Weatherby...your feelings

[Trickymissfit]

I handload for quite a few guys. Many of them own both older remmys and brand spanking new Accumarks. You know, the $1300 - $1600 jobs. Every single one of them asks me what I think...."looks pretty good, eh". My response is like the gameshow Jeprody......Answer in the form of a question....."what is more important to YOU....good looks or accuracy"? 99 % go with accuracy.

My point to them is this....take your remmy, have the action trued up and a good bbl chamberd up for it....mayby a trigger. They start talking about cost.

Well, you already owned your old gun...it had a great scope on it. Bipod sling, ect.... You would spend around 800 - 900 for the BBL , trigger and the labor. You just spent 1400 on a gun......800 for a scope....150 for rings and basses, 100 for a bi pod, 50 for a sling......and have fair shooting gun....NOT the TAC DRIVER you REALLY want!!!! You just spent north of $3000.00 on something you wanted, but didn't get, as opposed to spending $800 and getting EXACTLY what you want. Even if you retire your old gun and take the scope, bipod, ect...off of your old gun you are still out the 1400.

And to the guys who don't own guns and want to start with "the best" (thier words, not mine) I explaint the whole thing to them. Start with a remmy...see how it shoots. If not impressed....strip it down and have a new match grade bbl installed with the action truing, and away you go. Or start with a custom action....which is what I do now.....and never look back!!!

Just my .02 . I don't seek these guys out. They are all friends of mine who want thier guns to shoot like mine. Plus, I like loading and shooting, ESPECIALY ON SOMEONE ELSES DIME!!!

I shoot Weatherbys, Savages, Marlins, some Winchesters, and one lone Remington. I have Weatherbys that are pretty in select wood, and I have Weatherbys that are a matte finish in a plastic stock. No problem with the workmanship or design. I have Savages that are just fine for anything I do and shoot better than most anything out there, but the Remington guys like to call them butt ugly. Fine with me as I never thought a Tiger tank was anything of beauty as well. I have several Marlins (including one bolt action gun), and of course the Remington folks think they're antiques and not pretty as well. Once again it's a tool and looks mean little to me. Same can be said of the Winchester lever guns I own and the one mod. 70. Funny thing is the Remington guys don't call them ugly. Then there's the one lone Remington I still own. It's no prettier than a Savage in my book, and is an engineering nightmare (sorry Bob Greanleaf but you got that one wrong). Funny thing about the Winchester Mod. 70 and the Remingtons are that you gotta work on them. You just can't take them outta the box and shoot them (admit it cause 80% of the population knows this). The Savage and the Weatherby will shoot well right outta the box 95% of the time. It is really pretty hard to improve on Weatherby factory ammo (not the Remington and Winchester junk), other than saving some money on componets. So if your a guy that shoots twenty rounds a year on two or three hunting trips, why bother? I'm the sameway with my .450, but have gotten on a 400 grain bullet kick (now that's the pun of the day!)

So you got a Mod. 700 long action rifle. You buy a nice Pacnor barrel in something like .338 or .358 (not important). You take the whole shebang over to Joe the gunsmith. He wants a buck and a quarter to chamber and headspace it; plus the $350 you spent at Pacnor. The action, needs truing, as well as the threads. The lugs are all done at the sametime. That's a couple hundred if there's no serious problem. Then you notice the bedding's not upto par, so you have that done as well. You of course toss out the Remington recoil lug for a better one, and while at it replace the firing pin and spring (getting old), and that's gonna be another buck and a quarter. So now your adding close to $800 to the price of the rifle (assuming you have a good core), but if you don't you now have well over $1500 in it. And really don't know if it's gonna be a shooter, let alone be a safe shooter

But it's pretty!
gary

 

[Kevin Thomas]

TrickyMissfit,

I take serious exception to your post, sir!

"It's a freakin' BEAUTIFUL tank!" Oddball (Donald Sutherland) to Moriarity, in "Kelly's Heros" after he just bought a Tiger tank from an SS officer.

