Desire to own a Weatherby that epitomizes the convergence of light weight, accuracy, and power. Cartridges under consideration are 257 Bee, 270 Bee, 6.5-300, and 7 Bee.

What would you choose? Thanks

Answer depends 100% on what your intended use is.

I have three of your four, I don't have the 6.5 because it's way too much case capacity for a 6.5 and suspect that it's a major barrel burner. I have had several 300s through the years,but the recoil is much worse than the 257,270,and 7mm.

I have killed the most game with the 270,it's very flat shooting and carries plenty of bullet weight for just about anything on this continent.

The 257 is a wonderful,light kicking,flat shooting laser beam for deer and antelope,and with the right bullets is plenty for elk.

The 7mm is the most versatile of the group,and it's has plenty of heavy bullet options in premium controlled expansion bullets as well as really high BC long range bullets.

If I am hunting deer on the edge of water,and I want him dead right there,257 weatherby is in a league of it's own with 100 grain bullets.
For deer and hogs,I use a 270 weatherby with 140 ballistic tips or accubonds.

Out west,I have mostly used the 7mm with high BC bullets in really open country. KIlled with it at 400 and 500 yards without issue.

i may not be a Gunwriter but my favorite cartridge is and always will be a 257 Weatherby Mag. with a 26 inch barrel atleast . i have been hunting and reloader for this cartridge for 20 some years , i have never been a person who likes to hunt with light rifles generally they never shoot as well for me, i am 6 ft. 2 in. 240 lbs. have always worked hard so carrying a rifle that weighs 9-10 lbs. has never been a problem for me. some will say speed is not a factor but i have seen some amazing kills using my 257 Weatherby mag. using my handloads with a 100 gr. Nosler partitions at 3800 fps on some very nice antelope, mule deer and whitetail bucks. i do believe you need a very good scope on whatever cartridge you decide and good luck with your choice,Pete53

In my personal experience, the .270 Wby and 7mm Wby are ballistic twins until you get up into bullets 160 gr and heavier. Same case, same power up to 150 gr bullets. .257 Bee is great for deer,etc. and elk and bear with good shot placement and sturdy bullets. The 6.5-300 is in a class of its own. I have a Vanguard in 6.5-300 and it scales 8.0 pounds with scope. I have a .300, 2 - 7mm Wbys, and a .30-06, all Mark V’s. The magnums scale 9.2 to 9.5 with scopes. The Mark V ULW weighs less and will punish you at the range in Magnum calibers. I think a 26” barrel is ideal for the 6.5-300 and .300 Weatherby. One of my 7’s is a 24” but not sure if they still offer that. Maybe in ULW.
If I could keep only one it would be the 7mm Weatherby although some places .270 Wby ammo is easier to find. I roll my own, so that doesn’t matter to me. Good luck finding 6.5-300 ammo. Happy Trails

Dogger,

The lightweight Mark Vs in .257, 6.5-300, .270 and 7mm Weatherby really aren't all that light, since they're built on the 9-lug action. Have owned two, in 6.5-300 and 7mm Wby., and with a typical 12-14 ounce 3-9x or 3-10x scope they went around eight pounds. The only truly lightweight Weatherby Mark Vs are on the smaller 6-lug action, which comes in .240 Wby. Magnum and 6.5 Wby. RPM. They will weigh around 6-1/2 pounds with the right scope. My wife used one in .240 for a number of years, and it was VERY accurate.

The 6.5-.300 (and 26 Nosler, which has just about exactly the same case capacity) don't fry barrels as fast as many shooters would guess. Usually they're good for at least 1000 rounds, and sometimes up to 1500, depending on how hot the barrel gets, and the powder used.

I dig the 270/7 Wby, especially since they’ve boosted the useful twist in them. Probably not ultralight by today’s standards but I’d suspect an 8lb rifle could get set up pretty easily.

Thank you very much for the cogent and informative replies... i made the mistake of surfing Gunbroker and seeing a Weatherby Mark V Altitude, 6.75lb for the nine lug action, chambered in 257 Bee... the hook was set... unfortunately it sold... But that got me to thinking about marrying up something i don't have - a tier 1 rifle (Weatherby), lighter than the usual 7.25 lb sporter, with a flat shooting fast stepping cartridge... that isn't a 30.

An old Army buddy has a 7 Bee and it is his only rifle and he swears by it... another shooter i met at the range has a 270 and swears by it.

I don't think the 240 Bee gets me more than 100 fps than my 6mm Remington... I don't have a quarter bore (never have)...

I am leaning towards the 257... in a 26" fluted barrel lightweight synthetic stock.... point and shoot with 100 grain factory ammo... deer and antelope... need to figure out the scope...

A 6.5 Wby. RPM would seem to be the perfect mountain walk around rifle, finally.

Never heard of the 6.5 Weatherby RPM until this thread... wow... but to not have the double radius!!

