To those who know me, it’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Weatherby. I listed after Mark V rifles ever since I was old enough to thumb thru the pages of hunting magazines. When I bought my first mark V a few years back I felt like I had reached some sort of milestone in my life, it was that important to me.

Admittedly, I always felt the Vanguard line was some sort of second rate house brand rifle. I would look down on those that chose them instead of the mark V, as everyone know last the mark V is vastly superior to the rebranded Howa 1500.

When I had to buy a 10 year old a rifle, I was looking for something inexpensive but not cheap. Upon some advice, I ended up on a Howa 1500 compact. It was a light, handy little thing and shot really well. The next purchase was a Weatherby Camila for my wife. As they had not released the mark V camila yet, I had to go vanguard. It was a copy of the compact Howa with a fancier stock. Still, shot great.

Recently I bought a vanguard sporter for my 12 year old. Nice little gun, decent, but not great wood stock, it had a 24” barrel which I liked so I chose it for my son. Mounted a 3x9 leupild and took it to the range last week. Bolt lock up and function was smooth and solid. First thing that impressed me was the trigger....it was fantastic! zero creep and light. Probably the best trigger in the stable. My mark v accumark , which I shot immediately after, was creepy and heavier.

Rifle had no problem shooting under an inch with factory loads.

Over all, I have continued to be impressed with these rifles. While I think I would stick with the Mark V in weatherby calibers, I would have no issues buying a vanguard in a standard caliber

My "Walmart" Vanguard is the most accurate rifle in my collection. It too was manufactured by Howa to be sold by Walmart and a few other retailers. It's marked on the box as a Vanguard Deluxe Sporter which makes it a hybrid since Weatherby offers separate Deluxe and Sporter models. It should come as no surprise this model was never listed in the Waetherby catalog, or on their website. It carries the same deep rich bluing, high-gloss wood stock, and maple end cap on the forearm that comes with the Deluxe model, but without the white inlays and heel cap on the stock. Walmart would eventually mark them down to just $399 after Weatherby discontinued their production.

Just in case you know anyone looking for a Vanguard, I have a stainless/ synthetic.257 Weatherby Magnum for sale . Unfired. With a Nikon Monarch 4-16 scope. Trek or three boxes ammo , and dies. I bought it for my wife to shoot, but before getting to the range, she was rear-ended by an illegal immigrant in San Antonio severely injuring her neck. $875. For whole package. I can send pictures if someone is interested. It’s been a nightmare beyond belief since the wreck. She’s finally being operated on Halloween day. We’ll see how the recuperation goes and probably look for her a .243-.257 to shoot if all goes well.

I have a cheapo Vanguard Series 1 in .257 Wby. Nasty ugly plastic stock. If Armageddon came and I could only grab one rifle, that might be it. And I’ve got rifles costing well over 10x what it cost.

I had one of the wood stocked Vangard mark 1 in 257 WBY for a while. With the 100gr Barnes bullets the factory loads were just above or below half MOA, plenty good for anything I would hunt with the 257. With the 110 accubond loads it was a MOA shooter. never bothered reloading for it when the factory loads I got with it shot like that.

One of my buddies bought a Vanguard in .257 WM with the black injection molded stock. He got it super cheap at a pawn shop with a 3-9 Redfield Tracker mounted on it. A solid 3/4 MOA rifle with factory 117 Grain SPs.

My Uncle has a Mark V in .257 WM with a 4-12 Leupold Vari-X II, and that Vanguard will out shoot it. I have never seen a Howa/Vanguard that shot bad, say over 1.5 MOA.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

My only complaint about a .257 chambered in a vanguard is the round really needs a 26” barrel to burn all that powder. You have to get the Mark V to get the 26” barrel.

For the money, Howa rifles are tough to beat.

Love mine

300 wby Vanguard Delux first series. It shoots really well with 200 grain partitions, 165 grain accubonds, and the best load I have shot in it was 220 grain Hornady round nose.

The hog was taken with a 200 grain partition unsupported from my blue hunting lawn chair lol. I haven't fired it in 7 years. Gonna have to change that.

I'll take your 1873s then.

Dibs on his model 70’s