Weatherby Vanguard Camilla.... wife's happy...
- Thread starter JJEH
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Protocall_Design
Vendor
I'd have a big grin too, with a rifle like that! What makes the stock on this one "female friendly"? It's not pink...
OP
JJEH
Member
Great question. A team of female shooters led by Brenda Weatherby (Adam Weatherby's wife) got together with the goal of finding a rifle for women by women
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqxEV9sK1k0[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxEEjH2aVjI[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y49YWUQb75Q[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khpgsU6w200[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXysRAmWslw[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRfs4Ps2GN4[/ame]
I think this is great. They offer two Vanguard- and two Mark V versions.... one with plastic stock, one with wooden stock.
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Ivan the Butcher
Member
I had 3 1985 Vanguard VGX models. A 22-250, 270 Winchester, & 300 Win. Mag. The 22-250 shot 1/4" or smaller 100 yard groups with Federal Premium 50 grain ammo. The 270 has taken the #5 record holder Pronghorn. I had the 300 Mag-na-Ported and iron sights as well as a 3x9 Compact Leupold scope. Offhand I've gotten a three shot group to cloverleaf with Federal Premium 200 grain GameKing. (That gun didn't seem to like any 180 grain ammo or load I gave it, but really likes the 200 GameKing in factory or hand loads!) I sold the 22-250 about 10 years ago and gave the 270 to my pastor in 1988 (he shot the Pronghorn!)
In 1985 Vanguards had a 3 shot guarantee of 1.5" The 22-250 and 270 had factory targets of around 1.25" out of the box. I was not impressed! but noticed the ammo used was the lowest grade of Remington you could buy. With good ammo the do just fine. The 300 had been tested 4 times before they found the ammo that fulfilled the guarantee (also junk Remington), but my previous experience told me to be patient with it and I would be rewarded. After 7 types of 150 and 180 grain I went up to 200. The Federal Premium with the 200 grain Sierra GameKing, was the first and only 200 grain I tried. The ammo isn't on every gun store shelf, so I buy it when I see it. I try to keep 4 or 5 boxes around but currently have 8! (I got very lucky at a gun show!)
I also had a Mark V Hunter (plane walnut matt stock) in 375 H&H Mag. the factory target was with lower grade Remington, 270 grain semi spitzer. The 3 shot factory group was 5/8 inch. I shot lots of 300 grain spitzer boat tail hand loads from that gun, and from a rest (yes it hurts!) I consistently got 1" groups at 200 yards!
I believe you will enjoy your Weatherby rifle for the rest of you life.
Ivan
In 1985 Vanguards had a 3 shot guarantee of 1.5" The 22-250 and 270 had factory targets of around 1.25" out of the box. I was not impressed! but noticed the ammo used was the lowest grade of Remington you could buy. With good ammo the do just fine. The 300 had been tested 4 times before they found the ammo that fulfilled the guarantee (also junk Remington), but my previous experience told me to be patient with it and I would be rewarded. After 7 types of 150 and 180 grain I went up to 200. The Federal Premium with the 200 grain Sierra GameKing, was the first and only 200 grain I tried. The ammo isn't on every gun store shelf, so I buy it when I see it. I try to keep 4 or 5 boxes around but currently have 8! (I got very lucky at a gun show!)
I also had a Mark V Hunter (plane walnut matt stock) in 375 H&H Mag. the factory target was with lower grade Remington, 270 grain semi spitzer. The 3 shot factory group was 5/8 inch. I shot lots of 300 grain spitzer boat tail hand loads from that gun, and from a rest (yes it hurts!) I consistently got 1" groups at 200 yards!
I believe you will enjoy your Weatherby rifle for the rest of you life.
Ivan
OP
JJEH
Member
That sounds great. Weatherby makes solid products, despite the few negative online feedbacks.
Our two Vanguards are chambered in .308Win and my MkV is a 7mm WM. I think those are true can do it all chamberings.
I still need a dedicated varmit rifle (thinking about a .22-250 Rem, .240 WM or and .257 WM) and a dangerous game rifle (.416 WM).
Anyway, it's though to find old WBY's.... I don't like the new plastic stocks. Another option would be to get a new rifle and have a custom stock made for it. But that's out of budget for right now...
Do you have some pictures to share?
