Many years ago before the internet there was Trading Times newspaper. Back in the 60's there was no concern with the general population about guns. Firearms were very available mail order or from private sellers through adds.
It was on Trading Times that I would look at gun adds. I was fascinated with Weatherby rifles.
One day I spotted a Weatherby in 375 Weatherby Magnum with a cracked stock. It was made before the Weatherby action was made.As I remember the guy was asking $300, still too much for my blood at the time.
I have always regretted not buying it.

Recently I wanted to check this off my bucket list. I wanted a fantastic wood stocked new model In the newly available again, 375 Weatherby Magnum. The 375 Weatherby will fire a 375 H&H magnum or the 375 Weatherby firing a 375 H&H will fire form the case to 375 Weatherby. The 375 Weatherby is listed as a bit more powerful than the 375 H&H.

Never having fired a big bore magnum I was reading up on how much recoil I could expect. A common internet answer was a bit more than a 3" 12gauge slug. I can handle that I thought.

I finally located a new 375 Weatherby that was a factory gun show sample. It came in the Weatherby Dangerous Game Rifle (DGR)configuration with factory installed iron sights, a barrel mounted sling swivel, a heavy barrel, parkerized finish, and black synthetic stock. It was not the wood stocked beauty I had wanted but it sure was mean looking.

I mounted a 1-6 scope and waited to get it to the range.

The day arrived for its range debut. I figured I would start with the 375 H&H rounds to gauge recoil. I decided to not fire from the bench until I experienced the recoil. I did not even attempt to aim other than to point down range. The 375 H&H was much more stout than I figured it would be, The gun recoiled just enough to tap my shooting glasses each time I fired. I shot about 5 rounds then decided it was time to fire the "slightly" more potent 375 Weatherby magnum rounds (350 grain as I remember). I was surprised at the sharp violent recoil that tried to twist my trigger finger and hand out of the trigger housing. It also recoiled enough to allow the scope to tap a bit harder on my shooting glasses. I fired a few more rounds and decided I was punished enough for the day. I also decided that if this rifle ever came out of the safe again it would have to have a muzzle break installed.

I asked my two friends that were with me if they wanted to fire it. One said his shoulder was recovering from a dirt bike incident and he would pass. He was content to fire many rounds from his Barret 50 cal. that day but saw and heard the recoil from the Weatherby. His Father said he wanted to shoot it. He wanted to shoot from the bench but I warned him off that idea. I also advised him that the recoil was tapping my shooting glasses and to not crawl up the stock. He fired and immediately let the rifle down, A bloody scope tube impression around his eye explained his desire to stop after one round.

The rifle is now back home at the Weatherby mother-ship having a accubrake installed. When it returns in about 3 months I will try again.

PAST recoil shield.

Fortunately for me, my bucket list Weatherby is a .257. Roy's first and all that.

A story well told
I enjoyed reading it.

Once you get used to those rifles and learn how to hold them it isn’t too bad at all. I have a couple of 375HH rifles and have gone full circle with them, I used a kimber talkeetna 375HH for my moose this year and it dropped at the shot, I also have a weatherby vanguard dangerous game rifle which I’ve been using for bear hunting, both are great guns.

For me I need to really pay attention to how I hold the guns, I finish sheep hunting and I’m used to lightweight rifles that I don’t hold particularly tight while shooting, that won’t work on my 375 rifles.

I used to shoot moose with a 30-06 and it worked fine but after seeing what the 375 did, I’ll never go back to the 06 for moose hunting.

I top out at the 300WSM, don’t even shoot it that much. I did bag an elk & Black Bear with it. Normally the 284 Win on down is all I need.

I do reload & can tame most anything for range shooting, or hunting.

I have actually considered a 375 H&H, though I have no need for one.

Something you might want to check is to see if the stock fits you correctly. A stock that doesn’t fit will only amplify the felt recoil.

I remember the first time I touched off my .375 H&H from the bench. WOW!!! I’d been reading about how most dangerous game hunters considered it a medium caliber. I was thinking about what a wimp I must be if I couldn’t even handle a “medium caliber”. When I mentioned it to my favorite gun shop owner, he subsequently introduced me to a friend of his who had been making gunstocks for over 50 years. A fitted stock made all the difference(at least for me).

That rifle is now my absolute favorite, I use it for deer hunting every year. The original plan was to take it Cape buffalo hunting. However, that plan was prior to getting married and having a daughter. So who knows if I’ll get to do that, but the rifle itself is awesome.
Sean

At 68 I will never have this rifle out hunting, its a range and fantasy toy. Like buying the high HP car because someday you might need that extra power.
I read a artical about the 375 Weatherby Mark V and how the hunter armed with it killed a Kodiak Brown bear and how the guide commented to him that he never saw a Brown flattened like that with one shot. That clinched the deal for me. I want that caliber in case I ever have to flatten a Brown Bear here in Chicago.
I do have a 257 Weatherby with a gorgeous laser mark stock, someday I will sample the recoil on that.

I didn't think the OP was that much of a puss. Until this thread! I bought a Weatherby for my 50th Bday. It was noon and my Bday. I'd about had a bellyfull, so I told the owner I was going to a gun store and buying myself a present. It was kind of fun.. I even asked him if he wanted to go along. He said no, but that I should bring it inside to show him when I got back.

In this day and age, or even that one over 21 years ago, I was worried about what the women folk would think. He laughed and said they can quit if they don't like guns! I think these days its called a hostile work environment. The old man was a Master Sargent back in his day. He was the defination of hostile.

So back to the thread, what I bought back in 1998 was a brand stinkin new Weatherby, in .30-378. But it came with a muzzle break (you probably could shoot it with that break in your pocket.)

