Need Help! Weatherby MK 5 in 300 Weatherby magnum

[stagpanther]

The long Weatherby freebore is a fascinating feature of Weatherby rifles--seems to almost fly in the face of conventional wisdom of "shortest jump to lands". The theory seems to be it enables a smooth ramp up of peak pressure in an "blown out" cartridge. The short norma bullets don't seem to suffer any from a short COL compared to Weatherby's own ammo (though Norma makes them both). I'm beginning to think I just might get suckered into buying one of these the more I explore them. Their recent 6.5-300 looks mighty interesting though the selection of bullets that can hold together out of it I imagine is limited.

 

[stagpanther]

Almost done working on my friend's 300 WBY mag. It's almost a new gun. In case you're wondering, I marked his former LOP/eye relief reference on the scope body prior to going to work. I had to buy two sets of new bases and rings, mostly cause the newer standard MK5's have a different front base screw measurement from his older magnum one. Nobody I use had the dual dovetail extra-high rings (have to use because of 56mm front objective) in stock, so I had to use the standard "adjustable windage" ring for the rear. An engineer at Leupold told me they can take the punishment from the 300 WBY mag. Maybe, but I still think dual dovetail bases and rings are the better way to go.

The old base rear actually had the screws over-driven--they were binding the bolt somewhat. I used the shorter screws and now the bolt floats effortlessly into the receiver. After mounting the rings I hand-lapped them for alignment for the 30mm scope body. My personal 30mm scopes slid perfectly back and forth when I tested them, but my friend's Trijicon accupoint binded a bit, not a good sign since that might be a sign that it's body had been distorted in the previous mounting. I also leveled and took out the cant. I did a quick 3 shot test at 300 yds yesterday and using Weatherby ammo I was right at MOA--a vast improvement from the previous set-up, but I'm still not quite satisfied. I'm going to mount a bubble level on the scope to see if that helps. This older model ultra-light (no brake/compensator) is a handful under recoil, so it has a propensity for muzzle-flip for such light weight. I hate the side-bulging cheek weld pad molded into the stock though.

If there's one thing that impresses me about this rifle (other than the power of the cartridge) it's the unique in-line 9 lug bolt--that is truly a thing of beautiful engineering.

 

[natman]

If I had a 300 Weatherby, I'd want somebody else to sight it in for me too.

 

[Pat T]

One thing you could try too is to decopper the barrel. If it's gone 200 rounds without this I bet it's full of it!

 

[stagpanther]

One thing you could try too is to decopper the barrel. If it's gone 200 rounds without this I bet it's full of it!

Absolutely, I spent half a day and filled up half a trash can with patches dredging copper and deposits out of the barrel--the lands especially were filled with crud. The owner felt something might be wrong with the barrel but I told him most likely not.

 

[44 AMP]

If I had a 300 Weatherby, I'd want somebody else to sight it in for me too.

I hear that!

Dreamed of having a Weatherby Mark V as a kid, and of course it would have to be the .300! Read all the articles in the magazines, it would be the ultimate!

Never got one, the dream faded...grew up a bit..

In the early 80s a gal I worked with asked me to check out (and clean) her dad's guns, which had just been sitting, "gathering dust" for some years since he passed. Said I could shoot them, for my trouble.

One of them was a .300 Weatherby Mark V Custom. Beautiful thing, hand carved oak leaves instead of the basketweave checkering (this was decades before the Lazermark stock), had his name engraved on the triggerguard, inlayed with gold. Weatherby scope. (drool!!!)
She tells me this was her Dad's caribou rifle, opens a cupboard full of boxes of Weatherby ammo, and hands me a couple, smiling.."have fun!"

Then she told me about the time her Dad took that gun deer hunting. He came home with a deer, a cut and a big bruise. Seems the deer jumped out of brush about 30 yds in front of him, and he snap shot it.

So, I was more than a bit ...cautious when I shot it. Between the power of the recoil and the stock design, this is NOT a gun to shoot...unprepared.

Convinced me I really don't need a .300 Wby, Mk V though they sure a pretty. I've since worked up to heavy .45-70s and I have a .458 Win Mag. That old Weatherby still has pride of place in my memory as something to be very respectful of.

The term "Weatherby eyebrow" isn't just a joke. Eyebrows bleed, a lot!

 

[stagpanther]

I don't think the Weatherby 300 mag is as "fearful" as people make them out to be. It does, however, sound like a large cannon going off--and I suspect that adds a bit of "anticipation flinch" to many shooters. Weatherby was pretty careful to craft the stock ergonomics so that the muzzle lift minimizes the chances of "scope eye." So far I haven't noticed either of the two Weatherby Magnums I fired come even remotely close to tagging me between the eyes--which is more than I can say for some lesser-powered rifles I've shot. If you can fire a stout 45-70 load the 300 WBY magnum should not be much of a problem for you IMO. I do think an accumark muzzle break would be a good idea if you're willing to pay the extra cash--mostly to be able to get back on target faster for a second shot if needs be.

The outstanding ballistics of the cartridge are very compelling for an all-around go-anywhere hunting rifle.

 

[natman]

I don't think the Weatherby 300 mag is as "fearful" as people make them out to be. It does, however, sound like a large cannon going off--and I suspect that adds a bit of "anticipation flinch" to many shooters. Weatherby was pretty careful to craft the stock ergonomics so that the muzzle lift minimizes the chances of "scope eye." So far I haven't noticed either of the two Weatherby Magnums I fired come even remotely close to tagging me between the eyes--which is more than I can say for some lesser-powered rifles I've shot. If you can fire a stout 45-70 load the 300 WBY magnum should not be much of a problem for you IMO. I do think an accumark muzzle break would be a good idea if you're willing to pay the extra cash--mostly to be able to get back on target faster for a second shot if needs be.

The outstanding ballistics of the cartridge are very compelling for an all-around go-anywhere hunting rifle.

Personally I'd much rather fire a hot 45-70 load. A rifle like that has a lot of recoil, true, but it's a slow push you can roll with.

A 300 Weatherby is like a sharp punch in the face, hard and fast.

If you are going to hunt with a 300 Weatherby with a muzzle break, be SURE that you and everyone within earshot - which would be just about anyone you can see - is wearing hearing protection. If you think a 300 Weatherby is loud, try one with a brake!

 

[stagpanther]

I agree with your comparison/assessment natman. However, like most high-power rifles, I think it's just a matter of finding the right hold in order to minimize the impact of that kick. No shoulder bruises yet from any sessions with the 300 WBY mag--my Henry 45-70 will definitely leave a shoulder shiner after firing some high power big bullets (granted, it doesn't have a built-in decelerator pad). Personally, I find firing a 12 gauge magnum or even high velocity slug hits even harder than the 300 WBY mag.

 

[stagpanther]

One and done

My friend came back early from his Wyoming hunt--turns out he tagged out on the first day, says he dropped his deer at around 200 yds with one frontal shot, deer staggered a foot or two and fell over dead.

 

[stagpanther]

Very tempted to get a 300 WBY magnum--but then my 110 LRH 338 lapua magnum is easier to shoot and more accurate; so why bother (it does weigh more though)?