By Greg Ray | Outdoor Solutions | August 2026
Weatherby is officially back in the Outdoor Solutions rifle lineup, and it has been a long time coming. Outdoor Solutions has been running long range shooting classes since 2011, and the very first rifle manufacturer we partnered with was Weatherby, back when the company was still based in California and we were running their Vanguard rifles in .308 Winchester. Fifteen years later, we reconnected with Weatherby through an old industry friend, Tyler Green, and the timing could not have been better. Our long range program now works with roughly 10 handpicked rifle manufacturers, and Weatherby earned its way back onto that list.
For this review, Weatherby sent us their Model 307 Alpine CT chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, the same caliber we run in most of our range rifles. We put it through a full features breakdown, zeroed it cold with no rounds fired, and then stretched it all the way out to 1,000 yards to see if it lives up to Weatherby's sub-MOA guarantee.
The Model 307 Alpine CT is built specifically for backcountry hunting, and every component on it reflects that. Here is what makes up this rifle:
Barrel: A 22-inch BSF carbon fiber-wrapped stainless steel barrel. The carbon wrap keeps weight down while the stainless core underneath maintains accuracy and heat management, a good combination for a hunting rifle that still needs to perform on a range day.
Stock: The Peak 44 Bastion, one of the lightest vertical-grip carbon fiber stocks on the market at right around 24 ounces. It gives the rifle a natural drop at the wrist for proper thumb placement and a grip that is thick enough to control without feeling bulky.
Action: The 307 action itself, which is where the rifle gets its name. It is also the area code for the entire state of Wyoming, a nod to the fact that Weatherby designs, manufactures, and assembles these rifles at their plant in Sheridan, Wyoming. The action features a fluted, two-lug bolt and is built to accept aftermarket stocks and triggers without any fuss.
Trigger: A TriggerTech trigger, adjustable down to roughly 2.5 pounds, known across the industry for a clean, consistent break.
Weight: Just over six pounds, which makes this rifle an easy carry for a week or two in the backcountry without weighing a hunter down.
Optic: We topped this rifle with a Zeiss Conquest V4 6-24x50, the same scope we run in our long range classes. For a dedicated hunting build, we would lean toward Zeiss's lower-power 4-16 Conquest V4 instead.
Suppressor: A Dead Air Nomad Ti XC threaded onto the end of the barrel for the duration of testing.
Ammunition: Federal Premium Gold Medal Centerstrike, 140 grain, in 6.5 Creedmoor. Outdoor Solutions has partnered with Federal Ammunition since 2006, and we will also be putting their new Peak Alloy case technology through this rifle and others in upcoming tests.
Weatherby backs the Model 307 line with a sub-MOA guarantee, meaning a three-shot group of .99 inch or less at 100 yards using premium factory ammunition. That is the number we set out to test.
We started with a bore sight and then went straight to live fire with no rounds fired through this specific rifle beforehand, other than what Weatherby tested at the factory. The first few rounds landed high and right, which is normal for any rifle straight out of the box. A few small adjustments later, the rifle was tracking true, and by the third and fourth shots, groups were already stacking into the same hole.
With the zero confirmed, we shot a series of three-round and five-round groups at 100 yards to check the rifle against Weatherby's sub-MOA claim. After letting the rifle settle in over the first couple of groups, here is what we measured with calipers:
The trend was clear. The more the rifle settled in, the tighter it shot, and every three-round group after the first few rounds came in well under an inch. That lines up with Weatherby's advertised sub-MOA guarantee for this rifle.
Every group in this test was shot off Armageddon Gear front and rear bags, custom-branded for Outdoor Solutions, with a channeled front bag and a lightweight rear bag that clips to a pack for easy backcountry carry.
Once we confirmed the 100-yard zero, we moved back to 300 yards and dialed for a 4.5 minute elevation correction. With a light right-to-left wind out of the south, we held about three-quarters of a minute for wind and landed rounds center on the first group.
At 500 yards, we dialed 11 minutes of elevation. The wind call held steady and the group landed just slightly high but well within the target, confirming the ballistic data we had built for this specific rifle and load.
