Weatherby introduces the 338 WBY RPM

First things first, CONGRATIULATIONS WEATHERBY!!!

338 WBY RPM

Rebated Precision Magnum

We’re proud to announce that the sixteenth Weatherby® Magnum cartridge has gained acceptance into the SAAMI Standards. Several years in the making, the 338 Weatherby Rebated Precision Magnum (WBY RPM) is the latest in a long line of innovative Weatherby cartridges and delivers maximum big-bore performance in our smaller six-lug Mark V® action. An ideal backcountry large game chambering, field testing of the 338 RPM has shown it to be a sledgehammer on North America’s biggest game, including elk, bear and moose.

With the demand for ammunition at an all-time high, production of Weatherby factory Select and Select Plus ammunition has never been greater. In the interest of serving our current customers and providing as much ammunition as possible in our existing chamberings, our objective is to continue to keep Weatherby Magnum ammunition flowing to customers as quickly as possible. With our focus fixed firmly on current products, expect more information and specific product launches regarding the 338 WBY RPM further down the road.

Nothing shoots flatter, hits harder or is more accurate.

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Adam Weatherby said on his Instagram page that he has used it over the past couple of seasons with a 6.2lb rifle setup and shot a 225gr bullet @ 2.800fps.

Furthermore, he said they won't be launching any rifles or ammo as of yet because they want to keep up with current demand first. I respect that.

I like their thrive and determination to produce new products and technologies. Like Mr. Roy said, "Tomorrow's Rifles Today!"

But I do have to wonder about the cartridge market. Is it over saturated? Do we need more cartridges? I'm not sure...

338 WBY RPM

I don’t know where this crazy new cartridge proliferation will all end up. I hope it is not disaster for those who buy guns chambered in the new whizbangs.

From what I see, the .338 RPM is really just a beltless .338 Winchester. Seems like a good idea to me, but in a 6.2 pound rifle it will be a bit of a meanie. I’d have to have a muzzle brake.

I have been wanting a .338-06 A Square ever since I missed my chance to buy one in the Mark V Ultra Lightweight. This new one might be right up my alley? I’ll be interested to see the rifles.

Do we need more cartridges? No, but the gun companies have to keep coming up with new stuff to sell that is somehow "better" than the old stuff, just like Detroit comes up with new cars every year. Personally, I would be fine if they stopped with new cartridges in about 1915 (take it to 1925 if you want to include the .270 Win.). I mean, think about it. You have the .30-06, .30-30, .22LR, .375 H&H, 7mm Mauser, .44-40, 38 Special, Colt 45, .44 Special and lots of others that were all in the market by 1915. I shoot a few others that are newer than that because they're out there and I can, but I sure don't need any of them. It's always interesting to watch the new introductions. Most of the time you'll find that there isn't a nickel's worth of difference between the ballistics of the new one and some other cartridge that's been out there for 75-100 years.

The thing that hinders Weatherby's sales, is their price point! There is a certain "Snob appeal"< and they will tell you that they make much higher quality firearms. I can tell you this, Nobody is competing with them or their ammo!

Over their the years I have owned 4 of their rifles. 3 Vanguarde VGX's from 1985 & 87 in 300. Win Mag, 270 Win. & 22-250 and a Mark V Hunter from 1990 in 375 H&H. All very accurate, all at super close out prices!

The Vanguard VGX looks like a standard length, two lug rifle in a stock like a Mark V Deluxe. The Mark V Hunter is a Mark V action with mat finished medal and mat finished a walnut stock without all the inlays. I only have the 300 Win Mag left.

Ivan

They recently came back with the "Hunter" model. It's the least expensive Mark V rifle.



I never understood where the snob thing is coming from.... there are plenty of manufacturers that produce more expensive rifles. So, it really can't just be a money thing...

The snob thing is likely a throwback to the days when Mr. Weatherby was frequently seen in advertising photos delivering rifles to various notables, usually movie stars or politicians. I never subscribed to it, and always kind of admired his spirit.

