New Weatherby Vanguard

W

waterboy68

New member
Picked up a new Vanguard a few months ago in .243 and finally had a chance to get to the range with some of my own loads. I must say for the price of the rifle (Just under $400) I'm pretty happy with the results. Tried 3 different bullets. One each from Hornady, Nosler, and Sierra. Trigger pull is a little on the heavy side (i don't have a guage), but it has no creep at all. Better than many of my rifles.
All these were done at 120yds according to a laser range finder. We were shooting over a pond so couldn't get set up right at 100yds.
Vanguard.jpg

This is the rifle. Hard to tell but the stock is dark green. Kind of ugly, but it doesn't matter since I plan on painting it anyway.
Sierra HP
Sierra2.jpg

Nosler balstic tip
nosler2.jpg

Hornady v-max
vmax2.jpg


Disclaimer: I don't consider myself a marksman, and all shots were taken off of a somewhat shaky back pack. Also the wind was gusting about 10mph. So take this information for a grain of salt. I'm pretty sure this rifle is more accurate than I am. The two groups that are almost 2inchs were my fault. Just thought I'd share. :D Next time I'll have to bring the chronograph to see what speeds i'm getting to.
 
Last edited:
The factory trigger-pull on my Vanguard was over 5 lbs. I did adjust it down to 3 1/2 lbs, but it still had creep. I couldn't get it any lighter or the safety wouldn't function correctly, so I stopped trying and went out and bought a Timney!:) She's a real sweety-pie now! I will definetly post targets as soon as possible!! Nice groups man!!!
 
Nice shooting, I just bought the same gun last week(black stock), mounted a Weaver Grand Slam 4.5-14 and went out and shot 1.325 at 200 yds off a bipod. 70g Nosler BT 42.0g Varget, 3495 fps. Very impressed with the rifle, adjusted the trigger down, no creep. Best rifle for the money IMHO.
 
Nice to know about the Timney. I wasn't aware they had one for the Vanguard. I put one in a Rem R-25 a while back and love it. The Vanguard factory trigger is ok except for the pull weight. I think I'll try to lighten it before I buy a new one. I was hoping to use this for a coyote gun so I'm glad to see that I can get a decent group together. So far It seems to definetly like the sierras. I will also try to load some heavier bullets when I can as I would like to eventually use this as a deer/hog rifle too. :cool:
 
The trigger on one of my Vanguards had a serious hitch in it and I finally put on a Timney which made a world of difference. The Sierra 70 grain HPBT was my bullet of choice when using a 243 for coyote hunting. I made some bragging shots with that bullet over a max load of IMR 4895 or IMR 4320.
 
When I tried the factory Vanguard trigger it was gritty and had alot of travel (pull weight was good). The factory website says they hand adjust each one. BS. I can see how a Timney trigger could really make this a nice rifle.
 
Yes, for the money very good quailty for cost and they are made in japan along with their sister lable which is HOWA. And I do like the 2-howas and 1- weatherby in 7mag nice and smooth actions. As of now I have 1 of them undergoing a change over to a more long range with the tactical blood and sweat with a complete makeover barrel upgrade, new stock, action getting a upgrade and my trigger is just fine for me I picked up this 15 yrs old or older but it doesn't matter the trigger is sweet (Way before the lawyers informed them to change it due to lawsuits) weatherby and after I get this done she will under go a outter beauty make over with a camo( WILEY E. COYOTE) paint job, Yes the one and the same roadrunner cartoon.... its ends kinda like a digital camo job, maybe with alittle luck and a improving economy extra cash will be made that will allow me to spruce up the ol'girl....
 
Mobuck, how did those Sierra hollow points treat the pelts? Was hide damage a problem or is that not a concern when you hunt.
 
I have 3 Weatherby Vanguards. A blued .243, ,,a blued .270,,,and a stainless 300 Win Mag. All are fantastic. Accurate, and fun to shoot. Great value:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top