There are so many great bullets available for the 0.243″ handloader, and so much potential in the 240 Weatherby cartridge, it would be a shame to pass up the opportunity. Handloading the 240 Weatherby Magnum requires considerably less effort and expense than the typical magnum cartridge.
Brass is available through discount retailers for approximately $1.30 per case, both Norma produced Weatherby and Nosler brands. Less costly than the 264 Winchester Magnum or the 7mm Remington Magnum with similar quality brass.
The 240 Weatherby Magnum is fairly easy on brass. Assuming even only five cycles of use the handloader’s cost per case is 26 cents or $5.20 per box of 20 rounds. Care in handloading, annealing and avoiding pushing the limits handloads can extend usage further.
Bullets for the 240 Weatherby Magnum are no more costly than conventional bullets utilized with 243 Winchester handloads. Light bullets are intended to have explosive expansion on varmints and heavy bullets are intended to have much more controlled expansion on larger game like deer or antelope.
Left to right, Sierra 55 grain BlitzKing, Hornady 65 grain V-Max, Remington 75 grain AccuTip, Combined Technology 95 grain Ballistic Silvertip, Hornady 100 grain Boat Tail Soft Point, Speer 100 grain Boat Tail Soft Point. Mostly 20 cent bullets.
Primer selection is either large rifle or magnum dependent upon powder selection, both standard fare. Powder consumption is 30-06 Springfield like, on the average, 58 grains, or 120 rounds to the pound… something on the order of 15 cents per cartridge. Cost should fall somewhere between $15 and $20 per box of premium ammo handloaded. Factory loaded ammunition runs between $55 and $75 with the price mostly driven by bullet selection.
Cold barrel, heated barrel….
The Weatherby Ultra Lightweight has a #1 profile barrel… slender and fluted. Subsequently, it’s reaction to temperature is a little more immediate than the slow heat soak that would be attributed to a heavy barrel varmint rifle. Additionally, barrel harmonics… vibrations are a bit more pronounced than would be the case with a heavy barrel rifle. The same could be said for Remington Mountain Rifles and Model Seven CDLs and Winchester Featherweight Compacts. In the case of the Weatherby, I believe the fluting lends structure to the barrel and the effects of heat may not be all that significant.
No, scientific data collection, but close enough to form an impression. The temps were pulled from a point on the barrel 8″ forward of the receiver, the point of highest recorded temperatures, with a Fluke Infrared thermometer. Ambient was 51ºF throughout the measurement period. Follow on groups were shot immediately after the +10 minute readings were taken.
| Group | # Shots | Start Temp | Stop Temp ºF | ºF +5 Minutes | ºF +10 Minutes |
| 1 | 3 | 55 | 78 | 66 | 59 |
| 2 | 3 | 57 | 82 | 70 | 66 |
| 3 | 3 | 64 | 88 | 74 | 66 |
| 4 | 5 | 66 | 98 | 78 | 69 |
Nothing significant jumps out. The barrel heated, moderately, quickly and cooled nearly as rapidly. For a hunting rifle or recreational target shooter the results were quite ordinary. The barrel did not burst into flames or melt the stock and shots did not stray all over the place. No, this does not meant the Weatherby Ultra Lightweight in 240 Weatherby Magnum is a 200 prairie dogs an afternoon gun, but certainly it is not a rifle that would require special consideration for hunting where a magazine full, 5+1, or so would be fired without pause.
Below are two, three shot groups. the one on the right was shot with the barrel at 66ºF. The group on the left was shot immediately after a 5 shot group was used to raise the barrel temperature to 98ºF. Both were shot with the same handload recipe. The first measured roughly a quarter of an inch, the second three quarters of an inch. Generally speaking, without pushing temperature up deliberately, the difference between a cold and warm barrel in terms of groups size is roughly 0.250″, which is the condition all groups were shot in the handload listings.
No, I am not suggesting that the Weatherby Ultra Lightweight is a quarter MOA rifle or that any handload will produce the same results. I am suggesting that this is a good approximation of the spread between a cool and hot barrel and either degree of accuracy is something we typically hope for in a hunting rifle. If you need to take eight shots at a deer in rapid succession to bring it down, you might want to take up tennis… or get in some range time… or, for God’s sake, don’t tell anyone.
Handloading notes…
Nothing special is required. Weatherby brass, made by Norma is always a pleasure to work with. Perfect malleability, uniform shape and dimensions, drilled flash holes, and they cut and trim cleanly. The 240 Weatherby Magnum has a long neck, which lends itself to latitude in bullet seating. The Ultra Lightweight magazine box has more than enough room to hold the even the longest practical cartridges. Freebore is 0.169″ and bullet ogive to rifling clearance was not an issue with any loads.
