.30-378 Weatherby Magnum
Encyclopedia
The .30-378 Weatherby Magnum is a cartridge
introduced by Weatherby
in 1996 that uses the same case as the previously existing .378 Weatherby Magnum
and .460 Weatherby Magnum
, necked down to a 30 caliber (7.62 mm) bullet. It is offered with bullets between 165 and 200 grains (10.7 g and 13.0 g) in factory loading, generating velocities able to exceed 3500 ft/s (1,066.8 m/s) and muzzle energies over 4750 foot-pounds (6,440.1 J). The cartridge was the product of a design/development effort of 1958-1959 between Mr William L. Strickland at the U S Army Ballistics Laboratory of Redstone Arsenal Alabama and Roy Weatherby. The research development contract specified the development/production of a single shot rifle/cartridge combination which could provide a flat nosed and based, 80gr and 100 gr projectile velocity of 6000 ft/s. 35mm high speed motion picture cameras were used to photograph the performance and impact results of various projectile alloys while impacting different types of armor plate. The rifle was removed from the stock and mounted in a machine rest, the armor plate targets were 10' in front of the muzzle. The results of this testing have helped the Army in the development of effective battlefield armor and armor penetrators used on the battlefield today. In later years, projectiles fired in this rifle were studied and designed for hunting game at very long distances, and for marksmanship competition in excess of 1000 yards (914.4 m).
, .300 Winchester Magnum
and .375 H&H Magnum
, especially when handloads are used. The .30-378 has comparable muzzle energy to the larger .338 Lapua Magnum in military use. When bullets heavier than 200 gr are loaded, the .30-378 can exceed the .458 Winchester Magnum in terms of both Muzzle Energy and Taylor Knockout Value. However bullets of this weight are not generally offered in factory loadings, requiring one to be a hand-loader in order to take advantage of the additional power potential.very accurate
Note: Using the bullet weight and muzzle velocity in each cartridge that provided the maximum muzzle energy. Data for the .30-378 is from. Loading data for all other cartridges can be found at
Note: data for the .30-378 from Weatherby (which tracks closely to what handloaders
can achieve based on loading data at. Data from the .30-06 is also from Hodgdon. The initial data used is included here for anyone who cares to run the calculations themselves.
.
SAKO
offered the TRG-S in .30-378 Weatherby at one time but now lists the TRG-S as an "Old Model" and is no longer available.
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
introduced by Weatherby
Weatherby
Weatherby, Inc. is an American gun manufacturer founded in 1945 by Roy Weatherby. The company is best known for its high-powered magnum cartridges, such as the .257 Weatherby Magnum and the .460 Weatherby Magnum...
in 1996 that uses the same case as the previously existing .378 Weatherby Magnum
.378 Weatherby Magnum
The .378 Weatherby Magnum was designed by Roy Weatherby in 1953. It was an original belted magnum design with no parent case, inspired by the .416 Rigby and headspacing of the belted .375 H&H Magnum. The 215 magnum rifle primer was developed by Federal specifically for this round. The cartridge can...
and .460 Weatherby Magnum
.460 Weatherby Magnum
The .460 Weatherby Magnum is a belted, bottlenecked rifle cartridge, developed by Roy Weatherby in 1957. The cartridge is based on the .378 Weatherby Magnum necked up to accept the bullet. The original .378 Weatherby Magnum parent case was inspired by the .416 Rigby...
, necked down to a 30 caliber (7.62 mm) bullet. It is offered with bullets between 165 and 200 grains (10.7 g and 13.0 g) in factory loading, generating velocities able to exceed 3500 ft/s (1,066.8 m/s) and muzzle energies over 4750 foot-pounds (6,440.1 J). The cartridge was the product of a design/development effort of 1958-1959 between Mr William L. Strickland at the U S Army Ballistics Laboratory of Redstone Arsenal Alabama and Roy Weatherby. The research development contract specified the development/production of a single shot rifle/cartridge combination which could provide a flat nosed and based, 80gr and 100 gr projectile velocity of 6000 ft/s. 35mm high speed motion picture cameras were used to photograph the performance and impact results of various projectile alloys while impacting different types of armor plate. The rifle was removed from the stock and mounted in a machine rest, the armor plate targets were 10' in front of the muzzle. The results of this testing have helped the Army in the development of effective battlefield armor and armor penetrators used on the battlefield today. In later years, projectiles fired in this rifle were studied and designed for hunting game at very long distances, and for marksmanship competition in excess of 1000 yards (914.4 m).
Performance
The .30-378 case holds as much as 120 gr of powder without requiring a compressed load. This allows the cartridge to develop more energy than the .300 Remington Ultra Magnum.300 Remington Ultra Magnum
The .300 Remington Ultra Magnum, also known as the .300 Ultra Mag or .300 RUM is a 7.62 mm caliber rifle cartridge , 7.62x72mm, or .30 caliber rifle cartridge introduced by Remington Arms in 1999. The .300 Remington Ultra Magnum is one of the largest commercially available .30 caliber magnums...
, .300 Winchester Magnum
.300 Winchester Magnum
The .300 Winchester Magnum is a popular, belted, bottlenecked magnum rifle cartridge that was introduced by Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1963 as a member of the family of Winchester Magnum cartridges. The .300 Winchester Magnum is a magnum cartridge designed to fit in a standard length...
and .375 H&H Magnum
.375 H&H Magnum
The .375 Holland & Holland Magnum is a powerful rifle round and one of the best-known and most popular medium-bore cartridges in the world. The .375 H&H was only the second cartridge ever to feature a belt, now common among magnum rounds. A popular misconception is that the belt is for headspace,...
