I picked mine up, an older Vanguard, from a guy who didn't like the recoil or the trigger for $260. A 5 minute install of a Timney and a bunch of IMR4350 behind a 180 grain TTSX really surprised me with the accuracy. The first shot at 100 yards was near the center of the target, the 2nd shot seemed to have missed the paper completely the 3rd was next to the first. When I picked it up the slightly larger first hole gave me a group you could cover with a quarter. That has been repeated several times since to put my trusty 7 mag on the bench for elk season..
Like most guys here I tell first time elk hunters the 30-06 with a good bullet is great elk medicine, the 168 TTSX is my first choice these days, For an inexperienced woman or smaller framed youngsters the 7-08 might be a good choice. But for the folks without medical conditions that aren't recoil sissies the 300's in general and the Weatherby in particular are really great for killing and anchoring elk, and they really shine for that cross canyon 450 yard shot.
If you want to spend the money on a RUM rifle, why stop there - go all the way to the 30-378 or get the Lazzeroni to optimize the caliber. A 300 Win mag might be cheaper to shoot but recoil is certainly similar depending on the stock and rifle weight. Personally for me the added performance of the Weatherby is nice to have and not much more money to shoot if you reload.