Seems appropriate to mention that one on Veteran's Day

 

[4xforfun]

I shoot Weatherbys, Savages, Marlins, some Winchesters, and one lone Remington. I have Weatherbys that are pretty in select wood, and I have Weatherbys that are a matte finish in a plastic stock. No problem with the workmanship or design. I have Savages that are just fine for anything I do and shoot better than most anything out there, but the Remington guys like to call them butt ugly. Fine with me as I never thought a Tiger tank was anything of beauty as well. I have several Marlins (including one bolt action gun), and of course the Remington folks think they're antiques and not pretty as well. Once again it's a tool and looks mean little to me. Same can be said of the Winchester lever guns I own and the one mod. 70. Funny thing is the Remington guys don't call them ugly. Then there's the one lone Remington I still own. It's no prettier than a Savage in my book, and is an engineering nightmare (sorry Bob Greanleaf but you got that one wrong). Funny thing about the Winchester Mod. 70 and the Remingtons are that you gotta work on them. You just can't take them outta the box and shoot them (admit it cause 80% of the population knows this). The Savage and the Weatherby will shoot well right outta the box 95% of the time. It is really pretty hard to improve on Weatherby factory ammo (not the Remington and Winchester junk), other than saving some money on componets. So if your a guy that shoots twenty rounds a year on two or three hunting trips, why bother? I'm the sameway with my .450, but have gotten on a 400 grain bullet kick (now that's the pun of the day!)

So you got a Mod. 700 long action rifle. You buy a nice Pacnor barrel in something like .338 or .358 (not important). You take the whole shebang over to Joe the gunsmith. He wants a buck and a quarter to chamber and headspace it; plus the $350 you spent at Pacnor. The action, needs truing, as well as the threads. The lugs are all done at the sametime. That's a couple hundred if there's no serious problem. Then you notice the bedding's not upto par, so you have that done as well. You of course toss out the Remington recoil lug for a better one, and while at it replace the firing pin and spring (getting old), and that's gonna be another buck and a quarter. So now your adding close to $800 to the price of the rifle (assuming you have a good core), but if you don't you now have well over $1500 in it. And really don't know if it's gonna be a shooter, let alone be a safe shooter

But it's pretty!
gary

I will make you one guarantee right now....There isn't a WBY out there that will shoot with a reworked remmy...especialy an out of the box WBY. PERIOD. Mr Thomas is right.....if a wby would shoot, you would see em at matches....you don't. End of story. You see remmys in short range BR...600 yard...1000 yard br, F class, Tactical matches.....EVERYWHERE!!!! You may or may not get a remmy to be great right out of the box. But, they WILL shoot after being reworked. Most peoples definition of a shooter is an MOA gun. Maybe yours , to. I wouldn't own a gun if all I could get out of it was MOA. I shoot 1000 yard matches next to guys who shoot Savages....yep, you bet....when they shoot, THEY SHOOT. I have seen many win relays and matches...right out of the box!!! And you also mentioned factory ammo......WBY ammo at a million dollars a box......No thanks!!

My point is spend 1400 ON A wby and have a so so factory gun. Spend 600 on a new remmy and try it. If it don't shoot, spend 800 - 900 on a bbl, bedding, trigger and have a guaranteed tac driver!!!! GUARANTEED!!

Oh ya...whats the deal with the "safe shooter" comment? Could be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard.

 

[Buano]

4xforfun

Although I wasn't involved in this thread, I will explain the comment on safety. Remington is being sued because it is alleged: since inception, the Model 700 triggers, IN A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF CASES have failed, often by going off when they should not have. This does not say all will fail this way, but that is the record that is now coming out. As that record is now in the public domain, I wouldn't allow a Model 700 to get used out of our safe unless it had the trigger replaced.

I see the two of you debating two different things: one person saying a Weatherby out of the box is likely to outshoot a Remington out of the box & the other saying a Remington could be the basis of an accurate rifle. Accept it guys, both are true. Neither of you is wrong.

If I had to take a factory rifle on a hunt with no previous experience or knowledge of the particular rifle, of course I would choose the AccuMark over the Remington. If I was building a custom I would want a good action that was readily available AND CHEAP so I would likely choose Remington (or more likely Winchester).