, especially when handloads are used. The .30-378 has comparable muzzle energy to the larger .338 Lapua Magnum in military use. When bullets heavier than 200 gr are loaded, the .30-378 can exceed the .458 Winchester Magnum in terms of both Muzzle Energy and Taylor Knockout Value. However bullets of this weight are not generally offered in factory loadings, requiring one to be a hand-loader in order to take advantage of the additional power potential.very accurate
| Cartridge | Bullet Weight | Muzzle velocity Muzzle velocity Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from approximately to in black powder muskets , to more than in modern rifles with high-performance cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger, all the way to for tank guns... |
Muzzle energy Muzzle energy Muzzle energy is the kinetic energy of a bullet as it is expelled from the muzzle of a firearm. It is often used as a rough indication of the destructive potential of a given firearm or load... |
Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gr | g | ft/s | m/s | ft·lbf | J | |
| .458 Win Mag .458 Winchester Magnum The .458 Winchester Magnum is a belted, straight-taper cased, dangerous game rifle cartridge. It was introduced commercially in 1956 by Winchester and first chambered in the Winchester Model 70 African rifle. It was designed to compete against the .450 Nitro Express and the .470 Nitro Express... |
500 gr | 2240 | 682.8 | 5570 | 7,551.9 | Winchester Safari Supreme loading |
| .338 Lapua | 300 gr | 2800 | 853.4 | 5224 | 7,082.8 | Black Hills Ammo loading |
| .30-378 Wby | 200 gr | 3160 | 963.2 | 4434 | 6,011.7 | Weatherby factory load |
| .375 H&H .375 H&H Magnum The .375 Holland & Holland Magnum is a powerful rifle round and one of the best-known and most popular medium-bore cartridges in the world. The .375 H&H was only the second cartridge ever to feature a belt, now common among magnum rounds. A popular misconception is that the belt is for headspace,... |
300 gr | 2705 | 824.5 | 4875 | 6,609.6 | Hornady Heavy Magnum loading |
| .300 RUM .300 Remington Ultra Magnum The .300 Remington Ultra Magnum, also known as the .300 Ultra Mag or .300 RUM is a 7.62 mm caliber rifle cartridge , 7.62x72mm, or .30 caliber rifle cartridge introduced by Remington Arms in 1999. The .300 Remington Ultra Magnum is one of the largest commercially available .30 caliber magnums... |
200 gr | 3100 | 944.9 | 4269 | 5,788 | Loading from Nosler custom |
| .300 Win Mag .300 Winchester Magnum The .300 Winchester Magnum is a popular, belted, bottlenecked magnum rifle cartridge that was introduced by Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1963 as a member of the family of Winchester Magnum cartridges. The .300 Winchester Magnum is a magnum cartridge designed to fit in a standard length... |
180 gr | 3050 | 929.6 | 3720 | 5,043.6 | Reference load by Doubletapammo |
Note: Using the bullet weight and muzzle velocity in each cartridge that provided the maximum muzzle energy. Data for the .30-378 is from. Loading data for all other cartridges can be found at
| Cartridge | Weight | Ballistic Coefficient |
Muzzle Velocity | Muzzle Energy | Velocity at 440 yd (402.3 m) | Energy at 440 yd (402.3 m) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gr | g | ft/s | m/s | ft·lbf | J | ft/s | m/s | ft·lbf | J | |
| .30-06 | 165 gr | 0.475 | 2938 | 895.5 | 3165 | 4,291.2 | 2110 | 643.1 | 1633 | 2,214.1 |
| .30-378 | 165 gr | 0.475 | 3500 | 1,066.8 | 4448 | 6,030.7 | 2576 | 785.2 | 2428 | 3,291.9 |
| .30-06 | 180 gr | 0.507 | 2798 | 852.8 | 3130 | 4,243.7 | 2044 | 623 | 1668 | 2,261.5 |
| .30-378 | 180 gr | 0.507 | 3420 | 1,042.4 | 4676 | 6,339.8 | 2559 | 780 | 2619 | 3,550.9 |
| .30-06 | 200 gr | 0.481 | 2586 | 788.2 | 2972 | 4,029.5 | 1841 | 561.1 | 1502 | 2,036.4 |
| .30-378 | 200 gr | 0.481 | 3160 | 963.2 | 4434 | 6,011.7 | 2300 | 701 | 2351 | 3,187.5 |
Note: data for the .30-378 from Weatherby (which tracks closely to what handloaders
Handloading
Handloading or reloading is the process of loading firearm cartridges or shotgun shells by assembling the individual components , rather than purchasing completely assembled, factory-loaded cartridges...
can achieve based on loading data at. Data from the .30-06 is also from Hodgdon. The initial data used is included here for anyone who cares to run the calculations themselves.
Costs
Rifles built by Weatherby are available in .30-378, and ammunition is significantly more expensive than other cartridges, with ammunition costing upwards of $100 USD for a box of 20 rounds as of 2007. Weatherby offers this caliber in several versions of its Mark V rifle. Due to the strong recoil a round of this energy can create, all Weatherby rifles offered in this caliber include a muzzle-brakeMuzzle brake
Muzzle brakes and recoil compensators are devices that are fitted to the muzzle of a firearm or cannon to redirect propellant gases with the effect of countering both recoil of the gun and unwanted rising of the barrel during rapid fire...
.
SAKO
SAKO
SAKO, Limited is a Finnish firearm manufacturer located in Riihimäki....
offered the TRG-S in .30-378 Weatherby at one time but now lists the TRG-S as an "Old Model" and is no longer available.
External links
- Further reloading data at Hodgdon