Weatherby vs Winchester

M

MilesE

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For my first rifle I was looking for a .300 win mag (I'm open to thoughts and opinions on this) and I have come across the Weatherby vanguard and Winchester xpr. I like the features of both and know I should get a feel for how either feel before I buy one. But I would appreciate any insight on these rifles if anyone has experience. To be honest I'm leaning towards the Weatherby.

M
 
If the weatherby fits you well... Its a great choice. One of the best bangs for your buck on a rifle.

The looks are not my favorite, but aside from that, its near flawless.

As for 300WM, - thats a hefty kicking rifle - especially for a new shooter.

What are you planning on doing with the rifle? Hunting, or target?
 
Miles.....don't be concerned with recoil. Both rifles will be heavy enough to shoot properly without that concern. I have both my boys into bigger rifles (16 and 13 years old) the youngest shoots a .30-06 in a 7 lb Remington and the eldest shoots a .300 win mag in the same weight rifle. Both boys have put 40+ rounds down range in a single outing. Get the rifle that feels good in your hands in .300 win mag. And enjoy. If you don't hand load buy some cheaper ammo to start with and shoot it lots. Use the premium ammo for hunting.....just ensure your zeroed and the gun likes that particular ammo!

Just remember that the .300 Win will exert lots of energy at closer ranges 300 yards and under so make sure you choose a stout bullet to stand up to the impact!!
 
apapro said:
Miles.....don't be concerned with recoil. Both rifles will be heavy enough to shoot properly without that concern. I have both my boys into bigger rifles (16 and 13 years old) the youngest shoots a .30-06 in a 7 lb Remington and the eldest shoots a .300 win mag in the same weight rifle. Both boys have put 40+ rounds down range in a single outing. Get the rifle that feels good in your hands in .300 win mag. And enjoy. If you don't hand load buy some cheaper ammo to start with and shoot it lots. Use the premium ammo for hunting.....just ensure your zeroed and the gun likes that particular ammo!

Just remember that the .300 Win will exert lots of energy at closer ranges 300 yards and under so make sure you choose a stout bullet to stand up to the impact!!
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I'm not sure why you suggest not being concerned with recoil.
What goes with recoil is muzzle blast and sometimes flash.
What we do not know about MilesE is his/her experience with either events.
Recoil can be tamed with heft of gun and a soft cushy recoil pad and that helps assist in the absorption of recoil.
The weight of either gun in a hunting weight will be the other part.

Weatherby or a Weatherby Vanguard as there is a significant amount of cash between those two and the there is a Winchester to contend with.
Buy a Weatherby Vanguard 2 and you should have money left over to buy good scope rings/bases and then a scope of decent quality too.

Just spit ballin here,
Tight Groups,
Rob
 
Weatherby vanguard by a landslide. I noticed a recall recently on the xpr. As far as I am concerned budget rifles don't exist. Plastic fantastic throwaway junk. Sorry if I offended anyone but they are just a waste of money. The Weatherby is considered budget to some but are by far the best for the money and better than ones costing hundreds more.
As for caliber, I would go with a .30-06 instead of .300 win. Cheap readily available ammo. Less recoil. Trust me animals will not notice the difference and shooting will improve. I am not really recoil sensitive as I have shot and owned all the ultra mats for years. Shot the 06 one day and was so much more comfortable and shockingly enough animals still died the same.
http://www.winchesterguns.com/library/articles/detail.asp?id=746
 
apapro said:
Miles.....don't be concerned with recoil. Both rifles will be heavy enough to shoot properly without that concern. I have both my boys into bigger rifles (16 and 13 years old) the youngest shoots a .30-06 in a 7 lb Remington and the eldest shoots a .300 win mag in the same weight rifle. Both boys have put 40+ rounds down range in a single outing. Get the rifle that feels good in your hands in .300 win mag. And enjoy. If you don't hand load buy some cheaper ammo to start with and shoot it lots. Use the premium ammo for hunting.....just ensure your zeroed and the gun likes that particular ammo!

Just remember that the .300 Win will exert lots of energy at closer ranges 300 yards and under so make sure you choose a stout bullet to stand up to the impact!!
Click to expand...

