338 Lapua vs.300 Weatherby
- Thread starter pwillie
- Start date
Sendero is usually a TX term for where a hunts taking place not a hunting style. It usually refers to long clear cuts in mesquite and other trees usually for utilities such as power lines. So I guess it aptly refers to a path in this case as well.
Shots can be long on the senderos I guess, I've never hunted one in TX. However, I think any rifle capable of shooting 400 yards would cover 99% of the shots most would encounter. So for deer hunting I'd say .300 WM is more than adequate, and the .338 Lapua is too much of a good thing.
Shots can be long on the senderos I guess, I've never hunted one in TX. However, I think any rifle capable of shooting 400 yards would cover 99% of the shots most would encounter. So for deer hunting I'd say .300 WM is more than adequate, and the .338 Lapua is too much of a good thing.
The 338 is better suited for elk or other game larger than deer at extreme range. Any of the 300's or even 7mm magnums will shoot pretty much to the same trajectory and still have plenty of punch for deer. Even the 300 WBY is more gun than I think you need. Advances in bullet and powder technology have reduced the need for the big magnums. Better optics and quality range finders have greatly reduced the need for flat shooting rounds.
If you want to shoot elk at 700-800 yards the 338 Lapua starts making sense.
If you want to shoot elk at 700-800 yards the 338 Lapua starts making sense.
I agree with a couple of posts above, 7mm would be a better choice for deer in my opinion, but since I use a 7mm I might be bias! If I could only choose between the two you list I would go with the 300, I see it as a more hunter friendly round with more bullet choices and able to be put in a lighter weight rifle.
If the word 'magnum' is in the cartridge name it's too much cartridge for deer. There is no game animal in North America that requires a magnum of any kind to kill. Big bears included.
.338 Lapua is horrendously expensive to shoot(hunting ammo starts at roughly $80 per 20) and so is anything with Weatherby in its name(.300 Weather by starts at roughly $70 per 20). Midway prices.
At 700-800 yards, the .338 Lapua drops just as fast as any other cartridge. A 250 grain match bullet drops 145" at 800 when zeroed at 100. Nobody should be taking a shot at that distance in the first place. Chances of a killing shot are nil.
.338 Lapua is horrendously expensive to shoot(hunting ammo starts at roughly $80 per 20) and so is anything with Weatherby in its name(.300 Weather by starts at roughly $70 per 20). Midway prices.
At 700-800 yards, the .338 Lapua drops just as fast as any other cartridge. A 250 grain match bullet drops 145" at 800 when zeroed at 100. Nobody should be taking a shot at that distance in the first place. Chances of a killing shot are nil.
Why not simplify your life and give yourself alot more ammo money by sticking with a 308,270,30-06?? I have killed alot of big whitetails with the 300 Win Mag but its over kill and I will be the first to tell you that the 308 would have worked just as good. I tend to use a 308 or 270 for my deer/bear gun these days. They put them down just as fast except when a marginal shot might be in the mix, then the 300Win will show its stuff but with meat trauma as a by product. Obviously in a perfect world marginal shots dont happen but hunting is hunting and stuff happens.
If you must have a magnum, I recommend a 300 Win simply because its cheaper to feed than any Weatherby.
If you must have a magnum, I recommend a 300 Win simply because its cheaper to feed than any Weatherby.
Stillhunter
New member
ATTENTION pwillie
You are hereby suspended of any type of Seneros Hunting for personally choosing your own caliber.
It doesn,t matter if your well within the regulations of the state your hunting in.
You can only hunt the caliber that certain people want you to hunt with.
Who do you think you are? A Free American?
Now if you promise these Closed Minded,Egotistic,Sarcastic,I now everything there is to Know about Hunting people,that you will use only the caliber they choose for you to hunt with,I,m sure that we can get your suspension lifted.
Don,t tell anybody,I think the 300 WM will perform just fine on that type of hunt.
By the way,love Alabama.Haven,t been there in awhile,can,t wait to go back.
You are hereby suspended of any type of Seneros Hunting for personally choosing your own caliber.
It doesn,t matter if your well within the regulations of the state your hunting in.
You can only hunt the caliber that certain people want you to hunt with.
Who do you think you are? A Free American?
Now if you promise these Closed Minded,Egotistic,Sarcastic,I now everything there is to Know about Hunting people,that you will use only the caliber they choose for you to hunt with,I,m sure that we can get your suspension lifted.
Don,t tell anybody,I think the 300 WM will perform just fine on that type of hunt.
By the way,love Alabama.Haven,t been there in awhile,can,t wait to go back.
Normally I'd just keep reading but it's been one of those weeks so I'm responding to the last post. Who got you all jumbled up? The OP obviously wants opinions, otherwise he wouldn't be on a forum. While we are at you can hunt deer with grenades. Better yet, dust off your tank and use it to road hunt. It'll kill the deer quick as well.
I think a .243 does a bit of an excessive amount of damage. I have seen what a .300 Weatherby does to a deer. The hunter was using plastic tipped bullets and at max pressures, but it destroyed the front half of the deer. I don't remember how big the hole was but I do remember you could through the other side of deer looking at the bullet hole. It even blew the hide loose on the entrance side. The .338 Lapua is just nonsense. Maybe those guns might have an advantage 1000+ yards out. I'm all for long range shots but that's getting a little out there.
