disappointed with a Mark V ultralight in .300 Wby mag. The B&C stock has two pressure points at the tip of the forend, and is free floated otherwise. I have other rifles with pressure points that shoot fine, and I'm not opposed to them, but right now I'm thinking of getting rid of them.

Can anyone advise their experience?

Is the action properly bedded? If so, I would remove the pressure points and give it a go. It is pure luck for a manufacturer to get the two points "pointing" the same. If it needs pressure, I would do it with one "band" of pressure area, this after a lot of playing without and fully bedded. Of course, this also after the action is properly bedded. I have a couple of very lean barrels that shoot great untouched and a couple that do the same fully bedded (old Mauser's). Not much luck with tip of the forend contact for me.

I would send it back to Weatherby!

Not an Ultralight but my 300 Mark V shot much better bedded into a B&C Medalist with the points removed.


My Remington Ti 30/06 shoots great free floated also.

Thanks all!

I bought the rifle used, so nogo on returns.

Yes it has been bedded. The barrel was also rubbing slightly on one side of the barrel channel, which I fixed, but I left the pressure points there.

Think I'll float it, and if it does not shoot, then I'll go back with something softer for a pressure point, like rubber.

I have a 338-06 Weatherby Ultralight. When new it was a 2" MOA rifle, but was consistent and with lots of different loads. Not being satisfied with that I took the two pressure points out and bedded the action. It was now a 3" MOA rifle.

Of course that would not do so I put a new pressure point back into the stock. The new point of contact now made the rifle shoot around 1" to 1 1/4" with most any hunting load I use. I think the contact points that Weatherby installed at the factory appeared to be putting uneven pressure on the barrel. Whatever it was when I redid the pressure point it helped.

I my case the rifle liked the pressure point.

Thanks - what did you use for the pressure point?

I'm thinking a hard point, fiberglass molded is not helpful.

Epoxy works well.

Some folks will do the business card trick to find the best pressure, then install a pad of epoxy just ahead of the cards after they find the sweet spot(removing the cards once cured). Using release agent on the bbl of course.

It took me 3 Wby UL's in 280 to get one that shot good enough to suit me.

Hardly seen a 300 Wby that 84.5 gr's of 7828 & 180's wouldn't fix.

Send it back to weatherby FWIW, they back their rifles.

Tex,

I used "Acraglas" from Brownells to build the pressure point. After glass bedding the action you can insert a business card or some electrical tape under the action near the recoil lug so the action does not sit completely in place, allowing the barrel to be slightly elevated at the end of the barrel channel. Now apply some Acraglas in the location you want and clamp the barreled action in place (don't forget the release agent). Now on the ultralight with the fluted barrel you will have a ridge in your pressure point where the flute was. I grind this down smooth so it does not have contact with the bottom of the flute. This assured good even pressure on the barrel and I think the reason it shot better with my bedding than the factory did.

When a factory just installs a generic pressure pad molded into the stock and then puts a barreled action in it the action and barrel are not custom fitted and my opinion more than useless, it hurts accuracy. The procedure above assures even pressure.

Check the action screw torque. If they're like Remingtons, they are sensitive to the torque on the bolts that hold the metalwork into the stock. About 50 in/lbs is about right.

Biebs is on the nut here. Don't [bleep] with the pressure points until you torque the action screws correctly to what Wthby specifies. Call them and ask I think it's 45 Ft INCHES frt and 35 FT INCHES rear and in a specific order. A buddy of mine went thru this his MK V UL 280 sent it off for trigger work got it back and groups 2-3" the gunsmith wasn't aware of the correct torqueing sequence and ft INCHES of torque. Magnum Man

With some testing a suitable pressure point can be created. I doubt, however, that most factories would take the time and effort.

That being, I float everything (Weatherby's included) before it makes it out of the house.

Same here. Send it back. Unfortunately you bought the most problematic caliber in the Ultra light. Everyone I have ever seen has had problems. I think the 300 is too violent for the Ultra Light chassis. I have had a 257 and a couple of 270 Wby and all shot great!!


Here is my 270 Bee with 150 Nosler ABLR

I also bought a 378 BEE that the guy before me had free floated. This is what she shot like.







After using a neoprene washer where the pressure point use to be.

All of my rifles, except the Weatherby Ultralight, have free floated barrels. Well a JC Higgins model 50 I have not gotten to yet is still factory. Some started with pressure points but all shot better without them.

The Weatherby is just one of those rifles that likes the pressure point, at least mine does.

As others have said, make sure the screw torque is correct, bed the action, then play with a floated barrel or point pressure until you find what the rifle wants.

Could be a reason why the guy next to me asked, "what the hell are you shooting?"

I am liking that neoprene washer idea, something that absorbs vibration.

Tex: Listen to Fotis because he is spot on. A 5 3/4 pound rifle with a long pencil thin barrel is not compatible with 85 grains of IMR 7828. My denying this fact almost cost me a Dall sheep in the Brooks Range. I bought an UL in 300 WBY, shot a 3 shot 1/2 inch group off the bench and thought I had the perfect sheep rifle. I took a 250 yard shot at a ram from prone position off a pack pack rest and clean missed high although the shot felt really good. I finally connected on a running 175 yard shot. When I got back I worked with the rifle extensively and found that I would get groups under an inch but had unexplained fliers. The errant round was not consistent as to what order it was in the shot sequence. WBY returned the rifle the first time I sent it back and said nothing was wrong. When the random shots increased in frequency I again returned it and requested engineering inspect the rifle. I received a new rifle with a letter from engineering but he declined to tell me why the rifle was replaced. That rifle shot 1" groups with the same random fliers. I sold it and got a 300 win mag and a 300 WSM. They are 1/2 pound heavier and shoot 3/4 to 1" groups but they are consistent. With 180 grain bullets, the win mag is 50 fps slower than the 300 WBY and the 300 WSM is 100 fps slower.
I do not know if it is the 1/2 pound greater weight or the 20 grains less ejecta (powder) but to me it is a good trade off for a consistent rifle. I do know that the WBY had a tendency to rebound off the shoulder unless it was gripped very tightly, pulled back extra firmly into the pocket and had a perfect trigger squeeze. My opinion is the 300 WBY UL is like taking a dragster to the outback when what you need is a pick up. After changing pressure points, free floating, not free floating, etc., you are still going to end up with a temperamental rifle that is basically too much of a good thing.

