Of the new guns that Weatherby showed at SHOT Show, two stood out to me—the new Mark V Weathermark and the Element Synthetic. They stood out to me because when I think of Weatherby, I remember the flamboyant Monte Carlo stocks with wood inlays that were popular in Roy Weatherby’s time. Today, that quality of wood is not as abundantly available, and more hunters see a gun as a tool on the level of a hammer where synthetic just makes more sense.
The Mark V Weathermark takes all the benefits of the New Mark V action and adds a Cerakote finish to the metalwork making it more rugged and weather resistant, hence the Weathermark moniker.
The stock is designed with a slimmer forearm and sharper, more distinctive lines and contours along with a reduced grip diameter, slight right-hand palm swell and overall decreased weight. These refinements provide better fit and feel for a wider range of shooters, plus the lighter weight results in increased comfort, control, quicker to the shoulder mounting, and faster target acquisition. It’s nimble, and the generous cheekpiece places your head high so your eye is centered in the scope.
Weatherby’s adjustable LXXTM Trigger reportedly increases performance and shooter accuracy by way of a wider trigger face that boosts trigger-to-finger contact for a more consistent and comfortable pull. Its surfaces are precision ground, polished, and overall tolerances refined, plus it’s adjustable down to 2.5 lbs. pull. Granted it was a “show” gun, but dry-firing the sample on the floor was like snapping a glass thread.
The bore is hand-lapped and the New Mark V Weathermark comes standard with a SUB-MOA accuracy guarantee (3-shot group measuring .99″ or less at 100 yards).
Along with the new gun is a new Weatherby cartridge called the 6.5-300 Magnum. As with all Weatherby cartridges, there’s nothing left on the table when it comes to velocity. There will be three factory loads to start things off using Barnes and Swift bullets with muzzle velocities ranging from 3,531 fps to 3,395 fps.
Some of us use shotguns pretty hard. I’ve watched one of mine rust before my eyes as wind whipped up saltwater spray from the Chesapeake Bay on a duck hunt, and my upland gun has plenty of battle scars from years of briars when I lived on the East Coast, and now cactus and mesquite brush scars in the Southwest. For hunters like me, Weatherby is adding a durable Griptonite synthetic stock and fore-end options to the Element, with a matte bead-blasted finish or Realtree Max-5 camo. The Element is offered in 12- or 20-gauge, with 3″ chambers, and 26-in. or 28-in. barrel length options. Both feature Weatherby’s Integral Multi-Choke System and are supplied with Improved Cylinder, Modified, Full and Long Range Steel choke tubes, allowing shooters to tailor their shot patterns for any hunting application. The Element’s inertia-operated action directs carbon and gas out of the barrel, helping to keep the action clean and functioning smoothly, and the chamber and bore are chrome lined for easier cleaning and greater corrosion resistance to withstand years of high-volume shooting. Other key features include a drop-out trigger system for easy cleaning and a ventilated top rib to provide a better sighting plane and dissipate heat waves. If you’re looking at your shotgun bead, you’re not looking at your target and you’ll miss, even so, Weatherby adds a green fiber optic front sight.
The receiver is crafted from aircraft-grade aluminum alloy to reduce overall weight without compromising strength while the bolt head and carrier are chrome plated for reduced friction as well as increased durability and corrosion resistance.
If you hunt in crappy weather or are just hard on your guns, these guns have tough-as nails features plus the pedigree of the Weatherby name.
Scott Mayer
www.tacticaltshirts.com
www.john1911.com
“Shooting Guns & Having Fun”
In 2008, Mayer returned to the editorial side of publishing, this time in the digital field, as Editorial Director for Guns & Ammo, Shooting Times, Handguns and Rifleshooter online magazines. After a brief stint in 2011 as the Digital Media Director for an ABC TV affiliate, Mayer returned to the outdoors industry and Safari Club International where he is currently Assistant Publisher and Multi-Media Communications Editor.
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