Classic 378 Bee gets a "modern" Look!

FOTIS

Range Officer
Staff member
Oct 30, 2004
24,249
2,948
Well as some of you may know I had a little bad luck with my gorgeous 378 Bee. I tried various bullets in it and no luck. 2"-4" were the norm. This was with 300 gr Accubonds and 260 Accubonds and the super accurate 300 GR Sierra BT. No luck at all.

Meanwhile this gun came like new in box with original target fired in Japan in 1990. The target said 1" 3 shots at 100 yards with 300 gr Hornady RN Buffalo busters.
I had a lot of suspicions.

A quick talk to Jim (JD338) convinced me to send it to Williams gun site company in Michigan, Besides being a primo gunsmith station (which build JD's 280 AI) they were also a WBY service center.

I shipped the 378 out for a health exam and at the same time I wondered about the scope on it.
It was a nice newer Vari-x III 4.5x14x40mm AO and as dependable as any scope. I quick trip down memory lane and I awoke to the fact that I had broken a 3.5x10x40mm Leupy same series as above on a previous 378 in the early 2000's. In fact it cost me 2 378's before. None would shoot so I kept trading them until I woke up one day, sent it to leupold and came back with entirely new innards!!!! The scope was shot!
Expensive lesson learned here.
Fast forward to today. I sent the scope out to Leupy and after 10 days I received a package from the brown Santa truck. Same deal!!!! Erector system was destroyed! Damn them 378's! Why do I love them.

Next day called the guys at the repair center. I felt like a chump. They declared that the rifle was a 1/2" shooter with factory 270 Hornadies spritzers at 3180 fps. He said the biggest of multiple groups was 3/4" if that! Jeff told me that I was lucky to get such power from a handsome 20 year old (but basically new) rifle that can hit a 25 cent piece every time!
I told him about the scope and he said...well it is a 378!

So after a long deliberation with JD and the Fotis ghosts that were not sleeping at nights I ended up with this setup.



WBY MKV 378 Deluxe
Picatinny 20 MOA base
Leupold Mark 4 LE/MIL long range 30mm scope
Weaver heavy duty 30mm rings with 6 screws each ring.

A little funky I know but theoretically strong as you know what.

Wish me luck. Going out tomorrow. Any thoughts on the look? :?

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Beautiful gun... get'er sighted in and we'll take it out an clobber a coyote with it... should be enough gun.
 
Pretty skookum looking outfit you have there, Fotis. The 378s do kick some!
 
Man, that is alot of horsepower to smash VXIII's! Glad you have it up and running. Looking forward to seeing some groups from it! Scotty
 
Well POP, I'm not sure if you have enough scope there. :lol: That is one fine looking rifle you got. Hope she shoots as good.
 
Had to postpone. Rainy and crappy today. Maybe Friday on the range. :x
 
I actually like it, that is different enough to be cool. I am sure glad you still have your 378Wby. That is one cool bee (if it has a break) :mrgreen: Can't wait to here how it helps your groups. Should be one long range rifle for sure with that scope. Once again, I really like it, better looking than I thought it would be.
 
Yes Mike. It has a Gentry "quite" muzzle break....whatever that is....... :grin:
 
Fotis,

Loks great!
I am pretty sure the Mark 4 will hold up to the recoil of the 378 Wby. Looking forward to your range report.

JD338
 
Looks Bull lleather tough. You touch that sucker off and any body snickering about all them screws etc will shut up .... at least until there liver stops quivering. Beautiful but all business, I like. CL
 
Looks good. Gotta love the $15 set of caps on several thousand dollars worth of gun and scope. Best of luck with the groups.
 
Thanks. Leupold includes them with the pricey scopes. :p
 
Looks great to me, if you have any problems with it let me know. I will trade you straight across for a 60 year old Remington 721 in 300 B that shoots 6 inch groups. Nice looking combo!!!
 
Bill, might as well turn that 721 into a full custom job for next year. Maybe turn it into a 338WM or 340WBY, throw a brake on it and get it dialed in with some 225gr PT's at 2900! Scotty
 
You are getting me concerned about scoping my newly acquired Mk V .460 (Japanese). I was going to mount a 1-4x Leupold but now not so sure :?
 
You should have no issues. The 460 does not punish scopes like the 378. Not even near.
 
Good to hear POP. It is the older model with the pendleton brake, so will be a bit more lively than the accubrake models.
 
Yup know that one. I have played with every bee out there.
 
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