Swift Scirocco II 300 Wby Mag 180gr – Superb Big Game Ammo

Description

Roy Weatherby built his cartridges around one idea, which was that velocity does work. The Swift Scirocco II 300 Wby Mag 180gr honors that idea without the old tradeoff. Driving a bonded 180 grain bullet at 3036 feet per second used to mean accepting that the bullet might not survive the impact. Swift solved that by bonding the core to the jacket, so speed and structural integrity finally arrive together.

• What the extra velocity actually buys
• Full specifications
• Open country and heavy game
• Honest notes before you buy
• Heat, barrels and recoil
• The bottom line

What the extra velocity actually buys

Compared to a 300 Winchester Magnum, the Swift Scirocco II 300 Wby Mag 180gr gains roughly a hundred feet per second at the muzzle and about two hundred foot pounds of energy. That is not a transformation, but it is real. It flattens the trajectory another inch or two at 400 yards and it keeps the bullet above its expansion threshold a little further out.

The catch with any fast magnum is that impact velocity up close can be brutal on a conventional bullet. At twenty yards a cup and core 180 grain bullet from a 300 Weatherby can come apart on the near shoulder. The bonded construction in the Swift Scirocco II 300 Wby Mag 180gr is what prevents that, which means the load works at both ends of the distance range rather than only the far one.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 300 Weatherby Magnum
• Bullet weight: 180 grain
• Bullet: Scirocco II bonded polymer tip boat tail
• Muzzle velocity: 3036 fps
• Muzzle energy: 3689 ft-lbs
• Ballistic coefficient (G1): 0.520
• Case: reloadable boxer primed brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• Part number: SB10044

Weatherby rifles are cut with generous freebore, which is part of how the cartridge reaches these velocities safely. Factory ammunition like the Swift Scirocco II 300 Wby Mag 180gr is loaded with that throat in mind, so you get the advertised performance without the pressure questions that come with pushing a handload to the same numbers.

Open country and heavy game

This is a reach out cartridge and the Swift Scirocco II 300 Wby Mag 180gr is a reach out load. Elk across a basin, moose at the far end of a cut, mule deer on an open face. Zero at 250 yards and you can hold on hair to roughly 350, which covers most of what western hunting actually presents without touching a turret.

On heavy game the 3689 foot pounds at the muzzle and the bonded core work together. Penetration through shoulder bone is reliable, expansion is controlled rather than explosive, and weight retention stays high. The Swift Scirocco II 300 Wby Mag 180gr is the kind of load you carry when you might only get one shot at an animal you traveled a long way to find.

Honest notes before you buy

The price is real. This is premium bonded ammunition in a magnum case and it costs accordingly. A sensible approach is a cheaper 180 grain load for load development and position practice, then the Swift Scirocco II 300 Wby Mag 180gr for confirming zero and for the hunt itself.

It is also more cartridge than most hunting requires. If your season is whitetails at under two hundred yards, the Swift Scirocco II 300 Wby Mag 180gr is overkill and you are paying a premium plus a recoil penalty for performance you will never call on. Where it makes sense is big animals, open country, and the possibility of a long shot.

Heat, barrels and recoil

Let the barrel cool. A 300 Weatherby Magnum burns a lot of powder for its bore diameter and a hot barrel walks its groups. Shooting the Swift Scirocco II 300 Wby Mag 180gr three rounds at a time with several minutes between strings will tell you far more about your rifle than firing twenty rounds back to back ever will, and it is easier on the throat.

Recoil is significant, more than a 300 Winchester Magnum and considerably more than an 06. Weatherby rifles usually carry enough weight and a decent pad to make it manageable, but if yours is light, consider a brake or a suppressor before you order a case of the Swift Scirocco II 300 Wby Mag 180gr. Flinching costs animals, and no amount of muzzle energy fixes a pulled shot.

The bottom line

If you own a 300 Weatherby Magnum and you want ammunition that matches the cartridge in both speed and bullet integrity, the Swift Scirocco II 300 Wby Mag 180gr is a straightforward pick. You can read more about the bullet design at swiftbullets.com, or browse the rest of our stock on the MAG5 Firearms ammunition page.

MAG5 Firearms keeps the Swift Scirocco II 300 Wby Mag 180gr in stock and moving, and we are glad to talk through bullet choice before you order. If you are working up a load for a new rifle, a single box of the Swift Scirocco II 300 Wby Mag 180gr is a sensible place to start.