The Man
Born in Kansas in 1910, 1945 found the young Roy Weatherby in Huntingdon Beach, California, fortunately before that state became the mess it is today. He and his wife Camilla had a house there, and Roy had a business – a 25x70 foot closet that bore the name “Weatherby’s Sporting Goods.”
Mr. Weatherby was an incorrigible tinkerer. It is not known if the late Charles Newton had any influence on the young Weatherby, but it would not be surprising if that was the case, because Weatherby’s first efforts were directed at the development of high-velocity centerfire rifle cartridges. In 1945, the velocity race that began with cartridges like the .250 Savage and the .220 Swift was about to shift into high gear. Roy Weatherby was positioned to take a commanding lead in that race.
The Rifles
Weatherby’s first rifles, the so-called “Southgate” rifles after Roy’s big new store in Southgate, California, were built on FN ’98 Mauser actions. Most of the Southgate rifles were built for Weatherby calibers, but old Roy would turn out a fine rifle in a standard caliber if a customer asked for one. In 1956, Weatherby cut a deal with Schultz & Larsen to build rifles for the big new .378 and .460 Magnums on their beefy Model 54 bolt action, but that situation only lasted a couple of years, as Roy Weatherby’s crowning achievement in rifles was in the works.
In 1958, Roy Weatherby’s ideal rifle finally took form with the introduction of the Mark V. This was something unlike the Mauser 98 and Schultz & Larsen actions of previous Weatherby rifles; the Mark V had nine small locking lugs at the front of the big, hefty bolt. When carefully fitted, as was generally the case with Weatherby rifles, this made for a very strong action.
But it was Roy Weatherby’s proprietary ammunition that was to put his name in the annals of high-velocity riflery.Read More: Sunday Gun Day Vol. IV Ep. II - The Early Velocity Champions
The Cartridges
The Weatherby cartridges were unique. They were belted magnums, which wasn’t new, but the new thing Roy Weatherby did bring to the table was a neat double-radiused shoulder, which he claimed made for a smoother flow of propellent gases, resulting in higher velocities. Whatever the reason, Weatherby’s proprietary cartridges did churn up some impressive ballistics. Let’s look at them, small to large (all velocities described are factory loadings):
.224 Weatherby Magnum: This is something rather odd, a .22 caliber, belted magnum varmint round. I’ve heard of deer and pronghorn being taken with these, but in most places .22 caliber rounds aren’t permitted for big game. This little screamer punches out a 55-grain pill at 3,670 feet per second (fps).
.240 Weatherby Magnum: This is a bit of an oddball, not being based on any other existing case except in having the standard Mauser/.30-06 case head diameter. A reply in part to the .244/6mm Remington and the .243 Winchester, this 6mm round outdoes them, launching an 80-grain slug at 3,500 fps.
Read More: Sunday Gun Day Vol. III Ep. XLVI - Shadow of Greatness, Val Browning
.257 Weatherby Magnum: This round was one of the earlier Weatherby rounds, and was said to be Roy’s personal favorite. This one was based on the .300 H&H Magnum case, shorted, fire-formed, and necked down. It puts out a 115-grain bullet at 3,400 fps.
6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum: This one’s a bit of an in-betweener, but for a while the .264 rounds were riding tall in the saddle, most notably Winchester’s .264 Winchester Magnum. Weatherby’s offering shot a 130-grain bullet at a very respectable 3,400 fps.
.270 Weatherby Magnum: This was the first, developed by Roy Weatherby from the .300 H&H Magnum case. Unlike the H&H rounds, the Weatherby round would feed through a standard-length action, making it available for a range of actions. A 130-grain .277 slug from this round leaves the barrel at 3,300 fps.
7mm Weatherby Magnum: Another early effort, this one again is a necked down and shortened .300 H&H Magnum. This one doesn’t differ too much from the more popular 7mm Remington Magnum, putting out a 140-grain bullet at 3,250 fps.
.300 Weatherby Magnum: This is reportedly the best seller of all the Weatherby rounds, and it’s one of the few regularly chambered in non-Weatherby actions as a standard offering, including the Remington 700 and the Ruger 77. It’s a hot one, putting forth a 180 grain pill at 3,250 fps, but it’s since been surpassed by rounds like the .300 Remington Ultra Magnum and Weatherby’s own .30/378 Magnum.
.30-378 Weatherby Magnum: This one, believe it or not, was reportedly developed in accordance with a U.S. Army contract, as an anti-personnel/anti-material round. Initial loads were said to surpass 5,000 fps, but I’ve never been able to verify that; more standard loading are still impressive, launching a 180-grain slug at 3,400 fps.
.338-378 Weatherby Magnum: The famous Elmer Keith, a big-bore rifleman himself, had a hand in this one, along with R.W. Bob Thomson; it derived from Keith and Thomson’s .338-378 KT wildcat. This runs about 200 fps faster than my stiff .338 Winchester Magnum loads, pushing a 250-grain slug at a hair over 3,000 fps.
.340 Weatherby Magnum: This is the brother of the last round, introduced in 1962 by Roy Weatherby to compete with Winchester’s new .338 Winchester Magnum rather than the big .378 Weatherby case. This one’s based on the .300 H&H case, but retains the H&H magnum length, increasing capacity and enabling that same 250-grain slug to launch at right about 2,900 fps.
.375 Weatherby Magnum: Introduced in 1945, this was a short-lived round, made by fire-forming H&H brass with the Weatherby dual-radius case neck profile. It was impressive, firing a 300-grain slug at 2,800 fps, but Weatherby decided to go one bigger.
.378 Weatherby Magnum: This was the first of the real Weatherby monsters. It was loosely based on the dimensions of the .416 Rigby case, but was a belted magnum. This was a sockdologer of a round, launching that same 300-grain pill at over 3,000 fps.
.416 Weatherby Magnum: This in-betweener was developed in 1989 by Roy’s son, Ed Weatherby. It’s intended to be a big, tough round for big, tough game, and it is that, churning up almost 2,900 fps in a 350-grain solid slug.And, finally:
.460 Weatherby Magnum: Brought out by old Roy in 1957, this was his capper. Made to compete with the .458 Winchester Magnum that came out the year before, the Weatherby bruiser’s performance ran the Winchester round’s legs off, turning up 2,600 fps with a 500-grain solid, compared to the .458’s 2,200 fps.
That was Weatherby’s stable, and it’s an impressive one.
What About Now?
Old Roy is long gone, but the rifles that bear his name are still for sale. The full range of Weatherby proprietary cartridges is likewise still for sale. They are as they were: Hard-hitting, high-velocity, great rounds. There’s a Weatherby round suitable for any game from prairie dogs to elephants, a range that hasn’t been matched by many gun companies.
For the time being, Roy Weatherby’s legacy is secure. He earned it.
