’s New Mark V Backcountry Ti

Brian Pearce Weatherby designs, the 6.5 Weatherby Rebated Precision Magnum eatherby has been busy in (RPM) offers practical performance, the past couple of years, respectable barrel life and the accu- which has resulted in a racy sought after by many hunters and W trim new Mark V Back- shooters. With the company under the country Ti that weighs less than 5 direction Adam Weatherby, grandson pounds, and when combined with the of Roy Weatherby, operations have company’s new 6.5-caliber cartridge been moved from Paso Robles, Cali- it is a great combination for open fornia, to Sheridan, Wyoming, a much country hunting. In addition to being friendlier environment for manufac- a complete departure from previous turing and ammunition.

34 www.riflemagazine.com Rifle 309 The 6.5 Weatherby RPM case (right) has slightly less powder capacity than the .264 Winchester The Mark V six-lug Magnum titanium features (left). Note a receiver ring that the 35.25- measures around 1.149 degree inches, while the Mark V shoulder nine-lug action measures angle of the around 1.331 inches. 6.5 RPM.

The 6.5 Weatherby RPM (right) is based on a “stretched” 6.5-284 Norma case (left).

Weatherby is currently offering the Mark V in nine-lug (left) and six-lug (right) variations, with the 6.5 Weatherby RPM being built on the latter.

During World War II, Roy Weatherby (1910-1988) mounted safety and many other features. One of its began experimenting with wildcat cartridges in an virtues was its outstanding strength, and it was soon effort to reach greater velocities than provided by advertised as “The World’s Strongest Action.” ordinary sporting cartridges. Most of his cartridges Early manufacture was in California, but produc- were based on the .300/.375 H&H Magnum belted tion was soon moved to West Germany, with J.P. Sauer case and necked accordingly. Each featured a rather & Sohn producing from 1959 through 1971, unique double-radius shoulder design that is contro- with some being imported as late as 1973. From 1971 versial; however, all cartridges offered significant through 1995, Machinery in produced the powder capacity and reached new levels of velocity. Mark V. By 1945 Weatherby borrowed a large sum of money Beginning in 1995, production was moved to the and began building custom rifles and producing ammu- state of Maine. However, soon after moving headquar- nition on a full-time basis. While early rifles were built ters from Atascadero to Paso Robles, California, Mark on 1903 Springfield, , FN commer- V production was moved back to that state. As in- cial 98 and other actions, by 1957/58 Weatherby dicated, today the Mark V is produced in Wyoming. had designed his own action known as the Mark V. It While Weatherby collectors love early Mark V rifles, was unique and featured nine locking lugs, 56-degree the fact is that with each of the above production bolt lift (now 54-degrees), a countersunk bolt face, ro- moves, the rifles were improved in design and qual- tating extractor (push feed system), two position bolt ity, making them more reliable and accurate. Shooting the 6.5 RPM Cartridge

