re-barrel a weathery markV

[1tonpower]

I am just getting into long range shooting. I just bough a vanguard in .243 with a 24" barrel to use as my kill everything gun. I have a MarkV in .308 with a plain synthetic stock and a 20" barrel. when i bought it i liked the shortness of it for hunting in the hills of VT. Since then I have been looking in to longer shooting..

What would be the best rout to take with my rifle. id like a new stock. something a little more tactical but still preacitcal to hunt with. and a new longer barrel. 24" or 26". im not looking to spend 1000s, i need to save money for good glass. should i buy a new rifle or turn the one i have now into what i want. If its best to rebiuld my current markV where should i start looking.

 

[liltank]

MarkV is a great action to build off of. I would keep it and have it trued up. The 20" .308 will be a great teacher until you are ready to sink your teeth into something a little more substantial. I have 2 .308's, an 18" bull barrel, and 28" Varmint contour. Look into a Bell & Carlson stock.

Bell & Carlson Medalist

Bell & Carlson Weatherby Mark V & Vanguard / Howa 1500 Medalist Varmint / Tactical Heavy Barrel Channel Stocks 6650 Series I'd get this one with the vents! Will aid in barrel cooling.

Your .308 in a 20" will get you to 1000yd with a 175 bullet of some type. If you want a little more horse power, then have it reamed to a 30-06.

Tank

 

[rscott5028]

What do you want to hunt and how far do you plan to shoot?

How does the MarkV shoot today?

You might be surprised at what it can accomplish with the right optics and handloads.

-- richard

 

[1tonpower]

when i first bought the gun i shot a 3 hole group with the edge of each hole touching at 100. that was with 150g winchester ballistic tips. ive only done that once. i have a 2-7 Nikon monarch on top.

since then i have had the stock off for cleaning and have not been able to shoot that tight since. there is no gap between the barrel and stock like i would expect from a floating barrel.

i suppose a good starting point for this rifle is to first put good glass on it then have the trigger touched up a bit and have it bedded?


any thing else i can do that wont brake the bank.

and it is mostly a deer gun.

 

[rscott5028]

Make sure you're cleaning the barrel correctly.

If you can afford it, replace the stock as Tank suggested. Otherwise, bed and float what you have.

Have the trigger tuned, or replaced.

Mount a 20MOA rail and good optics with repeatable turrets.

Start handloading.

Get a good range finder capable of actually ranging deer as far as you intend to shoot.

There are lots of threads and articles here on each of these topics and you'll need to do all of these things to have consistent long range success. ...even if you rebarrel.

Good luck!
-- richard

 

[cfvickers]

Make sure you're cleaning the barrel correctly.

If you can afford it, replace the stock as Tank suggested. Otherwise, bed and float what you have.

Have the trigger tuned, or replaced.

Mount a 20MOA rail and good optics with repeatable turrets.

Start handloading.

Get a good range finder capable of actually ranging deer as far as you intend to shoot.

There are lots of threads and articles here on each of these topics and you'll need to do all of these things to have consistent long range success. ...even if you rebarrel.

Good luck!
-- richard

I gotta say, this is the most sound and straight forward advice I have read on this sight since I have been reading and posting on here. Hand Loading is the one key to shooting long range. Furthermore get a chronograph. Even the cheap ones will give you good readings on standard deviation and extreme spread of your ammo. The cheaper ones do not give the most accurate raw velocity readings but they will get very close and ES/SD is going to be the key anyway when looking for a long range load. There are a lot of the less expensive factory rifles capable of very good accuracy with a good hand load, in cartridges that are capable of very long shots. Factory ammo is where major accuracy issues normally come from with factory rifles. There are even a few quite expensive factory rifles that will not shoot well with anything (Kimber Light anything for instance) . You just usually have to find a load the factory rifles like. Where most good custom rifles will shoot acceptably well with a larger variety of ammunition. If you want a factory rifle that will be closer to the accuracy of a custom, then Your weatherby, Steyr SBS, Tikka, and actually the Marlin X series comes to mind. Remington 700s will usually like something extremely well and shoot with match rifle accuracy with one load yet the next load will have trouble shooting 2moa. Sorry about the long winded post, just thought maybe I could help with your dilemma by pointing out the importance of factors other than your rifle that will greatly improve your capabilities with your current equipment. None of this will be possible without a good trigger and good glass as mentioned above.

 

[theflyonthewall]

I am in a very similar situation as you, 1ton. I'm working with a Vanguard in 7mm RM for LR hunting.

First......GET RID OF the factory stock if it's synthetic. I tried to bed mine twice before the bedding compound actually adhered to the stock on attempt number three. And YES, I cleaned it thoroughly with brake cleaner and roughed up the surfaces each time. Now I'm buying a B&C Medalist from a member here on LRH. As soon as it comes in, that factory stock is going to finally go to it's rightful home---the trash can.

If you want to spend a little more dough, I'd highly recommend a Timney trigger. In my opinion, there are very few variables that contribute as much to one's ability to shoot well, as a good trigger does.

That's my input on specific Weatherby items. Of course I'm speaking about the Vanguard model. I've never shot a MK V or MK V Accumark.

 

[Trickymissfit]

If the MK. V. is in .308; it's probably a six lug action with a Mouser bolt face. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not a nine lug action. Keep that in mind. You could rebarrel it in .338-06AI and have a gun that will work on 98% of the animals in North America (forget Polar bear and Brown bear). Cases are very eary to form, and dies and brass are out there. The 6.5 and .300 Sherman are rounds to also take a deep look at, and with all these rounds you won't have to modify the bolt.
gary

 

[cfvickers]

I don't think you can rebarrel a 308 action to anything in the -06 family because it is most likely short. I am not familiar with Mark V actions in .308, I have only seen long actions Mark V's but I would assume being a .308 it is a short action. Which would limit you to short action cases such as anything in the .308 family of cases. .260, 7mm-08, .243 or others such as .257 Ackley any of the above in the ackley improved versions, and the such. There are options but they are most likely limited to short action if you want them to fit in your magazine.

 

[Trickymissfit]

I don't think you can rebarrel a 308 action to anything in the -06 family because it is most likely short. I am not familiar with Mark V actions in .308, I have only seen long actions Mark V's but I would assume being a .308 it is a short action. Which would limit you to short action cases such as anything in the .308 family of cases. .260, 7mm-08, .243 or others such as .257 Ackley any of the above in the ackley improved versions, and the such. There are options but they are most likely limited to short action if you want them to fit in your magazine.

I don't think they make the short action MK. V. anymore, and not for a long time at that. It only came in .224 and 22-250. The MK. V. is a little on the long side anyway, and I'd think it would fit.
gary

 

[cfvickers]

Yeah, I had never seen a short action Mark V But I was just looking at the cartridge and thought it was likely a short action. If it is a long action, then your options are unlimited.

 

[1tonpower]

I understand there is no substitute for hand loading. I have been reading a lot on that topical also. I don't think I am ready for wildcats yet. So I would be keeping the .308 if I did rebarrel. Unless I get convinced that I should or want something different.

When I clean the barrel it is always breach to muzzle.

I am going to start with a trigger job and a new stock and class.

 

[Trickymissfit]

Yeah, I had never seen a short action Mark V But I was just looking at the cartridge and thought it was likely a short action. If it is a long action, then your options are unlimited.

I think I've seen two or three of them over the years. All were Weatherby Varmitmasters, and all were in 22-250. Think all were Japanese manufacture. Kinda rare in these parts. I did see photos of a MV. V. once that was chambered in 25/.224 Weatherby, but have never seen a .224 in the flesh.
gary