I shoot a Mk V Ultralight in 25-06 and I'll give you my candid impressions: I really like: a) the light weight for carrying over rough country b) the 60 degree bolt throw... it reloads faster than any bolt rifle I have ever shot c) very smooth action d) faster than any other bolt rifle to pull up and on target... almost like the old 30-30 e) good looks... just proud to carry it cause its a nice looking Weatherby f) the long free bore gives me 100-200 fps of additional velocity without excessive pressure. I can shoot the 25-06 at .257 Wby speeds. I don't like: a) the super light barrel walks all over as it heats up. You just can't use it for long range shooting (beyond 300 yards) or varmint hunting. 200 yards is my limit on p-dogs and three is the limit for the day. b) least accurate rifle I own. I worked for a year to get it around 1 inch. Shimmed fore end, floated barrel, and tried loads, powder, bullets, primers, seating depth, etc. til I was blue in the face. Now first shot is right on every time, second shot wanders 3/4 inch, third shot wanders 1 inch and after that it starts to wander up to three inches at 100 yards. c) Mark V firing pin design is poor. It screws into the bolt shroud with a ball bearing retainer that just sits on the shroud to prevent the firing pin from turning once installed. It is difficult to remove the bolt shroud without dropping the ball bearing. There is no way to know how far the firing pin protrudes without a micrometer when you assemble it (tough for field repairs/cleaning). The ball bearing is impossible to find in the sagebrush of the prairie, (especially if you are shaking after failing to fire on a giant buck you stalked for two hours). First hunt out from the factory I had six misfires because of insufficient firing pin protrusion (it just kills me to stalk an antelope or deer for half a day and watch them bound away as I fiddle with the rifle and eject loaded rounds on the prairie). Field correction of the problem was even worse. Almost threw it in the lake but have since corrected the problem and learned a lot from Weatherby about firing pin verification. d) Mark V trigger design is poor. After stalking antelope for just three days it got too dusty and failed to engage the sear one out of ten times. I couldn't repair in the field due to lack of solvent and as a result failed with two hard earned antelope shots. I like to carry my chamber empty but with this rifle, you are rolling the dice with a quick chambering when the game appears. Weatherby gave me a cleaning regimen and solvent and now it only fails one out of three hundred chamberings. I believe I could set the trigger above six pounds and rectify the problem but I'm not sure I could detonate a round accurately at that trigger pull weight. e) The bolt has a screw on the rear of the bolt that can come loose too easily and when it does, you are finished hunting. Last year my buddy spent three days hiking in and then stalked a trophy Dall sheep for three days. Somehow, his screw came loose in the hike and when the time came, he discovered that he could not take the shot of his life. Fortunately, his guide had a micro screw driver and they did a field repair but it took him another three days hiking through the mountains to catch up with the sheep. Bottom line: Overall, it is the least accurate and most unreliable rifle I have ever shot; and I have shot a lot of them. Yet I am now thankful that I didn't throw it in a lake on one of my hunts. I feel I have learned to control the design issues and I now limit my use to hunting conditions where a light rifle is nice and shots will be relatively close. I don't see any dangerous game in this rifle's future though. I know it is not a raving review but it only represents my personal experience. I have have learned to like the rifle enough to keep it but I certainly understand why African PHs grimmace when they see a Mark V.
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