March-April 2020 www.riflemagazine.com 35 Weatherby’s New Mark V Backcountry Ti have a “nice rifle.” However, Ed moved forward with his ideas, and the Mark V Fibermark appeared in 1983 and became an instant suc- cess. In the decades since, the product line has been expanded extensively to include many syn- The Backcountry Ti features a thetic stock variants, stainless hinged floorplate with an etched steel, etc., that serve to satisfy to- topographical map. day’s hunters and rifleman. This brings us to the new Mark parts rejection. To help prevent V Backcountry Ti that features coining, a condition wherein ti- a six-lug action with a notably tanium peens from head thrust smaller receiver ring than the tra- and high pressure and can cause The safety is a two-position design. ditional nine-lug Mark V. For com- headspace to become excessive, parison, the six-lug receiver ring the bolt assembly and locking lugs Roy Weatherby preferred what measures 1.149 inches in diameter are constructed of high tensile he referred to as a “handsome” and while most nine-lug versions mea- chrome-moly steel that is CERA- “nice rifle,” and this was the foun- sure around 1.330 inches. The six- KOTE finished. dation of his business and was ap- lug action also features a notably The Backcountry stock profile pealing to many hunters, shooters smaller bolt body while the coun- is a distinct departure from tradi- and collectors. By his definition, tersunk bolt face is suitable for tional Weatherby configuration. this translated into a rifle with a cartridges featuring a rim diame- For example, from the very begin- wood stock, preferably with beau- ter of .473 inch, such as the .30-06 ning Weatherby rifles have been tiful grain and high luster finish, and others, but it cannot accom- primarily fitted with Monte Carlo cut checkering patterns, contrast- modate cartridges on the larger style stocks, although there have ing forend caps and pistol grips belted magnum case. The bolt lift been a few variants fitted with tra- (usually from rosewood), white remains 54 degrees. ditional classic style stocks. The line spacers, high polish blue fin- As its name indicates, the Backcountry stock is a classic de- ish, etc. For anyone wanting a true Mark V Backcountry Ti features sign without a cheekpiece. How- custom rifle, the Weatherby Cus- a titanium receiver mated to a ever, like so many modern hunting tom Shop could accommodate any spiral-fluted steel bolt body; a rifles designed to be fired from a practical feature from highly fig- combination that results in the variety of positions, including ured walnut with ivory inlays to action and complete bolt assem- prone, the stock features a slightly engraving with silver, gold and bly weighing a mere 1.125 pounds negative comb, and rather than a even diamond inlays. As Roy’s son (without trigger assembly). For Weatherby pattern square forend Ed Weatherby joined the business, comparison, the standard steel tip, it is rounded. My only real crit- he brought new ideas, including Mark V nine-lug action weighs icism of the stock includes the 3D rifles with a synthetic stock. Roy 2.18 pounds. The fluted barrel is Hex recoil pad that seems overly opposed the idea, as he considered 24 inches long and is threaded, hard; however, since the recoil of them homely and felt that their with both a “thread protector” the 6.5 Weatherby RPM is modest, customer base would much rather and “brake” furnished as stan- this is something of a moot point. dard. Outside barrel diameter at the muzzle is .548 inch. Total rifle The rifle features a threaded barrel The stock profile is a departure from that comes standard with a recoil- weight is 4.9 pounds when cham- traditional Weatherby patterns. It reducing brake and thread protector. bered for the 6.5 Weatherby RPM. is a classic design with a slightly In addition to the Backcountry Ti, negative comb. a steel version is also offered at less cost. As standard equipment, a TriggerTech trigger is installed and broke cleanly at 3.1 pounds right out of the box. While titanium has a reputa- tion of being difficult to machine, modern techniques and tooling allow much more precise cuts and minimize galling and high

36 www.riflemagazine.com Rifle 309 Overall, the stock is trim, light- weight, comfortable and features 5 a 13 ⁄8-inch length of pull. The lightweight stock is re- ported to be manufactured by AG Composites and is constructed of carbon fiber using manufactur- ing methods that result in a desir- able combination of strength and weight. It is finished in a unique gray, distinguishing sponge pat- tern. The barrel channel provides Factory 6.5 Weatherby RPM ammunition free floating of the barrel. chronographed just under 3,000 fps Several years ago, while hunt- using Nosler 140-grain AccuBond ing with Adam Weatherby and an- bullets. other employee, I suggested they Brian used a Leupold VX-3i LRP 6.5-20x develop a new 6.5 cartridge. We chester Model 88 lever-action and 50mm scope to test the new rifle and discussed my ideas, including Model 100 autoloading rifles. It cartridge. ballistics and if the new cartridge was intended to duplicate the bal- should fit a short action length listics of the .270 Winchester and to the Commission Internationale (2.810 inches), standard length .280 Remington cartridges. How- Permanente (CIP) and began pro- (3.340 inches) or the long action ever, it had an overall length of ducing loaded ammunition. Its (3.600 inches). I could tell by the 2.800 inches and was a short-ac- version, intended mostly for tar- conversation that they were hold- tion cartridge. It featured a .500- get work, has an overall length ing their cards closely, so to speak. inch head diameter, but the rim of 3.228 inches to achieve greater Soon thereafter, the fast 6.5-300 was rebated and measured .473 powder capacity and allow bullets Weatherby Magnum was intro- inch to permit correct function to be seated out for top accuracy. duced and is advertised to push a in the above rifles, which was the As indicated, the 6.5 RPM is based Barnes 127-grain LRX at 3,531 fps, same as the .30-06. It was a “short on a lengthened 6.5-284 case and a Swift 130-grain Scirocco at 3,476 magnum” that was way ahead of cannot be formed from any exist- fps and a Swift 140-grain A-Frame its time. Naturally, wildcatters ing case. at 3,395 fps. While this cartridge soon necked it to 6.5 (and other Back in the day, I became fond has been popular, it provided calibers), which became a world- of the performance of the .264 greater velocity, powder capacity class long-range target cartridge. Winchester Magnum, but it had and barrel wear than I wanted. In 1999, Norma legitimized it by certain shortcomings. If memory This brings us to the 6.5 Weath- introducing the 6.5-284 Norma serves correctly, it was originally erby RPM advertised to push a Barnes 127-grain LRX bullet at 3,225 fps or a Nosler 140-grain Accu- Bond at 3,075 fps, which delivers all of the ballistic performance I originally had in mind. It is based on the 6.5-284 Norma case, but stretched with a case length of 2.570 inches and an overall car- tridge length of 3.340 inches (the same as the 30-06). While the 6.5- 284 Norma has a 35-degree shoul- der angle, the 6.5 Weatherby RPM shoulder is 35.25 degrees. Water capacity measures 81.5 grains, which was checked by using a once-fired, full-length sized case with water filled level with the case mouth. For readers who may not be familiar with this case, its roots go back to the .284 Winchester originally introduced in 1963 and designed specifically for the Win-