A long time ago, I was in the Los Angeles area on business and had some free time before leaving the next day on my flight home. I decided to visit the Weatherby store on Firestone Boulevard. I got there maybe an hour before their closing time. After looking around for a few minutes I asked a salesman if it might be possible to meet Mr. Weatherby. He told me that yes, normally that would be possible, Mr. Weatherby enjoyed meeting customers, but he was out of the country that week. We talked for a few minutes, and I made a small purchase (a couple of boxes of empty, unprimed .300 brass) and left. To my great surprise, a few weeks later, I received a greeting card from the store thanking me for visiting and encouraging me to return - signed by Roy Weatherby. I’m sure many of those cards went out in the normal course of business, but I thought it was pretty neat.

Adam Weatherby said on his Instagram page that he has used it over the past couple of seasons with a 6.2lb rifle setup and shot a 225gr bullet @ 2.800fps.

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That's not going to buff out, at either the sending or receiving end.

I helped set a friend up with a Mark V in .338 Weatherby Mag. He was going to Africa and needed a rifle for large plains game. The gun I found for him was out of the Custom Shop, had gorgeous wood, a muzzle brake and was probably close to 10 lbs with the scope and mount.

It kicked like a mule and the muzzle blast was incredible! I put a sand bag between the butt and my shoulder to sight it in. The first shot knocked a drift of snow off the roof over the shooting benches! I couldn’t imagine shooting a comparable cartridge out of a light weight rifle, even with a brake!

M29since14 said:

I don’t know where this crazy new cartridge proliferation will all end up. I hope it is not disaster for those who buy guns chambered in the new whizbangs.

From what I see, the .338 RPM is really just a beltless .338 Winchester. Seems like a good idea to me, but in a 6.2 pound rifle it will be a bit of a meanie. I’d have to have a muzzle brake.

I have been wanting a .338-06 A Square ever since I missed my chance to buy one in the Mark V Ultra Lightweight. This new one might be right up my alley? I’ll be interested to see the rifles.

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I’ll tell you exactly where it’ll end up. In the graveyard with the Winchester WSMs (and WSSMs), Remington’s SAUMs, .45GAP, .327 Federal Mag, and their last cartridge, the 6.5-300 etc. And I’ve always been a Weatherby guy.

Valmet said:

I’ll tell you exactly where it’ll end up. In the graveyard with the Winchester WSMs (and WSSMs), Remington’s SAUMs, .45GAP, .327 Federal Mag, and their last cartridge, the 6.5-300 etc. And I’ve always been a Weatherby guy.

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I was thinking more of rounds like the 6.8 Western, and the never-ending parade of “precision rifle” cartridges, rather than Weatherby’s proprietary stuff. I’ve always thought of Weatherby’s cartridges as things for gun cranks, load tinkerers, and more recently, the techno-geekish younger hunter type who is a bit upscale, but still down to Earth enough to be an enthusiastic outdoorsman who knows his sport.

The people running Weatherby seem to have consistently made the effort to keep in touch with their customer/potential-customer base, and they have gently bent the company in that direction in order to survive. That requires time, effort, and intelligence, that big corporations seldom put forth. They seem to be reasonably successful with their approach. Using myself as an example, I will always be “a Mark V Deluxe guy,” but I have Accumarks, Ultra Lightweights, and a couple of other models, and am interested in at least looking at anything new they throw out, so just judging from what I’ve been willing to buy, I think they know what they’re doing. They’re still selling stuff to a now mid-60 y/o guy who honestly has no need of another rifle. No small part of that is because I enjoy supporting a smallish, family-run business that actually seems to understand that ultimately their customers “run the show,” not the other way around. To me, that word “innovate” is just a stage name to sum up the on-going process of introducing new products that interest enough younger customers to keep the company going before the old guard dies off. That’s good and I accept that. Every dog has his day!

But getting back to the .338 RPM, I’m pretty sure they will bring it out in a rifle that interests me, and I’ll probably buy one some day. Maybe not in an all-up 6.2-pound Backcountry Ti model, but they’ll probably also offer it in a model for us older guys who will want something a little more conventional. I’ll buy dies and at least 100-150 pieces of brass, maybe a bit more, and I’ll be pretty much set against the worst-case scenario, for whatever remains of my rifle-shooting life. If you can’t afford to buy brass and dies when you buy a rifle, it’s probably best not to buy in the first place.

I don't blame him for at all for posing with celebrities, athletes, politicians, royalty, etc. we all would do the same, I'm sure.

