Weatherby Mark V Accumark RCOver-the-Counter MOA!
November 2013 No. 271
$5.99 U.S./CanadaDisplay until 12/13/2013 Printed in USA7 25274 01240 4
1 1
$5.99
Super Accurate Hill Country LRH!
MILITARYHISTORY:• Lee Navy Rifle• World War II
Carbines
.257WeatherbyMagnum:Trifecta ofTrajectory,Accuracy& Recoil
SSppoorrtitinngg FiFirrearearmmss JJooururnnal al
November 2013Volume 45, Number 6
ISSN 0162-3593Issue No. 271
4 www.riflemagazine.com Rifle 271Background Photo: © 2013 Vic Schendel
Page 48 . . .
26 .40-82 Winchester Centerfire (WCF) Classic Cartridges - John Haviland
30 Weatherby Mark V Accumark RC MOA Right Out of the Box Stan Trzoniec
36 Hill Country Long Range Hunter Testing a Custom .300 Winchester Magnum John Haviland
8 Revisiting Lever Actions Spotting Scope - Dave Scovill
14 How to Hold Things: Vises Light Gunsmithing - Gil Sengel
20 Nosler’s AccuBond Long Range Bullet Mostly Long Guns - Brian Pearce
22 Vintage Sniper Rifle Silhouette? Down Range - Mike Venturino
42 .257 Weatherby Magnum Flat Trajectory, Accuracy and Mild Recoil Brian Pearce
48 Lee Navy Rifle Trials and Tribulations John Barsness
54 World War II Carbines How Short Rifles Were Conceived and Used Mike Venturino
Page 54 . . .
Page 42 . . .
Background Photo: © 2013 Vic Schendel Rifle 271www.riflemagazine.com6
62 Top of the Bottom Unsung Hero of the Custom World Terry Wieland
68 What’s New in the Marketplace Inside Product News - Clair Rees
78 Nor Borrower Be Walnut Hill - Terry Wieland
Issue No. 271 November 2013
SSppoorrtitinngg FiFirrearearmmss JJooururnnalal
Publisher/President – Don Polacek
Publishing Consultant – Mark Harris
Editor in Chief – Dave Scovill
Associate Editor – Lee J. Hoots
Managing Editor – Roberta Scovill
Assisting Editor – Al Miller
Senior Art Director – Gerald Hudson
Production Director – Becky Pinkley
Contributing Editors
AdvertisingAdvertising Director - Tammy Rossi
Advertising Representative - Tom [email protected]
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Rifle® (ISSN 0162-3583) is published bimonthly withone annual special edition by Polacek Publishing Corpo-ration, dba Wolfe Publishing Company (Don Polacek,President), 2180 Gulfstream, Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona86301. (Also publisher of Handloader® magazine.) Tele-phone (928) 445-7810. Periodical Postage paid atPrescott, Arizona, and additional mailing offices. Sub-scription prices: U.S. possessions – single issue, $5.99; 6issues, $19.97; 12 issues, $36. Foreign and Canada – singleissue, $5.99; 6 issues $26; 12 issues, $48. Please allow 8-10 weeks for first issue. Advertising rates furnished onrequest. All rights reserved.
Change of address: Please give six weeks notice. Send both the old and new address, plus mailing label ifpossible, to Circulation Department, Rifle® Magazine,2180 Gulfstream, Suite A, Prescott, Arizona 86301. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rifle®, 2180Gulfstream, Suite A, Prescott, Arizona 86301.
Canadian returns: PM #40612608. Pitney Bowes, P.O.Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.
Wolfe Publishing Co.2180 Gulfstream, Ste. APrescott, AZ 86301Tel: (928) 445-7810 Fax: (928) 778-5124© Polacek Publishing Corporation
John Haviland Ron Spomer Brian Pearce Stan TrzoniecClair Rees Mike VenturinoGil Sengel Ken Waters
Terry Wieland
Publisher of Rifle® is not responsible for mishaps ofany nature that might occur from use of publishedloading data or from recommendations by any mem-ber of The Staff. No part of this publication may be re-produced without written permission from thepublisher. All authors are contracted under work forhire. Publisher retains all copyrights upon paymentfor all manuscripts. Although all possible care is ex-ercised, the publisher cannot accept responsibility forlost or mutilated manuscripts.
