Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Weatherby Vanguard Opinions...

was fondling one over at Sportsman's Earlier this evening...

sure had a good feel to it... especially after looking at a Ruger American Ranch rifle...

was looking to replace a 223...

any good bad or uglies I should be aware of?

Over the years I've owned 5 or 6 in various stocks and calibers. I've never had one that wouldn't shoot sub-MOA. My current go-to rifle is a factory synthetic stocked Vanguard in .257 Weatherby. Bone stock. No bedding, no barrel relief, nothing. I haven't had the pleasure of shooting the most recent iteration of the series, but I've heard nothing bad at all.

As I'm sure you're aware, they are made on the Howa action. In and of itself a very reliable, accurate, and respected action. The 3-position safety and adjustable trigger are positives in my book. One could do much worse than a Vanguard IMHO.

Buddy has one. One hole out of the box.

I've owned 3 in past yrs.

No problems at all.


Jerry

I really like Vanguard2s and currently have 3, 2x 6.5 Creed and 1x 223. FWIW, Weatherby changed the ROT in the 223s from 1-14" to 1-9" at SN VB084281.

The 6.5 Creeds are the most accurate factory stock CF rifles and factory ammo combo I have yet to own. If you and your rifle are up to it, the Hornady 140 grain AMax factory ammo is easily MOA or better.

Come to think of it,

1 was a 223. Very Accurate

Jerry

The Vanguard is a excellent rifle, not expensive or fancy, but accurate and reliable. If the price is right, buy it with no trepidation.

A very solid action. In many ways it is a SAKO derivative.

Finish below the stock line is not great but only noticeable when you pull the action. Quality has varied some but even the worst beat the hell out of a RAR in my biased opinion.

Has a good adjustable trigger that with tuning is a really good trigger. No plastic parts, easy to re-barrel and usually good to go out of the box. If you could get the fast twist version that is what I would do.

The Ruger is a great rifle for the price and frequently will out shoot a custom rifle on which just the barrel cost more than a complete RAR.

very weak bolt stop.....other than that , a good gun

All 3 of mine are MOA shooters. Check the tightness on the action screws, clean off the outside, and run a patch down the barrel. Mount your scope of choice and start enjoying one of the better rifles on the market.

Howa's and VG's are the best bang for the buck in the new rifle market.



Travis

I just got an S2 .223 in SS. Mounted an old VX-I 4-12 in Talleys. The first three groups, two 3-shot and one 5-shot using Fiocchi 40gr Vmax Extrema, were all under an inch. Pretty good ammo for $22 for fifty. The first batch of handoads using Varget under the 64gr Nosler BSB were disapponting, but I'm not the only one having trouble getting that one to shoot well. Next up is CFE.223, Nosler's accuracy choice.

I've never been a fan of the Weatherby-style stock, but the Griptonite stock is very comfortable and puts me right behind the scope, unlike any of my Rugers. It's a major improvement over the Hogue that was on my Howa .308. The 2-stage trigger is excellent, even better I think than the one on my Hawkeye Predator. The action fits perfectly in the stock and the finish on the stainless metal is very nice. The safety is a bit stiff, but time and a drop of oil may fix that. The only plastic action part I've found is the follower.

Cons are weight, which I knew going in and is due to the beefy forged action, and the stamped bolt release and safety. I may have to find something to slip over the safety button to make it more comfortable. I'm sure not giving up that sweet trigger to get a nicer safety button.

Overall, a really good rifle and a great value, well worth the extra bucks over a RAR to me and fully equal or better than anything I've seen near the price of $639. I want another one.

You could pick up a Howa Lightning from Darrik at $340 shipped and buy a takeoff VGS2 stock on fleabay for well under $100. That's if you decide you can't live with the Lightning stock, which is shaped similarly to the Hogue rubber one without the rubberiness that so many people don't like.

The stock trigger is pretty nice, but Timney makes a better one that's also about $95 shipped on fleabay, and comes with a nicer safety lever.

If weight's an issue, the mini action shaves off a lot, if you don't mind the DM hanging out the bottom. I thought they made it with a regular box mag, but didn't see it ths time. Could just be my oldtimers syndrome in action.

Blued S2s can be found under $500 on GB.

^^^^^^^



This

I have owned 3 over the years two were 243s and the current one is a 270 that I bought at Sportsmanship Wharehouse in the last 6 mo. It was a left over S1 and I got it at what I thought was a reasonable discount. The first 243 was a early vx model and had a beautiful golden colored walnut stock it also shot thumb nail sized groups at 100 yds. The 2 nd one with the black synthetic stock also shot well . This new 270 is pretty much new and I don't even have it broken in yet, just one sigh in trip t o the range.

I really think the vanguard is the standout in the value priced rifles out there. I have a couple of savage guns and like them fine but the vanguard just seems nicer to me for some reason. If there is a knock they are a bit heavier than the savage and Ruger choices. The S1 like mine is reputed to have a heavy trigger pull but my 270 is very nice. If you get a good buy and the weight is acceptable then I say go with it i expect you will be very happy i know I am.

Compared to the Howa/VG's the Tikka's and Americans and Savages are just a big POS.

Darrik has the new Mini for $329.99 by the way.


Dave

I have equal numbers of Tikka and Howa. They are different, but I like them equally. Each has its strengths and weaknesses relative to the other.

As I've said elsewhere, it's not right to group Tikkas in the same class as Savages and RARs just because of the plastic, any more than you'd say an H&K USP is in the same class as an LCP because they are both polymer frame handguns. Not all plastic is the same, and if my life depended on it, I'd take a USP all day long and twice on Sunday over any 1911.

I have Howa's and Tikkas as well.

One's a rifle, the other isn't.



Travis

First 3 shots from my 257 Wby Vanguard. Bought gun, had scope mounted and bore sighted, bought a box of Factory Weatherby 115 BST and went to the gun range. Never even cleaned the bore. .63 inches!