Ideal Plains Game Matched Pair .257 Wby & .340 Wby For Sale

[One Day...]

Hello;

With considerable mixed feelings, I am putting for sale my matched pair of .257 Wby & .340 Wby.

As many of you know, these two rifles have taken over 40 animals in Africa over the last 12 months. See my August 2018 hunt report at https://www.africahunting.com/threa...faris-august-2018-plains-game-paradise.45017/ and my July 2019 hunt report at https://www.africahunting.com/threa...ill-safaris-even-better-than-last-year.52376/.

Both rifles are/have:
- Weatherby full length Mark V action.
- USA made by Saco Defense in Maine in the late 1990's early 2000's.
- True stainless steel - as opposed to the chrome plated Japan made Weathermark, or the current silver coated carbon steel Weathermark.
- True stainless steel machined metal bottom - as opposed to the current 'pot-steel' cast bottom.
- Tuned-up action and trigger.
- Bell & Carlson Medalist Kevlar stocks with full length (grip to swivel) aluminum bedding block.
- Action drilled and tapped for 8x40 scope bases screws - as opposed to 6x48 factory screws.
- Talley stainless steel bases and 30 mm Screw Lock detachable rings.
- Zeiss Diavari Z 2.5-10x48 rifle scope.
- Zeiss scope caps.

This is truly a matched pair, in both form and function. Both rifles are sighted for the game they are intended for and both have a ~330 yards maximum point blank range (MPBR) for a 6" vital area for the .257 and 8" vital area for the .340. From 0 to 330 yards, these are true "point & click" ballistics.

Both rifles shoot ~1 MOA or less with a variety of loads from the sticks:

Note that the groups above were shot from the sticks for scope sighting purposes.

Note the very desirable characteristic that the .257 shoots both the 100 gr TTSX and the cheap 100 gr Norma spitzer to the same point of impact @ 100 yd; and that the .340 shoots the 225 gr TTSX and the 250 Nosler Partition within 1/2 inch of each other @ 100 yd. This is unusual and fortunate as it means that the rifles can go from one load to the other without re-sighting.

Both rifles are capable of ~ 1/2 MOA from the bench:

Weatherby factory .257 Wby 100 gr Norma spitzer. ~ 1/2 MOA @ 1oo yd.

Weatherby factory .340 Wby 250 gr Nosler Partition. ~ 1/2 MOA @ 1oo yd.

Both rifles and scopes are in 97%+ condition external, glass is "99%," and barrels and throats are "99%" as I do not shoot hundreds of practice rounds with these rifles - that is what .22 LR is for - so both rifles have a low rounds count.

Two months ago, at Huntershill the .257 accounted for 17 animals from 100 to 400 yd with 19 shots, one of which was a safety second shot on a Roan, and one of which was a purposeful first shot at the rear quarter of a Vaal Rhebok because it was the only clear shot I had. So, truly, this is 100% performance. Last year results with the .340 were similar although I had not practiced from the sticks enough and it showed with less 1 shot dead-right-there kills.

In terms of value:
- Stainless steel Mark V: not available new... Priceless? Market value appears to be ~$1,000 used
- Zeiss Diavari Z 2.5-10x48 rifle scope: Market value appears to be ~$1,200 used
- Bell & Carlson stock: $285
- Talley bases & rings: $240
- Action & trigger tuning, action 8x40 screws drilling & tapping: $100
- 46 rounds of Weatherby factory ammo .340 225 gr TTSX: $184
- 59 rounds of Weatherby factory ammo .257 100 gr TTSX: $191
- 24 rounds of Weatherby factory ammo .257 100 gr TTSX: $44
- Whatever once-fired brass I have: free
- Rifles sighted, tested, debugged, field proven: priceless and free
- Matched pair concept anything / anywhere / anytime: priceless and free
- Total 'book value' : $6,069 for the matched pair

I offer the matched pair for $5,500 + shipping. Local pick up in Arizona.

Why am I selling? Nothing wrong with the rifles whatsoever. Gun buying madness is upon me and there is a Blaser R8 Safari Pro set that looks pretty good to me right now...

