Mark V safety problem?

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bigdogpete

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I put this on a Weatherby forum but didn't get a response, yet. Thought I would try my go to forum.

Safety issue with a Mark V:

I know Remington had a problem with the safety on 700 series. Has anyone heard Mark V's having a similar problem?

I was just about to hand over payment for a used Mark V and thought I would check the safety. With the firing pin engaged and safety on. I pulled the trigger and heard a very faint click. Not like a firing pin dropping. It was much less definite. When I went to push the safety off the firing pin dropped. I tried it again and same result. I decided to hold off payment until I did some research.
I called Weatherby and they said they would evaluate but I would have to pay shipping and any repair, which makes sense. The lady wouldn't give me any hint on the problem.

If it wouldn't be a costly fix. I would probably still get the rifle. It is in excellent shape.

Any thoughts on problem and/or cost?

Pete
 
My Wby M. V is 1971 vintage, German made. Never a problem with it, although after a very few hundred rounds I installed a Canjar trigger.

Off the cuff, I'd want to take the stock off and eyeball for any grunge buildup inside the trigger group, that sort of thing. I'd also try phoning various gunsmiths to see if they'd run across this sort of problem.
 
Art Eatman said:
My Wby M. V is 1971 vintage, German made. Never a problem with it, although after a very few hundred rounds I installed a Canjar trigger.

Off the cuff, I'd want to take the stock off and eyeball for any grunge buildup inside the trigger group, that sort of thing. I'd also try phoning various gunsmiths to see if they'd run across this sort of problem.
Click to expand...
Weatherby said it was 32 years old and I know it hasn't been shot in the last 20+ years.
 
Sounds like a "sear engagement" problem to me. Could be it's dirty or just needs adjustment...

I guess that's not as bad as the bolt stops breaking and the bolts coming out, they had that problem for a while too. My bolt came out in my hand as I bolted it after shooting at a moose. I fumbled around, got the bolt back in and got the "finisher" in. I fixed the bolt stop and got rid of it!

I use to know a guy that had his bolt come out when the bolt stop broke and he lost the bolt, on a sheep hunt, he never found it.......major bummer!

DM
 
DM~ said:
Sounds like a "sear engagement" problem to me. Could be it's dirty or just needs adjustment...

I guess that's not as bad as the bolt stops breaking and the bolts coming out, they had that problem for a while too. My bolt came out in my hand as I bolted it after shooting at a moose. I fumbled around, got the bolt back in and got the "finisher" in. I fixed the bolt stop and got rid of it!

I use to know a guy that had his bolt come out when the bolt stop broke and he lost the bolt, on a sheep hunt, he never found it.......major bummer!

DM
Click to expand...
The rifle is 32 years old and hasn't been fired in the passed 20 + years.
 
I know Remington had a problem with the safety on 700 series.
Click to expand...

The Remington safety works just fine, the trigger can malfunction at times and release the sear with no trigger pull. When this happens the guns safety works just as designed and prevents the gun from firing. At least until the safety is moved to the fire position when it fires.

Any gun could do this if parts are worn or improperly adjusted. It is just that the Remington design greatly increases the possibility. The Weatherby you are looking at could probably be made right fairly easily, possibly just with a good cleaning.

If It hasn't been shot in 20 years there is a good possibility of gunk in the trigger. Lots of guys "clean" with WD-40. It is very bad about collecting inside small nooks and crannies in firearms and drying into a gummy varnish type of goo. WD-40 is probably the root cause of most of the Remington problems.
 
Good chance is that the prior owner adjusted the trigger to a very light pull weight and then never sealed the adjustment screw. Over time, and especially with the heavy recoil of Wbys, the screw backed out thus leaving next to nothing in sear engagement. Hence, when you release the safety, the pin falls. Mark V safeties block the trigger and firing pin. So, if this is the problem, the safety release would drop the pin.

I have had my Mark V 7mm Wby mag for 21 years and never had a safety, trigger, or bolt stop problem. I have quite a few rounds through it, and I have had it on some pretty tough elk hunts that subjected it to cold, snow, and lots of dirt. Never a problem.

If you think you would like the gun, ask if you could take the action out of the stock and look at the trigger weight adjustment screw. If it looks way out of adjustment (backed out almost completely) and has no sealant on it, then it is likely an easy fix.
 
I think the Weatherby Mark V safety is on the cocking piece and it locks the firing pin from going forward. It is not a trigger safety. When the trigger is pulled on your rifle the sear drops to let the firing pin go forward but since it is locked by the safety it remains in place. On your rifle the firing pin slides too far forward when the trigger is pulled so the sear does not go back up to reset itself in front of the firing pin, but in fact stays under the firing pin. When you release the cocking piece safety the firing pin is free to go forward. The answer appears to be to remove metal from the back of sear so that it will move back up to the latch position after the trigger is pulled with the safety on.
 
That trigger only has two adjustments.

