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I actually found this website from an internet search looking for a stock for a Weatherby MarkV. I was gifted an old 7mm Weatherby Mag by my stepdad to use on my first ever big game hunt last year (early rifle bull elk, unit 18a, Arizona.) This was a big deal to me, I'm nearly 50 and have always wanted to hunt, but life/work/lack of knowledge have prevented me from doing anything more that occasional quail hunting.
I couldn't get the rifle to group at all. Finally discovered some issues with the wooden stock. A friend of mine was helping me and we went to float the stock and then bed it, and the stock broke, apparently due to a defect (knot) in the wood at the recoil lug area. I've since given up on making this classic gun a hunting rifle ( It kicks like an angry mule, the barrel profile doesn't look like it has enough meat to thread for a brake, and it is (well, was, before the stock broke) just too pretty to beat up on brushy hunts.) and would just like to restore it to safe queen status to be taken out and shot at the range once in awhile for old times sake.
Oddly enough, last years broken rifle ended up being a blessing in disguise. I was able to borrow a friends Rem 700 chambered in 300 RUM. His gun was all dialed in and proven complete with a brake and a nightforce scope.
The hunt was a tougher than normal hunt in a unit known to be a tough hunt to begin with (I picked this unit because I live in it, so that helps logistics greatly.) After 6 long days wearing myself out trying to even locate an elk, I finally found some and with the help of my friend and a complete stranger who just wanted to be present for someone's first hunt, I bagged a nice (to me) 5 point bull. It was a 450 yard shot up hill, and there's no way the weatherby with its vintage 3-9 old Redfield would have ever made the shot. At least, not in my hands.
Not surprisingly, I'm now addicted.
This year, I got my wife involved so that my upcoming and expensive bad habits could be possibly forgiven or maybe even endorsed.
It was her first ever big game hunt. She drew the late rifle bull hunt in the same unit. She got her first animal on opening day after an all day chase that involved spotting elk some 4 miles away, figuring out how to get to them, stalk to within range and waiting several hours for a shot. Again we were super fortunate to have some people along that know all about hunting that made her hunt possible (after a year or so of lurking here and other places, reading and listening, I still don't know crap about hunting
) Her hunt was awesome, cumulating in a 650 yard shot
(rem 700 chambered in 7mm Rem Mag)that was a perfect one shot-one kill. That bull jumped, went about 30 feet and dropped dead! (which was good because the extractor malfunctioned on the gun and the spent casing was stuck in the chamber!) Her bull was a really good 6 point with some broken tines and a lot of character.
So, now she is fortunately hooked as well!
But I want a re-match seeing as she out hunted me, out shot me and got a bigger bull!
Her hunt was just this past Friday. We have been out every day since helping to spot/glass for the people who helped us and some other people as well. We've been having a great time and neither one of us want to go back to work!
So now we're both hooked, and we have some good glass and some gear, but we don't actually own a hunting rifle that works. So I'm looking for someone's used package that is all setup and ready to hunt and hopefully we get to hunt next year.
So there is the short version of my really long story, LOL.
