My "Workin Man's Precision Rifles" (Varminters), including one new one

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I thought first of resurrecting this thread:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=351497

But decided to start a new thread instead, since it's in part about my new Vanguard.

So in the pics, the Weatherby Vanguard Sub-MOA Varmint is the new rifle I got out of layaway yesterday - it's the one with a tan colored fiberglass stock with spiderweb-ish black marks. I threw a Bushnell Banner 6-18x50mm AO on it, to test it out. It is chambered in .223 Rem.

Sorry, poor quality pics, but you get the idea.

Post if you want to know what something is....

This is a follow up to my earlier thread on this subject:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=382142

The next precision gun I get/build up will be the grandaddy which will put these all to shame, in the form of the Savage 12 F Class Precision Target Rifle in 6.5-.284 Norma.

P.S. The top rifle in the first pic is a .25-'06 which is for sale here:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=392117

Also, Weatherby's website is currently under re-construction, so here is a link to the Vanguard .pdf:

http://www.399weatherby.com/_pdf/2008_Vanguard.pdf

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Also, attached here is a pic of the target that came with the Vanguard rifle. The 3-shot group measured right around 0.385", and it's supposedly at 100 yards, which is right at 0.368 MOA.

Plus I added a gratuitous pic of a pink-camo-stocked Rem 597 which I also bought new yesterday as a gift for my sis-in-law. If you didn't know, if you buy any Remington long gun (except a Wingmaster HD) between now and Dec 31, you can get a mail-in rebate of various amounts. $20 for 597s, but more for centerfires, up to $50.

So go ahead, please show us all your rifles that might be categorized as Precision: Target / Varmint / Tactical / Sniper / Interdiction.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

As long as I'm getting pic-happy, may as well post up pics of the new Rem 870 clone, the Norinco Hawk 982. It's not a half bad piece of equipment for $200 even shipped to my FFL - nice peep rear sight.

 

[zgate]

Hmmmmmm,

I have a standard Vanguard in .257 WM. I looked at your target and had to dig out the one that came with my rifle and measure. The 3 shots went .281.

What are the differences between the Sub-MOA and the standard? I guess I got a good one.

 

[Auburn1992]

Here's my mainly target (may see some Varmint action though) rifle:

Remington XR-100 in .22-250






I've since scoped it

 

[Savage Shooter]

My savage 12fv .223 with piece of @#%$ BSA 6-24x44 scope. It's a shooter

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

zgate, I guess the NON sub-MOAs shoot better than the sub-MOAs. Dunno, maybe I paid the $200 premium for nuttin....

Auburn and Savage, very nice!

Anyone else want to share some pics of varminters?

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Also, zgate, the weird thing about the group target that came with the Vanguard is that, although I originally thought it was a 5-shot group, it's a 3-shot group and the paper in between the holes had been pushed back/out so that it looks like more holes.

Now, when I folded the paper back in, it looks like it's a 2-shot group, not a 3-shot group. But in one of the two distinct holes, it *barely*, and I mean just barely looks like it could be a 2-shot hole, because it's nearly round but ever so slightly oblong. So that means one of two things in happening:

Either: (1) Since two of the 3 groups went into the same exact hole, this give me hope that it could be a real shooter, and the third shot a flier, OR (2) it actually IS a 2-shot hole, not a 3-shot hole, in which case it tells me very little, and might be a ho-hum shooter. Of course, anything can happen with different ammo handloaded/tuned for the rifle, so who knows/we'll see.

 

[zgate]

I’m sure some shoot better then others and I got a good one. Do you know what the differences are between the two? When I got mine there was no such thing as a Sub-MOA.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Oh, well you are gonna laugh at my gullibility when I explain the actual real difference - there isn't any.... Here's my understanding:

The test fire all Vanguards. Just based on the actual group produced - the actual results - the best shooters that meet a certain standard (dunno whether 1 MOA or .75 MOA or what), are simply set aside in a different batch, labeled "sub-MOA", and adorned with the engraved floorplate and a different stock. My *presumption* is that they test fire the action/barrel in a vice, with no stock, but I'm not sure. (I sure as heck don't know what they aim at, with that bullseye-less target. I guess they don't aim at all - they just pull the target into where they know the group will land, and fire three shots, knowning that all will hit somewhere in the big orange dot on the paper).

So yours *would have been* singled out and labeled a sub-MOA and the price jacked up by $200 or more. But I guess "different stock" is the actual answer to the question. Is the stock BETTER? I'm not sure. It's a nice fiberglass. Is it worth $200 more? No. You're paying for the "proven performance / no lemon guarantee" aspect, not specific features or materials.

I'm really surprised that this thread hasn't generated more interest - I wanna see some more pics, dangit!

P.S. I just compared the Bushnell Banner with 50mm objective on 18x, side by side with the Millett wtih 56mm objective on 18x, and it looks to me like the Bushnell has slightly better optical quality looking out at a fence row about 125 yards away. Not by much, but this Banner is a pretty good value, seems to me. Can't wait to shoot this Vanguard - probably next Sunday I can get to the range.

 

[zgate]

No matter what you will like the way that rifle shoots. Mine is a consistent ½" shooter at 200 yards if I do my part.

I have 4 varmint guns (220 swift, 220 Ackley, 25-06, and 257 WM), if I could figure out how to post pics I would.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Get a family member to show you how - a kid under 7 years should do it - you got a digicam or cell phone cam?

No one seems interested, but I'm showing in that pic two .17 Hummers, one .223 rem, one .243 Win, and one .25-'06 Rem, from bottom to top. Two of the five were made at the Howa factory in Japan, one in Czech Republic, one in USA, and one assembled in USA, made with parts partly from USA and partly from Turkey.

 

[Auburn1992]

I'll show another (although it's only a .22)

 

[FlyinBryan]

very nice rifles.

also very interesting info on the test firing of the vangaurd rifles.

looking at that test target, and those targets in your other thread makes me think i still have work to do.

so thanks alot buddy!!! (humorous sarcasm tone)

 

[Neckshot5seven]

You should really clean out your ears more often! I think I just threw up a little in my mouth Auburn!

 

[sarduy]

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

zgate and others who may be interested....

I just found a little flyer inside the box to the Vanguard, which shows which ammos were used to test various calibers of rifles for the test targets:

.223 Rem is with Federal Classic 55 gr HiShok Soft Point
.257 Weatherby Mag is with Weatherby 100 gr Spire point

If anyone else wants to know another caliber's ammo choice, just ask and I'll post it.


Sarduy, what do we have there?