Ole' Laughing Bear
Member
Good Morning Smiths and Enthusiasts alike,
I'm hoping to garner a little insight from you guys about a Mark V that was given to a pal of mine after the previous owner "gave up" on it.
Firstly, let me state that I am not a gunsmith. I am a hobbyist. I hunt and shoot long(ish) range regularly but, by no means do I claim to be an expert in this arena. The little bit I do know has gotten me by, in regards to repairing and modifying my rifles so, naturally my friends and inner-circle sometimes recruit my efforts in helping them with their rifles as well.
In my present situation, I have a Weatherby Mark V (Germany) which is chambered in 7mm WBY Mag. The previous owner claims to have accidently fired 7mm REM Mag through it. He wasn't clear on how many times he did this and he didn't really supply any details about the experience overall. He did conclude however that, since then, he hasn't been able to get this rifle to "shoot strait," even with factory ammunition. He decided to give up on the rifle and handed it down to a mutual friend - through our church. Our mutual friend is a close one to me and, I am hoping to get him into hunting this Fall so, the news that he acquired this rifle as a gift was welcomed.
I have the rifle broke down to the action and barrel now. I haven't noticed any obvious issues on any exterior components so, I placed the action in my vise and began cleaning the bore. Upon doing so, I noticed something peculiar about the cartridge chamber. (At least, it seems peculiar to me), because I don't recall ever seeing anything like it before, on any other rifle. That said, I don't own any Weatherbys so, I can't accurately judge.
Anywhoser, there seems to be a "sleeve" of some type in the cartridge bore. My first thoughts directed me to a memory of an old SKS I once owned. The previous owner fired a brass cased 7.62mm through it and it ripped the head case off, leaving the brass body stuck in the cartridge bore.
The fix was fairly easy but, before I started pushing two-part molding epoxy into this rifle, I wanted to reach out and make sure I'm correct in assuming this brass lining inside the barrel throat isn't something proprietary to Weatherby rifles. Have any of you seen this? I can't honestly say I can think of a good reason for a manufacturer to utilize a wear sleeve in a chamber so, I'm suspicious of the object but, I am not an engineer, or a gunsmith or, an owner of any Weatherby rifles so, I don't want to make any assumptions.
Based on what I'm seeing however, my theory is that the 7mm REM Mag case might have been a "hot" load or for some other reason might have produced excessive pressure. When it was fired, it split the case right at the bore start and the remaining section "swelled" to form inside the chamber. Due to the 7mm REM Mag cartridge dimension being slightly larger in diameter than the 7mm WBY Mag (.5127" VS .5117), the 7mm WBY Mag cartridge was able to fit inside the stuck case and be fired.
Am I grasping at straws here?
Any help ya'll can provide is greatly appreciated. I have attached a few semi-detailed photos to this post.
Thank you again and, happy shooting.
I'm hoping to garner a little insight from you guys about a Mark V that was given to a pal of mine after the previous owner "gave up" on it.
Firstly, let me state that I am not a gunsmith. I am a hobbyist. I hunt and shoot long(ish) range regularly but, by no means do I claim to be an expert in this arena. The little bit I do know has gotten me by, in regards to repairing and modifying my rifles so, naturally my friends and inner-circle sometimes recruit my efforts in helping them with their rifles as well.
In my present situation, I have a Weatherby Mark V (Germany) which is chambered in 7mm WBY Mag. The previous owner claims to have accidently fired 7mm REM Mag through it. He wasn't clear on how many times he did this and he didn't really supply any details about the experience overall. He did conclude however that, since then, he hasn't been able to get this rifle to "shoot strait," even with factory ammunition. He decided to give up on the rifle and handed it down to a mutual friend - through our church. Our mutual friend is a close one to me and, I am hoping to get him into hunting this Fall so, the news that he acquired this rifle as a gift was welcomed.
I have the rifle broke down to the action and barrel now. I haven't noticed any obvious issues on any exterior components so, I placed the action in my vise and began cleaning the bore. Upon doing so, I noticed something peculiar about the cartridge chamber. (At least, it seems peculiar to me), because I don't recall ever seeing anything like it before, on any other rifle. That said, I don't own any Weatherbys so, I can't accurately judge.
Anywhoser, there seems to be a "sleeve" of some type in the cartridge bore. My first thoughts directed me to a memory of an old SKS I once owned. The previous owner fired a brass cased 7.62mm through it and it ripped the head case off, leaving the brass body stuck in the cartridge bore.
The fix was fairly easy but, before I started pushing two-part molding epoxy into this rifle, I wanted to reach out and make sure I'm correct in assuming this brass lining inside the barrel throat isn't something proprietary to Weatherby rifles. Have any of you seen this? I can't honestly say I can think of a good reason for a manufacturer to utilize a wear sleeve in a chamber so, I'm suspicious of the object but, I am not an engineer, or a gunsmith or, an owner of any Weatherby rifles so, I don't want to make any assumptions.
Based on what I'm seeing however, my theory is that the 7mm REM Mag case might have been a "hot" load or for some other reason might have produced excessive pressure. When it was fired, it split the case right at the bore start and the remaining section "swelled" to form inside the chamber. Due to the 7mm REM Mag cartridge dimension being slightly larger in diameter than the 7mm WBY Mag (.5127" VS .5117), the 7mm WBY Mag cartridge was able to fit inside the stuck case and be fired.
Am I grasping at straws here?
Any help ya'll can provide is greatly appreciated. I have attached a few semi-detailed photos to this post.
Thank you again and, happy shooting.
