"Weatherby sucks"

The only complaints I heard about Weatherby, in particular the Mark V, is that they are expensive, heavy and moderate accuracy. Those complaints were quite minimal.
 
vanguards are a bit heavy in the light barrel models. I have had a s1 sub moa varmint in 204 with the bell and Carlson stock for 10 years. I put a timney trigger in it right away. its currently in need of its 3ed barrel. the stock needs to be repainted and when I rebarrel I will coat the action at the same time. ive shots so much stuff with it its mind blowing, a few deer including 1 nice buck, a ton of coyotes, plenty of fox, crows, gophers, skunks, and too many rabbits to count. nice action and I don't mind the floorplate mag as it holds 5+1 with nothing sticking out the bottom.

I also load for a family members s2 in 22-250, a light barrel, only ever tried 2 bullets in it and it shoots both very well. and another s2 varmint in 223 which shoots good. I would buy another if the price was right.
 
An older Vanguard in 300 Win has been my go-to rifle for about 20 years now. Replaced the wood stock with a synthetic, glass bedded, and it shoots my choice of factory ammo into a half inch group. Tad heavy, yep, but not bad for this caliber. Only thing I don't like is the bolt release - too easy to bump, have had the bolt hit the dirt on two occasions while getting out of the truck...tad bit annoying for sure when there's a buck that needs shooting. But all in all, darn good rifle!
 
Weatherby sucks? Really? What rock have I been living under...I don't know a single person that has ever said that about those two brands of rifles.
 
I've been shooting a Mark V Lazermark .300 Weatherby Mag and it's a shooter - took down a decent amount of Moose with it...all 1 shot kills up to 290yds.

Would be nice to better understand why "they suck"?
 
I owned a brand new S2 Vanguard in 30-06 and spent almost it's value in ammo and reloads trying to find decent accuracy.
I sent it in for repairs and the repair guy confirmed it did not shoot well even with Weatherby ammo.
6 months later I had Weatherby return my money.
 
My Howa in 6.5 SWE has been excellent. The stock was a bit flimsy, but I solved that with a B&C. I simply don't believe the "hundreds" comment. They are a solid, well made rifle that really takes a back seat to nobody. This could just be a troll post, or somebody that likes to sow the seeds of discord?
 
I have had a Howa 1500 stainless in 300winmag for about 12 yrs. It is still one of my most trusted guns. Period. Smooth as a Tikka bolt, and super accurate with 165,180,& 200gr bullets. It came with a Hogue stock, which although it is no lightweight, recoil is tamed to roughly 30-06 levels IMHO.
BEST $600 I ever spent.
I also have an S2 vanguard in .223rem and it is wicked accurate. I cannot say enough good things about Weatherby. I also love their pump and semi shotguns. Bang for buck all the way. Maybe some older generation O/U shotguns had reliability issues...
But none that I know of the smear the company's reputation. B.S. if you ask me.
 
I haven't got anything against the lower end Vanguard and the MK V is a well made rifle. I even recommend Vanguard/Howa rifles to new hunters looking for their first gun. However..... For the sake of those who love Weatherby rifles I'm just going to stop right there and end it with, there not for me.
 
Weatherbys have traditionally been a product of extremes; and marketed as such. Extreme velocities for the day (and not too shabby today) , extreme stock designs in a day when telescopic sights were still thought to be a fad, extreme price tags for rifles and ammunitition, and extreme advertising. If someone wanted to be a critic; they had plenty of material to work with. Motives can be defending whatever they had, bashing people with more money, or different tastes, a hatred for the ads, a hatred for the people who would respond favorably to such advertising. Then there's elitism; some of it real and some of it imagined. The second is more common; with critics often shocked that the owners didn't care what they thought. Predictably; that made them even madder.

So what are we left with? Well, Roy was largely right about velocity, and his stock designs worked well with scopes. The Mark Vs are a solid rifle and if they aren't the strongest action made they aren't off by much. Luxury priced items can attract their share of dicks, and negative comments from others. For some that's the point. Outspoken critics have their share of dicks too, and many of them don't have a clue. Lots of emotion. Emotion sells.

The Vanguards are a solid choice; and one of the biggest values in rifles. They are a great action with few manufacturing shortcuts and almost always shoot. Unfortunately they get hammered from all sides. Some of the Mark V guys hate them for diluting the prestige of their luxury item. Some resent the cheaper gun frequently out-shooting their expensive one. Some people resent all things Weatherby and their owners. There's enough emotion to go around and it all helps sales. The critics weren't going to buy ione anyway.
 
doc25 said:
The bad name may come from use as a dg rifle. Cartridges sticking in the heat I believe. Not a Mauser Action. Those sort of things.
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The flip side of that is the MK-V is the slickest feeding DG rifle of all time due to it's straight line feeding from a single stack magazine, and handloads takes care of sticky actions in the heat. Areas where I think there were honest criticisms were with the 9 lug action and in some cases too light a contour barrel. In the early days before CNC machining, it was very difficult to get equal bearing on all 9 lugs. Consider for a moment how many two lug bolts have shiny rub marks on just one lug, or heavier rub marks on one lug than the other.

The barrel contour particularly of the 26" .300 Weatherby, made it very whippy. Now the logic was plain enough, a 26" barrel got the most out of the overbore cartridge, without needing to add wheels and a lanyard to the rifle, but a heavier barrel would have ruined the balance, making it too muzzle heavy. Related to the light contour barrel, is the accuracy question. Deservedly or not, The MK-Vs were frequently criticized for being less than tack drivers. Part of the problem might have been the long bullet jump that Weatherby machined into the lead as another velocity enhancing technique, making it impossible to minimize the bullet jump with rounds that were fed from the magazine. I doubt that accuracy was as bad as was often reported, but the following example is from my own experiences.

