I visited the Weatherby website recently and saw this piece:
Weatherby compact firing platform

They are obviously not marketing the item as a handgun but as a "compact firing platform". Seems pretty much like an XP-100 in principle to me. Anybody seen and/or tested this piece IRL?

Looks like their other venture into handguns....it's overpriced and won't shoot very well.

The 1.5" guranteed group just makes me laugh...that's horrible for a bolt action handgun!! For that price I can build a custom XP that shoots better than that at 400+yds.

Pistol Hunter on this site has one in 7-08 you should be able to get some good feedback. It is a MK V action

http://www.handgunhunt.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=1215&limit=views

I have one in .22-250. It was on the shelf for a long time at a local gun shop so I got a pretty good deal. They can be had for about $850.00. I might have an exception cause it shoots really well. The only thing I don't like about this gun is the Burris scope I had to put on it for magnification. I don't expect it to last long. I sure do wish Bushnell would come out with a 6500 handgun scope with a top end of 14X. This is one of the easiest to shoot pistols I have. It seems, whatever you aim at you simple hit, without holding your mouth just right.

I used to shoot silhouettes with a guy who had one of the original version .308 WCF Weatherby silhouette handguns from the early 1980s. It shot extremely well, as tight as he could hold. I have not even seen the newest iteration, but if it shoots like the original then I'd buy one.

Weatherby's accuracy guarantee is the same for virtually all of their MkV-type firearms. While the uninformed may denegrate this guarantee, every MkV rifle I've had with the 1.5 moa guarantee shot well under moa. Name another firearms maker who guarantees anything like this, please.

I find the comment about the Burris scope puzzling. Burris products have a long reputation for excellent performance, and the three handgun versions I own have given outstanding performance for up to several decades - this on heavily-recoiling handguns like .35 Remingtons, .45-70s and .375 JDJs. While not as pretty nor as light as corresponding Leupolds, I'd as soon have one as the other.




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I guess I'm being called the "uniformed"...that's fine. I just cannot justify spending those kind of dollars on a gun that the company "guarantees" 1.5MOA. That same money could buy two Encores, two Strikers or two XP-100's that need no guarantee.

Claiming a 1.5" at 100yds guarantee is like a new car manufacturer guaranteeing that their vehicles doors will open and it will start.

Most folks who buy a gun-rifle or handgun-can hardly shoot a 3 inch,3 shot group at 100 yards.Go to any range and just watch.

For a big company like Weatherby to guarantee sub-MOA accuracy would be crazy,since the majority of the folks buying the guns couldn't shoot an MOA group to save their lives.

FWIW,I own more than a few Weatherby rifles,and the least accurate of the bunch hovers around 1 inch at 100 for 3 shots.Never had one that wasn't superbly accurate.

Brian.

I agree 100%!!

Weatherby history, in 1979 Weatherby brotught out a center grip, single shot handgun on a slightly modified MK V action. It was geared towards the silhouette crowd. I belive they called it the Center Fire Pistol(CFP). They were chambered in 22-250 and 308. They didn't last long before being discontinued. I belive most were 308 and a few 22-250. The asking price was just shy of $800.00 so not many could afford them in the day as the XP100 was chaeper and usually more accurate. I'm sure Elgin Gates (father if IHMSA) had an influence on Weatherby to make the pistols as he had won the Weatherby Big Game Award years before and was friendly with Weatherby. I know a guy who has a 308 and it's very accurate, but he has seen others that were not. The wood stock also was thin in the action area and was know for cracking from recoil. Here is what the center grip looks like.




Now Weatherby has decided again to produce a handgun/style rifle. This time it's call a Compact Firing Platform(CFP) it's a rear grip repeater with the MK V action with composite stock in 4 hunting calibers. The magazine holds 2 with one in the pipe. The calibers are 223, 22-250, 243, 7mm08. The asking price is still high for the regular guy. MSRP is shy of $1,700.00, but I have handled a couple at guns shops and the price tag was $1,000.00 + tax. They felt nice in the hand and had good fit and finish. As far as accuracy not many reports are in. I do remeber a thread on SP shortly after the they came out a guy tried one. I watched the thread closely as I was interested in one. It was a 2" gun at 100 yards. He tried everything to mkake it shoot. Just was not up to par, but maybe he got a lemon. I remember he sold it cheap out of frustration.


All in all I think Weatherby marketed this CFP a little better than the first one. It's a rear grip repeater geared towards the hunter with the ability to use bi-pods and in hunting calibers. I'm not going to run right out and buy one, but if the oppertunity came along I'd love to put one thru it's paces. It might not be a tack-driving bench gun, but it should work excellent on charlies and deer at medium range.

thats great history tig....but i think there's some in the middle there somewhere. just a few yrs ago(our friend dean may remember how long?) weatherby rear grip handguns were for sale at "lock stock n barrel"(now out of business). they had them for like $800 if my memory is workin. kinnda like a clearance deal...
that was several yrs ago now....
wonder what the difference was in that run......and now?

I think I remember that also. It was the "new" run. They ordered a bunch of them and the sales were less than stellar. So they moved them close to thier price. Kind of hard to sell a $1,000.00 handgun when savage was selling the Striker for $400.00 or less. But the striker is out of production now.

The old center grips were few and have been "collectors' for quite some time. The older guns definatly have the class with the nice wood stock and iron sights.

See what Dean says and come back and correct me.

Most of the Weatherby pistols I have read about from those who have owned them and worked hard to develop loads in the 1/2 to 3/4 MOA were primarily frustrated.
I have read of two that would group well on paper. Maybe I have just heard of the bad ones.
For the money, I wouldn't buy one at the prices they sell for myself-My 2 cents

Just dicsovered that CDNN Sports is selling the 223 and 22-250 for $799.99 with rings. Download the catalog, it's on page 38 or 40.

CDNN, catalog