Weatherby’s new 250th Anniversary Mark V isn’t just another limited-edition rifle timed to capitalize on patriotic sentiment. It’s a deliberate declaration, built on a frame that’s been holding American hunters’ ambitions since 1957, honoring 250 years of the freedom that let Roy Weatherby walk into a California storefront with nothing but an idea. That same freedom built this company into a Wyoming dynasty. That same freedom built a nation. This rifle is where those stories intersect.
Here’s where Weatherby reveals its hand: they could have chambered this in a .300 or .338. Safe plays. Instead, they chose the .257 Weatherby Magnum, a quarter-bore that’s been quietly gaining ground in the hands of hunters willing to think beyond the crowd.
That choice isn’t accidental. The quarter-bores are having a moment: lightweight, inherently flat-shooting, and deadly on everything from pronghorn to elk when the shot is placed right. Putting one on the most significant rifle Weatherby’s building in 2026 is a small but unmistakable bet on where the future is headed.
The rifle itself is purpose-built for reverence. The receiver wears a color case-hardened finish, hand-applied in a way that ensures no two rifles emerge identical from the shop. It’s the kind of detail that separates a rifle meant to last from one meant to sell. The bolt is hand-jeweled, another touch that speaks to craft over compromise.
The stock is exhibition-grade walnut with an ebony foregrip cap, and the checkering isn’t perfunctory either; it carries patriotic intent: twenty-five stars on each side of the stock, thirteen flowing lines down the forearm (nod to the original states), and a Liberty torch pattern on the grip. These aren’t marketing flourishes. They’re commitments.
Specs run lean by necessity: the Mark V’s 54-degree bolt lift rides a 9-lug action, the barrel runs a number 2 contour with a 1-to-10 twist, and the whole package weighs in at 8.2 pounds with an overall length of 46.625 inches.
Weatherby guarantees sub-MOA accuracy, which means this rifle will shoot as well as it looks. The length of pull is 13.5 inches, and it ships in a Magpul Daka hardcase built for serious travel.
Only 250 will be made. Each comes with a custom serial prefix of “250-“, and the price tag sits at $6,499.99. Pre-orders are open now, with deliveries scheduled for 2026.
For the full details and ordering, please check: https://weatherby.com/250th-anniversary-mark-v/
What draws you to commemorative rifles, and does the .257 Weatherby Magnum choice make this one actually interesting to you as a functional tool, or purely as a keepsake?