Jorge... Just to warn you about ducking down the wrong rabbit hole, I don’t think the .257 WM really qualifies as a “varmint rifle,” but I guess anything can be squeezed into the slot in a pinch. The .257 burns a bunch of powder, heats up a barrel really fast, and brass is expensive. It’s really at its best with the heavier bullets. Pretty much ditto for the .240, but to a lesser extent. The .416 is a real beast. If you haven’t done so, shoot one a few times before you buy one. 
There are TONS of wood-stocked Weatherby rifles on the used market, and Weatherby is still making new ones. Lots of Weatherbys lived similar lives to their Model 29 brothers. Somebody bought one, fired it five or ten ten times, thought, “Wow! That thing kicks!” - and put it in the closet for the next thirty-years or so. I doubt you’ll run across too many Mark Vs with shot-out barrels, at least in the bigger calibers. And if you do, Weatherby will screw on a new barrel for you.
Anyway, back to your Camilla, congrats to you and the wife. Nice little rifle in a great caliber. We will be expecting a range report from you.
There are TONS of wood-stocked Weatherby rifles on the used market, and Weatherby is still making new ones. Lots of Weatherbys lived similar lives to their Model 29 brothers. Somebody bought one, fired it five or ten ten times, thought, “Wow! That thing kicks!” - and put it in the closet for the next thirty-years or so. I doubt you’ll run across too many Mark Vs with shot-out barrels, at least in the bigger calibers. And if you do, Weatherby will screw on a new barrel for you.
Anyway, back to your Camilla, congrats to you and the wife. Nice little rifle in a great caliber. We will be expecting a range report from you.
OP
JJEH
Member
Jorge... Just to warn you about ducking down the wrong rabbit hole, I don’t think the .257 WM really qualifies as a “varmint rifle,” but I guess anything can be squeezed into the slot in a pinch. The .257 burns a bunch of powder, heats up a barrel really fast, and brass is expensive. It’s really at its best with the heavier bullets. Pretty much ditto for the .240, but to a lesser extent. The .416 is a real beast. If you haven’t done so, shoot one a few times before you buy one.
There are TONS of wood-stocked Weatherby rifles on the used market, and Weatherby is still making new ones. Lots of Weatherbys lived similar lives to their Model 29 brothers. Somebody bought one, fired it five or ten ten times, thought, “Wow! That thing kicks!” - and put it in the closet for the next thirty-years or so. I doubt you’ll run across too many Mark Vs with shot-out barrels, at least in the bigger calibers. And if you do, Weatherby will screw on a new barrel for you.
Anyway, back to your Camilla, congrats to you and the wife. Nice little rifle in a great caliber. We will be expecting a range report from you.
I hear ya and I appreciate you feedback. As soon as the craziness let's off a bit we'll be going to the range. It still needs to be broken in (20rd procedure) and the zeroed, I only did the boresighter so far. It's really a nice rifle, I like it. The 20" barrel with the shorter LOP makes it very maneuverable...
I agree with the .257WM... in his book Roy Sr. used it in Africa on Zebra and other big game. It carries a lot of punch and he preferred the 80gr bullet. I wouldn't be comfortable really on big game but he knows better than me.
The used market is great and sometimes you do find a nice rifle at a fair price.
Ivan the Butcher
Member
A quality varmint rifle, should be in every persons gun locker! But Varmint hunting isn't the place for an exotic cartridge! The quantities of ammo you can go through in one day, can be staggering. I don't know if Weatherby still makes the 224 WM. A belted mag, that pretty much copies 22-250, but at 2 to 3 times the cost per round. That is why I had the 22-250. I ended up finding a custom 700 Action with a Schneider 1:12-14 twist heavy barrel in 22 BR, is a McMillian grey stock! It uses 2/3 to 3/4 the powder of the 22-250 but produces similar velocities or slightly better! But my primary varmint rifle is a 21 Cooper in 223Rem. (1:12) and for really long shots I have a Single Shot Savage Target Rifle in 223 (1:9) that only gets over length 75 grain handloads. This gun has been named the M&M gun, from a string of 7 consecutive hits on M&M's at 200 yards, but the same load holds a consistent 3 to 4" group at 1000 yards!
