Anteater1717
Member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2006
- Messages
- 586
just curios
how is reliability
performance
recoil
and what caliber is best siuted to it
how is reliability
performance
recoil
and what caliber is best siuted to it
weatherby vanguard
- Thread starter Anteater1717
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- Status
Zeke Menuar
Member
No mechanical issues. Seems prone to surface rust if your not paying attention. Trigger is owner adjustable, to a point. Action is beefy compared to a Remchester. Fit and finish is first rate
Likes my handloads of H4831SC and Barnes 180gr TSX bullets. Load very accurate. I refuse to run this load over a chronograph. No need to mess up a good thing.
Wasn't bad with the factory tupperware stock. I replaced it with a Bell & Carlson Medalist stock. The B&C stock has a full length aluminum bedding block and a Decelerator recoil pad. Recoil is pretty tame now.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=156452
Beats me. Mine was clearanced at $299 at Wally World. At that price, caliber doesn't matter.
Mine is a 300 Weatherby. If you handload, the 300 Weatherby is a great choice.
If you don't handload, get something more common like a 300 Winchester Magnum, 30-06, 270 etc. Buying 300 Weatherby factory ammo is a sure way to go broke very fast.
I like it. Thinking about getting a stainless Vanguard in 338 Winchester Magnum
ZM
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R.W.Dale
Member
I've always been impressed with the Vangaurd/Howa line they are very well put togeather guns.
Accuracy with my 300wby is outstanding 1.5 MOA with just about everyloading I've worked up.
Recoil on the other hand was tragic. Especally in the muzzle flip department. With both the factory stock and later a Bell and Carlson carbelite. A 150 dollar muzzle brake later and now it's like shootin a 7.62x39
Accuracy with my 300wby is outstanding 1.5 MOA with just about everyloading I've worked up.
Recoil on the other hand was tragic. Especally in the muzzle flip department. With both the factory stock and later a Bell and Carlson carbelite. A 150 dollar muzzle brake later and now it's like shootin a 7.62x39
rbernie
Contributing Member
I've had two - a 223 synthetic and a SubMOA in 308. I still have the 308.
I got the SUbMOA because it came with the B&C Weatherby-style stock already installed for about the same money as it would have cost me to get the base Vanguard and swap the stock.
Both were workhorses that fit me well and shot well with no reliability issues.
The one thing to note is that the Vanguard/Howa 1500s are made with relatively slow rifling twists for a given chambering. For example, the 308 has a 1:12" twist instead of the more common 1:10" twist. That means that it shoots like a house afire with the 150gr pills but doesn't really cotton to the 180gr stuff. If you're looking to shoot heavy-for-caliber bullets, that bears consideration.
Most Vanguards come with a 24" barrel (rather than the 22" of most other sporters) which makes them a little bit faster and a little bit (not much) more of a handful in the thickets. I prefer longer barrels, so this makes me happy. I can't see getting a 270, for example, and running it thru a Remchester or Savage 22" barrel. Makes no sense to get a long range chambering and lose 100fps out of a sense of style or to gain some minor benefit in woods handling that's not terribly relevant to the chambering....
I've found that they're more consistently fitted than most Remchesters and Savages. The quality of finish isn't quite as good as the more expensive (highly polished deep blued) Remingtons, for example, but you won't find the quality swings in the Vanguard/Howa action that you can find in the Remchester line.
All in all, the Vaguard/Howa 1500 action is one of my favorites. Solid yeoman rifles. I like 'em.
I got the SUbMOA because it came with the B&C Weatherby-style stock already installed for about the same money as it would have cost me to get the base Vanguard and swap the stock.
Both were workhorses that fit me well and shot well with no reliability issues.
The one thing to note is that the Vanguard/Howa 1500s are made with relatively slow rifling twists for a given chambering. For example, the 308 has a 1:12" twist instead of the more common 1:10" twist. That means that it shoots like a house afire with the 150gr pills but doesn't really cotton to the 180gr stuff. If you're looking to shoot heavy-for-caliber bullets, that bears consideration.
Most Vanguards come with a 24" barrel (rather than the 22" of most other sporters) which makes them a little bit faster and a little bit (not much) more of a handful in the thickets. I prefer longer barrels, so this makes me happy. I can't see getting a 270, for example, and running it thru a Remchester or Savage 22" barrel. Makes no sense to get a long range chambering and lose 100fps out of a sense of style or to gain some minor benefit in woods handling that's not terribly relevant to the chambering....
I've found that they're more consistently fitted than most Remchesters and Savages. The quality of finish isn't quite as good as the more expensive (highly polished deep blued) Remingtons, for example, but you won't find the quality swings in the Vanguard/Howa action that you can find in the Remchester line.
All in all, the Vaguard/Howa 1500 action is one of my favorites. Solid yeoman rifles. I like 'em.
quadfather03
Member
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2006
- Messages
- 7
Dido love the vanguard got the 300 wby mag as well and have been buying closeout ammo for 19.00 a box (remington cor lokt 180gr psp) and factory ammo for 35.00 a box 150gr that fly out at a blistering 3500fps. Get one if you havent already.
itgoesboom
member
Got a Vanguard in .30-06, and it really is a great little rifle.
To answer your questions:
- Never had any issue with reliability, but only have a little over 100 rounds through it so far.
- Factory target showed a 1.25" 3-shot group with 150gr ammo; I have had groups well under an inch, when I didn't screw it up, which is what normally would happen.
On the bad side, the stock is flimsy and I am not a fan of the pressure point on the end of the stock, although it does help accuracy. My POI would change drastically if I went from shooting from bags to shooting from a bipod. Fixed that issue by replacing the stock with a Boyd's laminate and bedding and floating it. Accuracy is now right at 1" with 180gr Federal loads, and the POI is consistant from day to day, and doesn't shift when shooting off of a bipod vs. bag.
- Fair amount of recoil for their caliber, but it depends on how the stock fits you. I thought the stock would fit me well, but it tends to direct the recoil into my cheek, which is not alot of fun. Fixed that with the new stock though, it puts the recoil straight into my shoulder, makes it comfortable to shoot, atleast through 20-25 rounds.
- Caliber is a personal choice.
- The one thing I dislike is the safety. I find that while hunting, if I carry it over my left shoulder the safety gets disengaged easily. To make it worse, the bolt handle often times gets nudged on my pack or belt, and starts to open. I would prefer a 3-pos safety truthfully.
I.G.B.
To answer your questions:
- Never had any issue with reliability, but only have a little over 100 rounds through it so far.
- Factory target showed a 1.25" 3-shot group with 150gr ammo; I have had groups well under an inch, when I didn't screw it up, which is what normally would happen.
On the bad side, the stock is flimsy and I am not a fan of the pressure point on the end of the stock, although it does help accuracy. My POI would change drastically if I went from shooting from bags to shooting from a bipod. Fixed that issue by replacing the stock with a Boyd's laminate and bedding and floating it. Accuracy is now right at 1" with 180gr Federal loads, and the POI is consistant from day to day, and doesn't shift when shooting off of a bipod vs. bag. - Fair amount of recoil for their caliber, but it depends on how the stock fits you. I thought the stock would fit me well, but it tends to direct the recoil into my cheek, which is not alot of fun. Fixed that with the new stock though, it puts the recoil straight into my shoulder, makes it comfortable to shoot, atleast through 20-25 rounds.
- Caliber is a personal choice.
- The one thing I dislike is the safety. I find that while hunting, if I carry it over my left shoulder the safety gets disengaged easily. To make it worse, the bolt handle often times gets nudged on my pack or belt, and starts to open. I would prefer a 3-pos safety truthfully.
I.G.B.
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