I love everything about Weatherby. I've read the first and second book (second book is more pictures than text), his catalogs, watched the videos and even joined the WCA. There's one book that's also a must have if you are into Weatherby, it's called "Rare Breed" and it's gold in my opinion.

I support them as best as I can and as soon as I have the funds available, I'll become a factory direct dealer.

The proliferation of cartridges puts economic pressure on case manufacturing. It's not that difficult to neck a case up or down to make a new cartridge, but a whole different deal for a brass mill to invest in the forming dies and inventory supply chain to support the latest whiz bang cartridge. It drives up the prices and diminishes the availability of brass for tried-and-true calibers. It's not bad as the marketing hype drives more sales, but you have to wonder why so much excitement is generated by the buying public over some marginal improvement. Gullibility or the urge to tinker?

From the small picture and description, it appears to be a 338x284 Winchester with rounded angles. That would fit in a six lug (224 Wea. & 22-250) action. I have messed with 6.5x284's and still have a 6x284.

Basically, the 284 case has a powder capacity of a 30-06. So the "New & Improved 338 Wea. RPM, is just a high-pressure rehash of 338-06!

Ivan

I have a Mk V 340 WBY that I like.
The Mk V 416 WBY was just too much and even with the muzzle break
kicked too hard for me plus no game that I would use it on.
Beautiful rifles!
The 340....

Ivan the Butcher said:

From the small picture and description, it appears to be a 338x284 Winchester with rounded angles. That would fit in a six lug (224 Wea. & 22-250) action. I have messed with 6.5x284's and still have a 6x284.

Basically, the 284 case has a powder capacity of a 30-06. So the "New & Improved 338 Wea. RPM, is just a high-pressure rehash of 338-06!

Ivan

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They say "...delivers maximum big-bore performance in our smaller six-lug Mark V® action."

So I don't think they want to reinvent the wheel, but I do think it's to further push their 6-lug actions and offering customers a Magnum option.

Meh. Reinventing the wheel.

I have .233, .243, .308, .30-06, 7.62x39, and .45-70 hunting rifles.

For the hunting I'll ever do until I take the dirt nap, I got it covered.

And those cartridges will still be around long after I'm gone.

I have had this discussion on many occasions with many different people. Personally I think there are way too many cartridges out there. For me, I shoot nothing bigger than the 30-06. It is the largest caliber I shoot well. I cannot take the pounding from Magnums.

I have a 222, 22-250, and 4-30-06 rifles. If i would do anything to what I have, I would drop the 22-250 for a nice 6mm Remington.
With the 222,22-250, 6mmRem.,270, 30-06, 7 X 57, and 308 nothing else is really needed, unless you are going after big dangerous game. Then IMO it would be the 375 H&H. Why the 375, because it is an inherently accurate cartridge and in the hands of a hand loader, can be safely loaded all the way down to near 30-30 performance. Plus, there is resale value to the 375.

Just my .02 ( to which you are entitled)

The 'perfect' solution for a non-existent problem!

s&wchad said:

I helped set a friend up with a Mark V in .338 Weatherby Mag. He was going to Africa and needed a rifle for large plains game. The gun I found for him was out of the Custom Shop, had gorgeous wood, a muzzle brake and was probably close to 10 lbs with the scope and mount.

It kicked like a mule and the muzzle blast was incredible! I put a sand bag between the butt and my shoulder to sight it in. The first shot knocked a drift of snow off the roof over the shooting benches! I couldn’t imagine shooting a comparable cartridge out of a light weight rifle, even with a brake!

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Muzzle brakes and covered shooting benches are a problem with high capacity cartridges. If someone starts shooting a braked gun near me I usually pull out the 44 contender.
It sounds like the perfect gun to be shot 10 -15 times in a lifetime. Barrel life should be outstanding as no one will want to shoot it enough to wear it out. OTOH, I got some estate items that included 300+ rounds of 338 target bullets and over 600 50 BMG cases and bullets. Some folks just like recoil.

My last addition of the newest and greatest caliber's was a Cooper Varmint Extreme with upgraded wood and case colored metal in 25 WSSM. Luckily I also bought 800 empty cases. I love the rifle and caliber but I only use it on Prairie dogs.
I drank the Creedmoor kool aid but quickly threw it up and went with a 6.5x55 Swede and never looked back. I like the classics, if it's not broke don't fix it at least not for me.