Weatherby newest release is the Model 307 Alpine CT.
May 29, 2024
By Colton Heward
Flip through the pages of a recent Weatherby catalog and you will quickly realize very few companies have recognized the personalized needs of their consumers better than Weatherby with literally dozens of rifle iterations to choose from. Looking for an ultra-lightweight rifle to pack into the backcountry?
They’ve got you covered with their sub-5 lb. Mark V Backcountry 2.0 TI. How about a more budget friendly boom stick for a new hunter? They’ve got that too with multiple Vanguard options toting sub-MOA guarantees and price tags under a grand. Flip even more pages and you’ll find just about everything else you could imagine between these two extremes.
However, following their move to Sheridan, Wyoming a few years ago, Weatherby recognized a disparity in their line between the Mark V and Vanguard lines. With the goal in mind to bridge that gap, Weatherby engineers put their nose to the grindstone. Four years later, in 2023, Weatherby released the Model 307, their first new bolt-action design in more than 50 years.
The Model 307 builds upon one of the most proven and customizable modern platforms, the 700 action, and incorporates some much needed and appreciated upgrades. These include the addition of a crisp, TriggerTech trigger, tool-less bolt takedown, convenient bolt release button above the receiver stock and an M16-style extractor to ensure reliable ejection. Put simply, reliability and precision lie at the core of the Model 307. With the initial Model 307 launch, two rifle iterations were released; the more cost-effective and traditional field-style Range XP and the more modern Alpine MDT which sports a carbon MDT HNT26 chassis. These two rifles appeal across a wide shooter base but also left the doors wide open for many new Model 307 renditions.
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Model 307 Alpine CT New for 2024, Weatherby released the Model 307 Alpine CT , featuring a flashy and equally functional, carbon Peak 44 Bastion stock and BSF carbon-fiber wrapped barrel. The Alpine CT is right at home in the unforgiving and rugged spaces of the West where weight is a premium and precision is expected. My test Alpine CT, chambered in 6.5 Weatherby RPM, mounted with a Leupold Mark 5 HD 3.6-18x44 scope, tipped the scales at 7.8 lbs. (call it an even 8 lbs. with cartridges in the magazine). The Alpine CT also features a newly designed Directional Self Timing muzzle brake and utilizes a hinged floor plate magazine as opposed to the Magpul bottom metal featured in the previous Model 307 options. For those that shoot suppressed, the Alpine CT is threaded with a 1/2x28 pitch for easy installation of suppressors or QD attachments.
Other noteworthy features of the Alpine CT include a custom hand-painted finish on the Peak 44 Bastion stock, Cerakoted bolt, receiver and trigger guard and the addition of Peak 44’s optic-ready Jrail. The 20 MOA Jrail naturally promotes proper eye relief, helps accommodate larger ocular scopes when necessary and accepts picatinny- and Weaver-style rings.
At the range, the Alpine CT performed as expected, delivering on Weatherby’s sub-MOA guarantee with all three load offerings that were sent down range. Stretching the new rifle out was a breeze as the “ping” of steel gongs, out to 500 yards, repeatedly solidified my confidence in the Alpine CT’s abilities. Its lightweight configuration, paired with its obvious knack for precision, made it the ideal rifle for a barbary sheep (better known as aoudad) hunt in the rugged and unforgiving mountains of extreme West Texas.
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Field Tested Stamp of Approval “There’s got to be sheep in here,” I muttered as we picked apart every crag of the daunting, rock and cliff covered mountainside to no avail. Changing our glassing point ever so slightly revealed a band of 30+ sheep littered across the shale face at the head of the drainage. Peering through the spotting scope, my heart rate spiked as a massive, old ram stepped out from the back of the herd.
Just over 600 yards from the band of sheep, we needed to cut the distance. Only problem, the elevation of the sheep gave them the birds eye-view advantage, making getting close undetected an arduous task. Slowly but surely, we delicately picked our way from shrub to shrub, closing the distance to just over 500 yards. At that point, the majority of the sheep had bedded down for the afternoon unaware of our presence. However, like a true centurion looking over his command, the ram had us pegged from his perch 50 yards above the rest of the band, intently squared up to us and on full alert. We were out of cover and as close as we were going to get. I knew the rifle was more than capable, but settling my crosshairs on an animal with rattled nerves is much different than ringing a steel plate off a bench.
Following an intense stare down that lasted many minutes, the impressive ram miscalculated the present danger and reluctantly bedded down. With a portion of the sheep bedded 400 yards from our location, I elected to hold out, in hopes he would rejoin the band when he rose from his lookout. With a good rest and a well-constructed bullet, I felt confident I could deliver a lethal blow if the ram were to cut the distance another hundred yards. After nearly two hours, the ram finally stood from his bed, examined his surroundings, and worked his way down to the rest of the sheep, checking for ewes coming into a late estrus cycle.
Laid out prone, I settled the crosshairs on the center of his shoulder to account for the ever so slight breeze, took a deep inhale and exhale to calm the nerves and squeezed through the TriggerTech trigger. At 427 yards, the 124-gr. Hammer bullet impacted snuggly in the crease, delivering a lethal blow that sent the ram rolling down the mountainside within seconds of impact.
The Alpine CT completed its job with pinpoint accuracy and was an absolute pleasure to carry into sheep country. While this was my first hunting experience with the new rifle, I have zero reservations in its abilities given Weatherby’s outstanding legacy of precision and reliability. From the wide-open valley floors in pursuit of pronghorn to the towering snow covered peaks in pursuit of wild sheep, the Alpine CT is a rifle that demands, and deserves, the mountain hunters attention.
Weatherby Model 307 Alpine CT Spec Box Type: Bolt-ActionChambering: 6.5 Weatherby RPM (tested)Action: Model 307Barrel: 22 in. BSF carbon-fiber wrapped, match grade. 1:8 twistStock: Peak 44 Bastion carbon-fiber, custom hand-painted finishTrigger: TriggerTechCapacity: 4+1Sights: None, Peak 44 JRailWeight: 6 lbs., 1 oz.Price: $2,200Website: weatherby.com Accuracy Results Weatherby 130-grain Swift Scirocco Muzzle Velocity: 3,187 fpsStandard Deviation: 17Avg. Group @ 100 yards: .90 MOAWeatherby 124-gr Hammer Muzzle Velocity: 3176 fpsStandard Deviation: 18Avg. Group @ 100 yards: .89 MOAWeatherby 127-gr Barnes LRX Muzzle Velocity: 3174 fpsStandard Deviation: 23Avg. Group @ 100 yards: .81 MOA
