.378 Weatherby Magnum
Encyclopedia
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 hold upwards of 7.13 g
(120 gr
) of powder. The 378 Weatherby Magnum cartridge also has the double radius shoulder design found on the first and smaller proprietary line of Weatherby magnum cartridges. It is the most powerful .375 caliber rifle cartridge in the world.
The motivation behind the development of the .378 came from the disappointing performance gains of the improved,.375 Weatherby over its parent case, the .375 H&H Magnum. Roy Weatherby in 1953 killed an African elephant with one shot while on safari. However in using this event as a marketing tool, it was revealed some African countries have a minimum 10.16 mm
(.40 caliber) bullet size for hunting dangerous game. Weatherby responded by necking up the .378 to 11.63 mm (.458 caliber) and called the new cartridge the .460 Weatherby Magnum
, which was introduced in 1958.
It is considered a Safari
grade cartridge. The .378 Weatherby Magnum is appropriate for taking all African game animals from large African antelopes, Nile crocodile
, hippopotamus
, to the Big Five game
. Some hunters on the North American continent employ the .378 for American elk
, Brown bear
s, and polar bear
s.
The .378 Weatherby will generate considerable free recoil
, an average of 104 J
(77 ft·lbf) from a 4.1 kg (9 lb) rifle. This compares to 27 J (20 ft·lbf) from a rifle chambered for .30-06 Springfield
. But is only 10% more than the recoil of the .375 H&H Magnum
while having 22% more energy. It has less recoil than almost all cartridges of its energy. While the recoil is stiff, exaggerations have likely done a lot to reduce the popularity of this caliber.
The .378 has been responsible for numerous wildcat cartridge
s, being necked-down as the .22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer
and necked-up as the .500 A-Square
. Some of the .378 Weatherby Magnum wildcat cartridges are shortened versions, like the .30-378 Arch (7.62 mm) and the .460 Short A-Square (11.63 mm). Some .378-based wildcats have gone on to be part of the Weatherby line: .30-378
, .338-378
, .416
and .460.
Roy Weatherby
Roy E. Weatherby was the founder and owner of Weatherby, Inc., an American rifle, shotgun and cartridge manufacturing company set up in 1945. Weatherby created an entire line of custom cartridges, and was one of the people responsible for the industry interest in high-speed cartridges...
in 1953. It was an original belted magnum design with no parent case, inspired by the .416 Rigby
.416 Rigby
The .416 Rigby or 10.6x74mm was designed in 1911 by John Rigby & Company of London, England as a dangerous game cartridge and is the first one to use a bullet with a diameter of .416"...
and headspacing of the belted .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,...
. The 215 magnum rifle primer was developed by Federal specifically for this round. The cartridge can hold upwards of 7.13 g
G
G is the seventh letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:The letter 'G' was introduced in the Old Latin period as a variant of ⟨c⟩ to distinguish voiced, from voiceless, . The recorded originator of ⟨g⟩ is freedman Spurius Carvilius Ruga, the first Roman to open a fee-paying school,...
(120 gr
GR
GR may refer to:* Gabriel Richard High School, a private high school in Michigan* GR footpath, a type of long-distance footpaths in western Europe* Golden Retriever, a type of dog breed* Good Riddance, a punk rock band from Santa Cruz, California...
) of powder. The 378 Weatherby Magnum cartridge also has the double radius shoulder design found on the first and smaller proprietary line of Weatherby magnum cartridges. It is the most powerful .375 caliber rifle cartridge in the world.
The motivation behind the development of the .378 came from the disappointing performance gains of the improved,.375 Weatherby over its parent case, the .375 H&H Magnum. Roy Weatherby in 1953 killed an African elephant with one shot while on safari. However in using this event as a marketing tool, it was revealed some African countries have a minimum 10.16 mm
10 mm caliber
This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the caliber range.*Length refers to the cartridge case length.*OAL refers to the overall length of the cartridge.All measurements are in mm .-Pistol cartridges:...
(.40 caliber) bullet size for hunting dangerous game. Weatherby responded by necking up the .378 to 11.63 mm (.458 caliber) and called the new cartridge the .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...
, which was introduced in 1958.