On the cover . . .This pair of distinctive hunting rifles includes a Weatherby Mark V Accumark .240 WeatherbyMagnum with a Meopta variable and a Hill Country custom LRH .300 Winchester Magnumtopped off with a Swarovski scope. Weatherby photo by Stan Trzoniec.
Page 62 . . .
Rifle 27120 www.riflemagazine.com
MOSTLY LONG GUNS by Brian Pearce • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
NOSLER’S ACCUBONDLONG RANGE BULLET
During the 1940s, John Nos -ler (1913-2010) found conven-
tional cup and lead core bulletslacking for hunting and began developing and testing his own designs. By 1948 Nosler was man-ufacturing the Partition bullet and founded The Nosler PartitionBullet Company in Oregon. Thisbullet has become legendary world-wide for its deep penetration andreliable expansion and perform-ance on game. All major U.S. am-munition companies (as well assome foreign companies) have of-fered this bullet in “premium” hunt-ing loads. It has been continuallyimproved and refined, and in spiteof stiff competition, it remainswidely popular.
In addition to the Partition, Noslerhas added other great hunting,competition and handgun bulletsto its product line. A few exam-ples include the Solid Base (1972)that evolved into the highly popu-lar Ballistic Tip (1984) and has be-come known for its devastatingeffect on soft tissue (lung shots).This bullet has become widelypopular among hunters, but espe-cially deer hunters. In an effort tofill the performance gap betweenthe Partition and the Ballistic Tip,the bonded AccuBond bullet was
developed in 2003, an excellentgeneral purpose thin-skinned gamebullet that has rightfully gained aloyal following. The Custom Com-
The AccuBond-LR 7mm 168 grain (right)is notably longer and has a higher ballis-tic coefficient than traditional 168-grain“match” hollowpoint boat-tails (left).
November-December 2013 21www.riflemagazine.com
petition line appeared in 2003,which has made inroads into com-petition circles. The solid copper(lead free) E-Tip bullet was intro-duced in 2007 to offer a lead-freeoption for hunting big game. Forhunting large and dangerous game,where bone-breaking ability andarrow straight penetration is re-quired in big-bore rifles, the NoslerSolid appeared in 2007.
In late 2012 Nosler, Inc. unveiledits latest hunting bullet, the Accu -Bond Long Range (LR), but pro-duction did not get underway untilthe spring of 2013. This bullet isbest described as “being in stepwith the times.” Today we havebetter barrels, more accurate riflesand scopes that can be preciselyregulated with a particular bullet,all of which allows more accuratelong-range shot placement if theshooter has the necessary skills.The AccuBond-LRs offer bondedterminal performance but boast of incredibly high ballistic coef -ficients (BC), even as high as a G1 of .730 (.30-caliber, 210-grain).In itially it will be available inseven configurations ranging from6.5mm/.264-inch to .308-inch cal-iber. (See the table for details.)
The AccuBond-LR features a grayplastic tip inserted over a hollow-point cavity. Like the originalAccu Bond, which will remain inthe product line, the LR has a leadcore bonded to a copper jacket. Itfeatures a boat-tail and tangentogive, along with an unusuallylong length, a combination thatyields an extremely high BC.
The 7mm 168-grain AccuBond-LR bullet was recently tried in aBeretta Mato .280 Remington rifle,one of the more accurate big gamerifles I own. Two loads were devel-oped using new NoslerCustom
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Nosler AccuBond-LRSpecifications
overall sectional G1 ballistic bulletcaliber bullet density coefficient length(inch) (grains) (inches)
.264 129 .264 .561 1.350
.277 150 .279 .625 1.390
.284 150 .266 .611 1.380
.284 168 .298 .652 1.490
.284 175 .310 .672 1.510
.308 190 .286 .640 1.460
.308 210 .316 .730 1.550
The bonded AccuBond-LR (right) joins other bullets from Nosler,including the Partition, Ballistic Tip and the original AccuBond.
brass and CCI BR-2 (bench rest)primers. The first load contained56.0 grains of Hodgdon H-4831SCpowder for an average velocity of2,673 fps. The second load con-tained 53.5 grains of Hodgdon H-4350 for an average velocity of2,790 fps.
Both loads proved accurate, with100-yard, three-shot groups hover-ing around .5 inch, but some of thebetter groups dropped below .350inch. Clearly the AccuBond-LR isaccurate with correct load devel-opment.
