The Weatherby Mark V has been the rifle of choice for many serious long-range hunters for over 60 years, but in 2015, the company decided to upgrade their flagship rifle to include a trimmer, lighter stock, and a crisp, adjustable LXX trigger with a wide, polished face. For 2018, the company has added a new high-tech feature to the Mark V; a carbon fiber-wrapped barrel, and the resulting rifle is known as the Mark V CarbonMark.
Proof Research supplies the new barrels, which feature a 416R-grade stainless steel core and a #4 contour profile, and are cut-rifled and hand-lapped for superb accuracy. Additionally, the carbon fiber architecture allows for faster heat dissipation than all-steel barrels, and helps reduce weight. The nine-lug magnum version of the Mark V CarbonMark weighs in at just 7.75 pounds, which is light for a dedicated long-range rig.
The muzzles of the Proof Research barrels feature a 5/8x24 thread, so adding a brake or suppressor is simple and fast (there’s a thread cap supplied with the rifle). Of course, the heart of all Mark Vs is the legendary Weatherby push-feed action that features nine powerful locking lugs and Weatherby’s “three rings of steel” that enclose the case head for maximum security and peace-of-mind when firing really powerful magnum loads.
Additional safety features include gas ports in the bolt body, a fully-enclosed bolt shroud and a rocker-style two-position safety that’s easy to manipulate from a shooting position. Like other Mark V rifles, the CarbonMark model comes with a hand-laminated composite stock with a raised Monte Carlo comb and matte gel coat finish that looks great with the Cerakote Tactical Grey finish on the metalwork.
There are currently three caliber offerings—.257 Weatherby Magnum, 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum and .300 Weatherby Magnum—and all Mark V CarbonMark rifles are guaranteed to shoot .99-inch or less 3-shot groups at 100 yards with Weatherby or premium factory ammo. The addition of a carbon fiber barrel rounds out the Mark V’s recent re-freshening and ensures that the Flying W brand’s flagship firearm is still one of the “it” rifles in the world of long-range hunting. MSRP: $4,100.
For more information, go to weatherby.com.
