Adam Weatherby with a Prototype Capra
I can remember my first hunt with the Mark V Backcountry Ti and the 6.5 WBY RPM in the spring of 2019. As I set out on the spring bear hunt in Northwest Montana with my good friend Joseph Von Benedikt, the idea was to test this new 5 lb. rifle and the cartridge specifically designed to fit our sleek Mark V 6 lug long action. Our goal was to have the best combination of “light” and “fast” in one rifle! The combination was a great success, and the Mark V Backcountry has since undergone several iterations as we continue to push the limits on what a lightweight rifle can be.
Fast forward several years and you have Weatherby re-launching its historic “Varmintmaster” action at the beginning of 2025. This shortened Mark V 6 lug action was redesigned to fit the .308 length cartridges. Although originally introduced in the classic wood “Deluxe” stock, I knew that we now had the opportunity to make even a lighter weight rifle with this incredibly lightweight receiver, especially if we used Titanium. So, it was around this action that the concept for the Backcountry Capra came about. With a target weight of 4lbs, we set out to see if we could produce the lightest bolt action production rifle on the market!
The Mark V Varmintmaster Deluxe in 224 WBY MAG
Simultaneous to the Capra project, we had also begun developing the next cartridge in the RPM family. We had been getting requests for years to come out with a faster twist 257 WBY MAG designed to push the newer heavier high BC bullets. However, there are several complications involved in just putting a faster twist barrel on a 257 WBY MAG which was SAAMI approved long before I came around. First, you have customers that might not fully understand the concept of matching twist rates with certain bullets and getting frustrated when their legacy 257 WBY MAG (1:10) doesn’t stabilize a 133-grain bullet (needing a 1:7.5 twist). Similarly, the legacy 257’s (80 years worth of production) will have problems with magazine length and the length of the bolt slot as the rifles were made to chamber rounds at SAAMI’s max overall cartridge length. So, not to bore you with more manufacturing details, but it was clear the best way to meet the needs of these new bullets was to develop a brand new case specifically designed for these new bullets. Thus, the 25 WBY RPM was born. It is to the 25 Creedmoor what the 6.5 WBY RPM was to the 6.5 Creedmoor…faster!
As the plans started coming together, it became clear that we could have the Capra available in 2 action lengths (6-lug standard and 6-lug standard short). The goal was 4lbs for the shorter length and 4 ½ lbs for the longer action. To hit these weights, we knew it would be fractions of an ounce at a time. In the end, the list of weight saving items included the following:
1) Redesigned stock with weight saving features and cutouts, along with a shorter and more slender forearm
2) A blind magazine eliminating the weight needed for a floorplate assembly
3) A different fluting pattern (double helix)
4) Shorter barrel lengths (17” to 21”) with the goal of achieving the perfect blend of weight and performance
5) Cutting the new Mark V 6 lug short action out of Titanium.
25 WBY RPM Load Development
Along the way, the goal wasn’t to just have a lightweight rifle, but to also have a rifle that shoots! We knew we were teetering on the line of a rifle that could be too light to maintain its stability while shooting. This is where product and field testing come in. I took my first Capra prototype (before it was even named) to Alaska in the fall of 2024. After enduring the elements all week, I came back and handed off the rifle to my gunsmiths to which they poured water out of the magazine area. As a result, the weep hole was put in. After taking it on my Ibex hunt in Turkey March of 2025, we ended up putting the grooves in the forearm and matching cutout in the buttstock for improved ergonomics and a better area to grip and anchor down the rifle. Even the paint job changed as time went on. Additionally, the cartridge line-up gradually expanded as well.
In the end, I found myself at the range shooting “vital size” groups at the 700 and 800 yard steel targets before my fall hunts in 2025. The cartridges were then expanded to include a full range of short and long action rounds that would carry enough killing power out past 700 yards. With the addition of the newly launched 25 WBY RPM, we have a full line up of “fast” cartridges including the 240 WBY MAG, 25 WBY RPM, 6.5 WBY MAG and the 280 AI. We even added in the 270 Win Mag for all those Jack O’Connor fans out there who love the old round. Sure, he and my grandpa had their fair share of arguments about it, but plenty of mountain animals have been taken with the round over the years. We kept these cartridges at the 21” barrel lengths to not compromise velocity any more than necessary. We felt it was the “sweet spot” for velocity, weight and balance.
Adam Packing out his Bezoar Ibex in Turkey
I just got back from a Coues deer hunt in Mexico where my good friend Colton Heward had a 25 WBY RPM in his Capra and a box of 133 Berger Elite Hunters. With simply a thread cap on the end of the barrel, this soft recoiling rifle was capable of over 1,800fps/1,200 ft lbs. of energy (often considered the minimum for terminal performance on a big game animal) out past 750 yards! In fact, we brought the rifle to the hunt for him to use, and he grabbed the rifle (that he had never shot) and dialed the turret out to 500 yards for his first shot on a 5” rock and smacked it hard. His second shot was a few days later at a great buck and it didn’t go far at all! Not bad for a 4.4lb rifle. This was exactly why we had spent the last few years on these developments.
For those wanting the lightest weight package of them all, the 4lb short action version comes in 3 different Creedmoors (22, 25, 6.5) in addition to the .308. With the 17” barrel, it is not only light but extremely compact. For the hunter who doesn’t need energy at long distances, these chamberings are a great option for those wanting to be sure you will always have the absolutely lightest rifle for climbing the steepest terrain your body will take you up…not to mention all your friends won’t believe it is a “real gun” when they hold it.
People often ask me my favorite part of my job. I honestly think it is seeing a product through from concept to launch. I couldn’t be more proud of our team with these new products. It takes intense collaboration and a lot of trial and error to get to the point where we introduce a product to the world. Obviously, the field testing is my absolute favorite part. When I was able to carry this rifle in the steep mountains of Southern Turkey in the 25 WBY RPM, I couldn’t help but smile remembering that I have the immense pleasure of carrying on my family legacy doing things like this. Cartridge development and new rifle introductions have been at the core of Weatherby for generations. I count it a privilege to lead the team into the next generation. As cool as I think these new products are…I get excited about thinking what could be next. Stay tuned…
-Adam Weatherby
Colton’s Coues Deer Taken with the 25 WBY RPM
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