Weatherby Nation

I've wanted a Weatherby since I was a kid.  The name stood for uncompromising quality and pride in craftsmanship. I finally got one -- a  new Vanguard Sub MOA in 300WSM. 

I dry fired it in the store, and I was underwhelmed by the trigger: heavy, creepy, and gritty. The sales guy said it was adjustable, so I thought, "OK, I've always wanted a Weatherby, and I'm sure the trigger will be OK after I adjust it."  The manual said to only adjust the pull, not the creep, so I followed instructions.  At the range, the trigger was miserable, very creepy and bumpy.  Seemed to take forever before it broke and like my sight picture was bouncing all over the place.  (I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea.)  On Monday I called Weatherby and they gave me the name of a factory authorized gunsmith.  I dropped it off there yesterday, which required a 25-30 mi. drive. The smith said he'd reduce the creep and stone the surfaces -- at no charge to me.

Weatherby is going to "make it good," but this seems like a lot of unnecesssary time and expense for both parties.  This was something that I noticed at the store, so Weatherby could have caught it at the factory.  I'm very disappointed in them.  Seems like just another company throwing out mediocre products in hopes that most customers will accept them.

Well, I will say this to you or anyone including Weatherby that the uncompromising rifle is the Mark V.  Now the gunsmith is going to repair your rifle and it is for free which says a lot for Weatherby service which I think is good.  If you wanted a Weatherby since being a kid and you wanted uncompromising results you should have bought a Mark V.  That does not mean that the Mark V has not had issues from time to time but like your rifle Weatherby fixed it.  For what it is the Vanguard is a good rifle.  Now this might get some of you vanguard people in an uproar and Weatherby on the defense but that is expected.  The Vanguard for what it is is a good rifle but the Mark V is and excellent rifle from receiver to trigger group to stock and barrel whether it is the 6 lug or 9 lug Mark V.  The Vanguard has a great barrel and good stock but as far as I am concerned it is not the real deal.  I have owned two Vanguards, one was in 300Wby and the other in 300Win mag. You want the real deal that really says Weatherby in it's finest then one should get a Mark V.  Now my post will surely stir up some blood but "it is what it is".   

What CiruitRider said is true, you still bought the for a lack of a better word ''economy'' version of a Weatherby. ITs a great rifle but will lack the luster of the flagship. Plus, just about all rifles have heavy creepy triggers from the factory theses days, its called a ''lawyer trigger''. It keeps the lawsuits down from idiots playing with their guns and shooting someone because they didn't know it would shoot that easy.

The trigger is definately a weak point and they realize that. They do however adjust pretty good. With all the high quality triggers coming out recently on hunting rifles like the accutrigger, x mark pro etc.. I wouldn't be surprised if Weatherby came up with their own version of a premium trigger. This trigger may be helping to keep the cost down on the Vanguard and thats a good thing. It will be fine after adjustedment.

As has been said, the trigger is a weak point in the Vanguard but they are, overall, a good quality rifle.  Look at the price and understand that most in this price range also have their "little issues".  I was fortunate with my Vanguard Stainless Sporter in that the trigger isn't too bad.  It's not the trigger of my Accumark but when it's less then a third the price I can understand that.  I paid almost as much for my Ruger and had to have my smith work his trigger magic on it.  There wasn't much creep but, man, that 9 lb pull was outrageous.  I believe you will find it to be a good rifle that you reach for everytime.

Ken....

I have 3 Vanguards and 1 Mark V. Circuit Rider nailed it. The Mark V is an amazing rifle but it should be! 2 of 3 of my Vanguards the trigger cleaned right up . The one that didn't was replaced by me with a Timney and what a difference! For $100 you can have a trigger on that will make that rifle feel completely different and much better!

Flynt,

Just to let you know, I had the same problem on my .257 and so I sent it back (I already live in California   ). Weatherby told me that they had received a lot of complaints about the trigger and so they had started adjusting all of the triggers at the factory. It sounds like you might have picked one up that shipped to the dealer prior to the start of factory adjustments. I hope you'll be happy once your rifles comes back, I know I am with mine.

