Weatherby Rifles

What should I be looking for in an older Mark V in 300 Wby Mag? It seems they were made in Germany, Japan, US and possibly other places. I have enjoyed buying and learning about older Sako rifles but don't know much at all about the Weatherby rifles. Are there certain years or features that are important to collectors that impact the price (as with Sako rifles)? I don't own a magnum rifle but Weatherby just seems like the right thing to do if I was to buy one!

Brandon

There is a source that dates every serial number and breaks down what each rifle is. It also gives dates of each special run and there value today. I'll see if I can find it. But do your research because I have found a lot of people like to put cheaper Weatherbus into nice stocks and call them MkV Deluxe

I would insist upon a bore-scope inspection of any older rifle chambered for a magnum cartridge like the .300 Weatherby, 7mm Remington, etc..

What happens is that in many cases, the outside of the rifle looks pristine but the part that you cannot see, the throat area of the barrel will have heat-cracking or be worn out. This kind of damage is invisible if you are looking down the bore with a light. Only a bore-scope will tell the tale.

If it looks like this - keep looking.


If they balk at the idea of an inspection by a gunsmith, chances are that they have something to hide.

Reputable online sellers offer a 30-day inspection period. Inspecting the rifle visually before accepting it at the FFL holder is always a good idea. Have arrangements with a gunsmith for a bore-scope inspection after you take it home, so if it is fried inside you can return it right away and get your money back.

I have been stuck this way with a 7mm Rem mag, and a .243 that looked almost new on the outside but would not shoot accurately. A bore-scope inspection showed why. The .243 is not a magnum, but it is an over-bore cartridge like a magnum, easy to fry inside if shot while hot.

On the other hand, a lot of .300 Weatherbys are sold by people who have shot them one or maybe two times, then put them in the safe and never shot them again. There are a lot of good buys out there in used Mk V's.

Why a Wby mag? Ammo is very expensive and generally poor quality, brass is more expensive and harder to come by vs Win mag. For what benefit?

Ive shot a few boxes of wby ammo through my 300 and never found it to be "poor quality" even though some claim it to be so bad, it is factory ammo simple as that.

I believe the German made guns are worth more than the japan or later build guns.

If you are planning to shoot it do you know what bullet you would want to use? I believe some of the older 300 wbys were built with a 1:12 or so twist and don't stabilize the longer heavier bullets well.

Mine is a vanguard and I like it a lot. Buddy has a 7mm wby mag chambered in a Japanese built MkV and it is a sweet gun and a great shooter. Ammo is spendy, but if you reload it wont cost you much more than anything else comparable to it.

Here's one example from Chad: Factory ammo breakdown

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Bigpig; I would definitely be interested in that website if you track it down.

Charles; I will keep an eye open for fire cracking in the throat. Hopefully I can find one of the rifles that has been shot very little!

bside; No specific reason for the Wby Mag other than I would like to have one.

redchevy; I didn't realize some of the older rifles had a 12 twist. I haven't given much thought to bullet selection at this point but would want a 10 twist. I definitely plan to shoot it!

Yes, I read that too and took it with a grain of salt. If you want to shoot long range precision factory ammo probably isn't what your looking for. Ive shot several rounds of factory wby ammo and never had a problem easily achieving hunting accuracy. Know several who have hunted wby calibers and wby factory ammo for decades and never had an issue. Its not mach ammo but I think to call it poor quality is just as wrong.

The German ones are more sought after by collectors. If you have ever held one and held a newer production one the first thing you will notice is how much better the stock feels in your hands with the German ones. The Germans seem to have a slimmer profile to them that feels awesome!

A lot of people also don't know that Weatherby used various Mauser actions early in their production as well.

Fair enough. The ~$15-20/box difference between 300 Win and Wby magnums does mean that you're paying "match grade" Win Mag prices for decidedly non-match grade ammo -- does that sound fair to you?

Im gonna quote Hwyman's sig line and go with



And how much you paying for 300 win factory ammo? You can buy 300 wby factory ammo for $39 a box. Remington corlock 300 win ammo is $31 a box.