Weatherby's New Model 307 Rifle: The Remington 700 Upgraded!

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Weatherby rarely does the expected. Unpredictability, in the legendary company’s case, is a good thing. When Weatherby launches a new product, shooters and hunters can generally anticipate being surprised and impressed. Such is the case with the new Model 307. Named for Wyoming’s area code, the Model 307 is, surprisingly, a Remington 700-type action, done incredibly right. Yep, it has a Model 700-type footprint, so it fits the plethora of aftermarket Model 700 stocks. It takes aftermarket Model 700 triggers, although it’s unlikely you’ll want to swap out the excellent TriggerTech Field go-switch it comes with. And most importantly, the Model 307’s action incorporates the tried-and-true features of the Remington 700 action and cures a few of the Model 700’s weaknesses. Two variations launched initially: the everyman’s 307 Range XP, with a configurable composite stock, Cerakote finish and attractive $1,199 price; and the 307 Alpine, which wears a cutting-edge carbon-fiber HNT26 chassis-type stock by MDT—along with a $2,999 sticker. Neither is exactly extraordinary. Perhaps the most sensational thing about the 307 is that Weatherby—a company known for pushing boundaries—chose to make a rifle that is fundamentally a 700-type design. Both versions, however, are exceptional, in the sense that they are exquisitely made, unlike all too many of our modern push-feed hunting rifles.

I’ll make the argument that the Model 307 is the Model 700 clone that the new Remington Arms company should be making but isn’t. And just possibly that’s why Weatherby chose to step into another rifle realm. I recently spent the better part of a week working with and wringing out the modestly priced 307 Range XP. Did it perform? Why yes, yes it did. And how. But before I get overexcited and start babbling about how it shoots, let’s unpack the 307’s design characteristics and features, starting with the heart of the rifle: the 307 action. For starters, the action body is machined from billet that’s already been heat-treated. It’s round, which creates two desirable characteristics: It’s easy to manufacture with near-perfect concentricity, and it’s easy to bed into stocks in a movement-free fashion. No movement in the stock makes a whale of a difference in accuracy.

The recoil lug is sandwiched between the barrel shoulder and the front face of the action, just like on a Remington Model 700. The bolt has dual, opposing locking lugs. A plunger-type ejector is set into the left side of the bolt face at nine o’clock, and ably heaves fired cases out the ejection port. The 307 also has a Remington-style two-position rocker-type safety located at the right rear of the action. A strong, capable M16-type extractor is positioned just above the right-side bolt locking lug. That fixes the Remington 700’s primary Achilles heel—that little “C”-clip type extractor buried in the bolt face. The right locking lug has a small anti-bind channel machined into its lower outside surface. It mates with a raceway rail in the receiver and eliminates bind-inducing play in the bolt face/receiver interaction.

The result is an incredibly smooth bolt throw that simply won’t bind up, no matter how awkwardly or crookedly you operate it. That anti-bind raceway isn’t a new thing, but it’s too often neglected in modern, make-’em-cheap-and-fast designs. Weatherby cut no corners, and the result is an action that feels just terrific. That wonderful, smooth feel is all the more impressive because the bolt body is deeply fluted for weight reduction and for aesthetics, and because the action is fed by a detachable polymer magazine. Both are characteristics that typically inhibit smooth feeding, but that is not the case with the 307. The bolt itself features tool-less disassembly for easy cleaning and field maintenance. The handle is skeletonized for light weight, and it’s threaded so you can swap out bolt knobs if desired. A discreet, elegant button latch at the left rear of the action releases the bolt, so it’s very easy to remove.

Model 307 actions are factory-fitted with Picatinny optic rails. Now, I’m not usually a fan of rails, because they force you to mount your scope high above the action and make it hard to achieve a good cheek weld. Additionally, if you use low rings, you’re often forced to mount your scope farther rearward than is ideal, because the magnification ring contacts the top of the rail otherwise. However, Weatherby did this one right. And, of course, if you want to use a different mounting system, you can always take it off. I say this rail’s done right because it’s seamlessly mated to the action, and even the ejection port is machined out to match. Plus, at the rear, a 0.90-inch-long section of the rail top is machined lower, enabling shooters to mount modern scopes with big objective housings well forward, so they can achieve appropriate eye relief.

As mentioned, Weatherby picked TriggerTech’s Field model for the 307, and it’s a solid choice. It’s externally adjustable, meaning you don’t have to remove the barreled action from the stock to adjust the trigger. For bottom metal, the company chose a robust polymer affair configured for AICS-type single-stack magazines. Each rifle comes with a detachable five-round magazine. The one in 6.5 Weatherby RPM I tested for this report is marked “Magnum LA,” indicating it’s compatible with the long-action magnum cartridge. It’s easily dropped from the rifle by pressing the release located at the front of the trigger guard with the tip of the trigger finger. Spiral fluting gives the barrel a racy appearance, as does the spiral-fluted radial muzzle brake that comes with each rifle. Muzzles are threaded 1/2x28, which is the smaller size usually reserved for AR-15s and .22 rimfires and centerfires. Just make sure you’ve got the correct thread insert if you choose to mount your centerfire suppressor. Most modern suppressors come with both common sizes.

