I have a Weatherby Vanguard in .223 that is very accurate, but weighs a ton. What options are out there for a lighter weight stock? It appears to be a regular short action, with a mag spacer.

Have you weighed the stock alone? What stock is on it now?

A Vanguard is going to be one of the heaviest rifles made no matter which stock you use. A McMillan Edge will save roughly 1/2 lb, but will still be a heavy gun. Trading guns will net you close to 3 lbs weight loss depending on what you trade for.

He's right about that.

I replaced the original wood stock with a Pacific Research (now Borden) synth stock on my 300 WM to address accuracy issues...which it did big time. Still relatively heavy, no doubt even more so than your .223 Rem.

As stocks go, I like HS Precision, but no real weight savings to be had. Think Bell & Carlson makes some nice stocks for these, too.

You want a nice light rifle, you're going to have change it up for something else.

But Vanguards are a darn good gun, I'd have a tough time giving up mine.

factory tupperware stock-35 oz
bottom metal 8oz
action 5lb 1 oz
together with 3-9x40 Monarch-8lb 12oz

Odds are the stock on your rifle is made by Bell & Carlson for Weatherby. As per their website, average weight starts at about 2 to 2.5 pounds...same as yours.

Can't see trimming enough off of that with another brand, if even available, that would make much of difference worth the cost and trouble.

my vanguard 257 wby weights 7.25 pounds naked with a sako classic edge fill (13.25" LOP, 1" decelerator)

I did the same with my .300 Wby. It ended up weighing just about what a .300 Wby should, if you're going to shoot it a lot. Would be a bit heavy for a .223. But, if you're like my stepson and shoot most of your coyotes out the window or over the hood of the pickup, it would probably be just about right.

Hey Ben,
My son is still busting deer with that Winchester 7-08 we got from you.

I'll probably just leave it as-is.

Thanks guys

High Tech Specialties stock

I've kind of figured one of these in a good synthetic (McMillan, bansner) in 7 rem mag would be a pretty nice setup, and about the right weight for a 7 mag, balancing shootability/portability. Not necessarily the best looking rig but they do have a solid reputation for shooting well.

Brownells has these for $270.
They show it weighs 20oz. Is this correct?

That's the weight with no pad or paint.

thanks

I took the Tupperware off my 700 and put a boyds laminate on with the scope it weighs 8lbs. 6oz. A bit heavy for a 243 imo. Stock weighs 31oz.

Glad to hear it! I still treasure the picture that you sent me of him with his first deer, pointing to the entrance hole.

I'm assuming you are talking the Tupperware stock at 31 ounces, that would be very light for a laminate.