Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Floating the barrel on the Weatherby Vanguard Synthetic stock?

Hello to everyone as I am new here. my question is can the barrel channel be sanded on these stocks for free float with accuracy gains? or will the stock become too flimsy like the ones on the Savage 10 FP's. and also, can the tang, action etc. be bedded with any benefits? I haven't even shot this yet, just looking for options other than stock replacement later on. Thanks!

What's it shooting like now?

I haven't shot it yet just got it. I was just curious if a synthetic stock can even be floated without, becoming too flimsy I realize, it depends on the particular stock in question. and also, how well does bedding material bond to synthetic stocks (in general). just looking for accurizing options other than new stock or new trigger. Thanks

Shoot it and then come back and talk to me.

New Trigger is most certainly in order with them. Seriously, shoot the thang and we'll see what's up.

Hi Steelhead, Well, I shot it today started about 25yds that wasn't too bad. then I moved out to about 75yds. and shot like crap just all over the target! I don't know if it was me or what I haven't shot a larger caliber than my .22 CZ rifles for a few years. I know I wasn't flinching though, like a dumb ass I forgot to clean the barrel before first shooting I checked to make sure every thing stayed tight on scope, bases, etc. now I did remove the barrel from the stock to adjust the trigger for pull and creep the best I could and still keep safety operable. As far as the scope well, it is a cheap Bushnell Banner 6x18x50 so I don't know if it can handle the recoil without changing the POI. the only other scope I have right now is a Simmons Whitetail Classic 6.5x20x50 well, I do have a Nikon 3x9x40 Prostaff but, I would have to reset the parallex from 50 back to 100yds. again. I may also have to practice my technich more. when shooting my CZ .22 rifles I use my ATV rack with a couple cheap shooting bags for a rest lol! and always shoot free recoil and usually manage 1/4" to 3/4" 5 shot groups at 50yds. should I try the free recoil method also, with the 30-06? I shot one round the last round, free recoil since the small tree I was using for targets fell over so I just left after that. any advice would be appreaciated when I replaced the barrel in the stock, I torqued the action screws to 20"lbs. front and rear unless the torques need to be changed I'm pretty well lost Thanks for any advice! .

Bell & Carlson make a stock for the Vanguard.

I bedded and floated a 243 that shot poorly (3-4" at 100 yds). It was near MOA afterwards. The forend is very flimsy stock on those though; it required leaving a lot of clearance otherwise gripping the forend caused contact which hurt accuracy. I roughed the bedding area up with a course carbide burr in a dremel type tool. It left a very rough 'hairy' finish that the epoxy stuck to.

Was this a Vanguard stock in synthetic? the way this stock looks there is only one pressure point which holds the barrel up about 6 inches back from the fore arm tip and the tip of fore arm both make contact. plus all down the sides touch the barrel and when removing from the stock, it feels like the verry end of the fore arm has a pinching pressure on the barrel doesn't lift right out? Thanks! Gosh, I sure hope this thing can do better than 3 or 4 inches at 100yds. out of box!

Yes it was a factory synthetic stock. Most of the material that had to be removed was at the tip and along the sides of the barrel.

I have pretty much abandoned the factory stocks on the run of the mill Vanguards because they are just not stiff enough. I tried pillar bedding and floating the barrels, and could still make the fore-end touch the barrel by just moderately squeezing them together with one hand. I had a Borden Rimrock put on one and McMillans on the other two. I liked them much better that way...

It should do better than 3 to 4 inches, if not Weatherby has a accuracy guarantee and will fix it. I have 3 Vanguards and all are shooters. First get on a solid bench and shoot it at 100 yards. Try different ammo and if you are flinching try a different shooter.
I tried floating my 300 WBY and it didn't like it. I adjusted the trigger and got the creep out and put it in a B&C Medalist stock. That rifle will shoot sub MOA all day long with several loads. My 257 is the wood stock sporter and has shot sub MOA with about everything I'm feeding it. I just bought a 270 but it looks promising as well.

My Weatherby Vanguard in 223 has a synthetic stock and the barrel was free floating when I got the rifle. It was also glass bedded at the recoil lug when I got the rifle new. I did a number on the trigger and that was all I did. The groups it shoots are excellent, like 3 shots into 1/2" groups at 100 yards, with at least two different loads.