Weatherby Vanguard or Vanguard2?

[georgia_shooter]

Brought home today an orphaned Weatherby Vanguard in 308. It has a greenish colored overmolded type stock with the HOWA emblem, installed Accubrake, and a Nikon Prostaff 3x – 9x BDC scope. It does not look like it’s been fired more than a very few times. The serial number starts with VS23XXXX. It has a three position safety. I have looked on Weatherby website at the owners manuals. The Vanguard manual shows a two position safety and the Vanguard2 shows a three position safety. So here is my question. Do I have the older Vanguard or the Vanguard2? Were three position safetys on some of the later Vanguards? Oh, by the way, it has the slicks, creep free, lightest trigger i've ever seen on a factory gun. Thanks for your input.

 

[jmr40]

Howa and Vanguard stocks interchange. Many Howa's come with a green, tan, or black Hogue stock. It looks like someone replaced your stock with one from a Howa. All of the Vanguards I've owned or shot had 2 position safeties. Howa's had 3 position safeties.

The new S2's are supposed to have 3 position safeties and I suppose it is possible that some of the later original Vanguards may have been upgraded. All of the S2's I've seen had a matte blue finish on the metal, the originals had a more polished appearance. This is what I'd use to determine S2 vs original.

 

[rule303]

That's a Vanguard S2 for sure. The triggers were a big improvement over the originals. Someone must have swapped a Howa/Hogue stock onto it.

 

[georgia_shooter]

Thanks for the replies. It does have a very dark blue, almost black matte finish. One thing that kinda throws me is the picture in the VG2 owners manual shows the safety marked S-U-F. This one is marked with S and F but it has the middle position (safe on, bolt unlocked) unmarked. So go figure. Maybe someone has serial number resources. Weatherby wants 50 bucks to run the number.

 

[Pacsd]

Could it be that the trigger is an after market like a Timney? That's the first thing I did with my Vanguard the day after I bought it.

 

[MrDig]

iirc the Vanguard is made by Howa. The Howa detachable magazine kit will work on the Vangurds as well.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

I won a vanguard at a whitetails banquet last year. It was a vanguard not a vanguard 2. It had the original trigger but also had the new grean colared stock. So some of those stocks were used on the later guns in the first series. they bought there guns for that banquet from gander mountain and I wouldnt doubt a bit that gander mountain got a deal on a bunch of them cheap at the end and figued unknowing people would buy them thinking they were getting the new vanguard 2s.

 

[pbrktrt]

The s2 has a two stage trigger. The Timney a single. It should be easy to tell what you have.

 

[jmr40]

I won a vanguard at a whitetails banquet last year. It was a vanguard not a vanguard 2. It had the original trigger but also had the new grean colared stock.

The DU rifles I saw had a green Bell & Carlson stock on them. A HUGE improvement over the green Hogue stocks. Is your B&C or Hogue? The OP also said his stock had the "Howa" emblem on the stock. I don't think a Vanguard left the factory with a Howa stock.

 

[mshootnit]

my vanguard was bought at Cabelas 2 years ago, 257 mag- stainless. Shoots 7/8" at 110 yds with factory ammo and the trigger has absolutely no creep. Never owned a V2. Hope this helps. 2 pos safety.
doesn't surprise me they want 50 to run the number. Similarly they wanted a lot of money from me for a custom stock but wouldn't let me select length of pull for the price, and wouldn't do anything to help me get it in time for a hog hunt which was several weeks away

 

[georgia_shooter]

Just wanted to give y'all guys a follow up.
But first things first. Want to say Thank You for everyones input. This is my first Weatherby and I don't know much about them. Once again Thanks guys!
Well just pulled the action off the stock. It was one of those haa moments. One nice slick, three position safety Timney triggers. So that answers that. I'm guessing that whomever owned it before spent a bunch of money trying to build a custom gun. Taking it to the range tomorrow and we'll see what it will do.

Thanks again.
Stay safe.

 

[Pacsd]

I'm pretty sure you are gonna like that Timney. Got em in all my guns. They aren't all that spendy either.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

JR40 i dont know for sure as a traded it off right after i won it. Georga shooter i have to vanguards left. A 300 wby and a 257wby and both had there crappy factory triggers replaced by timneys and it was a vast improvement.