Weatherby Vanguard Wilderness review

[JeffRaines]

Morrey - feel free to piggyback on here. We can actually be some of the first folks to post photo reviews/grouping on these!

So, I was in the market for something that could push some bigger bullets than my other rifles, and I didn't have an '06 in my collection, so I picked this gun out. Trying to find reviews on this thing that aren't just an announcement is next to impossible, hours of googling found me nothing. No real world reviews, save for the two or so on Weatherbys website.

This was purchased to be a hunting rifle. I'm not a competitive shooter by any means, and I'm not really a collector so I'm not looking to put this in a case and have it displayed. I do some high country hunting along with your standard low country day hunt stuff, so the weight was a nice point. I know they make lighter guns, but trying to find one in this price range with a two-stage trigger... yeah. I have a couple Tikkas and while they're extremely nice guns, finding a two-stage trigger for them is hard. Finding one for a reasonable(to me) price is even harder if not impossible.

So, I took the plunge and ordered it when I found out the price had dropped a bit($700 shipped).

I was originally interested in throwing a LimbSaver AirTech recoil pad on this gun, but a email to Weatherby nixed that idea. However, it does come with a Decelerator pad installed(their website doesn't reflect this). Just something to keep in mind.

I've only got a few photos at the moment... I ended up pairing this with Talley lightweight rings. I found a used Nikon Monarch 4-16x50 on some local forums for a can't beat it price so I bought it. To be honest, it was originally advertised as a 4-16x42, I would have preferred the smaller objective due to weight but at the price I can't complain.




The finish is, for the most part, great. I did find one small defect....



It looks like there is some kind of finish issue where the barrel meets the receiver , however I don't think it will effect much if anything. If anyone thinks it will please chime in!

I've bought some 200gr Hornady ELD-X bullets to try in here. I was originally planning on the 178s, but they're pretty unavailable. I also considered some Nosler ABLRs, but the pricing is steep on those.

Its gonna be a few weeks before I can get this out to the range as deer season starts Saturday. Hopefully I can get something going on in the next week or two as far as a range trip goes.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I love it.
I like my standard model Vanguard just fine but it is a heavy rifle.

Those come in at only 6 pounds and some change. Looks great too.

Congrats.

 

[JeffRaines]

I love it.
I like my standard model Vanguard just fine but it is a heavy rifle.

Those come in at only 6 pounds and some change. Looks great too.

Congrats.

Yeah I'd say it's sitting at about 8.3ish with the scope and rings. Not too shabby. It's no kimber montana or mountain ascent... but then again it's not the same price point either.

 

[Inebriated]

Very nice looking rifle.

I look forward to seeing how it shoots, especially for the price point.

 

[Casefull]

Tell us how it shoots when you can.

 

[JeffRaines]

I will be updating with results as soon as I get them.

I did measure the throats the other day and, at least this one, is very short. Cartridges loaded to max oal are into the lands.

 

[jmr40]

The factory pad will be just fine, don't worry.

Put it on some postal scales and let us know the complete weight. I don't think it'll be a true featherweight, but I've found that around 7-7.5 lbs scoped is a good balance between carry ability and shoot ability. I don't seem to shoot anything heavier any better, but if I get much below 7 lbs it can be a factor. That weight is manageable on recoil too. I bet you're in that range, or could be with a lighter scope.

 

[JeffRaines]

The factory pad will be just fine, don't worry.

Put it on some postal scales and let us know the complete weight. I don't think it'll be a true featherweight, but I've found that around 7-7.5 lbs scoped is a good balance between carry ability and shoot ability. I don't seem to shoot anything heavier any better, but if I get much below 7 lbs it can be a factor. That weight is manageable on recoil too. I bet you're in that range, or could be with a lighter scope.

I don't have any postal scales unfortunately. If the listed weight is even close, then I'm fairly sure you could get it down to 7.5 lbs with a leupold ultralight scope. As far as featherweight status, yeah definitely not... however I'm not sure I'd want a '06 in a gun that's sub 7lbs. My buddy has one, and while I don't consider myself recoil sensitive I wouldn't want to shoot it more than I had to. Thing packs a wallop shooting 150s!

 

[hawk45]

I've been eyeing up one of these or the AccuGuard. Would love to hear your thoughts after getting it out to the range.

 

[magnatecman]

Any range updates? I am really wanting one of these rifles too!