BTW, don't let these people talk crap about your Vanguard. That's your Weatherby, and just because you couldn't/didn't drop $1500-$2000 on your rifle doesn't mean that it is any less of a Weatherby. I wouldn't part with my Vanguard for anything...

you know that every body in this room cannot afford a MV.including myself i live on a fixed income medical retired,so i was so happy to have a vanguard,i bought 5years agothen this year i was abke to get stainles vanguardin 257 wby.i really love to shoot this gun,my first van. is a 300 wby and its a shooter
but i think that when you buy a weatherby,you should not have worrry about flaws

No one said his Vanguard was less of a Weatherby product.  But it is not an uncompromising product by Weatherby because if it was you would be paying 1500-2000 dollars for it and it would rival the Mark V.  Weatherby has Howa make it for them so they can sell an economic rifle and gain some of the mid to low end market share and profit so they can continue to exist in this tough market.  It is what it is a Vanguard and not a Mark V.  It is true most of the time that you get what you pay for and I think for the Money you could not do better than the Vanguard.

I have three Vanguards, and two Mark Vs. The Mark V are the premier rifles in my gun safe, but i always reach for my Vanguards instead of the Remingtons, Rugers,and Winchesters that i have. For the money i dont think you can beat a Vanguard, and yes i put Timny triggers on all of them.

Weatherby put a fine no frills rifle within the reach of hunters on limited incomes when they introduced the Vanguard.

I personally wouldnt feel let down. The weatherby vanguards are a great value. I think they are far and above remington, ruger etc. And by the way the trigger on my newest remington is total garbage! and the few rugers that I have owned are the same way. This is an industry standard. The vanguards are very reasonably priced, they are accurate, they wear nice stocks with the same racey lines as the mark V's and the pricing allows some tweaking to be done. I gave $399 for my vanguard 257 wby and even with the trigger job, rings and bases I was still well under the $500 mark and with the savings on the price of the rifle you will have some room for good optics. Now thats value in my book!!

My SUBMOA chambered in 338 Win Mag came with a trigger that broke like a glass rod and no creep.  Weatherby will make it right. 

As for the Vanguard not being a Mark V...well it's not.  The black bear I pounded with my Vanguard SUBMOA this spring didn't complain at all about being shot with a lowly "Vanguard".  A person can spend a lot of money on a custom rifle.  One that is lovingly built by a team of master craftsman.  It will fit your dimensions perfectly and be incredibly accurate.  It will be better than a Mark V and it will cost you a lot more money too!

IMHO, you got a great rifle at a great price!   

Nice to read all the helpful replies.  It is true that we now hand tune all the triggers before leaving the factory and I have to say after it has had this adjustment the trigger is very very good.  As I have mentioned before here on the Nation if anyone has a trigger on the Vanguard they are not satisfied with please contact us so we can have your rifle returned and the trigger adjusted properly.  I apologize that it was not done in the first place and know it is a bit of a hassle to return it.  We do appreciate however the opportunity to make it right.

Ed Weatherby

Hello Ed,

Glad to see you stand behind your product and post here.

Not many ( any?) gun companies can match the reputation your dad and family have created. I was fortunate enough to purchase a blem Orion ~15 years ago when your store was in the LA area, and love it and it's ability to catch the ear of others when I say I own a Weatherby shotgun. I am currently waiting the 10 days of heck for my 1998 ultralight 300 to be released to me, and have already learned how your company is a family I feel I joined again. Excellent tech support, your records show every detail of my toy, and it seems your staff cares to please the customer.

I hope to drive the 4 hours down to your store in the near future, probably with my father in law to show your staff the early 50's 270 wby mauser and for suggestions.

Thanks for what your family has done for us shooters

Allen

Ed I absolutely love Weatherby rifles.  My latest Vanguard had a decent trigger pull but alot of creep. I broke the rule and adjused the creep screw my slef and it now breaks like a glass rod and the safety still functions properly(i'm not reccomending this to people nor would I do it for other people, but it is MY rifle.) My ony question is do I have to send my rifle back or can I purchase an upgraded stock. I want to upgrade to the Vanguard ultralight stock.