Or does this get a bit elaborate to take into the field??



(sorry, don't know how long link and pictures will stay up):

More pictures here:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/community/gun_inventory/inventory/lehi/fine_rifle/422280_wby257cst_leh.jsp

- mike

mho, that is a bit much. However I believe all rifles should be "workers".

That has got to be one of the ugliest rifles I´ve ever seen. If it was mine I´d sand it down and start over. Mind you I´ve seen worse -the colored plastic stocks with flames and shit- but that one is fugly. IMO

There's no accounting for taste but YUK !
I'd buy a Mark V deluxe with nice wood before that thing even if they were the same price .

Hey mho, A good many years ago I was at a huge Gun Show in Charlotte, NC at the Metrolina Complex. They advertised 5000 tables and it sure looked like it from the front door.

About a half hour into the walking and looking I came to the end of a row and spotted one of those rifles. Started right on by it, but the Blueing pulled me back. The Blueing was so perfect that it "gave the appearance" that you could reach right down into it. Couldn't remember having seen anything like that on a Factory Rifle before.

Got to talking to the guy who had it and he encouraged me to pick it up and check the balance, but I declined. WAY WAY to pretty for me to get my hands on and knock it into the edge of the table, floor, whatever.

Then I noticed it was a 460WbyMag and he had a partial box of cartridges to go with it. He mentioned, "it has only been fired 3 times". Of course that had to be explored, so he finally confessed the 3rd shot broke his collar bone. And it had a fine looking factory Muzzle Brake.

Asking price was $900 back then.

I don't know if all high grade MkVs look like this?? I believe we have a poster from Aussie who is quite knowledable about Weatherbys, maybe he could fill us in on the different flavours of these?

- mike

That rifle is an older Crown Custom. A current Crown Custom would be Claro and different inlays.

Basically with Wby you have what could be called catologued rifles which also includes the pre packaged Custom Shop rifles such as Crown Custom.

Then you have the system where you move away from catologued guns and open your cheque book

If you move away from their catologued guns then the service etc is the most personal you will ever encounter.

Actually, to get a rifle today that looked like that Crown Custom would cost very big money because of the maple wood and the different inlays to the current Crown Custom. It is not that the maple is dear but the fact that Wby currently standardise on Claro and French Walnut. Add a Kreiger cut rifle barrel and Kreiger action work.....well you know what I mean.

The standard Crown Customs, Royal Customs and Safaris come with wood that is number 3 on their 3 available wood selections.

Mike

One thing about the Crown Custon and that very heavy engraving is it illustrates the conservative natue and long term views of a shooter's purchase.

Personally, I am not a fan of the deep engraving.

But Wby has been doing that particular rifle engraiving the same way for about 40 years. The reason is that many buyers of Crown Customs wanted one 30 years ago and then get to the financial stage to make the purhcase today....and they want to be able to buy what they dreamed of 30 years ago.

Mike

Hey, why not hunt with your rifle. Every rifle needs a few bumps and bruises to give it its own character and this rifle is a real character. Keep smiling and enjoy hunting.

While on an elk hunt in new mexico ,I met a fellow that had a very similar rifle in 300wby.He was quite arrogant and bragged how he was going to kill a 340 or better elk on his hunt because he was hunting the best ranch in the area.The guides took us all to the local range to check our rifles and his group ran around 1-1/2" at 100 yards.My groups with both of my rifles were about half of that size so he wanted to see my rifles.He said that my mcmillain stocked stainless 700 rifles shot well but were too plain for him.
Us hunters were then taken to the ranches that we were to hunt so I never saw him again until the end of the hunt when the guides took us to the hotel.I asked him how he made out,to which he replied that he had gun problems that prevented him from taking an elk.Apparently he fell on his gun and the stock broke in two at the bolt cutout.He then asked me how much it would cost him to have a synthetic stock like mine installed on his rifle for hunting.It is amazing how looks were no longer so important to him anymore.

Stubblejumper,

If they were playing Yellow Rose of Texas or National Emblem, Semper Fidelis, Washington Post March, Stars and Stripes Forever you would have have some practical reason why it should be cut short

Mike

quote:

If they were playing Yellow Rose of Texas or National Emblem, Semper Fidelis, Washington Post March, Stars and Stripes Forever you would have have some practical reason why it should be cut short

Just telling the story as it happened.I found the fellows change in attitude quite amusing.

You can have both the wood and glass gun.

Mike

I don't find it to be a question of "right or wrong". There are many styles of firearms, and it is interesting to explore them all - whether they appeal to you or not. It would be a sad world where we only had one type of rifle.

That said, I'm more of a "synthetic" man myself, when it comes to hunting rifles. Primarily because they are more practical to me, and because I'd hate to scratch up a work of art in the bush. But that is just me, I salute the people who can stand above the worry of damaging their gear, and even hunt with rifles I'd never personally take afield.

- mike

Beautiful rifle.....take it into the field.... just not very far.....In my hunting here in Minnesota, I would carefully hunt from my deer stand, and kill a deer with it. Just to know the rifle, though pretty, could still do the job it was designed to do........Grant.

Whatever it does, it doesn't do it for me. When compared, I think the Rihimaki Sako is the better gun.

Take the stock off and put in a fiberglass one. Or you can always spray paint it.

I think that any gunsmith that builds firearm expects it to be used for hunting. The ones I have met thru the years want you to take their efforts out and use them...not just have them sit in the rack.
The fact that the stock may not be of your taste has nothing to do with the fact it should be taken out and enjoyed in the hunting field.

I wouldn't be caught dead, with a rifle that looks like that

Looks like sombody took a heavily adorned pool cue and inletted it and strapped on a barreled action!! All its missing is the glassed over thread wraps in the grip!! Shit, shouldntve said that, now they will steal my idea!!

http://www.meuccicues.com/Meucci3.htm

On the lighter side, the metal engraving looks pretty nice though.

That is a plain Weatherby.

Try these ones.

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tp.../913107281#913107281

That Weatherby is at least as hunting worthy, and less of a monstrosity, than many of the European rifles with carvings on their ill-shaped stocks and engravings and even gold inlays on their metalwork.

That Weaterby is no more "ugly" than stainless steel rifles with black plastic stocks. Those remind me of the cap pistols i had as a Kid.
Good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by hawkins:
That Weaterby is no more "ugly" than stainless steel rifles with black plastic stocks. Those remind me of the cap pistols i had as a Kid.
Good luck!

LOL I'll back that up 1000%

Personally I like the Black Forest look. It's art.