Weatherby Vanguard

27 November 2003, 05:13

FourTails

Right out of the box with my handloads a 30.06 I bought two years ago shot under 1 inch groups (barely) and at $384.00 was a steal. Got it from Wal-Mart locally so there was no shipping incurred. It shot equal to the Remington 700 PSS DM in .308 that cost $699.00. I'm not saying every one of the Weatherby Vanguards will shoot that good but the one I got did. Good shooting! Mike

27 November 2003, 06:50

Stonecreek

The Vanguard is made by Howa in Japan. Howa once marketed the same action/rifle under their own name, and Smith and Wesson used to market it under that brand. The Howas are generally well made and very serviceable.

27 November 2003, 07:17

Jason22

I also bought a Wal-Mart Weatherby in .300 Weatherby. So far my best load is

180 speer bullet
Remington brass
Win mag primers
IMR-7828 85 grains (Max in my rifle)
for Vel of 3161 fps
.588 @ 100 yards.

Most other loads will shot .75 inch to 1.5 inch.

I am very happy with that rifle.

Jason

27 November 2003, 09:17

spiff

Hi there; Here in Norway the vanguard is sold as Howa, they have a very good rep. But proper inletting is often needed, then they perform exelent.

27 November 2003, 15:04

NotRicochet

I've got a .300 Weatherby plastic stocked Wal-Mart edition Vanguard. Came with a factory target with 2 holes in it, centers .8" apart. On close inspection, one of the holes is a double. It shoots sub-1" groups with my handloads regularly. Haven't done a thing to it and don't plan to.

27 November 2003, 16:26

B17G

quote:
Originally posted by spiff:
Hi there; Here in Norway the vanguard is sold as Howa, they have a very good rep. But proper inletting is often needed, then they perform exelent.

Spiff,

Your English is just fine! A lot better than most of us and our Norwegian!

Having bought a Howa /Vangard in 30/06, 270 and 223, all of them have shot excellent. A little trigger work was in order but other than that, they were great. Wing the Sythetic stock and add a Boyds Laminate one and you have a great looking and great shooting rifle.

27 November 2003, 16:35

Dago Red

I have not owned one, but handled them at Walmart, if they still sold them it would be the rifle I recommend to my friend. He is currently looking to buy a new rifle.

For a person that is a hunter not a firearms enthusiast, get one in 300 weatherby and you have all the rifle you ever need unless you go to africa.

Red

27 November 2003, 17:30

Orion 1

The Vanguard is also sold as the Howa 1500 (its real name) in the US. I bought one NIB two years ago. Excellent rifle.

Better, IMO, than any other $399 rifle out there. Better (in terms of quality, not decorations) than any production American rifle under $800.

28 November 2003, 07:45

NotRicochet

Red, they certainly do still sell them at Wal-Mart. Bet that makes Wal-Mart the biggest selling Weatherby dealer in the U.S., don't know for a fact. When I bought mine some 5 years ago, I knew that Weatherby had discontinued the Vanguard several years earlier and suspected that Wal-Mart had found a supply of "new old stock" ones, so I was in a hurry to get one while I could. Obviously they've started making them again, and since that time they've introduced a more expensive model with the flashy, gaudy Weatherby wood stock to go along with the black plastic one. Mine was my first plastic stocked rifle, and initially I thought it ugly, but it's grown on me. It's a very comfortable, practically-shaped one, and as I said above it shoots fine with it. Doesn't change POI with the weather like a wooden one, either.

29 November 2003, 07:12

R-WEST

I've owned/used numerous Vanguards over the years, and currently have a variety of HOWA 1500's. Superb rifles, especially at the prices Wally's wants for them now. My first one cost nearly as much as a full blown Mark V - worked a whole summer to pay for that one when I was 14.

Clean up the bedding, play with the trigger a bit, and you're set.

R-WEST

30 November 2003, 15:00

OldFart

I have the Walmart 300 Weatherby Vanguard. It is a nice rifle, but it's nothing special. Mine tends to be a fair weather rifle, it shots great in the summer, but my groups expand as the weather gets colder (Even after glass-bedding the stock and free-floating the barrel).
I'm not sure if I'll ever own another one.

30 November 2003, 17:12

stubblejumper

The vanguard is the only weatherby that I would own as it is well made and not overpriced like the other weatherby rifles.I owned a smith&wesson 1500 which is the same howa rifle with a different name stamped on it and it easily shot under 1" with handloads.