Weatherby rifles

[MudRunner2005]

I like both my Warbirds, but to be honest, the Sako is the better shooter....so far. I have not shot the Lazz rifle very much yet, so that probably isn't a fair statement. I had knee replacement surgery about a year ago, it went bad, had it redone in April, it went worse, will try for the trifecta in November. Then I had carpal tunnel surgery a month ago and the feeling hasn't come back into my fingers yet, which makes it really hard to shoot (and type). Getting old is really fun...the golden years my ***.
Warbird brass was available from Midway last time I checked at about half what Lazzeroni charges for it, but it seems to be really good brass. He claims it can be reloaded up to 20 times, but I have never seen any brass that lasts that long. I will be happy if I get six or seven loads out each case. When I got mine, I weighed them and checked them all for runout, and out of 100 pieces, I did not have to discard any. The Warbird does go through the powder, though.

Good score on the 7mm STW. I do not have one, but it must be a great caliber since all the manufacturers immediately jumped on it when Simpson introduced it. I have never read anything negative about it, and it pretty much eliminated the 7mm magnum.

It is a VERY efficient caliber, especially compared to the 7RUM. I wouldn't say it eliminated the 7RM, but for really long range, that extra umph is a big plus when shooting the heavies. I have one 7mm-08, two 7RM rifles, and now will have two 7STW's. Got a bunch of others too. I have many favorite calibers, but my main calibers of focus are the different .257 & 7mm calibers.

I like the .30's, but currently am still down to just the one .308 Win...I should be getting a 5R .300 WM barrel soon and will have one of those, too. Also want a 7.82 Warbird, bad. Not sure why, just always been fascinated by it since first I heard about it years and years ago.

 

[Old teacher]

As far as I know, John Lazzeroni has not licensed anyone to produce the warbird since the Sako line. He hooked up with (I think, may be wrong here) Savage to produce one of his smaller cartridges. So if you want a Warbird, you might have to spend the bucks for the genuine article. Mine was $7000 and he threw in three boxes of his custom ammo (no small perk..., about $400 worth). He does not build custom rifles, and he tells you so. He ASSEMBLES custom rifles from what he considers to be the best components in the country. With the rifle you get a list of what each component is. But the end result may be what he claims it to be, the best bolt action rifle in the country. Everything is incredibly well-fitted and finished, and the rifles are a work of art. John is definitely opinionated, but he is also, in my opinion after communicating extensively with him prior to ordering my gun, very honest. The one thing you always need to consider when buying a custom gun is that the chances of ever getting your money back when selling it is virtually nil, whereas over-the-counter guns will appreciate over time if cared for properly.

 

[LazzInc]

old Teach ,,,,

I am sitting here tonight in Kenosha WI, at the HD dealer for the 110th celebration ,,,,,,

I have to chuckle a little at your comments and I thank you for them ,,,,,,,

how is your big Lazz Warbird shooting for you by the way ? ,,,,,,

 

[MudRunner2005]

I'm a HD rider myself, and got offered tickets to that, but a plane ticket would have cost me more than the trip more than I make in a month. LOL

How's the music and all so far? I know Kid Rock's playing, but can't remember who else is...

 

[Old teacher]

Hi John: The Warbird is shooting great, and now that I am getting a few mechanical health issues out of the way, I will have time to shoot it more. I thought I was going to have to miss a hunting season this year for the first time in half a century, but I have surgeries scheduled before and after and should be able to hunt in between. I'll be slow, but that is the best way to hunt anyway. When I used to hunt blacktails in Western WA,I would typically move about a hundred yards an hour. One of my partners hunted like I did, only half the time I found him asleep. He refused to wear hunter orange, and I stalked him for half an hour one day before I realized what I was looking at. It was really thick stuff, and an average shot was about 20 yds. He and I killed 16 deer in eight years in that place while our other partner, who believed in running them down, never punched his ticket once.

I hope everything I said concerning you was accurate, but if it wasn't, I have a feeling I would have heard about it. Have a good time. Denny

 

[Old teacher]

Need advice on a different topic. I bought a 38-55 WCF yesterday, and now I cannot find anything to go with it...kind of. Redding has the dies, but bullets and brass are another matter. Every site on the net is out of stock with no backorders. Midway has a brand called Starline available, but I have no experience with Starline brass, and the fact that it appears to be the only brass available on the planet makes me suspicious. Plus, so far I have located five different lengths of cases for the caliber ranging from 2.072 to 2.125. The 2.072 is the one listed in the only one of five reloading manuals I have. To make matters worse, the manual lists the bullet at .379, but the only bullets listed in the Midway catalog are .375 and .377. So here is the list of questions:1. Is the Starline brass worth using; 2. where would I find Winchester or any other recognizable brand of brass; 3. What is the appropriate length for the case; 4. What is the correct bullet diameter; and 5. Where would I find a selection of bullets for this caliber without having to cast my own? Apparently this caliber is very popular with the cowboy action shooters, and they must keep everything bought out. Many thanks for any help.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Hit the motherload for you here, Teach... Hope this helps. Midway has TONS of stuff for it. Also has Starline brass for it, dies, bullets, and factory loaded ammo.


http://www.midwayusa.com/find?userSearchQuery=38-55


1) Starline is good brass from what I've heard from others.

