Today I was at the local gun shop, and saw a used gun that interested me. It was a Weatherby Vanguard in 7mm Rem Mag. It had good wood, and overall looked like it had been taken good care of. It being an older Vanguard, I think it's stock was quite a bit better quality than new Vanguards. I would liken its appearance to a new Mark V. It is Japanese made and is probably 6-10 years old. It had a Redfield 3X9 scope on it (an older model). They wanted $348 for it. Something wrong with this picture? I was and still am tempted to pick it up regardless of the bore, even though the gun shop owner assured me it was in good condition. That seems just too low to me considering the condition and the scope. Thoughts...?

good pricetag - you would just want a weatherby. Normally they don't hold value to well because the marketplace is rather limited for their demand.

Considering you can pick up a brand new Vanguard usually under $400, I don't think that price is ridiculously low. The older Redfield scope doesn't add a tremendous amount of value. It does sound like a good deal, though. As him to show you the bore with whatever he used to inspect it + see for yourself what kind of condition it's in.

That doesn't sound like a bad deal, I think retail on them is around $499, but as previously mentioned you can find them for $400-435 at times. I've got one in 30-06 that turning out to be a pretty good shooter.

Is it true that the older Vanguards have better wood than the new ones? I was truly shocked at the wood and stock. It seemed much better than new Vanguards.

Vanguards are built on Howa actions, and use the same mounts as a Remington 700. You can use the rear scope base with an integral peep sight that XS Sight Systems makes. You still need a front sight, but you'd have good backup irons if you wanted them. And if that matters...


Okie John

I had a vanguard in 30-06 that I bought last October in Walmart NIB for $350. I jsut traded it last month on my Kimber.

The other day at WalMart, I saw a Savage 110, 7mm Rem Mag, composite stock, with scope, for $359. They also had a Weatherby Vanguard, 300 Wby Mag, pretty nice wood, for about a $100 more.

Today, I think we pay a premium for wooden stocks because we like the appearance. Most comparisons, save appearance, favor the composite stock.

If you want the best chance of an out-of-the-box shooter, go down to WalMart and buy the Savage. I have a weakness for wood and would probably buy that Vanguard.

You're risking very little. If you don't like the way the Vanguard shoots, you can recover most, maybe all of your money.