According to the folks at Nosler,the AccuBond-LR has an optimumhunting performance window of3,200 fps but will expand reliablyas low as 1,300 fps. This large win-dow, combined with its extremelyhigh BC, allows it to better retainvelocity downrange and achievereliable expansion from a varietyof calibers and muzzle velocities.Ammunition companies will cer-tainly be anxious to offer thishunting bullet in factory loads.
Just as John Nosler accuratelyestimated that hunters wanted apremium bullet more than 65years ago, Nosler, Inc. is equally instep with the times with an accu-rate, high BC, long-range huntingbullet. R
WeatherbyMark V Accumark RC
Rifle 27130 www.riflemagazine.com
Stan Trzoniec
Weatherby has brought for-ward a raft of improvedversions of both the MarkV and the Vanguard with
improved accuracy, classy stocks andthe ability to have just about any ver-sion custom made in its custom shopin the company’s Paso Robles, Cali-fornia, facility.
While some may dote on a specific part of a rifle –the action, stock or accuracy – I liked the Mark V fromstem to stern the first time I handled one. When mycollecting began, there were no synthetic stocks, onlybeautifully finished, high-grade walnut that seemed to accompany each rifle. Today, you can still get aMark V with fancy wood, engraving or whatever yourcheckbook can take, but for the all-season, all-weatherhunter, the Mark V Accumark Range Certified (RC)might be worth looking into.
This new rifle has the time-tested Mark V action andis chambered in 14 different cartridges from the .240Weatherby Magnum up to the .30-378 and .338-378
MOARight Out
of the Box
WeatherbyMark V Accumark RC
This Weatherby Mark V Accumark Range Certifiedrifle is topped off with aMeopta 3-9x 42mm scope.Below, the bottom metal has a laser-engraved logo denoting the rifle’s guarantee.
November-December 2013 31www.riflemagazine.com
Weatherby Magnums, including the.338 Lapua. If by chance you don’tsee anything to your liking withthe cartridge listing, the WeatherbyCustom Shop is most happy tochamber the rifle in your choice ofcartridge as well as place it in aleft-hand stock if desired.
Depending upon which of the RCmodels is chosen, the Mark V comesin a standard (six lugs) or magnum(nine lugs) action suitable for thecartridge length and power. For in-stance, for those not needing theextra muzzle energy, cartridges likethe .240 Weatherby Magnum or the.30-06 have the standard action.Anything above that, Weatherbyopts for the larger, heavier receiver.No matter which action is on therifle, the fluted design is the same– something that has been un-changed from the original actionto today’s modern Mark V. The advantage of such a design is amodest 54-degree lift to load or un-load a cartridge. The only thingthat is missing is the so-called“small” action once used for the.224 Weatherby Magnum but notseen in awhile nor pending in thefuture. The bolt face includes thetraditional plunger-type ejector anda claw extractor. Since the lockinglugs are the same diameter as thebolt, this action has a smooth feel-ing to it even without customizingthe internal raceways.
At the rear of this “fat bolt,” youhave the bolt handle, and behind itthere is the stylized bolt shroudwith the safety. It’s simple to oper-ate: back and down for “safe,” upand forward to “fire,” and whenthe rifle is cocked, a cocking indi-cator protrudes from under theshroud.
The receiver is machined fromforged 4140 chrome-moly steel and
has a satin finish. Holes have beenmachined into the bolt to vent gasin the unlikely event a cartridgecase ruptures. Topside the receiverhas been drilled and tapped forcommercial scope bases; under-neath is a massive integral recoillug for strength. The metal alloyfloorplate carries the unique RangeCertified logo and is released via asmall floorplate latch that has beendesigned to not interfere with thetrigger, to avoid an accidental bumpthat discharges the contents of themagazine at the wrong moment ona hunt. The trigger on the samplebroke at 4 pounds without a hint ofslack. The trigger is adjustable, butWeatherby advises not to tinkerwith it and recommends taking itto a Weatherby Service Center or aqualified gunsmith for fine-tuning.
Weatherby has seemed to go thedistance with this rifle to ensurethe owner a three-shot group of .99inch or less with factory ammuni-tion at 100 yards, and a factory tar-get using the Oehler Research 83Ballistic Imaging System is includedto prove it. Information on the tar-get includes the ammunition usedand velocity readings with com-puter-generated drop tables out to500 yards. Using .240 WeatherbyMagnum ammunition with a Barnes85-grain bullet, the sample rifle,under controlled conditions, pro-duced a group under an inch at thefactory.