 

[hawk45]

Got mine in .270 Win all setup and loads done. Just need a few hours of range time to see what she likes.
(Wearing Leupold VX3i 4.5-14x40 CDS Windplex with side focus in low Talley 30mm rings)

 

[Eleanor416Rigby]

A couple of thoughts on the recoil pad issue:

1. Does the game you intend to hunt require 200 gr bullets? I noticed you wrote that you want to push bigger bullets, so this might not be negotiable for you, but there are lighter bullets that can cleanly take big game.
2. Is that composite stock hollow in the butt section? If so, you can fill it with 4-6 lbs of lead when you are going to the range and then empty it for hunting.
3. For me, there is a HUGE difference between shooting with the butt on my pectoral muscle compared to the thin-fleshed bony area in my shoulder. The former, I can do in a t-shirt with no problem. The latter is like being bullied on the school bus. I haven't felt how 30-06 and .300 win mag compare, but I suspect they are not too far apart. I'm a smallish guy at about 150 lbs, but I've been shooting .300 win mag since I was a 130lb teen.
4. Have you looked into those "EVO shield" shooting shirts with the custom-fit pad? I'm not sure if they work, but they might help. They seem popular among competition shot gunners.

 

[wombat13]

Is the stock hollow? This looks like it might be a great rifle for my daughter, but I'd probably want to have a gunsmith shorten the length of pull.

 

[Grayrock]

My go-to rifle when I absolutely want to be sure of a hit is my Vanguard in .270 Win. Mine is a VX (I think) with a beautiful rosewood tipped walnut stock. My first nice rifle purchase when I first started working almost 30 years ago. It's favorite ammo was the Winchester FailSafe- which is no longer available

 

[magnatecman]

Got mine in .270 Win all setup and loads done. Just need a few hours of range time to see what she likes.
(Wearing Leupold VX3i 4.5-14x40 CDS Windplex with side focus in low Talley 30mm rings)

View attachment 225484

That is one sweet looking rifle you have there hawk45! Have you had a chance to get it to the range yet?

 

[dranrab]

Is the stock hollow? This looks like it might be a great rifle for my daughter, but I'd probably want to have a gunsmith shorten the length of pull.

These are pretty light with a shorter barrel and the ability to lengthen LOP over time.

http://www.weatherby.com/vanguardr-synthetic-compact.html

 

[JeffRaines]

Sorry about the lack of updates guys, hunting season is still kicking over here so its been one of those "I'm gonna do it this weekend!" things that hasn't happened yet... couple that with having a 4 month old and free time is at a premium! I did take it out a few weekends ago very shortly with a friend of mine to help her sight in her bow and give her an idea of different hunting rifles. I didn't want to be the boring person trying to test loads with the limited amount of time we had. We ran a box of Federal 150s through it. With that said, the groups were hovering around MOA, so I'm sure that here in a few weeks when I can go out and spend a day really shooting it with my handloads it will perform. I'll update here when I take that trip.

A couple of thoughts on the recoil pad issue:

1. Does the game you intend to hunt require 200 gr bullets? I noticed you wrote that you want to push bigger bullets, so this might not be negotiable for you, but there are lighter bullets that can cleanly take big game.
2. Is that composite stock hollow in the butt section? If so, you can fill it with 4-6 lbs of lead when you are going to the range and then empty it for hunting.
3. For me, there is a HUGE difference between shooting with the butt on my pectoral muscle compared to the thin-fleshed bony area in my shoulder. The former, I can do in a t-shirt with no problem. The latter is like being bullied on the school bus. I haven't felt how 30-06 and .300 win mag compare, but I suspect they are not too far apart. I'm a smallish guy at about 150 lbs, but I've been shooting .300 win mag since I was a 130lb teen.
4. Have you looked into those "EVO shield" shooting shirts with the custom-fit pad? I'm not sure if they work, but they might help. They seem popular among competition shot gunners.

1. I purchased this for a heavier game rifle. Mainly Elk, but bear wouldn't be out of the question with it either. I know both can be taken with lighter bullets. Speaking of this, I did pick up a box of 180 Accubonds to try out as well.
2. The stock is a B&C. I'm not sure if its hollow, but the recoil pad is permanently attached.
3,4,5 Shooting 150s the thing is a pussycat. While I know 180s and 200s will hit a bit harder, I don't think I'll have an issue with the stock recoil pad or recoil of the rifle in general.