March-April 2020 www.riflemagazine.com 37 Weatherby’s 6.5 Weatherby Rebated Precision Magnum Handloads New Mark V overall loaded bullet powder charge length velocity Backcountry Ti (grains) (grains) (inches) (fps) 120 Nosler Ballistic Tip IMR-7828 62.0 3.330 2,976 63.0 3,022 64.0 3,082 65.0 3,145 66.0 3,195 67.0 3,258 RL-25 64.0 3.330 3,011 The new 6.5 65.0 3,051 Weatherby 66.0 3,100 RPM (right) 67.0 3,159 is designed 68.0 3,205 to function 69.0 3,206* in standard 69.5 3,233 .30-06 (left) 129 Hornady SST H-1000 63.0 3.332 2,872 3.340-inch 64.0 2,901 actions. 65.0 2,953 66.0 2,999 67.0 3,044 68.0 3,091* RL-25 63.0 3.332 2,912 64.0 2,958 65.0 3,011 advertised to push a 100-grain bul- 66.0 3,071 let at 3,700 fps and a 140 grain at 67.0 3,118 3,200 fps, but real velocities from 68.0 3,170 a 26-inch barrel were notably less. 69.0 3,217 Today it is advertised to push a 140 Nosler Partition Retumbo 64.0 3.327 2,845 65.0 2,879 140-grain bullet at 3,030 fps. The 66.0 2,929 6.5 RPM exceeds .264 ballistics 67.0 2,984 while producing lower extreme 68.0 3,024 spreads, greater accuracy, effi- 69.0 3,076 ciency and longer barrel life. Due RL-25 62.0 3.327 2,897 to its .473-inch rebated rim, it can 63.0 2,931 be housed in the trim Weatherby (Continued) Mark V six-lug action. While the 6.5 RPM will not outrun the .26 Nosler or 6.5-300 To test the Mark V Backcoun- Weatherby Magnum, it will eas- try Ti, a Leupold VX-3i Long Range Weatherby ily exceed the ballistics of the 6.5 Precision 6.5-20x 50mm scope was Backcountry Ti Creedmoor, .260 Remington, 6.5- installed and features a first fo- 284 Norma and even the relatively cal plane TMR reticle. This scope Specifications new 6.5 PRC. It offers an excellent offers features sought after by Action: , push feed, six lugs, blend of velocity, moderate recoil modern hunters, including argon/ 54-degree bolt lift and respectable barrel life. krypton waterproofing. It’s shock- Receiver: Titanium The 6.5 RPM is the first Weath- proof, features blackened lens Cartridge: 6.5 Weatherby Rebated Precision erby cartridge that doesn’t feature edges, DiamondCoat 2 exterior Magnum a double-radius shoulder. Rather, lens coatings, click adjustments, Capacity: Three rounds its 35.25-degree shoulder provides side focus (side parallax adjust- Barrel: Fluted, CERAKOTE finish, threaded with protector and brake positive headspace control and ment), a tactical power selector Barrel Twist: 1:8, four grooves serves to increase efficiency. It is and other enhancements. Due to Barrel Length: 24 inches also noteworthy that while Weath- its Twilight Max light manage- Safety: Two-position erby has traditionally chambered ment system, it offers outstanding Weight: 4.9 pounds its rifles with a comparatively long resolution and definition. As this Stock: Carbon fiber, Gray Sponge pattern freebore, the 6.5 RPM features a is written in the middle of hunt- 5 Length of Pull: 13 ⁄8 inches more traditional length leade ing season, there are literally no Trigger: TriggerTech; 3.1 pounds that places bullets closer to the “low” rings available in any of the MSRP: $3,449 for greater accuracy. stores in my region, so “medium”

