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In 1945, Roy Weatherby made it his mission to bring the idea of “one shot-kills are best achieved with high-speed and lightweight bullets” into the world of cartridge and rifle making. Ergo, he opened a Weatherby’s Sporting Goods shop in California. This was a humble beginning of the world’s prominent mark on the gun industry.
Travelling back in time, to 1940s, this is when Weatherby began his cartridge business. These paved the way for a vast development in ballistics. Some of his cartridges, including the .257 and .270 Weatherby Magnums, remain the fastest in their calibre class, and are still in production today.
While Weatherby’s cartridge business grew, there was also a need for a bolt-action capable of handling the magnum power. And this is how the legend – the strongest bolt-action rifle Mark V – was born. Soon after, others followed. In the 1960s the company added a line of shotguns called Orion and Athena, a Patrician pump, and Centurion semi-automatics.
Weatherby, Inc. was in for a crazy ride, as in May of 1961, Fred Jennie helped create a prototype model .22 rimfire rifle, which went by the name Mark XXII. The Vanguard rifles were then introduced for some of the world’s most popular big game and varmint cartridges. Weatherby’s son Ed was passed the torch and took over the company in 1983, but he held on to the rifle’s typical looks and the characteristics of being reliable and well-made.
Figure 1: Weatherby Vanguard (Source: https://weatherby.com/store/vanguard-synthetic-green/)
The beginnings of the Vanguard rifle date back to 1960s, when Weatherby reached a decision to design a more cost-effective rifle that can chamber Weatherby’s signature Magnum cartridges. This Japanese rifle, produced by their partner Howa, has a fluted body, like the Mark V one, which leads to smoother performance.
This fast, flat-shooting rifle sports a Howa 2-lug push-feed action, a fully shrouded bolt and three gas ports on the bolt body, supplying the firearm with protection in case of an ammunition failure. Different models have different barrel lengths, varying from 51 cm to 61 cm. Vanguard has two different action lengths based on the cartridge lengths, namely short action (this one) and long action, with two bores on the front mounting surface and two on the rear mounting surface.
Vanguard has a fluted bolt body, which cuts the rifle’s weight, in addition to a fully enclosed bolt sleeve. The latter also diverts the direction of high-pressure gasses and brass particles if a case rapture occurs. Weatherby used synthetic materials and ended up with a smooth-running push-feed rifle ready to take on Weatherby Magnums for a bargain-basement price.
All Weatherby Vanguard receivers come with four holes for mounting purposes, two on the front and two on the rear mounting surface.
Figure 2: The receiver of Weatherby Vanguard (source: https://weatherby.com/store/vanguard-synthetic-green/)
The Rifle (SA) Comes in 16 Variations:
Badlands
Camilla
Camilla Wilderness
First Lite
High Country
HUSH Edition
Laminate Sporter
MeatEater Edition
MultiCam
Sporter
Synthetic
Synthetic Compact Blue
Synthetic Compact
Synthetic Green
Weatherguard
Weatherguard Bronze
The Rifle is Chambered For:
.22-250 Rem.
.223 Rem.
.243 Win.
6.5 Creedmoor
7mm-08 Rem.
.308 Win.
*Calibre choice depends on the model
A: 21.9 mm B: 98.7 mm C: 15.3 mm BHU: 3.2 mm Fi: 6-48 R1: R60 R2: R17
All the rifles listed in the category below have two-piece mounts interchangeable with Weatherby Vanguard SA. To meet interchangeability conditions, two-piece mounts must match in all dimensions except the B distance. B distance can vary because two-piece mounts can be installed and adjusted closer or further apart. Rifles that meet such criteria are:
Weatherby Vanguard LA
Weatherby 300
Weatherby Europa 300
Howa 1500
Weatherby Mark V
BRNO Scandinavian
BSA Repetierer
Churchill Highlander
Sabatti Rover
For one-piece mounts to fit on a rifle, mounting surfaces must match in every dimension. Rifles that share one-piece mounts with Weatherby Vanguard SA are:
Howa 1500 SA
CZ 550 Scandinavia
Manufactured by the German company MAK, this fixed two-piece mounting solution comes with a thirty-year warranty and will match the mounting surface dimensions of Weatherby Vanguard SA perfectly.
Being made of steel, this two-piece pivot mount manufactured by the Croatian company Rusan is recoil resistant and comes with a ten-year warranty.
This Picatinny rail produced by the Italian company Contessa is made entirely of steel and comes with a thirty-year warranty. Its length matches the dimensions of Weatherby vanguard SA mounting surface perfectly.
If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.
Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: [email protected]