So I fired it a few times. The recoil wasn't all that much worse than my 7mm Mag. Of course the muzzle break offers you a trade off. Sure it doesn't kick half as bad, but the noise and blast is about 3 times as bad. Really. My premium ear muffs aren't enough, it requires plugs under the muffs to shoot comfortably.

So then at a gun show I found a .378. I was advised that it was an Evil 378, not just a 378.

remember the old time brake fluid bottles? Kind of like a pop can with a funnel on top? Thats what the 378 cartridge looks like. To small bore shooters, it looks like each takes a pound of powder. But really only like 120 grains. I'm used to dumping about 3.0 in a 38 special case to power a 148 wadcutter.

Another thing I've learned is that if you mention your Weatherby, everyone's eye's kind of roll back in their head. But the real value is clearing out a range. With that factory break, everyone just leaves after the first shot. Depending on where you buy it, you'll pay between $4 and $6 a shot. But bullets cost about the same as a .30-06, powder is more because it uses so much. But not all that much.

I guess the crushing blow from the recoil isn't all that bad, but combined with the ear shattering noise combine to make you sorry you selected that rifle to shoot.

quote:

Originally posted by Il Cattivo:
Fortunately for me, my bucket list Weatherby is a .257. Roy's first and all that.

I picked one of those up last fall. It barks but not severely. I’m happy I did it.

35 or 40 years ago there was a bank in Boulder, CO. that offered a deal on CDs. Deposit X amount of money, you got a Weatherby rifle now and all of your money back in a certain amount of time. Depending on how much you deposited and how long they kept your money, you could get any Weatherby rifle you wanted. I got a .460. I think I have shot about a box of factory ammo and a couple of boxes of handholds. I thought you could load it down to about .45-70 levels. I have never found load data for that. If you don't load it pretty close to factory levels, you risk hangfires or worse. I have not shot that gun in years. I don't know if I ever will. It is no fun at all.

quote:

Originally posted by Sevo1967:
Something you might want to check is to see if the stock fits you correctly. A stock that doesn’t fit will only amplify the felt recoil.

I rem................
Sean

The stock fit is very important.
Years ago Dad and I haunted Weatherbys in Southgate. We knew Mr Weatherby and had access to the work area at times.
Dad got a 378 Wby barreled action and took it to a stock maker who did custom work for Wby. The stock maker knew his stuff, and made a fit stock that Dad was able to shoot many rounds at a sitting. Before the 378 stock, Dad had 300Wby with a standard stock. He had another stock fitted with by the stock maker. The fit stock was much better to shoot than the standard.

That stock maker did the blue stock for Walter O'Malley's presentation Wby. I was young and got to polish on that stock.

375 is not too bad, especially as my Ruger had a brake....felt bad one time sitting down next to a guy with a very nice suppressed 308....I actually apologized ahead of time.

My real wake up was my 416 Rigby.....that was a slap and a half

The most unpleasant gun I have is a .300 Wby. Mine is light, with a skinny barrel. It recoils, but isn't unshootable.

I have a buddy with a 30-378 Wby, which I have not shot. He tells me that when anyone asks to shoot it, he gives them two rounds, and that no one has ever fired the second round.

I'm not recoil-shy by a long shot, but I don't see the need to seek out punishment.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
I'm not recoil-shy by a long shot, but I don't see the need to seek out punishment.

You must not be married.

quote:

Originally posted by armored:

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
I'm not recoil-shy by a long shot, but I don't see the need to seek out punishment.

You must not be married.

Oh I'm married, I just don't have a SWMBO.

A few years ago, my boss bought a Weatherby Mark 5 in 300 wby mag, I suspect mainly because the stock looked so good. He had me zero the rifle. The rifle was definitely accurate -- as long as I let the barrel cool between shots. The recoil was tolerable, but not something I would enjoy for a bunch of rounds. I had no hope of seeing my own bullet impacts at any distance under 300 yards.

My boss, his son, and his grandson all used the 300 Wby to successfully hunt deer and black bear. All three of them received scope bite at some point from the recoil.

I've shot a few high power rifles in various chambers -- 300 Win Mag, 300 Norma Mag, 300 PRC, 338 LM, 338 Win Mag, 375 H&H, 50 BMG. The lighter rifles without brakes or cans exhibited nasty recoil. With brakes the recoil was tamed dramatically, but at a cost of noise and back blast. The rifles with suppressors were the best to shoot, but I wouldn't really call the experience enjoyable.

The worst recoil I've experienced was from a double-barrel break-open safari rifle. Heavy as hell, it had a beautiful wood stock, and evidently was worth a pile of money. IIRC chambered in 416 Rigby. Recoil just flat out sucked. We had a paper target on the trunk of some kind of hardwood tree, with the trunk being 12-14" in diameter. The bullets just ripped through the tree trunk, with very little expansion.

I don't get the appeal of having a really energetic chambered rifle, unless one is hunting dangerous game. And outside of grizzly or polar bears, that means African game. The recoil of these rifles just isn't pleasant -- shooters can't really control the gun or see where their shots are going. Higher volume shooting is out of the question, as shoulders get sore and flinching creeps in.

I understand the appeal. I have several big rifles: 338WM, 338RUM, 375 Ruger, 416 Rigby, 458 Lott, and a 50BMG. I love shooting them, and find the worst punishment comes from buying the ammo, not shooting it.

I don’t find my 375 to be terribly painful, as far as it being a dangerous game only round, I guess I’ve had a few experiences over the past few years that made me believe the 375 is an excellent t moose cartridge, I guess you could classify Alaska moose as dangerous game.