2) Midway says the Winchester brand brass should be in stock around 9/9. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/249870/winchester-reloading-brass-38-55-wcf-bag-of-50

3) Is your's the 2.082" or the 2.125" chamber? To measure your chamber you could always take a dowell, run it down into the chamber till it hits the lip, then make a mark on your dowell with a pen, then pull it out and measure the distance on the dowell with your calipers. Then you'd know for sure which chambering you have.

4) .377 is the correct bullet diameter from what I have gathered.

 

[Old teacher]

Mudrunner: many thanks for all the info. After I posted my question, I found a manual with everything I needed in it except the source of components. Midway has Starline brass in stock, and I will call them and see if they do have Winchester brass coming. They will not accept back orders, so if they can't give me a date when they will have stock available, I will just call them everyday until I strike brass. But I am happy to hear that the Starline brass is at least acceptable until I find better. I will also call some of the upper line companies like Nosler and Lapua and see what they have. They frequently have stuff they do not list, and a phone call solves the problem.

My Barnes manual lists the 38-55 as having a case of 2.085 and to trim them to 2.075 before loading. A call to Cabelas confirmed those dimensions in this rifle. But I will check it as you suggested before I do anything. Barnes recommends (of course) a 255 grain "Original" Barnes bullet, .377 in diameter, but cast bullets up to .380 can be used. Back in the day when I shot heavy pistols a lot, I cast all my own bullets, and with a good alloy and a gas check, you get a pretty good bullet very cheaply. So with a little more research and your assistance, I should be on my way. I appreciate your willingness to give me all this help.

The rifle was an impulse buy. Cabelas is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and they are offering four rifles that they feel are special in some way. I do not usually buy centennial or anniversary guns because you rarely get your money back on them, but I do not own a lever action rifle, and the Winchester model 94 they were offering looked good in the catalog. It has a grade III walnut stock, and a little gold inlay stuff advertising the anniversary. I live about and hour and a half from a Cabelas store, so I called down to see if they had any in stock. They said no, so I called back and talked to a different person who said they had two in stock. I learned a long time ago that when inquiring about something on the phone, always talk to at least two people before setting off on a four hour drive or giving up. I asked him to visually verify that he, indeed, did have two, which he did. When I went down and looked at the rifle, I was pleasantly surprised. It is a very pretty little rifle, modestly decorated for the anniversary, with a better than grade III stock. I think Cabelas anticipated a much higher interest in this rifle than they got, because they had lowered the original price of $1599 down to $1099. I have a Cabelas Visa card, which I pay off in full every month or the whole process becomes a loss to interest, and through the use of the card, you can build up points to spend at Cabelas. I had not used any credits for a long time, so I had enough accumulated to pay for the rifle. No gun as good as a free gun! Thanks again. If I have more questions, I will be back.

 

[Old teacher]

Mudrunner: were you serious about an interest in buying my .30-378? I have 6 heavy 30 calibers plus a .338 Lapua and a .338 Rum, so I might want to sell off one or two of those. I would prefer to keep the Vortex Viper PST scope, but I have other scopes I could put on it for you, or I could sell it without a scope. I would throw in a bipod I never use, one box of new brass and one box of handloads, and the Blackhawk scope mounts and rings. The rifle has been fired 10 times and is as NIB.

I have other hobbies I need money for now, so something has to go, and that something will be me according to my wife if I spend any more money without selling something.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I was, but was hoping it would be further into the future. I have one my vehicles for sale currently, but am awaiting a buyer. If that were to sell soon, I would be able to pick that .30-378 up from you, but as of the current moment, all my monetary funding is tied up in other things.

 

[Old teacher]

Mudrunner: we both seem to be in the same position. We both have something else we want to buy, but need to sell something we have to get the money to do it. Let's hope you get a buyer for the car soon. I am going to need the money relatively soon...within a month or so, so I may have to put the rifle up for sale on the internet. With hunting seasons getting started, now would be the best time for me to sell it.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Send me a PM on your shipped price for it, with the brass and dies and all the stuff you were talking about. I might have to drop my truck price down really low for it to sell quickly.

But remember, I know what you paid for it...

 

[Old teacher]

OK. I will put together packages with no scope, and with three different scope options. I know you know what I paid for it. I will go through my receipts and make sure the price I quoted was correct, but I am sure it was either $1200 or $1295. I have searched the web and the lowest current price I could find was $1695. The highest was $2700. But even though this is in NIB condition, it is a used gun and I do not expect to get a new price for it. I'll come up with what I feel is a fair price, and I will base my prices on Midway prices for the extras. They sell stuff as cheaply as anyone I know. I'll get back to you as soon as I can look all this stuff up, add it up, then discount it for being used to a price that I feel is as low as I can go. Sound fair?

 

[MudRunner2005]

Sounds good to me man.

You know I was just messing with you about what you paid for it, right?

But seriously, yeah, I'll see if I can move this truck along a little sooner than anticipated.