At 700 yards, shooting at a 3-MOA target, which works out to roughly 21 inches at that distance, we dialed 18 minutes of elevation and held about two minutes for wind. All three rounds landed inside the target in a tight diagonal string, confirming the dialed elevation and wind call were both accurate.
From there we moved straight out to 1,000 yards. With 9 minutes of wind correction and elevation dialed for distance, we put three rounds on target, all landing inside the target's kill zone. For a rifle straight out of the box with a stock ballistic build, that is a strong result at just over half a mile.
It is a genuinely good feeling to have Weatherby back in our lineup after all these years. This rifle came out of the box shooting well, settled in fast, and tracked true from 100 yards all the way to 1,000. For a hunter looking for a lightweight, backcountry-ready rifle that can also hold its own on a long range course, the Model 307 Alpine CT is worth a serious look. We will continue testing this rifle, including running Federal's new Peak Alloy ammunition through it, so stay tuned for updates.
Greg Ray is the founder of Outdoor Solutions, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His team offers precision shooting instruction, guided hunts, and firearms training courses. Follow along on YouTube for weekly hunting and shooting content.
Learn more about our long range shooting classes at outdoorsolutionscorp.com, and check out our Field to Table program at fromfieldtotable.com. Questions about this rifle or our upcoming classes? Reach us at info@outdoorsolutionscorp.com or 918-258-7817.
What is considered long range shooting distance?In most precision rifle circles, long range shooting generally starts around 300 to 400 yards, with anything past 1,000 yards often called extreme long range. That said, the real definition depends on the shooter's ability to consistently read wind, dial correct elevation, and hit a target first-round cold, not just the number on the yardage marker. In this test, we treated 100 yards as our baseline zero and pushed out to 300, 500, 700, and 1,000 yards to see how the rifle and load performed as distance increased.
What caliber is best for long range precision shooting?There is no single "best" caliber for long range shooting. It really comes down to personal choice, and what feels right for one shooter's build, budget, and goals will not always be the right fit for the next person. 6.5 Creedmoor has become one of the most popular long range calibers because it offers a flat trajectory, manageable recoil, and widely available match-grade ammunition, which is exactly why it is the caliber we run in most of our own range rifles. More recently, several of the 6mm cartridges have been gaining favor with a lot of shooters too, largely because of their muzzle velocity, low recoil, and accuracy potential at distance. The Weatherby 307 Alpine CT featured in this article was chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, but the right caliber ultimately comes down to what a shooter is comfortable running and willing to practice with consistently.
How much wind and elevation adjustment do I need at 1,000 yards?The exact dial depends on your specific cartridge, bullet weight, muzzle velocity, and current wind conditions, which is why building a verified ballistic profile for your individual rifle is so important. As a general reference, the 6.5 Creedmoor load used in this test climbed from 4.5 minutes of elevation at 300 yards to 11 minutes at 500 and 18 minutes at 700, with a 9-minute wind correction needed by the time we reached 1,000 yards. Always confirm your own data at the range rather than relying on someone else's dial, since barrel length, elevation, and ammunition lot can all shift the numbers.
What makes a rifle "sub-MOA" and why does it matter?A rifle is considered sub-MOA when it can consistently shoot a group smaller than 1 minute of angle, or roughly one inch at 100 yards, using quality ammunition. It matters because that same margin of error grows with distance, so a rifle that shoots one inch at 100 yards will theoretically group around 10 inches at 1,000 yards, which is the difference between a confident shot and a miss on game or steel. In our testing, the Weatherby 307 Alpine CT shot multiple three-round groups under half an inch, well inside its advertised sub-MOA guarantee.
What optic magnification is best for long range shooting?For dedicated long range work out to 1,000 yards and beyond, a scope in the 6-24x or similar high-magnification range, like the Zeiss Conquest V4 used in this test, gives you the resolution needed to read wind and see impacts at distance. For a rifle that will also be carried and used for hunting, a lower magnification range such as 4-16x is usually a better balance of weight, field of view, and low-light performance. Many long range shooters end up owning both setups depending on whether the rifle's primary role is range work or field carry.