IMR 7828 SSC was probably the most universal powder across all bullet weights, a couple of those listed were mildly compressed. H414 yielded excellent results, but pressure rise approaching maximum was sharp so its use was restricted to one load only.
The bullets selected are representative of what works for hunting, from varmint to deer. There are a few more I would have liked to have added, most notably a heavy Nosler Partition and some of the very slick Berger bullets. I did not have Nosler 100 grain Partitions on hand and the Weatherby’s 10″ twist was not enough for the long Berger VLD Hunting 105 and 115 grain bullets. I’m not a light bullet 6mm varmint hunter, so anything from 95 grains and up are more useful to me. I think If I were to rebarrel something for this round I would go with a 9″ or even 8″ twist and stick with heavy bullets.
Warning: Bullet selections are specific, and loads are not valid with substitutions of different bullets of the same weight. Variations in bullet length will alter net case capacity, pressure and velocity. Primer selection is specific and primer types are not interchangeable. These are maximum loads in my firearms and may easily be excessive in others. All loads should be reduced by 5%, and developed following safe handloading practices as represented in established reloading manuals produced by component manufacturers. Presentation of these loads does not constitute a solicitation for their use, nor a recommendation.
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Cartridge: 240 Weatherby Magnum |
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| Rifle: Weatherby Mark V | Max COL: 3.100″ |
| Bullet Diameter: 0.243″ | Primer: CCI 250 |
| Barrel: 24″ | Reloading Dies: RCBS |
| Max case length: 2.500″ | Group distance: 100 yards |
| Bullet |
Bullet Weight Grains |
Net Water Capacity H2O |
COL” | Powder Type |
Powder Charge Grains |
Muzzle Velocity FPS |
Muzzle Energy Ft-Lbs |
100 Yard Group Size 3 Shot “ |
|
| Sierra BlitzKing | 55 | 61.8 | 3.060 | RL17 | 57.0 | 4097 | 2050 | 1.0 | |
| Sierra BlitzKing | 55 | 61.8 | 3.060 | H414 | 58.0 | 4134 | 2088 | 1.1 | |
| Hornady V-Max | 65 | 60.4 | 3.020 | RL17 | 54.5 | 3886 | 2180 | 0.8 | |
| Hornady V-Max | 65 | 60.4 | 3.020 | H4350 | 56.0 | 3903 | 2199 | 1.0 | |
| Hornady V-Max | 65 | 60.4 | 3.020 | IMR 7828 SSC | 61.0 | 3871 | 2163 | 1.2 | |
| Remington AccuTip | 75 | 59.8 | 3.060 | RL19 | 56.5 | 3710 | 2293 | 0.8 | |
| Remington AccuTip | 75 | 59.8 | 3.060 | H4350 | 54.5 | 3698 | 2278 | 0.7 | |
| Remington AccuTip | 75 | 59.8 | 3.060 | IMR7828 SSC | 59.0 | 3406 | 1932 | 0.9 | |
| CT Ballistic Silvertip | 95 | 58.1 | 3.100 | RL19 | 53.0 | 3464 | 2532 | 1.0 | |
| CT Ballistic Silvertip | 95 | 58.1 | 3.100 | IMR7828 SSC | 56.0 | 3352 | 2371 | 1.1 | |
| Hornady BTSP | 100 | 58.4 | 3.075 | RL22 | 54.5 | 3314 | 2439 | 1.1 | |
| Hornady BTSP | 100 | 58.4 | 3.075 | IMR7828 SSC | 55.0 | 3381 | 2539 | 0.9 | |
| Speer BTSP | 100 | 58.5 | 3.060 | RL22 | 55.0 | 3303 | 2423 | 0.6 | |
| Speer BTSP | 100 | 58.5 | 3.060 | IMR7828 SSC | 55.0 | 3351 | 2494 | 1.0 | |
| Speer BTSP* | 100 | 59.0 | 3.100 | RL22 | 55.0 | 3320 | 2448 | 0.2 | |
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* Most accurate. |
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Lasting impressions…
The Weatherby Mark V Ultra Lightweight and 240 Weatherby Magnum are well matched. The rifle is light, but substantial, the round is an ideal deer and antelope and lesser size varmints. The rifle has a good sound, easy to manage recoil and a durable finish that will hold up to heavy use.
Some folks will say they can get the same in a $300 rifle… that just means they don’t have the experience or firearm knowledge to appreciate the difference. For folks who like and appreciate the nicer things in life, the Weatherby Mark V Ultra Lightweight makes for an excellent hunter’s rifle.
Weatherby’s Mark V® Ultra Lightweight Part 1
Weatherby’s Mark V® Ultra Lightweight Part 2
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