I think a .243 does a bit of an excessive amount of damage. I have seen what a .300 Weatherby does to a deer. The hunter was using plastic tipped bullets and at max pressures, but it destroyed the front half of the deer. I don't remember how big the hole was but I do remember you could through the other side of deer looking at the bullet hole. It even blew the hide loose on the entrance side. The .338 Lapua is just nonsense. Maybe those guns might have an advantage 1000+ yards out. I'm all for long range shots but that's getting a little out there.
reynolds357
New member
I have a .300 WBY and a .338 Lapua. The Lapua is extremely overkill for deer. The .300WBY will kill well past 1kyds. How far you shooting?
I would say 30-06 would do anything you need it to but if you must have a magnum you should buy a 264 Win mag or 7mm mag theyll handle any shot you throw at them and would give you just the right amount of damage willing you can do your part and not turn the deers shoulder into a grenade. 
In a situation where a 25-06 would do the trick the 300 WinMag would be the magnum to go to if that is your preference. Another good choice would be the .260 Remington. I own one magnum that I purchased years ago for bear hunting. That is the .338 WinMag. Never did go bear hunting up north, but still own the rifle. I tend to buy quality firearms and rarely sell them. My .338 WinMag is a BAR. 
Stillhunter
New member
WV_gunner,since you asked
The sarcastic posts about the calibers the OP asked about.
Right, opinions, not sarcasm.
OP ask about 2 calibers,for a certain type of hunt.Which one would perform better?
He did not ask,if you thought they were overkill.
OP said deer hunting,maybe OP is including elk ,it is a deer you know.
taylorce1 and AllenJ I thought gave proper responses.
jmr40,showed his disgust for the 2,but did not use sarcasm.
But others, especially the three in a row,IMO,were nothing more than just sarcasm.
So I decided to do a little sarcasm of my own,but not at the OP.
Fight fire with fire sort of speak.
In short,it just baffles me that these posters, with their perfect ethical distances and their perfect ethical calibers, can,t use some ethics when it comes to posting an opinion.
If I was the OP and I got answer like that,I would probably be looking for another forum.
That would kinda make the 30-06 or the 308 overkill then
Just kidding.
The sarcastic posts about the calibers the OP asked about.
Right, opinions, not sarcasm.
OP ask about 2 calibers,for a certain type of hunt.Which one would perform better?
He did not ask,if you thought they were overkill.
OP said deer hunting,maybe OP is including elk ,it is a deer you know.
taylorce1 and AllenJ I thought gave proper responses.
jmr40,showed his disgust for the 2,but did not use sarcasm.
But others, especially the three in a row,IMO,were nothing more than just sarcasm.
So I decided to do a little sarcasm of my own,but not at the OP.
Fight fire with fire sort of speak.
In short,it just baffles me that these posters, with their perfect ethical distances and their perfect ethical calibers, can,t use some ethics when it comes to posting an opinion.
If I was the OP and I got answer like that,I would probably be looking for another forum.
That would kinda make the 30-06 or the 308 overkill then
Just kidding.
lightjunkie
New member
I know this is an old post ,but I just wanted to throw my .02 cents in ,which isn't worth much .
I own a .300 Weatherby in Ive also had a .243 Win . .270 Win and a7mm remmag .300 RUM. I don't see the need for anything over whatever you can shoot accurately. IF you look at the ballistics of a .270 in a 130 grain bullets compared to a .300 Weatherby with a 180grain grain bullets and they are almost identical around 3100 -3200 fps.So in trajectory they are about dead even.I ve also made my furthest shot was over 650 yards with my 270 and the deer never knew the difference in ve also shot and wasted the most meat was with a 7mm remember mag at about 200 yards I got a small Coues white tail with a 145 grain ballistic tip in the spine and it ruined a ton of meat.I ve also Shot a deer at 468 yards with my .300 Weatherby 180 accubonds through the lungs and it didn't ruin any meat .So I think whatever you can shoot well with well constructed bullets will do better and any ultra non obtainium super duper death star caliber that you cannot shoot well .
I own a .300 Weatherby in Ive also had a .243 Win . .270 Win and a7mm remmag .300 RUM. I don't see the need for anything over whatever you can shoot accurately. IF you look at the ballistics of a .270 in a 130 grain bullets compared to a .300 Weatherby with a 180grain grain bullets and they are almost identical around 3100 -3200 fps.So in trajectory they are about dead even.I ve also made my furthest shot was over 650 yards with my 270 and the deer never knew the difference in ve also shot and wasted the most meat was with a 7mm remember mag at about 200 yards I got a small Coues white tail with a 145 grain ballistic tip in the spine and it ruined a ton of meat.I ve also Shot a deer at 468 yards with my .300 Weatherby 180 accubonds through the lungs and it didn't ruin any meat .So I think whatever you can shoot well with well constructed bullets will do better and any ultra non obtainium super duper death star caliber that you cannot shoot well .