If interested, please PM me and ask for the answer to any question you have, and ask for any high def pic you would like to see. There is no catch: this is a great matched pair, field proven in the last 12 months, and documented here on AH; I am just on the R8 path right now...

Thx
P

 

[Von S.]

Blood Lust has taken over and has overheated your brain.

Two extremely accurate and deadly outfits worth way more than you're asking for them.

Sit back, drink some Pabst Blue Ribbon and think this over for a while as when they sell....... which they will..... you will never have a pair like that ever again.

 

[One Day...]

That is indeed my worry...
I am torn apart in truth...

 

[Von S.]

Pascal,

You can't get those pieces ever again.

I haven't taken my 257 Wby out hunting in over 25 years and after your success my is ready with your loads and a new S&B scope sighted in and ready to do some Texas Murdering on speed goats, deer and oinkers.

Your 340 is probably the best pg smasher in the world.

If I was your son I'd tie you up and throw you in a closet until you fell back into your right mind......... and signed a note giving me those when you take a dirt nap.

 

[One Day...]

.257 Wby
Nyala hunt, Huntershill, July 2019 by One Day... posted Aug 11, 2019 at 11:19 AM

 

[One Day...]

.340 Wby

Sable Hunting. .340 Wby 225 gr TTSX

• One Day...
• Aug 13, 2019

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Nice rifles.

 

[One Day...]

OK, OK, I guess that unless someone is making me an offer I can't refuse, I will keep them

 

[Ridgewalker]

OK, OK, I guess that unless someone is making me an offer I can't refuse, I will keep them

Excellent move One Day! Go ahead and get your R8, but even if you don’t use these again in Africa, they will be much better for use in the USA. The 340 is set up perfect for an Alaska brown bear hunt. And you cannot beat the 257 for a fine Wyoming long range antelope hunt or a free range west Texas aoudad!

JMO

 

[Red Leg]

OK, OK, I guess that unless someone is making me an offer I can't refuse, I will keep them

As someone who owns entirely too many rifles, I am all for you embarking on the R8 adventure. You will learn to appreciate them. HOWEVER, I would not sell those two rifles. They reflect what YOU most appreciated in a hunting firearm at the time they were conceived. They always will reflect that . They will never be that special and unique to anyone else.

 

[One Day...]

As someone who owns entirely too many rifles, I am all for you embarking on the R8 adventure. You will learn to appreciate them. HOWEVER, I would not sell those two rifles. They reflect what YOU most appreciated in a hunting firearm at the time they were conceived. They always will reflect that . They will never be that special and unique to anyone else.

I hear you Red Leg, they will never be special to others like they were to me. Actually, I kept the .340 Wby stainless with an Alaska foray in mind - the caliber is about perfect for moose - but a friend of mine bought the .257 Wby for himself and his 4 teenager sons. Believe it or not, the rifle has since accounted for 1 elk and 3 deer with 4 shots from his 4 sons between 200 and 300 yards. Needless to say he/they love it and it has become very special to he/them, and I feel really good about it...

My R8 adventure is complete. I bought a R8 Pro and 4 barrels, for the primary reason that I wanted to be able to bring 3 calibers to Africa without incurring oversize and overweight surcharges.

I love mountain hunting, so in the Eastern Cape Vaal Rhebok is always in the package and I cannot think of a better caliber than .257 Wby for that. Beside, it is also ideal for small and medium plain game, and so easy to shoot well, and such a pleasure to shoot, owing to its very limited recoil (equivalent to .270 Win). And I love Buffalo hunting up close and personal, so Buff is always in the package, and I like to hunt them with an open sights .470 double.

This leaves a bit of a gap between .25 and .47, so I took a .300 Wby barrel and a .375 H&H barrel. With modern bullets (TTSX or AFrame), the .300 Wby is everything the .340 Wby was with Nosler Partition bullets 20 years ago, and it is widely considered to be the best .300 when combining reach/power/ammo availability. It will be about perfect for Kudu and such in open range. And how could one be without a .375 H&H, right? No, it is not ideal for Vaal Rhebok, but it meets all legal requirements, can do it all in a pinch, and will be perfect for Lion and Leopard (with a quick expanding bullet for Leo), not to mention Eland, and of course one-rifle trips if/when appropriate.