Weight of pull, and take-up.

The take-up screw is at the back, and is factory set. They recommend it not be tampered with.

The pull weight screw is in the front of the trigger housing, and should not be set to less then 3#.

If it is, or the spring has been clipped to make the trigger lighter?
It will not have enough force to push the sear back into full engagement if the trigger is pulled & released with the safety on.

So my guess is the previous owner adjusted the trigger too light.

Rc
 
The trigger mechanism, as well as the bolt stop, is carried in an aluminum and sheet-metal housing, the whole attached to the underside of the receiver by a pin and held tight by a setscrew in the front of the housing. The sear, the front end of which projects into the cocking cam raceway in the receiver, is pivoted on a pin running through the housing, and is tensioned by a small wire spring. Directly underneath is the trigger, also pivoting on a pin through the housing. Threaded into the front of the housing is a trigger weight-of-pull adjustment screw, with the trigger coil spring positioned between this screw and the trigger. Threaded into the rear of the housing, behind the trigger, is a trigger take-up and sear engagement adjustment screw.
 
True, a more mechanically-inclined person may want to fix it. Nevertheless, it is a broken, unsafe rifle, which should certainly be reflected in a deeply discounted price.
 
I may not have gotten my point across with the first post. The operation of the safety and firing pin is completely independent from the trigger mechanism. The trigger mechanism operates by itself to hold the firing pin back when the safety is released. When the safety is in the off position the full pressure of the firing pin spring is on the sear. For whatever reason, the sear is not re-engaging with the trigger and holding the firing pin back when the safety if flipped off after the trigger has been pulled. The sear could be out of alignment with the firing pin which was my first thought, the sear and trigger could be gummed up with dried WD-40, the sear spring could be weak, the pull weight of the trigger could be set too light as mentioned by rcmodel. First I would check the pull weight of the trigger, then with the action out of the stock I would check the sear engagement by looking through the hole in the side of the trigger housing. I would then cycle the bolt and watch the sear engagement to see what happens when the bolt is closed, the safety is engaged, and the safety is then flipped off. Not a complicated process.
 
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I have a Vanguard that I bought new in 1978 with a Canjar factory installed trigger that I never took out of the box until several months ago as I decided I wanted to shoot it. I discovered the safety would not lock the trigger although it did lock the bolt. Weatherby had me send it back for repair. I should have tested it before ever putting it in my safe many years ago. I expect to get it back shortly.
 
I have owned several Mark Vs and several Vanguards. I never had a trigger issue.

Geno
 
I know I am going to get ripped by some on this but I went and bought the Mark V even with the safety issue.

One thing I have noticed about this safety is when it is in the on position. It doesn't seem to come back all of the way to the on position. I don't know how far the Mark V safety is to come back but it is at about a 45 degree angle instead of completely flat. It also doesn't seem to lock or snap into the on position. It snaps into the off, forward position, but not in the on position, back. If that makes any sense.

I need to find a picture of a Mark V with the safety in the on position.

Weatherby said they would look at it but it would be several weeks before they could evaluate it, let alone fix it. Thought I would use that as plan B.
 
bigdogpete, there is a company named Sarco the you can look up with a google search by typing in Weatherby Mark V. They have a list of Mark V parts and a schematic that shows the groove in the top of the firing pin where the safety cam fits to lock the firing pin when the safety is on. I wouldn't be too concerned about the safety working because when the safety is in the on position the cam on the safety fits into this groove and the firing pin can't go forward.
 
But it can when the safety is taken off.

And that's what the OP said his problem was.

It is not a matter of locking the FP when the safety is On.
It a very serious matter is the gun fires when you take the safety Off!

And that's what he said it does.

Rc
 
rcmodel said:
But it can when the safety is taken off.

And that's what the OP said his problem was.

It is not a matter of locking the FP when the safety is On.
It a very serious matter is the gun fires when you take the safety Off!

And that's what he said it does.

Rc
Click to expand...
Yep, the firing pin does release after the trigger is pulled and the safety is then moved to off.
 
Timney makes a replacement trigger for the American and Japanese made Mark V and it is their number 651. If you can't find a gunsmith that can fix the original trigger then try the Timney replacement. You can either get it fixed or sit an look at it and wonder what is wrong.
 
Did you ever find an answer to your problem. I have the same problem with mine. Apparently the early German made Mark V's did have a trigger safety mounted on the trigger housing instead of a firing pin safety. Timney trigger for German made Mark V's is for a later version without safety and looks quite a bit different than the one in my gun.
 
Never found and answer but called Weatherby and they gave me the name of a Weatherby gunsmith very close to me and he fixed it. It works perfect, now.

Pete
 
Great to hear. Weatherby stands behind their products when given the chance.

Geno
 
Hey Bigdogpete, how much did this fix cost you? My friend has a German made Mark V which has the same issue with it's trigger and I am looking for fixes for it.
 
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