6.5 RPM is pure heresy. Old Roy would roll over in his grave! 🤣

The not so light 257 Lt. Wt. is still a very nice package especially for stand hunting long open senderos in South Texas. The six lug is what I would get if buying new and probably would still go 257 but the 6.5 RPM looks intriguing. I have not fired one but I think the 6.5-300 would be not so shooter friendly in the Lt. Wt. package. I would want a 26" barrel just for noise and muzzle blast reduction, it also gives at least the sensation of less recoil too.

Yep Roy would not approve of any Wby. without a belt or the double radius trade mark shoulder. I ate that stuff up about the stronger belted brass and the venturi effect of the double radius. I spent my pubescent years reading the Weeatherby annual catalogs.

The only Mark V we have is the DGR in .340. It's a good rifle albeit heavy

I have a 223, a 6mm, a 280, a 30, several 300s, and a 444...

A fast 257 fills a gap...

The .257 Weatherby Magnum is a fine round, and far more versatile than many hunters might believe. On a 2012 elk hunt here in my part of Montana, my hunting partner Tim Frampton took this bull with one 120-grain Nosler Partition factory load.

Hate to admit it, but I overlooked the 257Wby for far too long.

Just scared off by the barrel burner reputation, and not paying enough attention to it's attributes.

But since my time is shorter now, and considering I am only interested in "hunting rifles", I now have two in the safe.

Light recoil, and truly enjoyable to shoot. And there's darn few rounds that shoot flatter within normal hunting ranges for a point-and-shoot hunter.

As hunting rifles, at the rate they get shot my son can rebarrel them.

You guys have sold me on the 257...

Have one in 30/06.Love it...Used in Africa and Wy.Vert accurate..."You might need a break because of weight...

I doubt you'd want a brake with the 257Wby.

It's a soft shooter. You'll love it.

How about one of the new Mk V Backcountry models? If the advertised weight is correct on the 9 lug non-Ti model, it’ll be about half a pound lighter than the previous Ultra Lightweight models. Then there is the Ti, which is a true lightweight but spendy.

I went through all of this over and over again, and found that the newer WY manufactured models have a Triggertech trigger in them, which is a significant upgrade over the previous LXX trigger. The Backcountry models also have carbon fiber stocks made by AG Composites, though not classic Weatherby shapes compared with the B & C manufactured fiberglass stocks on the Ultra Lightweights. I believe the barrels being used in current WY produced rifles are somewhat better than the CA produced rifles (with the exception of the Krieger Custom model). It really comes down to what stock shape you want, what your budget is, and how light you want the rifle.


I was all set to buy when an opportunity to buy a NULA in 257 Bee showed up, and that’s the way I went. If I hadn’t gone that way, I would have probably bought the non-Ti Backcountry and given it a whirl sans muzzle brake. Second choice was the new Weathermark LT model, which is pretty much an Ultra Lightweight but with the upgraded trigger and better barrel of the WY produced rifles. The stock on that model is still the classic Weatherby shape made by B & C.

What I was told, and it seems to have rung true is that the 257 is never a bad choice. Now the decision is which bullet to use for what you intend to hunt?

I choose one of each. I like 'em all!!!

Man! This thread has me salivating. I have one MK V and that's a Lazer Mark in .300 WBY Mag. I love it. Seriously, I wish I could afford one of each of Roys Mags. My .300 has a brake and it's pure joy to shoot.

A brake on a 257? Why?

I don't get the whole "muzzle brake thing". I mean, if it's a 378 or a 460 then OK. But if it's not then you just have too much gun. Our 340 doesn't have a brake.

Just saw where Weatherby offers a 120TTSX load in the 7 Bee... that puts the 7 back into my consideration...

Much as I love the 7Wby, I think you were on the right track above.

That is, if you hunt deer/antelope more than elk.

The 257 makes beaucoup sense for what I do

Hey, they put brakes on .223s. It's not only about recoil reduction for shoulder, but less shoulder pain but also target reacquisition after the shot.

I love the .270 Winchester but between the .270 WBY and the 7 WBY Mags. I lean toward the 7. However, WBY needs to make a tighter twist available for both. There's more and more heavy bullets being made for both of these. A 1:9 would be nice for both. Then maybe somebody would be inspired to make a 175-180 grain .277 bullet and the 180, 185 7s would be solidly stabilized at all elevations. They might even really need a 1:85 or even 1:80. What you think Mule Deer?

In a Mark V, the 7 x 300 cat has appeal, and some legs. Keep the original barrel for sale time, and blaze away !

For me I like the rpm, but other than a 340, I never had much of an affair with the others. They all have the mystique though.

Pretty sure the new 7 Wbys are 1-8.5 last I looked.

There are already 170s in .277 and 195-200 gr. in 7mm bullets. These are more like target bullets but not all of them. There are also 128-130 grain bullets in .257 persuasion but they require a 1-7" twist. Weatherby's are about speed so the mid range bullets optimize this best, but the heavy for caliber VLD bullets would extend the range and reduce wind drift. I think the latter option is what the 6.5 RPM is designed for.