For "barnyard" distances, Weatherby did sell 22 long rifles, back in the 60's and 70's and a different gun in the early 2000's (I have one of these) These are an Anschutz 64 barreled action in a classic Weatherby stock. To compensate for my old eyes, I have too big of scope on it (Leupold 4-12x40mm Veri-X III with adjustable Objective). With Ely's Club Extra or Team lines of ammo, it gets a consistent 1/4 to 1/2 inch group at 100 yards! Almost as good as some of my target 22's, and a fraction of the price!
I am also a proponent of very small centerfire cartridges. The 3 I have experience with are 22 Hornet, 218 Bee, & 221 Fireball. All 3 are still factory available ammo, but I only use Handloads in the 218 and 221, The 22 Hornet gets Hornady 35 grain V-Max. These will be very efficient on Rock Chucks, Wood Chucks and Prairie Dogs out to 300 yards (slightly less for Hornet). The advantage for the small rounds over 223 are few but notable. The #1 advantage is noise! If you hunt in suburban meadows, not bothering the neighbors is a big deal. The #2 & #3 advantages are small size of cartridge and Firearm action size! I have carried a full sized 22 Hornet on stalking hunts for hours in steep hills! 25 rounds fit in the palm of your hand!(if you have Big hands)
I believe in all three size groups of varmint hunting, but if limited to one A 223 would be my choice (your 308 & 7WM would most likely be accurate enough but a little harsh on the shoulders)
There is nothing like an afternoon of shooting with family and/friends. My son's and I would lay in the shadows of an old fence line and shoot at ground hogs until the area was devoid of vermin, then get out the hard targets. Growing up shooting at dimes at 200 and 300 yards prepared them for really long distance shooting as adults!
May you family enjoy similar times!
Ivan
For "barnyard" distances, Weatherby did sell 22 long rifles, back in the 60's and 70's and a different gun in the early 2000's (I have one of these) These are an Anschutz 64 barreled action in a classic Weatherby stock. To compensate for my old eyes, I have too big of scope on it (Leupold 4-12x40mm Veri-X III with adjustable Objective). With Ely's Club Extra or Team lines of ammo, it gets a consistent 1/4 to 1/2 inch group at 100 yards! Almost as good as some of my target 22's, and a fraction of the price!
I am also a proponent of very small centerfire cartridges. The 3 I have experience with are 22 Hornet, 218 Bee, & 221 Fireball. All 3 are still factory available ammo, but I only use Handloads in the 218 and 221, The 22 Hornet gets Hornady 35 grain V-Max. These will be very efficient on Rock Chucks, Wood Chucks and Prairie Dogs out to 300 yards (slightly less for Hornet). The advantage for the small rounds over 223 are few but notable. The #1 advantage is noise! If you hunt in suburban meadows, not bothering the neighbors is a big deal. The #2 & #3 advantages are small size of cartridge and Firearm action size! I have carried a full sized 22 Hornet on stalking hunts for hours in steep hills! 25 rounds fit in the palm of your hand!(if you have Big hands)
I believe in all three size groups of varmint hunting, but if limited to one A 223 would be my choice (your 308 & 7WM would most likely be accurate enough but a little harsh on the shoulders)
There is nothing like an afternoon of shooting with family and/friends. My son's and I would lay in the shadows of an old fence line and shoot at ground hogs until the area was devoid of vermin, then get out the hard targets. Growing up shooting at dimes at 200 and 300 yards prepared them for really long distance shooting as adults!
May you family enjoy similar times!
Ivan
OP
JJEH
Member
I completely agree with you. I have my eyes 'n ears out for a Mk XXII but unfortunately they are only .22LR and I already have a rifle in that caliber and that's really just for fun. Well, I did shoot some rats with it...
I don't think I'll go smaller than a Coyote for varmit hunting and I do think about .22-250. A friend of mine swears by it and he does long range coyote hunting.
Thank you, we are working on it. Appreciate it.
I don't think I'll go smaller than a Coyote for varmit hunting and I do think about .22-250. A friend of mine swears by it and he does long range coyote hunting.
Thank you, we are working on it. Appreciate it.
white cloud
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I agree. That would seem like a nice rifle for anyone male or female. What does that rifle weigh in at?
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JJEH
Member
The Sporter and the Camilla come with wooden furniture
Thank you.
Would work for males too but it's more a youth gun then... the stock is shortened and therefore the LOP.
As seen in the pictures it weighs 7lbs 12.4oz unloaded according to my food scale.
EDIT:
The Vanguard Deluxe (duh), as well as the Lazerguard and Safari have wooden furniture as well
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