"Weatherby sucks"

Vanguards are fantastic rifles. Ergonomics on those stocks are great. Anyone who says they don't shoot well is stating something about their own marksmanship.
 
I have vanguards in both 30-06 and 6.5 CM and both shot sub MOA out of the box with cheap factory ammo. The 30-06 likes federal power shok and the 6.5 CM like Hornady whitetail. If you load your own you will even do better. Also both rifles were bought at entry level prices. They are a bit heavy but are built to last. What's not to like?
 
I have NEVER heard anyone say anything bad against Howa or Weatherby.

I own four and love them all! I personally believe they are the bast bang for your buck.

I own Vanguard S2s in .257 Wby Mag, .308 Win and .300 Win Mag and a Howa in 25-06.

All rifles are very accurate and my Howa shoots freaken lazer beams!
 
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.



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.



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.



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.
we are talking about rebranded firearms there is nothing weatherby about them
in the late 70's they were marketed by smith& wesson and even mossberg

also the shot guns back in the 70's were made in japan so really nothing to do weatherby
 
These are real Weatherby's.

Top one is a 1960 (first year of German production) restored Mark V (stamped Patent Pending) 270 Weatherby Magnum,

Bottom one is a 1972 German Mark V 300 Weatherby Magnum.

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Both shoot well under a MOA. Both are extremely well balanced. And both look awesome.

Neither suck whatsoever.

Cheers
 
I picked up a howa superlite at cabelas and couldn’t even think about leaving the store with it. Felt super cheap and plastic. Fit and finish was very poor. The bolt was really clunky with a loose fit and super rough. I’d like to check out another one as a youth/small frame rifle in something like 6 arc because they get these awesome reviews online, but I haven’t seen it in person yet.

I also bought a 6.5wby backcountry that was a piece of garbage. I owned it for about 3 or 4 months before I sold it. I didn’t even bring it hunting.
 
Howa 1500's still offer a great deal on a well machined, "traditional" rifle with no brewer nut or detachable magazine. I'm not sure either of these things matter at all but they certainly seem less like a super soaker than a savage axis or ruger american.


I've always been interested in the mark V action, less so in the proprietary chamberings. This may be a generational thing but the styling of the mark V rifles is very much not my cup of tea.
 
I don’t think WBYs suck at all. The Vanguards seem to be excellent guns from what I’ve seen and read. I’m a model 70 guy but have had several WBYs through the years. Personally think the Japanese ones are the best but that’s wide open to speculation. Contrary to most I find the stocks very comfortable. The actions are big, best suited to the largest cartridges. Not a wand like my Montana 280 ai, but for a .378 it’s about as light as you want. 😂
 
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