ishootkittens
Well-Known Member
That's what I figured. I figured Bat, defiance, stiller would be just as strong.
Which 375?
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That's what I figured. I figured Bat, defiance, stiller would be just as strong.
D
Deleted member 46119
Guest
Probably the reason you don't find Weatherby actions is that owners keep them....
Or me or JE Custom buys them.
A Weatherby Mark V action will be as strong or stronger than any other action of the same external diameter. Forged and machined steel. It is much stronger than a popular high production action.
If you get an action bigger in diameter than a Mark V, it may very well be "stronger", there is no replacement for displacement.
If you are going to build something based on the 505 Gibbs case like the Mercenary, Cheytac, Snipetac, etc., go with a custom action as the 1.2ish barrel body does not leave as much wall thickness as I would like so a 1.3+ diameter action would be "better".
If you are going to make a Warlord or 378 Wby Improved thing A Mark V action would be great.
Wait, just get a custom. If you get a Mark V used, that's one less for me.
J E Custom
Well-Known Member
Probably the reason you don't find Weatherby actions is that owners k<script id="gpt-impl-0.67190976655905" src="http://partner.googleadservices.com/gpt/pubads_impl_105.js"></script>eep them....
Or me or JE Custom buys them.
A Weatherby Mark V action will be as strong or stronger than any other action of the same external diameter. Forged and machined steel. It is much stronger than a popular high production action.
If you get an action bigger in diameter than a Mark V, it may very well be "stronger", there is no replacement for displacement.
If you are going to build something based on the 505 Gibbs case like the Mercenary, Cheytac, Snipetac, etc., go with a custom action as the 1.2ish barrel body does not leave as much wall thickness as I would like so a 1.3+ diameter action would be "better".
If you are going to make a Warlord or 378 Wby Improved thing A Mark V action would be great.
Wait, just get a custom. If you get a Mark V used, that's one less for me.
+1
That says it all.
First You can find plenty of used Weatherbys with the Mark 5 actions on line. The going price for
a good donor will be any where from $700.00 up to $1500.00. I have never had a problem finding one and have never paid more than $800.00 for it. Weatherby has for years installed light weight barrels on there rifles and many people cant handle the recoil and sell them. (Most of the time they have less than 2 or 3 boxes of ammo fired through them).
As far as strength, White Laboratories conducted destructive test on all commercial actions and blew up every action except the Mark 5. the load they used was so hot, it melted the brass and it flowed
all around the bolt and out the exhaust ports and they were unable to free the bolt. after dissecting
the action. they found no damage to it. I am a big fan of several other actions and used most all actions over the years and none will match the mark 5 in strength and machine tolerances.
I have nothing against custom actions except the price once you buy the action, floor metal, trigger
mag box and a stock inleted to fit it. In fact I would prefer it over the Remington clones because of the strength and the 60o bolt lift. If you buy a donor you have everything you need Including a center feed mag box that will handle 4.000"+ cartridges.
Using the mark 5 action is just my opinion. but like the man said, Most of the people that own them hang on to them for a reason except the recoil shy. Maybe some others that have built a 378 improved or a Lapua on a mark 5 will chime in.
J E CUSTOM
D
Deleted member 46119
Guest
Try finding a left handed one.
One word: new
D
Deleted member 46119
Guest
The action is intact.
It looks like the bolt was ejected out of the action. So there is more to the story than a failure. Like setting off a round with the bolt not closed all the way. In other words you are claiming failure but not showing anything but more likely user failure.
No the Mark V is not indestructible, it is stronger than any other action.
It does no one a service to present a rebuttal based on false or misleading information. Shall we go looking for completely destroyed popular brands? No, that would be too easy.
D
Deleted member 46119
Guest
Back in 2009 there was a person berating the Mark V on another forum.
Testing the Mark V Action
This fifth and final prototype action had been built with the help of
a newly-hired engineer, Fred Jennie. It was even more streamlined,
and also incorporated a new simplified trigger and safety mechanism
to reduce tooling and manufacturing costs.
Was this the safest action ever produced, as Weatherby claimed? Roy
thought that, finally, it was time to subject his new action to vigorous
performance tests. Built on the prototype action, a rifle in .300
Weatherby Magnum caliber was used for the tests. Prior to any firing,
careful measurements were taken of the diameter of the bolt face
housing, head space measurements were recorded, and all other
pertinent dimensions.
