I have a backcountry (technically a Vanguard but dressed up a bit and lighter) and love it.
My dad has a Tikka and other than the action (the action on the tikka is super smooth) I think it outperforms in nearly every category. The Tikka does shoot well but I cant get over their magazines. My Backcountry will take a much longer bullet than the tikka will permit which is important if you handload...especially Bergers. I think they may have fixed that with their latest model though.
I am no bolt action rifle aficionado by any means but compared to most any other factory gun I have handled, (Remington, Mossberg, Ruger, Winchester, Tikka) I think its better than most. About the only other manufacturer that might be able to top it is Sako and maybe Browning, but thats a big maybe.
I bought a Terramark, two years ago and i have absolutely loved it. I am an avid hand loader however, this rifle shoots factory ammo so well that i have not touched the reloading bench. I consistently shoot .48-.57, 5 shot groups at 100 yards with HSM ammo. Beyond impressed with this weatherby.
Does anybody have a problem with stair stepping? Mine will be dead on first shot, then starts high left. 3rd shot will be about 8" high and 3" left and gets worse from there. Whippy barrel doesn't help. Yes, I have free floated the barrel.
Your gun has a problem. It shouldn't be doing that. All the vanguards I am aware of have pressure point at the end of the forearm. Seems the guys that have removed them to free float the factory barrel have had accuracy problems. Its been years since I researched free floating weatherbys but I do remember the end result was to not do it. I'm not sure about the Mark V and the pressure points but I know for sure my mark v outfitter has them. Proper action torque has also been very important to my guns and if I take the stock off to work on the trigger expect a POI change and have to resight in the gun.
If you have a barrel below #4 contour you should not have removed that pressure point. Did you bed the recoil lug?Does anybody have a problem with stair stepping? Mine will be dead on first shot, then starts high left. 3rd shot will be about 8" high and 3" left and gets worse from there. Whippy barrel doesn't help. Yes, I have free floated the barrel.
Mine is a MKV Lazermark. Did it with the original stock and an aftermarket B&C.
Does it with factory ammo of all bullet weights, handloads, new scope, new mounts, added a pressure point at the end of the stock, removed it, free floated the new stock, I've tried everything.
That was the other caliber I considered. I ended up with the 7mm rem mag. My brother also owns a 30-06 in a regular old vanguard. That thing shoots dang good as well. I need to also add to my statement.. I am a Remington 700 fanatic. I own 7 of them. I can honestly say that none of my rems would shoot straight off the shelf, like this weatherby.I also have a MV Terramark. Mine is in 300WM. Factory Barnes shoot so well it would also be a complete waste of time to reload. It is pretty heavy, but I have so much confidence in it that I’m usually willing to carry it. It has the new Mark V trigger and I think it is quite good. I don’t know if the Mark V is any better than other higher end rifles, I think I just happened to find one that is phenomenally accurate.