38 www.riflemagazine.com Rifle 309 (Continued) 6.5 Weatherby Ramshot Magnum each reached around 2,950 fps. This bullet fea- Rebated Precision Magnum Handloads tures a high G1 ballistic coefficient overall of .697 and is certain to prove an loaded bullet powder charge length velocity excellent long range option. Most (grains) (grains) (inches) (fps) of the handloads proved capable 140 Nosler Partition RL-25 64.0 3.327 2,988 of sub-MOA accuracy. 65.0 3,025 It should be noted that most 66.0 3,074* handloads were developed with H-1000 61.0 3.327 2,815 a CCI BR-2 Large Rifle primer, 62.0 2,834 which produced adequate ignition 63.0 2,859 with most loads. The exceptions 64.0 2,890 were loads containing Reloder 33 65.0 2,917 and Ramshot Magnum powders, 66.0 2,949 which were capped with a Federal 147 Hornady ELD Match RL-33** 65.0 3.335 2,733 215 Large Rifle Magnum primer. 66.0 2,758 The Mark V six-lug action is de- 67.0 2,790 signed to accommodate cartridge 68.0 2,833 lengths up to 3.340 inches, so to 69.0 2,861 maintain reliability in the mag- 70.0 2,891 azine, overall loaded cartridge 71.0 2,928 Magnum** 63.0 3.335 2,759 lengths had to be kept within that 64.0 2,798 figure. Experiments were con- 65.0 2,848 ducted with bullets seated out 66.0 2,887 (when compared to listed lengths) 67.0 2,933 to possibly improve accuracy. 67.5 2,955 While there were accuracy in- RL-25 61.0 3.335 2,786 creases, they were not significant. 62.0 2,831 Weatherby has developed a 63.0 2,896 rifle and cartridge that are modern 64.0 2,942* and are certain to be anxiously ac- * Potentially most accurate with that particular bullet. cepted by shooters and hunters. R ** Federal 215 primers Notes: A Backcountry Ti 6.5 RPM with a 24-inch barrel (1:8 twist) and Leupold VX-3i Long Range Precision 6.5-20x 50mm scope was used to test all loads. CCI BR-2 primers were used through- out except where noted. Bullet diameter: 6.5mm/.264 inch; maximum COAL: 3.340 inch; maximum case length: 2.570 inches; suggested trim to length: 2.560 inch. Be Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data. Listed loads are only valid in the test firearms used. Reduce initial powder charge by 10 percent and work up while watching for pressure signs.

Leupold QRW rings were used. culate beginning charge weights, While they worked fine, lower which were then checked for rings would have provided a bet- pressure and performance, and ter cheek weld. Even with a rather charges were increased to near large 30mm main tube scope with maximum. Ultimately, I was able a 6-20x variable along with steel to more or less duplicate 140-grain rings, the total weight of the rifle factory load performance using was less than 7 pounds. Nosler 140-grain Partition bullets At press time, the only factory pushed with Hodgdon H-1000, Re- load available was the Nosler tumbo and Alliant Reloder 25 pow- 140-grain AccuBond bullet at an ders. Using the two latter powders advertised 3,075 fps, but it actu- I was able to exceed factory load ally chronographed 2,969 fps. Af- velocities by more than 100 fps. As ter initial sight in, four three-shot can be seen in the accompanying groups produced an average of table, additional bullet weights and just under an inch. powders were selected, including Next, the barrel was cleaned Hornady’s 129-grain SST pushed and development of handload data to over 3,200 fps with 69 grains of began. At the time of this writing Reloder 25 powder. Switching to there is no lab tested data avail- the 147-grain ELD Match bullet, able. However, I was able to cal- Alliant Reloder 33, Reloder 25 and

March-April 2020 www.riflemagazine.com 39