Each rifle also comes with a thread protector, in case you prefer not to use either a brake or a suppressor. The entire barreled action is finished in a nice non-reflective Graphite Black Cerakote. If you’re not familiar with Cerakote, it’s an ultra-tough, ceramic-based coating that’s nearly impervious to rust, salt water, abrasion and various forms of abuse. Weatherby makes its own stocks now, in sister-company Peak 44’s facility. The one engineered for the 307 Range XP is superbly configured for precision shooting and hunting. It’s injection molded, as it must be to keep cost at that $1,200 mark, but it’s not as flimsy and bendy as many such stocks are. At the rear, the Range XP’s stock has a nice semi-squishy recoil pad to take the bite out of authoritative cartridges. Each rifle comes with three quarter-inch spacers, so you can fine-tune your length of pull to your preference, anywhere from 13.25 to 14 inches.

A well-fitted, three-position cheek rest enables the end user to adjust comb height to achieve the best possible cheek weld once their scope is mounted. It’s not a quick-adjust version. Four screws must be removed, the cheek rest repositioned, and the screws replaced. That said, it’s far sleeker than many designs and is immovable once in position. As for the pistol grip, which is a point of fussiness among today’s more discerning precision shooters, it’s excellent. It’s slim enough to feel great in the hand, with a very good near-vertical angle and generous relief around and behind the heel of the grip. It’s comfortable and positions the shooting hand torque-free whether wrapping the thumb over the top of the grip or laying the thumb along the side as is currently fashionable. Fore and aft the gripping surfaces on the pistol grip and the fore-end feature raised panels of stippling-like texture, which provides a non-slip grip whether your hands are frozen and numb or sweaty and slick.

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Dual sling swivel studs up front make it easy to attach a traditional Harris-type bipod, so that’s what I did. Up top, I mounted a Revic Optic 5-25x56mm in 30mm Seekins rings. I’ve always been a bit torn about Revic riflescopes, because although they feature tip-of-the-spear design and space-age technology, they’ve sometimes had 34mm main tubes and weighed half as much as my rifle. This new version is much sleeker and a full 0.75 pound lighter. Still, configured with the Harris bipod and Revic scope, the rig weighs 11 pounds—and that’s without sling and ammo. If you want to waltz up mountains with a Model 307, pony up the extra dinero for the Alpine model and put a sleek little Leupold or Swarovski scope on it. At the range, I rested the Model 307 with the bipod and a leather bunny-ear sandbag at the toe of the stock, and began firing three-shot groups. It was a hot July day, so I gave the rifle plenty of time to cool between groups. Weatherby guarantees sub-m.o.a. accuracy in the 307. Generally, that sort of guarantee indicates that if the owner tests several good loads, one will eventually produce groups of an inch or less at 100 yards. To my surprise, the test rifle sent to RifleShooter averaged sub-m.o.a. groups with every load tested, and Weatherby’s factory-loaded 127-grain LRX averaged a scant 0.56 inch. Yep, nearly half-m.o.a. accuracy. For an $1,199 rifle, that’s extraordinary. Whether most Model 307s will shoot that well remains to be seen, but the fact that this one does is an excellent harbinger. With the included muzzle brake installed and the 11-pound weight of the set-up rifle, recoil was very mild.

The trigger feels great under the finger and breaks like the proverbial icicle. Feel of the rifle in the hands, at the shoulder and in precision shooting positions is excellent. This is thanks in part to the ability to adjust the length of pull to suit the shooter, as well as the adjustable cheek rest. We currently have the privilege of living in an era of fast-paced rifle and cartridge innovation. America has always been a nation of rifle shooters, and never has it shown more than right now. Manufacturers are pushing boundaries and providing shooters and hunters with a better class of precision rifles than ever before, and Weatherby’s new Model 307 is one of the best of the modern best.

Weatherby Model 307 Range XP Specs

• Type: bolt-action, centerfire
• Caliber: .243 Win., .240 Wby. Mag., .257 Wby. Mag., 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 Weatherby RPM (tested), .270 Win., .280 Ackley Imp., 7mm Rem. Mag., 7mm PRC, .308, .30-06, .300 Win. Mag.
• Capacity: 5 rds., Magpul 
• Barrel: 24 in. medium profile, fluted; 1:8 twist, threaded 1/2x28
• Overall Length: 43.75 in. 
• Weight: 7 lbs., 8 oz. 
• Stock: composite, configurable
• Finish: Graphite Black Cerakote
• Trigger: TriggerTech Field, externally adjustable; 4 lbs., 1 oz. (tested)
• Safety: two-position
• Sights: none, optics rail
• MSRP: $1,199
• Manufacturer: Weatherby