The first test firing was with a cartridge that had been loaded with
82 grains of 4350 DuPont powder, using the 180-gr. bullet. This load
gave an average breech pressure of 65,000 psi. After firing, there was
no sign of pressure and extraction was easy. The same 82-gr.load was
fired in the Mauser action and a slight sticking of the cartridge case
resulted. Four more loads with the powder charge being increased in
two-grain increments were prepared, each one using 4350 powder and
the 180-gr. bullet. After firing the 84-gr.load, there was still no sign of
pressure and no sticking of the cartridge case, even though the breech
pressure had been increased to almost 75,000 psi. When firing this
84-gr load in the Mauser action, it caused a blown primer and it was
almost an impossibility to extract the cartridge case.
When the load was increased to 86 grains in the Mark V, the
cartridge case began to show signs of pressure, but it still did not stick
and extracted easily. Breech pressures were 85,000 to 95,000 psi. A
measurement of this fired cartridge case showed that it had stretched
at the belt by .0005 inches. When the 88-gr.load was fired in the Mark
V with pressures in the neighborhood of 100,000 psi, there was a slight
sticking of the cartridge case making the bolt slightly difficult to open,
but the cartridge case could still be easily extracted. In measuring the
belt again, it had now swelled .002 of an inch, from .533 to .535.
For the final test the cartridge case was filled with powder, leveling
it off at the top. This was 90 grains of powder. Mter firing, the bolt was
difficult to open, but without exerting too much pressure it could be
opened and the case extracted. There were now extreme signs of
pressure on the case, but no gas had escaped back into the magazine
and the primers showed very slight signs of leaking. The belt of the
cartridge case still measured .535 inches. Mter this firing, a difference
between the outside diameter of the head of the bolt and the inside
diameter of the barrel of .004 inches (or .002 a side) was noted. Even
with this terrific overload, there was still no swelling or damage to any
part of the bolt, receiver or barrel. The head space was checked
between each test firing and at no time was there any change noted in
the head space.
Weatherby was extremely excited after these tests, and felt certain
that the Mark V would be the safest action of all time!
Some time later, after additional working models of this prototype
had been produced, one last experiment was made. A 180-gr. .30
caliber bullet was lodged in the throat of the barrel. A standard load of
78 grains of 4350 and the 180-gr. bullet was chambered and fired, with
the following results: both bullets traveled out the barrel, pressures
were tremendously high, the primer was pierced letting gases enter
the interior of the bolt, hitting the firing pin sleeve which acted as a
piston, loosening the bolt sleeve cap somewhat. The bolt was opened
by hand. The cartridge case remained in the chamber, but no problem
was involved in tapping it out with a steel rod. The case appeared to
be in very good condition with the exception of the primer being
pierced.
In checking the dimensions of the barrel and action, it was found
that the barrel in front of the receiver ring expanded from 1.147 inches
to 1.1496 inches. The diameter of the bolt head expanded from. 7178
to. 7190. Head space increased from .2163 to .2174. All other dimen-
sions remained the same as prior to the test.
This experiment was repeated 15 additional times. The severest test
was when a 220-gr. bullet was placed in the bore, and a standard
180-gr. round fired in back of it. On this particular firing, the head
diameter of the cartridge increased to .545 inches. It was also noted
after these additional IS firings that the head space was set back a mere
.001. This was truly the ultimate in tests for the strength and safety of
this remarkable new action.
__________________
Testing the Mark V Action
This fifth and final prototype action had been built with the help of
a newly-hired engineer, Fred Jennie. It was even more streamlined,
and also incorporated a new simplified trigger and safety mechanism
to reduce tooling and manufacturing costs.
Was this the safest action ever produced, as Weatherby claimed? Roy
thought that, finally, it was time to subject his new action to vigorous
performance tests. Built on the prototype action, a rifle in .300
Weatherby Magnum caliber was used for the tests. Prior to any firing,
careful measurements were taken of the diameter of the bolt face
housing, head space measurements were recorded, and all other
pertinent dimensions.
The first test firing was with a cartridge that had been loaded with
82 grains of 4350 DuPont powder, using the 180-gr. bullet. This load
gave an average breech pressure of 65,000 psi. After firing, there was
no sign of pressure and extraction was easy. The same 82-gr.load was
fired in the Mauser action and a slight sticking of the cartridge case
resulted. Four more loads with the powder charge being increased in
two-grain increments were prepared, each one using 4350 powder and
the 180-gr. bullet. After firing the 84-gr.load, there was still no sign of
pressure and no sticking of the cartridge case, even though the breech
pressure had been increased to almost 75,000 psi. When firing this
84-gr load in the Mauser action, it caused a blown primer and it was
almost an impossibility to extract the cartridge case.
