Weatherby’s First Varmint Rifle: Mark V SVM

Weatherby’s first true varmint rifle, the Mark V SVM (Super Varmint Master) highlights the company’s 2000 product line. Available in a repeater (magazine capacity: five plus one in the chamber) or blind magazine single-shot version, the SVM features a No. 4 contour 410 series stainless steel Criterionª button-rifled fluted barrel. The barrel is 26 inches with a muzzle diameter of .823 inch. It is free floated and finished with an 11-degree concave target crown.

Six deep flutes, lined with black accents, help lighten the overall barrel weight without reducing stiffness. The flutes increase the surface area of the barrel, enhancing heat dissipation. Each barrel is cryogenically treated to -300 degrees Fahrenheit to stress reduce the finished barrel. The bore is then hand-lapped to an ultra-smooth finish to reduce fouling.

The SVM also features a specially designed hybrid composite stock consisting of a high-strength combination of Kevlar and fiberglass. Compared to conventional stocks, it has a wider, flatter beavertail forearm to help stabilize the rifle.

The raised comb monte carlo stock’s bedding block is computer designed and CNC-machined from aircraft-grade 6061-T6 aluminum. This bedding block system, designed to function much like a sleeve (popular with benchrest shooters), stiffens the receiver area of the rifle when the barreled action is secured into the block. The combination of CNC-machining and precision moulding of the bedding block into the stock helps ensure perfect fit and alignment of the barreled action. Stock color is tan with black spider webbing.

A factory-tuned, fully-adjustable trigger with sear engagement preset at .012 to .015 and a let-off weight of 4 pounds is another accuracy-enhancing component of the SVM. The new varmint rifle utilizes Weatherby’s Mark V action for standard cartridges. A lightweight version of the legendary Mark V Magnum action, it has six locking lugs as compared to the magnum action’s nine. However, both feature a 54-degree bolt lift, the shortest of any production rifle on the market. This      allows faster chambering on follow-up shots and greater bolt-to-scope clearance.

The SVM weighs 8 1/2 pounds and measures 46 inches in overall length. Its length of pull is 13 5/8 inches. The SVM is available in .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington, .220 Swift, .243 Winchester, 7mm-08 Remington and .308 Winchester. The .220 Swift and .223 Remington are new chamberings for 2000.

Like other Weatherby rifles, the SVM is made in the U.S.A. and covered by Weatherby’s accuracy guarantee of a 1 1/2-inch, three-shot group from a cold barrel at 100 yards with factory ammunition.