LineStretcher
New member
Most are not familiar with this rifle and the back story on it is foggy to say the least. The one I just bought is from the first production run between 2002 and 2004.
My back story is that I was in a nearby town where a Liquor/Sporting Goods store is located. I've bought a few rifles and handguns from them and am on a first name basis with the owner. I was browsing the rifle section and I see this Weatherby. I know Kevin (Owner) doesn't normally carry any Weatherby's so I ask to see it. It's a Mark V .308 with a really heavy barrel.
Anyway, it has been there for some time and Kevin was willing to part with it at his cost. The rifle was new in box but had been sitting for so long that the grease that it was shipped with had all dried out and solidified. Not very becoming for a Weatherby. Weil, I couldn't resist so I bought it.
According to an old article in some obscure e magazine, the rifle was first produced with law enforcement as the target audience. The name Tactical Response Rifle (TRR) reflects that. It was first introduced as a .223 or .308 in 2002 as a Mark V with a standard caliber 6 lug bolt. Production ended somewhere around 2004. In 2009 or thereabouts it was reintroduced as both Mark V and Vanguard models with several calibers available including the famed Weatherby Magnums. I guess sales didn't go as planned so it was refashioned (stock changed) and now it can be found in its evolved form as the TacMark rifles.
The first order of business, because it's 14-15 years old and never fired, was to tear it down to and check it from top to bottom. There was a lot of staining from the grease but that cleaned up nicely and normal clearances returned. The axis from bolt face to chamber to barrel was perfect and I only needed to take .0005 off the bolt face which was just enough to take the paint off and remove the fine tool marks.
After a thorough cleaning the rifle was reassembled. The trigger seems fine at this point but I adjusted it from 4lbs down to 2.5 lbs. It's crisp and clean with zero take up and a comfortable follow.
I have a good supply of scope bases and Picatinny rails for Mark V's and Vanguards so I figured I was good in that dept. NOT... Neither of those will fit the TRR. One, the distance between the mounting holes is different and the radius of the front of the receiver is sharper. Research say's that Talley made the original custom rings but they don't seem to be offering them now. Night Force does make them but they are in a back order status. I did find one so I ordered it. It is a 20moa rail but I'm putting my Schmidt and Bender PMII on it so I don't need it. Near will make them on demand and so will EGW but the price goes up significantly. I haven't shot the rifle yet so I'm not willing to throw more money at it then I have to at this point. The Night Force can be shimmed and then bedded to bring it back to 0 MOA.
The barrel is 22" in Weatherby's #4 contour. It would be a #5 Bull in most standard contours. The barrel is made by Criterion when they were still a subsidiary of FN. It' has a 1-12 twist rate which tells me it probably won't do well on my favorite 200g Hornady ELD-M bullets. I'm going to break it in with those because I have a bunch of them in Lapua brass at starting loads and that's going to give me my fire formed brass. I think a 185g will be better.
Here's a pic of the rifle fresh out of the box. I'll be jeweling the bolt this week while I wait for the rail to arrive.
The Stock, may be a McMillan, it sure looks like one and is a full aluminum chassis wrapped in glass and formed with the classic Weatherby raised comb and monte carlo cheek rest. The aluminum runs all the way to the forend and it is bedded and shimmed in typical early McMillan manner. The recoil lug is not bedded with fillers but there is zero movement so I may just leave it.
My back story is that I was in a nearby town where a Liquor/Sporting Goods store is located. I've bought a few rifles and handguns from them and am on a first name basis with the owner. I was browsing the rifle section and I see this Weatherby. I know Kevin (Owner) doesn't normally carry any Weatherby's so I ask to see it. It's a Mark V .308 with a really heavy barrel.
Anyway, it has been there for some time and Kevin was willing to part with it at his cost. The rifle was new in box but had been sitting for so long that the grease that it was shipped with had all dried out and solidified. Not very becoming for a Weatherby. Weil, I couldn't resist so I bought it.
According to an old article in some obscure e magazine, the rifle was first produced with law enforcement as the target audience. The name Tactical Response Rifle (TRR) reflects that. It was first introduced as a .223 or .308 in 2002 as a Mark V with a standard caliber 6 lug bolt. Production ended somewhere around 2004. In 2009 or thereabouts it was reintroduced as both Mark V and Vanguard models with several calibers available including the famed Weatherby Magnums. I guess sales didn't go as planned so it was refashioned (stock changed) and now it can be found in its evolved form as the TacMark rifles.
The first order of business, because it's 14-15 years old and never fired, was to tear it down to and check it from top to bottom. There was a lot of staining from the grease but that cleaned up nicely and normal clearances returned. The axis from bolt face to chamber to barrel was perfect and I only needed to take .0005 off the bolt face which was just enough to take the paint off and remove the fine tool marks.
After a thorough cleaning the rifle was reassembled. The trigger seems fine at this point but I adjusted it from 4lbs down to 2.5 lbs. It's crisp and clean with zero take up and a comfortable follow.
I have a good supply of scope bases and Picatinny rails for Mark V's and Vanguards so I figured I was good in that dept. NOT... Neither of those will fit the TRR. One, the distance between the mounting holes is different and the radius of the front of the receiver is sharper. Research say's that Talley made the original custom rings but they don't seem to be offering them now. Night Force does make them but they are in a back order status. I did find one so I ordered it. It is a 20moa rail but I'm putting my Schmidt and Bender PMII on it so I don't need it. Near will make them on demand and so will EGW but the price goes up significantly. I haven't shot the rifle yet so I'm not willing to throw more money at it then I have to at this point. The Night Force can be shimmed and then bedded to bring it back to 0 MOA.
The barrel is 22" in Weatherby's #4 contour. It would be a #5 Bull in most standard contours. The barrel is made by Criterion when they were still a subsidiary of FN. It' has a 1-12 twist rate which tells me it probably won't do well on my favorite 200g Hornady ELD-M bullets. I'm going to break it in with those because I have a bunch of them in Lapua brass at starting loads and that's going to give me my fire formed brass. I think a 185g will be better.
Here's a pic of the rifle fresh out of the box. I'll be jeweling the bolt this week while I wait for the rail to arrive.
The Stock, may be a McMillan, it sure looks like one and is a full aluminum chassis wrapped in glass and formed with the classic Weatherby raised comb and monte carlo cheek rest. The aluminum runs all the way to the forend and it is bedded and shimmed in typical early McMillan manner. The recoil lug is not bedded with fillers but there is zero movement so I may just leave it.
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