 

[Buano]

I should also have added that if I had access to a MarkV action for a build & also a Remington, I would likely choose the MarkV. It is a stronger, more stable action, with a better bolt lock-up.

 

[4xforfun]

4xforfun

Although I wasn't involved in this thread, I will explain the comment on safety. Remington is being sued because it is alleged: since inception, the Model 700 triggers, IN A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF CASES have failed, often by going off when they should not have. This does not say all will fail this way, but that is the record that is now coming out. As that record is now in the public domain, I wouldn't allow a Model 700 to get used out of our safe unless it had the trigger replaced.

I see the two of you debating two different things: one person saying a Weatherby out of the box is likely to outshoot a Remington out of the box & the other saying a Remington could be the basis of an accurate rifle. Accept it guys, both are true. Neither of you is wrong.

If I had to take a factory rifle on a hunt with no previous experience or knowledge of the particular rifle, of course I would choose the AccuMark over the Remington. If I was building a custom I would want a good action that was readily available AND CHEAP so I would likely choose Remington (or more likely Winchester).

Buano,

I am fully aware of the remmy trigger issue (or non issue..depending on which side of the fence you are on) which is why , in all of my posts, I recomend a new trigger as part of the rebuild. I have no use whatsoever in a remmy trigger that has been worked on/reduced to a very light pull. In my eyes they are unsafe, and have had more than one go off unexpectidly. All of those were reworked, probably by the owners who knew NOTHING about triggers. I have never had a problem with an untouched remmy trigger, safety wise. As far as how they are stock out of the box....the newer the gun , the worse they are.....heavy pull, creapey KRAP. As far as WBY triggers....same thing....felt horrable. And, except for the last couple of years, you had to live with the factory WBY triggers. No choice. No one made an aftermarket trigger for them....I understand someone does now.....thank GOD.

As far as out of the box.....I have been to quite a few 1000 yard compititions where they had a factory class......Savage #1 by a long shot...remmy second....I don't even think there is a third place.....I don't ever recall seeing anything else but remmys and Savage. I do know I never saw a factory wby....I do look for those. I do think they are a great gun....and the Accumark is a great looking gun.....I don't know of anyone who will dissagree.....I just think that for the price you pay for one, and if ACCURACY is your main goal, there are better ways to spend your hard earned dollar. MY OPPINION ONLY. I don't figgure I will change the mind of an ardent WBY fan....nor will he sway me.

GOOD STUFF!!!!

 

[Buano]

I would never argue against the out-of-the-box accuracy of Savage rifles. That's the only major company that has seemingly ignored all forces but accuracy over the last couple of decades — and it has worked. They shoot. More important: they have forced the competition to produce more accurate rifles. I tip my hat to their management.

Sadly, Savage has no scheduled production of larger caliber rifles. I checked on a .375 H&H not long ago & was told to expect it to be at least 2 years. (I ended up buying a Sako 75 ss.)

 

[silvertip-co]

They are great...and I can't afford them.

 

[eaglesnester]

I own a 300 Weatherby in Lazermark and it will put 3 rounds inside of 3 inchs at 400 yards out of a gun vise. Now that is a very interesting rifle indeed. Have a 338/378 Mark V on order, going to turn it into a thousand yard shooter. Will put a Leupold Mark V tactical 6.5X20-50MM with TMR recticles on top. Should be a good shooter for sure. Love my Weatherbys, I have found however they like to be broke in and will not shoot worth a **** until they have had a few rounds touched off and cleaned with a good copper remover to burnish the machining marks in the leads.

 

[dig]

I have had very good luck with stock Weatherby Rifles and accuracy. First was a stock .300 Wby that shot into .60 at 100 out of the box with factory ammo, after working up a few loads I have a few different bullets that will shoot under .5.

