I have 2 of them. My best buddy (Dennis) also has one. Like any rifle, they shoot well, or poorly, depending on the ammunition; and mostly on the marksman.
Dennis and I both shoot quite well. I practice a great deal and am able to come up with 6" inch groups over and over; at 400 yards in whatever breeze is blowing. On a calm day, using the bench rest, it does better. But on the side of the mountain, there are no calm days and there is never a bench rest.
The rifle I bought first (an original Fibermark) has a VERY narrow-contour barrel. The rifle is about 14 years old. They no longer make that contour. It shoots EXTREMELY well, as long as I shoot 180 grain bullets at 3,150 fps. It is NOT flexible. It won't group with 165s or 150s and it won't group with 180s loaded to a higher speed.
However, Dennis' rifle has a heavier contour barrel and my 2nd one (an accumark) also has a heavier contour barrel. They are both much more flexible, meaning they group with a wider selection of bullets. I assume the heavier barrel is the reason. An excellent load is 87.6 grains of RL22 powder, with 168 grain bullets. With a 26" barrel, you should be getting about 3,470 fps. It groups well in our guns that have the heavier (average) barrels.
Both Dennis and I live in southern Idaho and we both hunt a LOT. I actually kill deer and elk yearly and Dennis usually shoots 2 elk per year. I shoot coyotes and rock chucks with it, too. (It's overkill, but O'Connor said something about the man who uses only one gun, knowing how to use it. It seemed like good advice.) The point was...things fall down when they are hit. Big mule deer bucks die. Elk die and black bears die (of course chucks, rabbits & coyotes die.) Some of those animals have been out to 600 yards. One 5-point bull led us on a 1/2 chase (although hit well), but everything else has gone down quickly.
I admit to a predjudice, but I think .300 Weatherbys are the greatest. Unless you're going to spend some BIG bucks for something custom and exotic, Jermiah Johnson said it well. "You can't go no better". He was talking about a Hawken rifle, but he would have said Weatherby, if he were still here.
Besides, they have the strongest action on the market. We've pushed to evelope a little on a couple of recipes! They are excellent weapons. When you get used to the noise, you'll love it.
Grant Bodily
