"Weatherby sucks"

deadsea

deadsea

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
31   0   0
Location
Winnipeg
Through my years of shooting and working at multiple firearms retailers and a range, I've heard hundreds of people grumble "Weatherby/Howa sucks" when they see a Vanguard or I give the suggestion to buy one. Far more than other brands like Remington and Savage. Chances are if I hear someone complaining about a brand of hunting rifle, it's Weatherby.

Whenever I ask for clarification, I've never once received a concrete reply beyond "that's what everyone tells me" "that's what I heard" "my dad/uncle/grandpa hates them" etc. None of the people stating this have ever owned one (I always ask that too), and avoid them because "everyone says they suck".

Meanwhile I've been shooting them for years and they're probably the best bang for the buck rifles out there, great balance of quality/accuracy/price, in the Vanguard line at least. But before I bought my first I was a little nervous because pretty much everyone told me I'd be disappointed.

It doesn't bother me enough to stop shooting mine or plan on buying another in the future, I'm just curious why Weatherby/Howa rifles seem to have such a bad reputation in Canada, or the Prairies at least. Is there some dark patch of Weatherby history I'm missing?
 
Never heard that before, if anything regarding Howa, I thought they were regarded as a great hidden value. I love my howa heavy barrel .223
 
I love my vanguard for the same reason you’ve stated. I got it cheap, put a nice scope on it and it’s never let me down.
From what I’ve heard is that their shotguns leave something to be desired but I’ve never used one myself.
 
Must just be a Winnipeg thing. :d I’ve never heard anything but praise for the Howa built rifles. They seem to be widely regarded as the kings of the budget class guns.

Maybe they get complaints from those that might be a bit gun snobbish and still see Weatherby as an expensive brand and think these budget priced guns lower the perceived esteem of their expensive Weatherbys?
 
I haven't heard about a bad Weatherby reputation in my circles. In fact I hear the opposite. I'm very happy with my Vanguard S2 308.
 
I think he's maybe referring more to the actual US made Weatherby's, not the rebranded Howa's. I've also heard this in regard to Weatherby Mark V's and also Weatherby cartridges. Many Fudd's think only those that suffer from (and I hate this word) "magnumitis" should be shooting them and buy Weatherby rifles as a status symbol. Why the latter, I have no idea. I've never thought of them as a rich man's gun.
They're good,solid rifles, if a bit clunky and heavy, but I've had a few Accumarks and they always shot well and felt like a quality firearm.

Around my circles, most consider Savage a crude POS that happens to shoot well. They don't get much praise other than accuracy.
 
There have been criticisms made towards MK-V Weatherby rifles, some deserved, some not, but I've never heard similar comments made towards Howa/Vanguard rifles made by anyone who knows the difference between them and a MK-V.
 
canuck75 said:
Never heard that before, if anything regarding Howa, I thought they were regarded as a great hidden value I love my howa heavy barrel .223
Click to expand...

That's kind of what I mean. Many fans call them "a hidden value" or "best kept secret". Why is it so hidden? Poor marketing? It's not like they just started making rifles like the Vanguard/1500.

Emgz said:
From what I’ve heard is that their shotguns leave something to be desired but I’ve never used one myself.
Click to expand...

I could start a duplicate thread in the shotgun forum; people complain about the shotguns the same way but I own two SA-08s and have friends with PA-08s and you really cannot beat the quality and reliability for the money. Mine have never skipped a beat, started with a used synthetic and eventually bought a new Deluxe. Comparable in build quality to my old Beretta A302.

Their "Tactical" shotguns like the PA-459 were a little weird but were also made with quality in the countless examples I saw.

krausb said:
Must just be a Winnipeg thing. :d
Click to expand...

A knowledgeable coworker of mine had a theory that Weatherby haters are common in Manitoba/Saskatchewan because we have a lot of "road hunters", AKA guys who jump out of the truck loading the magazine to shoot the deer in the ditch. Vanguards generally come with hinged floorplates. Nice theory except it doesn't account for the same crowd praising Remington 700s, also a floorplate standard.

krausb said:
Maybe they get complaints from those that might be a bit gun snobbish and still see Weatherby as an expensive brand and think these budget priced guns lower the perceived esteem of their expensive Weatherbys?
Click to expand...

Perhaps. But many of the Weatherby haters went on to buy a cheap Savage Axis, or straight up to a Tikka, or a more expensive Remington 700, which I feel due to the whole Freedom Group thing, is an inferior gun to a Weatherby. There was no pattern to it, which is why I'm still confused about it to this day.
 
There is definately a preference towards detachable mags in Sk-Mb . Although its easy enough to put one in a 1500 or Vanguard. They are excellent rifles.
 
+1 for Howa. I love mine and think that dollar vs quality it is very hard to beat. Mind you, with all the tariffs and political stuff going on now who knows how long good quality affordable goods will be available before they are priced out of the market.
 
I have a Howa and a Weatherby. Both excellent pieces of kit. With decent glass and ammunition, they punch holes atop another all day long.
 
I’ve had 3 vanguards and 1 S2. All shoot well except the stainless 300wby and that one was a dog. My blued 338 rode lots of miles in a scabbord in northern bc andthe Yukon and looked like it but it shoot tiny little groups. My backcountry 257 wby had some serious mojo and was used to shoot moose elk deer and a mountain goat.
 
I went with the Weatherby S2 as my first CF rifle because of the good rep they have on gun nutz and with some of the gun counter guys. The stock is cheeseball, but it fits me and is comparable to others in its price range.
 
I had a range certified for a while. Sold it fund a tikka project.
If there was a bit more aftermarket for it I would have built it instead. Very underrated action/rifle in my opinion. Solid, smooth very well machined...whats not to like.
 
I think the dislikes for any brand come to down to varying aspects of fit, form, mechanics, and even the superficial elements of appearance. I would bet a huge draw towards any particular model is based on the first firearms introduced a person when they first started shooting.

I have always liked Remington 700s, with the exception of a few quality control issues that I experienced firsthand. I find they tend to be accurate, they function smoothly, and they are easy to build. I also like their appearance. Also like the appearance of Winchester 70s and I find they work well.

I am a fan of the Accumarks but I truly dislike the Vanguards. I find the Vanguards and Howas just look cheap to me.

I hate Savage bolt centrefires because of the mechanics and feel of their triggers and the I detest the appearance of the bolt but logically I know they have good barrels and tend to shoot very well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom