and joins the .257 and .270 Weatherby in that regard. It was born in 1944 and was based on the shortened and blown-out .300 H&H case. Even though this was the first commercial 7mm magnum on the market, the gunwriters completely ignored it's existence and screamed and hollered for a 7mm Magnum. Remington met that need in 1962 but, with the Weatherby version already established, there was no need for the 7mm Remington. There was another 7mm Magnum that came right after the Weatherby, and that was the 7x61 Sharp & Hart. This cartridge received far less play in the market than even the Weatherby. So, where does the 7mm Weatherby truly fit in usefullness where it sits tightly between the .270 and .300 Weatherby? If you look at the ballistics charts, there is very little discernable difference between the .270 and 7mm Magnums. If I were to own the 7mm Weatherby, I'd settle on the 160 grain Accubond. The Accubonds are tremendously effective and extremely accurate in my rifles. The 7mm Magnums really come into their own with the heavier bullets of 160 grains and up but, the problem with that is, you're right into the .300 Weatherby's territory. Now, if recoil were an issue and you wanted performance as close to the .300 Weatherby as possible, then the 7mm Weatherby makes sense. Is that where it fits? If so, can't the .270 Weatherby fill all those needs just as well? A couple big benefits to this cartridge for me would be that it comes chambered in the best bolt action rifle made in the World, comes with a 26" barrel, Weatherby factory loads are the best available factory loads without exception, and there is an amazing selection of 7mm bullets out there to choose from.
    It's a shame that the Remington version became the world standard because the Weatherby version is actually a better cartridge and is capable of slightly better performance. Jack O'Connor believed it was the best of all the Weatherby chamberings and it may also be one of the most versatile of the Weatherby cartridges.
    So, where does this cartridge fit in? Maybe it doesn't matter. Truth is, the 7mm Weatherby is no more of an in-between child than any cartridge in the Weatherby line-up. A solid case can be made about the .257, .270. and .300 that, they too, are just in-betweeners that can be eliminated in favor of either cartridge sitting on its left or right in the Weatherby line-up. It all depends on your starting point. You like what you like and maybe that's all that matters. You certainly will never go wrong by choosing the 7mm Weatherby.
    Comments 27 Comments
    1. 300WthbySynt's Avatar
      300WthbySynt -
      I have not seen any 240s in my area JB, only 300s and a couple 7mms.
    1. Dr. Vette's Avatar
      Dr. Vette -
      I own one 7mm Wby (shot a WT today with it, 222 yards) and Dad owns 3 Wbys in this caliber, 1 Sako.

      As you can tell, this caliber is a favorite of ours. Very manageable recoil, excellent ballistics and great power. I'm sure that the rifles will do us well again on an elk hunt in a few weeks.

      I own a 300 and a 340 but have yet to shoot them. With the 7mm I haven't yet seen much of a need to do so.
    1. oldman_gamer's Avatar
      oldman_gamer -
      I signed in and did a big write up,but when I clicked to finalize it,the server logged me out. NOT GONNA write it again. The whole of my write up was to state that a 7mag is tops in my world and why.
    1. daveo's Avatar
      daveo -
      Wish I had one JB, that is the chit if you ask me, I was looking around for one today online and ended up picking out the new euromark
      custom in the 7mm bee cal.. All I need is the funds now.

      Side note: I went up to the Cabela's today for some reloading stuff, and come to find out Weatherby bolt actions are no longer carried there. Not that they would have a new 7mm on the rack, but it was still nice to see a deluxe in .257 and .300 cal,s. there in the past.

      Daveo
    1. JB257460's Avatar
      JB257460 -
      Quote Originally Posted by daveo View Post
      Side note: I went up to the Cabela's today for some reloading stuff, and come to find out Weatherby bolt actions are no longer carried there. Daveo
      Are you serious?????? That would be a shame! The store near me in Hamburg, PA> was always a big stocking dealer and alsways carried a nice selection on new Mark Vs. I've purchased a Deluxe model in .257, .270, .300, .340, and the most beautiful .416 I've ever seen at that store.
    1. Wbypoor's Avatar
      Wbypoor -
      Quote Originally Posted by daveo View Post
      Side note: I went up to the Cabela's today for some reloading stuff, and come to find out Weatherby bolt actions are no longer carried there.
      Daveo
      That would be a huge snafu for Cabela's! We have no store near our home but when traveling I always make time to stop at those I pass for the sole purpose of surveying what Weatherbys they may have.
    1. daveo's Avatar
      daveo -
      Quote Originally Posted by JB257460 View Post
      Are you serious?????? That would be a shame! The store near me in Hamburg, PA> was always a big stocking dealer and alsways carried a nice selection on new Mark Vs. I've purchased a Deluxe model in .257, .270, .300, .340, and the most beautiful .416 I've ever seen at that store.
      Yup the Cabela's here in Hoffman Estates Ill. no longer carry's them on the shelf, I asked.

      I see on there web site you can order a deluxe in .257/.270 and .300 and Accumarks in .257/.300 and .30-378
      But part of the fun is seeing them in person before you buy.

      I guess everybody is hurting they even closed up the seconed floor, and moved all the guns down to the bottom floor.

      Daveo
    1. JB257460's Avatar
      JB257460 -
      Oh, I thought you meant Cabelas made a corporate decision to not be a stocking dealersjip for Weatherby's. It's good to hear that may not be the case, but still a shame your local store withdrew from the program. You're right, a lot of the fun is seeing them in person before buying. I guess you'll have to head into Michigan or Wisconsin for your next nearest Cabelas.


      This thread is taking a turn away from the article on the 7mm, so maybe we can move this to a different topic in the Hunting Lodge if someone wants to begin there.
    1. 300WthbySynt's Avatar
      300WthbySynt -
      My dad had a 7mm weatherby in a sporter stock. When I showed him my 300 with the new sporter stock he smiled and said "Reminds me of my 7mm and the little groups I used to shoot with that gun."
    1. Beau9's Avatar
      Beau9 -
      I have had the extreme pleasure of owning and hunting with 2 7mm Weatherby Magnums. I have also owned and hunted with a 270 Weatherby Magnum. After a lot of playing with these rifles I now believe that the 7mm Weatherby Magnum is simply awesome as an extreme ranger and an allrounder. It is very flat shooting and very easy on the shoulder. My very favorite hunters are the 7mm, 300 and 340 Weatherbys. they are a 10. And when fitted with Zeiss scopes in Warne mounts they are a perfect 10. My favorite short range scrubber is my CZ550 American 9.3x62 with a Zeiss Victory Diavari 1.5-6x42 in Warne mounts. My 300 gets more use than anything else, but, heaven forbid, if I was reduced to one gun, I would be happy with either of these rifles. I'll go out on a limb and declare the 7mm Weatherby the best Mountain cartridge on this planet.
    1. PoppaW's Avatar
      PoppaW -
      Our 7mm Deluxe was bought for my wife. She wanted her own gun and this one fit her nice. The previous owner said it was inaccurate and could shoot around corners. He did not like the gun. We took it home and cleaned it up nice. My wife and I regularily get less than 1" groups with 4 types of bullets. Nosler Partition and Accubond as well as Hornady factory 139's but our favorite on game and paper is the 150 TSX. We have made our longest shots with this gun. 400 for my wife and 500ish for me. We have made this the family go-to gun. The stock is missing finish and it is the plainest deluxe I have ever seen. I threaten to restock it with a nice piece of wood but my wife likes the character of the old walnut. It also hides the bumps and dings.
    1. wapitiaholic's Avatar
      wapitiaholic -
      i have a 7mm ulw its a great rifle flat shooting and hard hitting , i use barnes 140 tsx . got my 5th bull this year i would never in a million years shoot another caliber, i guess you can say i love em.
    1. BigDawgDJA's Avatar
      BigDawgDJA -
      7mm mag fan? If you compair the 7mm to 300 160 or 180 gran bullets - the 7 has higher BCs and a MV of 3100 ft/sec for the 180 grn w/a significantly lower pwdr charge than the 300. I did this compairson 30 yrs ago and chose Wby's 7 then. The numbers haven't changed since. If you're looking for efficient, down range energy - the 7 wins (vs 300) every time.
    1. thechamp's Avatar
      thechamp -
      I cut my teeth on the 7 Rem and that was mainly because 7 mm Weatherby ammo was unheard of in my part of the country. Plus it was hard enough for a young guy to come up with $150 for a 7 Rem mag versus twice that (or more) for a Wby. And it was hard enough to get 7 Rem ammo in those days much less find a box of 7 Wby. The 7 Wby is ballistically one awesome round. If I were to guess why the 7 Rem won the popularity contest early plus Remington had a bigger market following and was able to price their ammunition much cheaper than Wby did. Also in those days the only ammo available for the Wby was Wby brand which was very expensive. Federal and Hornady were already making the 7 Rem by the time I got my first one and while it cost more than 270 win and 30-06 it wasn't much more. With the price difference there was no way Wby could really compete. The average Joe won't pay twice for something that will do 10% more performance. Many a hunter today still thinks a $600 Leupold is a 'high dollar' scope.