I think that advising a new shooter to start with a 300WM is terrible advice. In a usable hunting weight rifle the 300 will recoil too much for a new shooter. That's not speculation, it's a fact. Recoil can be mitigated by adding weight or adding a muzzle brake. A brake has the disadvantage of increasing the noise and blast felt by a shooter. This will cause a flinch faster than recoil alone. And of course, the 300 can be downloaded to 30-06'velocities however you need to be a practiced reloader, not something that new shooters tend to be. Am30-06, however, does not need to be loaded down and managed recoil ammunition will decrease it to the level of a 308 with ease. A 30-06 offers more versatility to grow with a new shooter and is capable of handling heavy bullets better than a 308. Don't get me wrong, a 300WM is a great and versatile cartridge, but it's a bit like handing a kid the keys to a CBR600 for his first ride. Just not really responsible.
 
Take a long look at this 700 CDL for $750...much nicer stock, mag fed, not much more then the Vanguard.
http://www.cabelas.ca/product/29622/remington-model-700-cdl-dm-bolt-action-rifle
 
.300 WM is a lot of rifle for a beginner. A .270 Win and 30-06 is what I use and it will take anything in Canada with no problems. Parker Hale 1200SC in .270 Win was my go to rifle. I'd buy a Weatherby Vanguard Series II before the Winchester. Awesome gun for the money and guaranteed sub MOA.
 
I've owned a Howa 1500 Lightning in .300win mag for 10 years (same as Vanguard, both made by Howa) without a hitch. Been my go to rifle since I got it.
I Recently got a Ruger Alaskan in .375 Ruger (both guns wear Hogue stocks) cause I love killing things MORE dead than .300winmag can do!!!
 
jackrabbit000 said:
.300 WM is a lot of rifle for a beginner. A .270 Win and 30-06 is what I use and it will take anything in Canada with no problems. Parker Hale 1200SC in .270 Win was my go to rifle. I'd buy a Weatherby Vanguard Series II before the Winchester. Awesome gun for the money and guaranteed sub MOA.
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^^ Yup ...... Funny how the new shooters all gravitate towards magnums and then as yrs go by back off to std chamberings like the ones you mention.

Nary a magnum in the bunch I own. 358Winchester and 30/06 for bigger stuff and 270Win/257Roberts for deer. The 257 remains my fave and I could very live w/o the 358 keeping the '06.
 
Hunting. I liked the idea of a rifle that could do everything. I'm not "new new" to shooting and I'm not too concerned about any of the kick it might deliver. of course i say that now but after getting it sighted i might have a different opinion.
 
MilesE said:
Hunting. I liked the idea of a rifle that could do everything. I'm not "new new" to shooting and I'm not too concerned about any of the kick it might deliver. of course i say that now but after getting it sighted i might have a different opinion.
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What do you currently own and how long have you been shooting?
 
I might be over confident or just naive to the kick this cal. might deliver. I have shot a fair bit with my 12 gauge and friends rifles, I just havent bought myself a rifle yet. Maybe my pride has me thinking i can handle the recoil. Does physical stature help with controlling recoil or is it more about experience?
 
What is your intended purpose for the rifle... "hunting" what? Where? .300 WM may well be more than required... or it may be perfect.
 
Recoil is all about Newton's "equal and opposite reaction". The faster you send something squirting out the muzzle and the more that something weighs, the more recoil energy you'll have come back at you.

Similar to the way you feel more impact colliding with a large person versus a child, so goes recoil. Small guys tend to roll with the recoil more than heavier shooters who have more inertia. For example, LPR is a friend of mine and my 416 Rigby was no problem to him off hand. On the other hand, having 60 lbs on him at that time, I soaked up a lot more recoil. That said, I would recommend that you make friends with someone with a 300 and shoot it a bit from sitting, kneeling and especially prone, to ensure that you know exactly what you're getting yourself into. You'll know after a couple decent range sessions.
 
I would suggest getting a rifle in .270 Win and you might not need another one for a long while.
Flat shooter, solid power for most anything that you will consider hunting as a beginner/ intermediate hunter, modest recoil and excellent availability of reasonably priced ammo pretty much anywhere.
 
Miles...you can always run the managed recoil ammo from Remington to start with and get comfortable with the .300 win. Then go into full power loads later on....either way you'll have extra brass if you ever take up reloading or know someone who does and you trust!!
 
Miles, don't listen to APApro. He shoots a 338 Lapua:) Get a used 30-06 and you will be happy. If you still want a 300 mag next season, there will always be guys willing to trade down in recoil.
 
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