While I am a walnut man myself,I find nothing lacking with Weath-erby’s choice of a composite stock.According to Weatherby, it is spe-cially designed, hand-laminated andprofiled with a raised Monte Carlocomb; it is made of fiberglass,aramid and graphite unidirectionalfibers, which in layman’s termsmakes it tough as nails. While thetrademark of the Weatherby rifle
WeatherbyMark V Accumark RC
Above, the .240 Weatherby Magnum is built on the smaller,or “medium,” action that has six locking lugs. Due to its fat-bolt design, it moves through the receiver with little
resistance. Right, note the diameter of the .240 Weatherbybolt (left) and the .257 Weatherby bolt (right) and the six locking lugs on the .240 versus nine on the larger .257.
Rifle 27132 www.riflemagazine.com
has always been a high-grade wal-nut stock, like others in the in -dustry, the cry for more durable,weather-resistant stocks has beenheard by the Weatherby team. Tofinish the stock for a more customlook, the outer part has a gray-matte, gel-coat finish accentedwith black spider webbing.
Inside the stock, a computer-con-trolled, machined bedding platemanufactured from 6061 T-6 air-craft-quality aluminum is bedded.According to Weatherby photo-graphs, it looks like the bed dingplate not only covers the impor-tant area around the receiver butalso extends rearward through thewrist of the pistol grip and intopart of the buttstock, and forwardright along the base of the fore-arm. This allows a stable platformfor the receiver to rest in, enablingnot only a lifetime of accuracy butalso the assurance that every timeyou take the rifle out, its zero hasnot been affected by any weatherconditions. It should be noted herethat taking the gun apart for main-tenance is no problem, but whenputting it back together again, I’dopt to use a mini-torque wrenchlike the one shown in the photos.Brownells carries them, and theyare set for a predetermined range;Weatherby recommends 55 inch-pounds.
For the most part, the stock pro-
For a pleasing contrast, the stain-less button-rifled barrel is flutedand machined to a Weatherby No.3 contour, which works out to be .720 inch at the target-crownedmuzzle. The barrel is attached tothe receiver in a clean and straight-forward manner and is free-floated.To get the most accuracy and touse the rifle to its fullest potential,anything from the .240 WeatherbyMagnum to the .30-06 comes witha 24-inch barrel. From the .257Weatherby Magnum to the .340Weatherby Magnum, barrel lengthincreases to 26 inches; with the.30-378 and .338-378 WeatherbyMagnums you get a 28-inch tube.Weight of the gun with the 24-inchbarrel is quoted as being 7.25pounds, the 26-inch barrel goes8.75 and, finally, the 28-inch barrelhits the high side of 9 pounds witha scope.
file is pure Weatherby. While thereare no exotic wood tips or spac-ers, the forend does display thecharacteristic Weatherby cut backwhere the tip would be. From here,the stock has a very gradual tapertoward the floorplate, then to thepistol grip. Although the stock hasno checkering, the application ofthe spider webbing texture pro-vides a good grip with or withoutgloves. The high comb is accom-panied by cast-off for right-handshooters. Twin sling swivel studsare provided for field carry, and to soften the blow, a PachmayrDecelerator pad is included with ablack spacer.
SpecificationsModel: Weatherby Mark V Accumark RCAction: Mark V six-lug boltStock: compositeCartridge tested: .240 Weatherby MagnumCartridges available: 7 Weatherby
Magnums; 7 standard cartridgesBarrel length: 24 to 28 inches,
cartridge dependantOverall length: 44 inches with 24-inch
barrelSights: none furnished, receiver drilled
and tappedWeight: 7¼ pounds up to the .30-06Finish: matte finish, stainless steel barrelOptions: many from the custom shopPrice: from $2,400 (.240 Weatherby
Magnum) to $2,700(larger magnums)
Manufacturer: Weatherby1605 Commerce WayPaso Robles CA 93446www.weatherby.com
Trzoniec found the controls on theMeopta scope fluid in operation. Theback ring on the eyepiece is for focus;forward of that is the power ring.