I have no idea why, but Weatherby floats their Accumarks.

Obviously pressure points produce in some instances, but one will have to be extremely precise with torque every time he breaks a unit down for cleaning. Else it's going to be shooting to some other spot, and a rezero will be required.

My most recent example with removing a pressure point was a 257. Point of impact dropped a full 7 inches at 100 yds, but the group settled down.

that Accumark barrel is a ton more beefier then a #1 or #2 barrel . Speaking of my 7mm wby Fibermark 26" #2 contour, the previous owner removed the pressure point and at some point put it back on . Gun shoots beautifully just wonder what it did with the point removed.

Yeah, I appreciate everyone's info.

I have not weighed mine, but the Wby site says 6 3/4 lbs, and a #2 barrel. I bought it mainly as a stainless/synthetic rifle, more than trying to have an extra-lightweight rifle. I'd be okay with velocities a touch slower than factory claimed specs, if it were to shoot accurately.

By the way, the manual for the rifle is available at Weatherby's site, and page 14 gives the torque spec as 55 in-lbs for rifles with aluminum bedding blocks.

I'll give floating and shimming a whirl this weekend. If that doesn't work, maybe I'll stick to less fussy things, like Ruger #1's

I have an ultralite in .308 , shoots lights out now , with skim bedded and floated barrel . pressure points gone. One thing to keep in mind on floated barrels the heavier and faster the bullets the more oscialtion the barrel is going to give on fireing. thus the more "room" is need so barrel doesen't "bump" the stock and disturd the "pattern" or group

What you might want to try is skim bedding the action and first inch of barrel and leave the pressure point in place. I have that in place on my Mark V and it shoots lights out with factory ammo.

....that you need to sell to me.

All three of my Wby Mk V's, standard & magnum, are free floated and are quite accurate.

My WBY ULW 30-06 will put 3 Fed Blue Box 150 gr. in a 1/2 in.
no problem just like it is from the factory.

AMRA, it is the ammo. My old Browning pencil barrel small ring Mauser .308 cuts 1/2 to 5/8" for three with blue box 150s (it used to be red box) every time and with a 4X Zeiss that is thirty years old.

The cheap Federal is the most under rated ammo out there. I can't reload and do better. Perhaps cheaper, but not better. Since I no longer target shoot center fire rifles, I use about five rounds of .308 per year. Two or three to check accuracy, two or three on deer and maybe a coyote. I just replenished my stock to what should amount to a lifetime supply.

Jack

tex_n_cal :

Whatever happened with your 300 Bee?

I love the feel of the Weatherby Mk V UL so much that I tried 4 brand new 30-06's but as hard as I tried not one would shoot MOA with any factory ammo I tried ( more like 2-3 MOA) It got mighty expensive so I quit.....The "new" Mk V UL with the MOA guarantee has my interest once again and I am considering trying one more time for a shooter but that would be a $1,700 stab in the dark, My better judgement says for that money I can buy a Bergara Mtn rifle and have a much better chance of realizing the MOA accuracy I require.......Hb

If the rifle is properly bedded it wouldn't need the action bent via "torquing" to make it a decent shooter. My opinion, and I could be wrong, but i think it is a dumass way of doing things. i have so re-bedded two such Wbys (for olther people- I wouldn't own a Wby myself) , and they shoot very well with no stinkin torque wrench needed.

Patrick my only experience is with a friends .338-06...didnt shoot worth a crap...until he had it rebarrelled....'nuff said.

The (3) I’ve owned all had pressure points. I sanded it outta my 240, fuucker sprayed a 4”-5” group, put some bedding back about 1” from the tip, back to sub moa.....

+1 skim coat and bed 1" forward of the lug is all it needs. I don't like stressing actions.

Can you please be specific as to the procedure you used to achieve this?

Sure. I grabbed some bedding about a inch back from the tip of the stock, not a whole lot, just enough I though would touch and hive some pressure when dried. Waited a couple days, laid the action into the stock and cranked her down....

Ok, so nothing that could be measured per se. Just eyeballed.

Yes sir, I had 2 others to look at, but it weren’t a whole to get the desired results...

One can cut up some business cards and build them up until the rifle starts shooting again and then duplicate thickness in glass

Kool

I have had 3 weatherbys. Both the mark 5 deluxe and ultralight 257s responded well to removing the pressure point and bedding the action. The ultralight never really shot better than an inch. A simms slip on vibration damper shaved a quarter inch off that! My 257 accumark has been bedded as well and has produced the best groups I have ever shot. The 300 ultralight is known to be the least accurate weatherby rifle so don't expect too much from it. I would try that barrel damper though for sure.

I've floated my Weatherby's all with marked improvement. Did have to bed the action (recoil lug and tang) on a 257, as our extremely dry climate caused some slight twisting of the wood stock. Been stable though for about 12 years now.

I'd agree on the business card build up, but I'd use paper as opposed cards. The issue with a pressure point is that one has to very consistently torque his actions screws if he has any expectations of returning to zero after tearing a unit down for cleaning. Warming and barrel expansion will usually induce some vertical movement.