Weatherby 250th Anniversary Mark V: .257 Quarter-Bore

Last updated July 2026 · By Nick Hall, covers bolt-action and hunting rifles for USA Gun Shop

Quick take: Weatherby is marking America’s 250th birthday with a run of just 250 rifles, and the caliber choice is the story. Instead of chasing a trendy long-range magnum, the company built its 250th Anniversary Mark V around the .257 Weatherby Magnum, the quarter-bore that Roy Weatherby loved most. It is a patriotic showpiece with a working hunter’s heart, and it is a quiet bet that the quarter-bore is due for a comeback.

Weatherby 250th Anniversary Mark V rifle with exhibition walnut stock, 25 engraved stars per side, 13 forearm lines, Liberty-torch grip cap and color case-hardened receiver

What it is: A limited run of 250 hand-finished Mark V rifles built for the United States semiquincentennial.
Key detail: Chambered in .257 Weatherby Magnum, Roy Weatherby’s signature quarter-bore, not a fashionable new magnum.
Specs: No. 2 contour barrel, 1:10 twist, 9-lug action, 54-degree bolt lift, 8.2 pounds, sub-MOA guarantee.
Who it’s for: Collectors and Weatherby loyalists who want a hunting rifle that doubles as a piece of Americana.

A 250-rifle salute to America’s 250th

Weatherby capped this edition at exactly 250 rifles, one for each year of American independence. The number is the whole point, so each gun carries a custom “250-” serial prefix that ties it to the milestone. Pre-orders are open now, with deliveries scheduled for 2026.

The base gun is the Mark V, the action Weatherby has built its name on since the late 1950s. This anniversary version keeps that mechanical foundation and dresses it up with hand work you rarely see on a factory rifle. It is a hunting rifle first and a collector’s shelf piece second, which is a nice line to walk.

Why a quarter-bore instead of a trendy magnum

The headline decision is the caliber: .257 Weatherby Magnum, a quarter-bore. A quarter-bore simply means the bullet measures about a quarter of an inch across, roughly .25 caliber. Roy Weatherby considered the .257 his favorite cartridge, so putting it on the anniversary gun is a deliberate tip of the hat to the founder.

It would have been easy to reach for a newer, buzzier round to sell copies. Weatherby went the other way and made a bet that the quarter-bore is having a moment again, with more hunters rediscovering its flat-shooting speed on deer and pronghorn. If you want to see what the popular modern magnums look like by comparison, our roundup of the best .300 Win Mag bolt-action rifles shows the heavier-caliber crowd the .257 is deliberately stepping around.

The specs, and what sub-MOA really promises

Under the fancy finish, this is a serious rifle. The barrel uses a No. 2 contour, a medium profile that balances weight against stiffness, with a 1:10 twist rate that spins the bullet fast enough to stabilize common .257 loads. The 9-lug action gives a short 54-degree bolt lift, so the handle swings a small arc and clears a low-mounted scope. The whole package weighs 8.2 pounds.

Weatherby backs it with a sub-MOA guarantee. MOA stands for minute of angle, and one MOA is close to one inch of spread at 100 yards, so a sub-MOA promise means the rifle should group three shots inside about an inch at that distance. That is a real accuracy standard, not just show-gun polish. Shooters weighing this against another modern hunting round can compare it to the picks in our best 7mm PRC rifles guide.

Patriotic engraving and the $6,499.99 question

This is where the anniversary theme comes to life. The stock is exhibition-grade walnut with an ebony foregrip cap, engraved with 25 stars on each side and 13 flowing lines down the forearm as a nod to the original colonies. The grip cap carries a Liberty torch pattern, the receiver wears a hand-applied color case-hardened finish, and the bolt is hand-jeweled. It ships in a Magpul Daka hardcase.

All of that hand work lands the MSRP at $6,499.99, which puts it firmly in collector territory rather than deer-camp workhorse pricing. With only 250 made and pre-orders already open, the run is likely to close fast. Read it for what it is: a limited-edition tribute gun that happens to be a genuinely capable quarter-bore hunter underneath.

Frequently Asked Questions

What caliber is the Weatherby 250th Anniversary Mark V?

It is chambered in .257 Weatherby Magnum, a quarter-bore cartridge that was Roy Weatherby's personal favorite. Weatherby chose it over a trendier magnum as a tribute to the founder and a bet on the quarter-bore's renewed popularity.

How many will be made and how are they numbered?

Production is capped at 250 rifles, one for each year of American independence. Each carries a custom serial number that begins with a '250-' prefix.

What does the sub-MOA guarantee mean?

MOA means minute of angle, which is roughly one inch of group spread at 100 yards. A sub-MOA guarantee means the rifle is warrantied to shoot groups smaller than about one inch at that distance.

What is a quarter-bore?

A quarter-bore is a cartridge that fires a bullet measuring about a quarter of an inch across, or roughly .25 caliber. The .257 Weatherby Magnum is one of the fastest and flattest-shooting quarter-bores available.

What patriotic engraving does it feature?

The exhibition-grade walnut stock carries 25 stars on each side and 13 flowing lines down the forearm for the original colonies, plus a Liberty torch pattern on the grip cap. The receiver is hand color case-hardened and the bolt is hand-jeweled.