Weatherby entered this year’s contest with its Mark V Accumark Elite, which mates a fluted, 26-inch barrel with the company’s six-lug action. The bolt has a very short 55-degree throw and is surprisingly fast and easy to use. The rifle also has several other features that today’s discerning shooters would want, including the Accubrake ST, which Weatherby claims can reduce felt recoil by up to 54 percent—a great addition for such a lightweight rifle. One thing helping with the weight reduction is the AG Composites carbon-fiber stock. There’s also a TriggerTech trigger and an extended bolt knob.
The Weatherby is an attractive rifle, with its camo stock pairing nicely with the Coyote Tan and Graphite Black Cerakote finishes on the metal components, so it earned high marks in the aesthetics category. It was also accurate, and shooters enjoyed the trigger. But it wasn’t that easy to reload, and the recoil was still a tad stiff. Nonetheless, this lightweight hunter is born for long days in the backcountry.
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