When the load was increased to 86 grains in the Mark V, the
cartridge case began to show signs of pressure, but it still did not stick
and extracted easily. Breech pressures were 85,000 to 95,000 psi. A
measurement of this fired cartridge case showed that it had stretched
at the belt by .0005 inches. When the 88-gr.load was fired in the Mark
V with pressures in the neighborhood of 100,000 psi, there was a slight
sticking of the cartridge case making the bolt slightly difficult to open,
but the cartridge case could still be easily extracted. In measuring the
belt again, it had now swelled .002 of an inch, from .533 to .535.
For the final test the cartridge case was filled with powder, leveling
it off at the top. This was 90 grains of powder. Mter firing, the bolt was
difficult to open, but without exerting too much pressure it could be
opened and the case extracted. There were now extreme signs of
pressure on the case, but no gas had escaped back into the magazine
and the primers showed very slight signs of leaking. The belt of the
cartridge case still measured .535 inches. Mter this firing, a difference
between the outside diameter of the head of the bolt and the inside
diameter of the barrel of .004 inches (or .002 a side) was noted. Even
with this terrific overload, there was still no swelling or damage to any
part of the bolt, receiver or barrel. The head space was checked
between each test firing and at no time was there any change noted in
the head space.
Weatherby was extremely excited after these tests, and felt certain
that the Mark V would be the safest action of all time!
Some time later, after additional working models of this prototype
had been produced, one last experiment was made. A 180-gr. .30
caliber bullet was lodged in the throat of the barrel. A standard load of
78 grains of 4350 and the 180-gr. bullet was chambered and fired, with
the following results: both bullets traveled out the barrel, pressures
were tremendously high, the primer was pierced letting gases enter
the interior of the bolt, hitting the firing pin sleeve which acted as a
piston, loosening the bolt sleeve cap somewhat. The bolt was opened
by hand. The cartridge case remained in the chamber, but no problem
was involved in tapping it out with a steel rod. The case appeared to
be in very good condition with the exception of the primer being
pierced.
In checking the dimensions of the barrel and action, it was found
that the barrel in front of the receiver ring expanded from 1.147 inches
to 1.1496 inches. The diameter of the bolt head expanded from. 7178
to. 7190. Head space increased from .2163 to .2174. All other dimen-
sions remained the same as prior to the test.
This experiment was repeated 15 additional times. The severest test
was when a 220-gr. bullet was placed in the bore, and a standard
180-gr. round fired in back of it. On this particular firing, the head
diameter of the cartridge increased to .545 inches. It was also noted
after these additional IS firings that the head space was set back a mere
.001. This was truly the ultimate in tests for the strength and safety of
this remarkable new action.
__________________
D
Deleted member 46119
Guest
Quoted from another forum
I had to post this one. Some kook -stuffed a 338 win mag in a 300 weatherby and fired it. Can you imagine the pressures encountered pushing a .338 bullet through a .308 rifled barrel?
Apparently the bullet came out the other end and there was slight damage to the bolt. No blow up in anyones face.
I had to post this one. Some kook -stuffed a 338 win mag in a 300 weatherby and fired it. Can you imagine the pressures encountered pushing a .338 bullet through a .308 rifled barrel?
Apparently the bullet came out the other end and there was slight damage to the bolt. No blow up in anyones face.
D
Deleted member 46119
Guest
Last thing, go to Google search type in "remington 700 bl" and Google with finish it for you because other people have typed it. Finish it and you will have as many pictures of blown up R700's as you want.
Do the same with "weatherby mark v bl" and you get nothing.
I don't bash R700 if you don't bash Mark V's.
Do the same with "weatherby mark v bl" and you get nothing.
I don't bash R700 if you don't bash Mark V's.
Thus the reason for going to a custom action. After paying $800-1500 for a doner rifle, I would still have to true up the Mark 5 if I were looking to build a long range big bore rifle, so I am not sure if there is any savings going with a Mark 5
You have peeked my interest in a Mark 5 action thou. I think more due diligence is required on my part for education purposes.
**** Fed, chill out dude! I sure as hell wasnt trying to start anything, if anything my intention was the opposite. Their best guess is that thing was loaded with a fast burning pistol powder by accident. Could you imagine the possible outcome if it were a Remington or such? The action took it but the lugs sheered off and the bolt hit the guy right under the eye. I agree that the Weatherby actions are some of strongest made, that's why I've been wanting one for my next build.
Anyways I'll step away from this thread, it's all yours if it means that much to ya. I obviously have nothing to contribute anyways.
Anyways I'll step away from this thread, it's all yours if it means that much to ya. I obviously have nothing to contribute anyways.
ishootkittens
Well-Known Member
Yal were right. I tried to find a used one under 1200 and it's extremely hard. Found a few from gander mountain but none with a 378 bolt face...
Maybe one of these gentlemen on this site that are sitting on some extra Mark 5's would sell you and I one for $7-800 so we can try them out