It is considered a Safari
Safari
A safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
grade cartridge. The .378 Weatherby Magnum is appropriate for taking all African game animals from large African antelopes, Nile crocodile
Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile or Common crocodile is an African crocodile which is common in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, South Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon...
, hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
, to the Big Five game
Big Five game
The phrase Big Five game was coined by white hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris. The collection consists of the lion, African elephant, cape buffalo,...
. Some hunters on the North American continent employ the .378 for American elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
, Brown bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
s, and polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
s.
The .378 Weatherby will generate considerable free recoil
Free recoil
This article is about the energy produced by small arms when discharged. For other uses, go to Recoil Free recoil is a vernacular term or jargon for recoil energy...
, an average of 104 J
Joule
The joule ; symbol J) is a derived unit of energy or work in the International System of Units. It is equal to the energy expended in applying a force of one newton through a distance of one metre , or in passing an electric current of one ampere through a resistance of one ohm for one second...
(77 ft·lbf) from a 4.1 kg (9 lb) rifle. This compares to 27 J (20 ft·lbf) from a rifle chambered for .30-06 Springfield
.30-06 Springfield
The .30-06 Springfield cartridge or 7.62×63mm in metric notation, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and standardized, and was in use until the 1960s and early 1970s. It replaced the .30-03, 6 mm Lee Navy, and .30 US Army...
. But is only 10% more than the recoil of the .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,...
while having 22% more energy. It has less recoil than almost all cartridges of its energy. While the recoil is stiff, exaggerations have likely done a lot to reduce the popularity of this caliber.
The .378 has been responsible for numerous wildcat cartridge
Wildcat cartridge
A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and firearms are not mass produced. These cartridges are often created in order to optimize a certain performance characteristic of an existing commercial cartridge.Developing and using wildcat cartridges does not...
s, being necked-down as the .22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer
.22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer
.22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer is a cartridge for a rifle.It was invented in the 1960s by P.O. Ackley to set a world record for firing bullets at over 5000 fps . The round failed to reach the desired velocity, but reached 4600 fps with a 50 grain bullet and 105 grains of H570 powder. It is based...
and necked-up as the .500 A-Square
.500 A-Square
The .500 A-Square is a belted, bottleneck rifle cartridge, developed by Col. Arthur B. Alphin in 1976. The cartridge is based on the .460 Weatherby Magnum necked up to accept the .510 in bullet; the same as the .50 BMG cartridge. This was Col...
. Some of the .378 Weatherby Magnum wildcat cartridges are shortened versions, like the .30-378 Arch (7.62 mm) and the .460 Short A-Square (11.63 mm). Some .378-based wildcats have gone on to be part of the Weatherby line: .30-378
.30-378 Weatherby Magnum
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 bullet. It is offered with bullets between 165 and 200 grains in factory loading, generating...
, .338-378
.338-378 Weatherby Magnum
The .338-378 Weatherby Magnum started out as the wildcat cartridge, .338-378 Keith-Thomson Magnum during the early 1960s. Keith and Thomson are Elmer Keith and R.W. "Bob" Thomson. The 338-378 Keith-Thomson Magnum is slightly shorter than the .338-378 Weatherby Magnum. However this is only a neck...
, .416
.416 Weatherby Magnum
The .416 Weatherby Magnum is a belted, bottlenecked cartridge designed by Ed Weatherby and launched commercially in 1989. It is a dangerous game cartridge intended for the hunting of heavy dangerous game such as elephant and African Cape buffalo. It is considered the most powerful commercial .416...
and .460.
See also
- List of rifle cartridges
- 9 mm caliber9 mm caliberThis article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the caliber range. The most prevalent of these rounds is the 9x19mm Parabellum.*Length refers to the cartridge case length.*OAL refers to the overall length of the cartridge....
other cartridges in the same caliber range. - .22 caliber.22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer.22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer is a cartridge for a rifle.It was invented in the 1960s by P.O. Ackley to set a world record for firing bullets at over 5000 fps . The round failed to reach the desired velocity, but reached 4600 fps with a 50 grain bullet and 105 grains of H570 powder. It is based...
wildcat cartridges based on .378 Weatherby Magnum.