I have an Ultralight Mk V in 7 Wby & it would always be my first choice over my 300 Wby.

The gun weighs 8.5 ready to hunt. I love it!

120’s at 3650
140’s at 3400
150’s at 3250
160’s at 3200
All of those loads are 1/2 MOA or gooder.

What’s not to like?

I have a 7mm bee ULW. It it cataloged at 6.75 lbs but mine weights in at 7 lbs 3 oz. I have read similar reports of “aggressive” claimed weights by Weatherby for the ULW. Just more of an FYI if weight is important to you.

With that being said, I would not part with mine. Very accurate, low perceived recoil for cartridge, and a nostalgic lineage...one of my favorite rifles....

I think Weatherby claims 7.2lbs for the new Weathermark LT, which agrees with the weight of your rifle.

I believe this is a more accurate weight for the previous lightweight 9-lug Weatherby's as well (like the Ultralight and Outfitter).

Pretty sure the catalog online says 1:10 for 7mm Weatherby in Mark V’s and 7 Roy not listed in Vanguards. Happy Trails

I just checked on the weight of my 7mm Wby. Mark V Ultra Light Weight: 8 pounds, 5 ounces with a 6x42 Meopta in Talley Lightweight rings.

I know when they released the new ULW rifle they showed a 1-8.5 for the 7 WBY.

Maybe MD or Fotis has some insider info to that.

I just looked and they’re showing a 10 twist on their webpage for the 240 as well and I know for a fact they went with a 7.5/7.75 for the new ones. I’m kinda thinking they’ve dorked up their website in regards to current twist rates.

Not a lightweight but I’d bet it’s pretty sweet to shoot in the field.

Yep!

That’s what I was thinking! My Mashburn has the 6x36 on it and weighs about the same. Super easy shooting rifle. With the Legend it seems to always feels right whether proned out of anyplace in between.

That’s a heckuva elk JB.

Thanks! The funny thing was, I got a chance to hunt a ranch about 100 miles south of here, and planned to take the first legal bull in range--if possible. The first three legal bulls in range were all 6-points, spotted feeding about 300 yards away--but just over a little rise so all that could be seen was their antlers and, sometimes, the tops of their backs. So I crawled on hands and knees to the top of the rise, where their bodies could be seen, and decided to shoot the first one that turned broadside--which happened to be the bull with the biggest antlers!

Mule Deer, Admire your integrity and knowledge. I appeciate your input here even if I seldom say anything. Enjoy the steaks!! (That is a GREAT bull! in my opinion)

Thanks very much!

So I’ve had 3 of em, 240, 257 and 300 Roy. All 3 shot way under guarantee, with factory fodder, actually all under 3/4”, and shot dead nuts with said velocity. 257 has accounted for way more meat than it should have.. 300 Roy shot dumb good with 180 interlocks. No complaints whatsoever...

As aside, pard runs same in 270 Roy, same/same

That’s not a bad darned deal... I’ll take em about anyway I can get em.

I’ve never fell in love with the Weatherby but the ULW has some appeal. Comes and goes, but it looks like a helluva good rifle. I think their new one in a 7mm with the 8.5 twist would be hard to best.

Ya loved the first gen ulw, always done what I asked of em... Talley lw’s and leupolds included. Btw Scotty, bullshittin the son in law right now. Wook!!! Haha

I’ve never heard many that didn’t like em. I’m not a huge fan of the stocks but that is always easy to fix. First world problems.

If you don’t like the stock, particularly the composite stock with full length bedding block, why would you even consider one? Lots of cheaper options out there. The design of the stock helps mitigate felt recoil and tends to rotate the stock away from the cheekbone under heavy recoil. Do some research, don’t take my word for it. Savage Axis and Ruger American should satisfy your every need.

I don't have one, but I think they're a good rifle.

Wish y'all the best.

FYI, my Fibermark, Stainless, Tupperware stock w/ a Limbsaver pad, Mark V Lightweight (6 lug bolt), 20" carbine model,Talley LW scope mounts, w/ Nikon Monarch 2-7, 7mm/08 weighs in @ 7.25 lb. Good trigger, shoots well, handy, well balanced. One of my favorite rifles. As I age (I am now in the second half of my 60s), I don't enjoy hiking much w/ my heavier rifles. -Mark

I have currently or have had at least 10 Weatherby Mark V's including 4 ulw's which all shot sub 1" groups, the two best being a 338-06 a 280 that Reloader28 owns now and a very close 3rd is the 240 Weatherby that Mule Deer talks about and only magnum I have ever owned. All the standard cartridges, 243, 25-06, 7mm-08, 308, and 280's shot extremely well and were light.

As for stock design, the Weatherby profile fits me well and takes away felt recoil for me. JB aka Mule Deer may jump in on this one as well and after reading the chapter in his book about stock design, concluded that my shoulders are slightly sloped and reason why the Weatherby design fits me so well