I was at the range one day with my M-700 ADL in .30/06, with a cheap Bushnell 3-9X scope in Weaver mounts. At the next bench was a fellow with his MK-V in .300 Weatherby with a Leupold scope, but I don't recall what mounts he had, it was a long time ago now, perhaps they were Conetrol, and his rifle was resting in a very nice benchrest. I was shooting off sandbags. I was impressed with his outfit, he had those expensive C-Clamp style micrometers to measure case head expansion, and he busily wrote stuff down after each shot. It was only a 100 yard range, so neither of us had the opportunity that day to stretch the legs of our rifles, but at a pause in the shooting, we wandered down to check our groups. Typical for my rig, the group was about .75" from a 165 gr Hornady over a compressed charge of Ammo Mart 4831 equivalent powder. His group was an inch bigger. When we got back to our benches, he asked what I was shooting, because he found my muzzle blast objectionable. So his accuracy while sufficient for big game hunting, wasn't the sort that induces excitement from a rifleman. So what was behind the Weatherby's poor showing? Too light and whippy a barrel, uneven bearing surfaces on the lugs, too long a lead, or just a shooter upset by the muzzle blast from my rifle?

Some years ago, a particularly gunny South African doctor here procured a MK-V in .30-378 topped with a 16X MK 4 Leupold. At a half mile, he rang the steel plates much easier than I could with my .308 target rifle, a tricked out 700. Oh yes, there was a 60K full value cross wind blowing, driving horizontal rain. No problem with the accuracy of that Weatherby, even under miserable conditions. Could have been just a tighter nut behind the trigger.
 
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krausb said:
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?
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I haven't heard anything negative about Weatherby either, in fact, I've heard the opposite.

I think a lot of the "inexpensive" rifles get hated on by the gun snobs out there. Savage is a perfect example of this. Agreed, they don't have the fit and finish of a more expensive rifle but in my opinion (and that's what it is, an opinion) the premium you pay for some rifles just to get something that looks a bit prettier and is a bit smoother is too much.

I looked at the Weatherby's/Howa's when I was researching my last purchase and ended up going with a Savage 10 FCP-SR because I couldn't find a heavy barrel HOWA in the caliber I wanted. I think the HOWA is a bit "nicer" gun than the Savage but I seriously doubt it is any more accurate.

EDIT: For what its worth, I am more than happy with my Savage.
 
Most likely, Weatherby's aren't considered accurate because alot of their proprietary rounds are too powerful and induce a big flinch in most. I shot a 30-378 once........that was enough.
 
I own 4 Vanguards at present, and have owned about a half dozen Howa/Vanguard rifles over the years.

I am a Reminton 700 Fan, and don't feel a bit ashamed of saying so. I have been more than pleased with
M700 rifles in every chambering from 17 Remington up to 375 H&H.[plus several builds on 700 actions]

However, I have yet to own a "bad" Howa/Vanguard rifle. Other than the triggers on some S1 Vanguards,
zero complaints. Not one failed to shoot moa with loads they liked. All were guns that felt good in the hands.
Feeding and extraction - flawless. I have yet to hear a negative comment about them [except 1 on here].
I think they are a quality rifle at an affordable price. Dave.
 
Dogleg said:
Weatherbys have traditionally been a product of extremes; and marketed as such. Extreme velocities for the day (and not too shabby today) , extreme stock designs in a day when telescopic sights were still thought to be a fad, extreme price tags for rifles and ammunitition, and extreme advertising. If someone wanted to be a critic; they had plenty of material to work with. Motives can be defending whatever they had, bashing people with more money, or different tastes, a hatred for the ads, a hatred for the people who would respond favorably to such advertising. Then there's elitism; some of it real and some of it imagined. The second is more common; with critics often shocked that the owners didn't care what they thought. Predictably; that made them even madder.

So what are we left with? Well, Roy was largely right about velocity, and his stock designs worked well with scopes. The Mark Vs are a solid rifle and if they aren't the strongest action made they aren't off by much. Luxury priced items can attract their share of dicks, and negative comments from others. For some that's the point. Outspoken critics have their share of dicks too, and many of them don't have a clue. Lots of emotion. Emotion sells.

The Vanguards are a solid choice; and one of the biggest values in rifles. They are a great action with few manufacturing shortcuts and almost always shoot. Unfortunately they get hammered from all sides. Some of the Mark V guys hate them for diluting the prestige of their luxury item. Some resent the cheaper gun frequently out-shooting their expensive one. Some people resent all things Weatherby and their owners. There's enough emotion to go around and it all helps sales. The critics weren't going to buy ione anyway.
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That's one of the most eloquent and detailed explanations I've seen on this topic, ever, let alone on CGN. You hit the nail squarely on the head- kudos to you, sir.
 
In my experience for the target market in Canada, the hinged floorplate kills it for a lot of new hunters, and even old-timers looking for a new rifle. That being said I love my Weatherby Vanguard Varmint and I'm looking forward to Coyote hunting with it. In my time in firearms sales it's much easier to sell a rifle that has its value shown. When you start getting into the finer points of actions alot of people are not that into it. They all have their pluses and minuses and when I'm asked I put my own opinions to the side and I tell people the truth. Get something that fits you are comfortable with. Firearms have a very mental edge to them and when your comfortable and believe in what you purchased you will shoot better. That's just me though!
 
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