      Today a lot of us own the 270 Wby and the 300 Wby. I recently added a 257 Wby but do not see any reason to add the 7 mm. The 270 and 300 will do everything that I need and do them very well. Plus the 270 is very accurate and doesn't recoil like any magnum out there that I've shot.

      The Best of the West has done a good job promoting the 7 mm bullet on it's shows but the truth of the matter is most hunters won't shoot over 300 yards so who cares what the BC is at 700-800? A good hunter cares about the game animal and won't make shots that he's not 100% positive will provide a quick death to the animal. Gambling at extreme ranges, wind, etc., would lead to a lot of injured animals in the hands of most hunters. Luckily most know it and don't go there. IMO the BC debate the last few years has honestly confused a lot of hunters who have no business even dreaming of that 600 yard shot.

      In a perfect world the 7 Wby would have dominated. And as others here pointed out if you could only have one that would probably be the logical one to have.
    1. JB257460's Avatar
      JB257460 -
      thechamp,

      I enjoyed reading your well thought out and well-written comments regarding the 7mm Weatherby and, for the mpost part, I tend to agree. I face the same decision making dilemma as you do; I own a .257, .270, .300, and .340 Weatherby so, in all practicality, a 7mm Weatherby would serve no purpose at all and I'm not one to own a rifle in a chambering "just because". I have to admit though that I've toyed on the verge of buying one, but I certainly don't need it at all. Truth be told, I could do anything I wanted to with a .270 and a .340. Nevertheless, the 7mm Weatherby was the first 7mm magnum to achieve commercial success and it should've been the most popular; In my opinion, it's the best.
    1. Oldtrader3's Avatar
      Oldtrader3 -
      I have been using a custom, Whitworth Mauser Mark X, 7mm Rem Mag for the past 35 years and a Husqvarna Crown 3000, 7mm Rem Mag before that (since 1964) for long range mule deer. I have not used it as much as the .270 Winchester for deer but have killed probably 15 or so deer with the 7mm Mag, most at longish ranges up to 450 yards. It has never failed to do what I have asked it to do in terms of harvesting game or accuracy.

      I would have rather bought a Weatherby Mark V but when I had the Mauser built, the Weatherby's were still being built in Germany and I could not find one that I liked the wood on so, I had a custom Mauser built. In retrospect, I could have just as well have bought a Mark V and I would have preferred the Weatherby mag cartridge more than the Remington one for achieving a true 3000+ fps with 160 gr Nosler Partitions or now using Accubonds.

      Since I own a .340 Bee, the 7mm Weatherby would fit my needs to-a-tee, as a light magnum for deer. However, to be truthful, a .270 Weatherby would probably have done just as well by me for a long range deer rifle. Friends of mine have both the .270 and 7mm Weatherby's and both have killed many mule deer with them during all of the years that I have hunted with these guys.
    1. Bestboss's Avatar
      Bestboss -
      I am lucky to have two Jap MkV customs in both 270 Wby and 7mm Wby. In appearance they look and for the most part, shoot as one would expect of a Weatherby.
      My favorite after a lot of loading and shooting is the 7mm. It seems to like the heavier bullets for the caliber. Namely the 150's and up. Does it outshoot the 270 Wby? Maybe on a good day, but it would be measured with a micrometer.
      Stacked against my Belgium Browning Safari in 300 Win mag, it is a solid contender and seems to get the logical nod for all but the heaviest of North American game in my book.
      I agree that remington killed this cartridge with it's moderately priced rifles in a comparable caliber. But then it is not everyones rifle or caliber, any more than a Beemer is everyones car.
      For those who choose to learn the ways of the 7mm Wby, there will be no regrets. (Ok, maybe that they did not do it sooner).
      Bestboss
    1. weatherbyman's Avatar
      weatherbyman -
      Out of all my monster magnums, I love my 7mm Wby Mag best of all. Just gets the job done! ANY JOB I ask of it.

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    1. weatherbyman's Avatar
      weatherbyman -
      please contact admin for sponsor opertunities
    1. WildTigertrout's Avatar
      WildTigertrout -
      I made my longest shot ever on a Whitetail Deer with my Mark V Stainless 7MM Weatherby Mag. One shot at 419 yards(Measured with a lazer rangefinder). I agree the 7MM is one of Roy's most underated cartridges but at the same time it is one of my favorites. Flat shooting, accurate and decent power at longer distances without mind numbing recoil. I really like mine.