Weatherby 224 is back Baby!

[Mojave]

 

[Split toe]

It is back and playing second fiddle to the 22 creed. Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm not sure what it can do better than the 22 creed, or even as good?

 

[Smerritt84]

Good stuff

 

[Dennis]

Love my older 224 Weatherby and it has always shot great. Glad to see them being manufactured again.

 

[Jskaanland]

I'm gonna tell my grandpa he missed his window to sell off his insane backstock of 224 wby cases...

 

[Unclecroc]

I am surprised it wasn’t offered in 22 creed or 6mm creed as well. I love that they updated the twist rates on that classics. It’s like a scale model 300 wby.

 

[Mojave]

I have now watched both their podcast and the commercial video on the rifle.

Here is my take:

1. They got tons of request from Weatherby guys for the 224 ammo. They must have gotten enough that they figure they can order the brass from Norma and do the ammo themselves. I don't know that they have ever done that before since the old pre-Norma days.

2. Total Sales: I think you have to ask yourself how much of that is there? And how many rifles did they chamber and how many do they really think there are? It must be more substantial than I would imagine. But they have not built the cartridge since the 1960's.

3. Weatherby is a vanity company. They were the American big name "I've made it" rifle for the majority of my life. From the 1960's until companies like Gunwerks became that for the millennial generation Weatherby was the coveted rifle. Every time I see a Weatherby Mark V it still make me excited. It is still classic American as much as pin-up art on warplanes. So there are people like me, in the middle class that still look at a Weatherby Mark V and get emotional about them. So a call back to an old rifle and an old caliber in my ind is awesome. When I saw they did that with a 1 in 8 barrel, and the 22-250 will have a one in eight barrel, that is good marketing. They aren't selling 22 Creedmoors on day one because they want to do their nostalgia piece first. There will be carbon fiber stocks, and all the modern ultra light and varmint rifle versions. They want to do their vanity piece and then they will keep it moving.

4. During the pod cast Weatherby claims that they had their biggest year in 79 years in 2024. I had no idea that they were doing that well. I think that is amazing. You don't do things like this 224 vanity piece unless your finances are in order. I am happy for them, it was a company that I have loved my entire life. I have multiple old Weatherby catalogs from before I was born and from the 1980s.

5. When I was a kid-pre-tean time in the 1980's in Wyoming there was a display cabinet in a gunship in Casper that had two Weatherby mark V's in 257 and 378 with just absolute stunning wood. Wood inlays, maybe some really gaudy engraving. They were laid out on a zebra skin with a few boxes of Weatherby ammo in the old decorative boxes they used to do. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I have owned a 257, couple of 300's, 378 and a couple of 340's. Here in Germany there are Mark V's made by Sauer in 8x68S, 7x64, 9,3x64 available regularly on the used market for not much money. I will be bringing a couple back with me, hopefully in those 3 calibers.

 

[dieselchessy]

The last several years they have advertised heavily with the Meat Eater folks. I assume that has led to the renewed interest.

 

[TaperPin]

Well, it’s a little more capacity than a 22 ARC or 22 BR - right at the size of a 22 Dasher.

I’ve always liked the double radius shoulder and a big belted case. A little belted case is a little weird, but why not it doesn’t hurt anything.

 

[ElkBro]

Beautiful rifle. They've put some pretty good stuff since going to Wyoming.

 

[Bugger]

When I saw they did that with a 1 in 8 barrel, and the 22-250 will have a one in eight barrel, that is good marketing.

Thats the best thing Weatherby has done since adopting the Howa for the Vanguard line.
I’d still rather show up to the range wearing a fedora than be seen with a Mark5 that wasn’t passed down to me.

 

[Weldor]

I like the new 307 Hush. Just to heavy for me . It would be great if they made it at 5.5 instead of 7.5 naked.JMHO