Above, when installing the action backinto the stock, torque the stock screwsto 55 inch-pounds and use factoryshims. Below, to keep everything constant, it is recommended that amini-torque tool be used to reinstallthe action, as shown here.
33www.riflemagazine.com
popular .243 Winchester while stilloutracing the 6mm Remington, itwas a natural fit between the .224and the .257 Weatherby Magnums.In basic form, it has a head sizematching the .30-06 with almostthe same powder capacity. By do -ing this, Weatherby was able tooutdistance both the .243 Win-chester and the 6mm Remingtonby at least 300 fps.
Because of its stature, the MarkV action has been slimmed downto accommodate the .240 Weath-erby, and while factory ammuni-tion is available (albeit $43 to $90per 20-round box), handloadingcertainly brings out the best in the.240 Weatherby Magnum.
Opening the pages of my hand-loading notes, I find that with aHornady 58-grain V-MAX and 53.0grains of IMR-4350, .75-inch groupsare there for the asking. Wantmore? How about 52.5 grains ofIMR-4831 with a Speer 85-grainboat-tail for nearly 3,500 fps withgroups that span only .625 inch.There is more to be had, but handloading can vary from gun to gun.
The .240 Weatherby Magnum witha rather low-recoil factor and built-
The sample was chambered forthe .240 Weatherby Magnum, a car-tridge I especially like. Introducedin 1968 to be competitive with the
in accuracy is a pleasure to workwith. Keep in mind, use factoryfresh brass, Federal 215 primers,and like all Weatherby cartridges,let the barrel cool between shotsand groups.
To finish off the rifle and get itready for the range, I installed apair of Weatherby (Talley) basesand rings. Within the rings went aMeopta Meopro 3-9x 42mm scope.With a matte finish, it was the per-fect complement to this rifle, andwith fingertip focusing and aslightly oversized objective lensteamed with crystal clear optics, I was eager to start testing. Withammunition in short supply thesedays, the company forwarded its
Weatherby Accumark RC Range Resultscartridge bullet velocity group
(grains) (fps) (inch)
.240 Weatherby Magnum 85 Weatherby Barnes TSX 3,476 .600 87 Weatherby Pointed-Expanding 3,468 .450 100 Weatherby Hornady Spire Point 3,290 .995Notes: All three-shot groups were fired at 100 yards and chronographed over an Oehler Model 35P.
Inside the Mark V Accumark stockis an aluminum bedding plate.
The trigger is adjustable. Theone on the test rifle broke at 4pounds without a hint of slack.
Rifle 27134 www.riflemagazine.com
rounds are fired in rapid succes-sion, especially with a sporter-weight barrel.
With the temperature in the mid-50s, the barrel stayed constant,and the groups started to fall in
factory 85-grain loads topped withBarnes TSX bullets. Along withthis, I added a box of 87-grain PT-EX (Pointed-Expanding) bul-lets and Hornady 100-grain SpirePoints.
Because this is a special high-tech rifle, I went through greatpains making sure I gave it a goodand fair workout to see if the ad-vertising hype matched the finalproduct. I monitored the wind, andon a day when it was dead calm inthe morning, out the door I went.When it came to the shooting (Ihad sighted in the rifle previouslyso I could start with a cold barrel),the scenario went like this: fireone round, give the barrel a two-minute rest. The second and thirdwent the same, and in betweengroups I allowed a full 10 minutesfor the barrel to cool. I know it’ssometimes hard to believe, buteven a smaller cartridge like the.240 Weatherby Magnum will heatthe barrel very quickly when three
WeatherbyMark V Accumark RC
The .240 Weatherby Magnum is morethan adequate for pronghorn.
place nicely. With the Barnes 85-grain bullet, velocity was 3,476 fps(factory stats round it off to 3,500)with three shots going into a tightcluster of .600 inch and matchingprevious handloads shot in anotherWeatherby. With the 87-grain bul-lets, they cut a group measuring a curt .450 inch with three shotsalmost touching at 3,468 fps (fac-tory was 3,523 fps). Finally, the100-grain Spire Point printed underan inch (.995) with a velocity of3,290 fps (factory was 3,406 fps),so you can see in all cases, Weath-erby is honest when it comes toadvertising the performance of itsown ammunition and rifles.
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The .240 Weatherby Magnum’s bestgroup with Weatherby ammunitionwent just under .5 inch.
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