In another space of the magazine we deal with the .378 Weath cartridge. Mag. While here we propose the rifle that uses it, a Mark V from the 60s, therefore not much later than the first examples put on the market between 1957/58. Roy Weatherby had used Mauser or FN mechanics for some time, some also from Danish Schultz & Larsen, but when he came to the determination to create a cartridge from Africa that would stand out above its competitors, the .378 precisely, he had decided to take the plunge. to set up an action capable of mastering pressures almost three times higher than the average then in force. According to the American style, strongly in force in that post-war period where industrial power, organizational capacity, national cohesion had brought the state and the thinking of citizens to the highest levels of self-esteem, each achievement had to fall on the market with an aura of magnificence and value. absolute: it was not a question of exteriority, that was also needed, of course, but precisely to create something unusual, capable of arousing admiration precisely by virtue of the intrinsic qualities contained in the product. The Mark V air rifle is therefore equipped with factors that go far beyond the usual starting from the stock in high quality woods, carryovers in exotic essences with bright chromatic effects, with benevolently aggressive shapes that take into account above all some factors that were not so before followed: Montecarlo football has in the Californian house one of its greatest exegetes and those slightly squared shapes of the shaft and forend with the apex cut on the bias will be the school, or at least, will lead many other manufacturers to follow the wave of the moment. From the stock one passes to the heart of the rifle, the action: here dominated the phenomenal intuition of Mauser who, with the K98 military movement, had indicated the most appropriate path to follow to obtain a rifled rifle with excellent performance and affordable costs. The mythical Roy thinks in other numerical and volumetric terms, with other mechanical operations for which a castle appears with the usual round ring and a conspicuous prism of discharge of the forces, combined with thick and robust walls to the rear deck with two diameters, both entities prepared for mounting an optic. According to the good rules, different measures of the action are set up so as to have an adequate range of possibilities for the series of cartridges that goes from the tiny .224 to the powerful .460.
The most marked novelty appears in the shutter: the cylinder has a much larger section than the standard with longitudinal grooves that on one side lighten the mass and on the other increase its torsional rigidity while the head has the fins obtained within the maximum diameter, then with a decreasing milling to obtain the thickness. The number of these sealing and closing flaps is the most differentiating between the project: there are nine placed in three rows of three, therefore over a considerable length so that this offshoot exploits the size of the long ring. Obviously the publicity hammered on this numerical increase and the detractors, as soon as they recovered from the shock of this gap, indicated in the tiny size of each fin, in the adjustment not always so simple to put them in the shot with the right harmony, in the progressive removal of the resistant points from the point of application of force the theoretical negativities of the system. We report these considerations that have been felt for several years, but we can consider only one factor: the robustness of this mechanics has never given the slightest problem, precision has always been one of the greatest strengths, even combined with several of the cartridges of the same manufacturer, the maneuverability of the handlebar with an opening angle reduced to just 54 ° combined with an uncommon smoothness, an example of excellent functionality in every situation. Specifically, we still observe the lowered face to hold the bottom, the rectified hole of the firing pin, the elastic pawl of the ejector and the extraction nail: this is not exactly a wonder following the setting of that of our Mod. 91 and then of the Sako for which it does not have the positive grip of the Mauser claw and neither the structure and the orthogonal movement of those called horseshoe, but despite this it works, does not create problems and is mounted next to a row of fins with which does not interfere. Correct implementation also enhances important details with non-top projects. The shapes of the knuckle and the rear bolt cap are peculiar, beautifully refined and allow the rifle to be recognized immediately.
The barrel maintains an adequate section for the load to be mastered with tapering clearly visible after the cartridge chamber and then with a very attenuated downward gradient: in the muzzle the Magna-Port muzzle brake is practiced, at the time one of the first solutions to appear on a shotgun, with the series of holes barely visible and which does not interfere with the general line. We could only discuss its function if we had tried a specimen not equipped with this device: the fact is that the slap is felt and how, thanks also to the all in all reduced weight of the weapon. For comparison, on the same day we fired many shots with a flaming Sako Mod. 85 in .338 Lapua, always equipped with a muzzle brake with radial holes, but with a very different setting, and we must say that here the recoil is really minimized: the loads and a little the weight of the ball 300 g against 250 g), but the effect is so different. The metal sights that are used in specific hunts with this caliber are mounted: but the adoption of a good variable optic with values between 1x and 6x proposes the whole also for large European deer: the trajectory tension is extraordinary with respect to diameter and ball weight. The fixed tank with 3 cartridges, plus one in the barrel, allows unloading by opening the pivoting bottom cover via a button recessed in the guard: all parts are made of steel.
The model viewed was built by Sauer & Sohn of Eckernförde and can be seen from the stock without too visible frills and the burnishing of the metal parts, really excellent together with the mechanical finish: the agreement that will allow later on was not yet in place. the German manufacturer to match its name to that of the US manufacturer, for subsequent specimens intended mainly for the European market: on this only the inscription appears Made in W. Germany. In the second-hand market, these models are naturally more appreciated for their accuracy of execution, style and finishing than those of the Californian house. Similar shotguns are the alternative to express, whose performance is duplicated, at least on paper, with a conspicuously lower purchase price: the shot repetition technique is certainly not immediate as in the competitors, however, having 3-4 shots available in the tank: nevertheless, seeing a well-trained hunter who shrewdly fires the two shots of the express, opens and reloads with the two cartridges held between his fingers and double the shots makes a beautiful effect. In short, here the problem remains that of going to Africa: for the armament with this Weatherby in .378 Weath Mag. We are already well settled.
Data Sheet
Project: Weatherby® - South Gate - California (USA)
Manufacturer: JP Sauer & Sohn GmbH - Eckernförde (D)
Importer: Bignami spa, via Lahn 1, 39040 Ora (BZ) - tel. 0471/803000 - fax. 0471/810899 - www.bignami.it - [email protected]
Trademarks: Weatherby .378 Weather. Mag.
Type: rifle barrel
operation: sliding rotating shutter with ordinary repetition
Closure: with nine front flaps on three ranks from three lowered - mortise in the ring of the castle
Percussion: firing pin with coaxial spring in the bolt activated by the movement of the handlebar
Extractor: with elastic claw with pivoting movement embedded in the shutter
Ejector: elastic pawl on the bolt head
canna: check ... in carbon steel with 6 right-hand grooves, pitch 1:11 ", obtained by hammering length 660 mm - Magna-Port muzzle brake
Shoot: direct with single trigger
Safety: rotary button next to the castle with two positions - locks opening, snap, percussion
loader: fixed in steel with pivoting bottom cover for 3 cartridges
Look: on plinth with U-shaped notch adjustable in elevation and grain front sight: both adjustable in swing on the dovetail drawstring - holes for attachment of the scope
Stocking: in one piece, high grade walnut wood - shock absorbing pad
CALIBRO: .378Weath. Mag.
Materials: treated steel
Weight :: Approx. 3.900 g