The Krieghoff Big Five double rifle and the Blaser R8 rifle with two barrels fit comfortably in the Pelican 1700:

• .257 Wby for mountain game and small & medium plain game OR .223 Rem for Tiny Ten (although I bought the .223 Rem barrel mostly for regular inexpensive volume practice)
• .300 Wby for large plain game OR .375 H&H for Lion/Leopard/Eland & large plain game
• .470 NE for Buffalo/Elephant/Hippo

Grand total 41 lbs. (well below the maximum 50 lbs. allowed) and 60.25" linear cumulated dimension L+W+D (well below the maximum 62" allowed). And, as you would say, easy to schlep around

With the double rifle and the R8 with two barrels I do not have the room to put the two scopes in the Pelican 1700, but this is really not an issue, I have plenty of room and weight allowance to put them in my other Pelican, a 1615 Air suitcase.

By the way, my wife hates you, since you are responsible for putting me on the R8 trail

 

[PARA45]

Wow, I'm glad you reconsidered selling those two beauties. If your rifles were in my safe, I would have never sold them to buy something different. I'm happy you were able to purchase the R8, and that you kept those Weatherby rifles. Congrats!!!

 

[Red Leg]

Makes for nice package my friend. I will probably take along my .470 on my next buffalo hunt as well. Though based on my last couple, the R8 as done nothing to keep in the engagement ranges any longer. I too am a big fan of the .257 Wby. It is probably as fine an all purpose, world-wide medium game cartridge as ever developed - particularly if some reach is likely necessary. Though, in my heart of hearts, I am remain devoted to the .270.

Next trip over, however, will be with Mike Taylor @spike.t for some of his unique plains game. In order to maintain peace in the extended family, I'll use my .275 Rigby chunking the 170 gr Oryx SP's for that expedition.

 

[mark-hunter]

@One Day...
I congratulate you for purchasing Blaser R8 with great set of barrels!

As a forum member, I feal a bit of loss. This may eliminate future debates between red leg and you about virtues and flaws between linear action, and mauser CRF actions for DG hunting, the debates from which we all have learned so much!

Good hunting!
And let us have next hunting reports with new blaser as soon as possible!

 

[One Day...]

No worries, I am not recanting: I continue to believe, and I think that Red Leg actually agrees, that the CZ 550 is likely the best value for the money in the DG rifle market as a bomb-proof rifle after a little bit of TLC (tender loving care)…

Its wide distribution in Africa is ample proof of this, and PHs who actually use the rifle daily have a lot less complaints than internet folks who do not ............ In truth, PHs are also generally satisfied with the factory chamberings and generally do not embark in the rechambering, rebarreling, home gunsmithing, etc. that create a lot of issues the factory rifles do not have. As to roughness, a few months of actual use in the dusty fields of Africa, takes care of smoothing everything pretty quickly... As you can imagine, PHs do not keep around rifles that would patently malfunction and risk getting them killed...

Of course, the Winchester 70 is also in the run, but the CZ clearly has some advantages that the Win 70 simply cannot match: magnum-length action, integral scope mounts in the square bridges, all steel bottom, magazine capacity, barrel boss rear sight, barrel band front sight, etc.

On the other end, and this was my main motivation, there is simply no way to bring 3 calibers to Africa without oversize and overweight airline surcharges without going the R8 (or similar) route.

Compare the below pic with the one in the above post: with the CZ, I could only take two calibers in the Pelican 1700; with the R8 I can take three. End of story

To me, this advantage supersedes CRF because modern ammo do not have the extraction issue that pure copper shells loaded with black powder had in the 1890's; and the R8 independent cocking mechanism does as much (although in a different manner) to prevent accidental discharges, as the true CRF does by preventing pushing inadvertently a round into the chamber and leaving it there unknowingly (this CRF function is anyway sadly removed by manufacturers who decide to bevel the CRF extractor to allow it to jump the rim of a cartridge in the chamber)...