The second is a .375 H and H I traded into, granted its set in a McMillan stock but have grouped at 1.15 at 200 yards, is not ammo finicky and has killed Brown Bear and Moose at distance. For goodness sake the bullet diameter is over 1/3 of an inch. I am a Remington action man at heart but everytime I experiance that short bolt through I ask why am I not using these actions more.

 

[436]

I think most rifle's and Weatherby included, has gotten some unearned comment's thrown their way from hunters that either didn't want to spend the money for one of the rifles; or hunters that really never understood the cartridge and concept… All rifles get "it" from time to time; Winchester and their post 64 action… Remington and the safety question… Ruger and the cast receiver… The deal I've found with Weatherby was; they didn't claim to have bench rest accuracy. Nor'.., until lately, did they claim any tactical rifle status.
Pretty much all they've ever said was; you get a Mark V action with tremendous strength, a cartridge design to maximize the caliber your shooting, and a rifle design that's very universal for "supported" and "unsupported"… especially off hand shooting, in a very manageable weight rifle in the field, with glass.. "They didn't lie"

To a rifleman the Weatherby Mark V is beautiful rifle'…, especially in wood.
When you hunt with one you can't help thinking about guy's like Mr. Weatherby, Elmer Keith, Roy Rogers and John Wayne; who thought a great deal of Weatherby's rifles.... yeah I put Roy in, hey'…, he shot what he built; I know other's that don't.
Anyway; I'm sure I could build a dedicated bench, target, or sniper rifle that would shoot circles around Weatherby's Mark V… but not many would even come close to being as pretty... With that said, I've owned and still do many Weatherby Mark V rifles…. And I've had many of them shoot sub moa right out of the box with a good hand load and a bullet it liked…. And quite a few would drop 3 rounds into a .5 moa at 100 yards as well… especially in the 257 Wby mags in Mark V Accumark….

On the tactical end… many, many years ago I tried to get Weatherby to use their early {1963} Mark V Varmintmaster as a base platform for a .308 sniper urban rifle… I still think it's a good idea… I have one I built in 6.mm XC for open country deer hunting that shoots less than .5 moa and better all day long…. With a Leupold 3.5x10 scope I can carry this rifle all day in tough country. Weatherby Mk V Varmintmaster 22.250

As you probably notice I said nothing about the Weatherby Vanguard… well I've only owned two of them, I found they shot about average for there cost, not poorly'.., just what you might expect for the money you paid... after all'…, a Howa is still a Howa... But they look's "great" in wood with a lot of Weatherby's fine detail work.

So; if a guy doesn't want to hunt with one, fine… however if you decide to; you'll find that when that cross canyon shoots comes; or that standing off hand hast to be taken; the Mark V is in a class by itself..
Just my .02
436

 

[LR3]

Wish I d read some of this thread before I bought a 30-378. Shot terribly badly and did not get better. Leaning on the plastic stock made it bend. The brake spat sand in ones face and was always coming loose. Sent it back to WBY and they tested it in a vice and said it shot well and was not a problem - the only problem was the test targets they sent back were 1.5 inches at 100 yds. Dave Viers customized a trigger with light pull, added a Lilja barrel and Manners bedded stock and now it groups about 2 inches at 300 yds and 6" at 1000 yds so I changed out the Leupold 3.5-14 VX7 B&C scope (which was great out to 650 yds it is very fast for getting on target and shooting) for a NFS 5.5-22 and even better accuracy preformance. My Savage, admittedly a 6mm BR, shot .88" at just under 300 yds shortly out of the box. Having said that, the 338-375 WBY is hard to beat for a all round elk / plains rifle, as long as it has been worked on by a good smithy.

 

[GMBshootingclubM60]

The weatherby MKV mentioned earlier blew up on the SECOND massive overload.

Looks like the other manufacturer's actions blew on the FIRST massive overload.

 

[bullgator]

I'm a fan. Bought my 1st Mark V LH 300 Wby Mag in 84 and it was stolen in 85. I have 3 Mark V Wby mags. 2 LH (7mm Wby, 300 Wby) and 1 RH 7mm Wby and have procrastinated shooting all of them. I have to shoot or sell. It's that short throw bolt that captivates me.