firing line
b y S l at o n l . W h i t e
Speed Demon Weatherby holds true to its original mission
Weatherby’s Vanguard is guaranteed to shoot 1.5-inch three-shot groups.
I
f you’d like to sum up Roy Weatherby’s contribution to American riflery in two words, they would be “speed kills.” His singular leap of faith was to buck the received wisdom of the mid-1940s that slow, heavy bullets were the way to go. Instead, he offered the then-blasphemous notion that fast, lightweight bullets would produce more one-shot kills. He spent the next 10 years developing his now famous Weatherby Magnum cartridges and winning over consumers one shooter at a time. In 1957, he created the perfect delivery system for his ammo—the Mark V rifle, which featured an action that could withstand the tremendous pressures generated by his ammo.
The problem was, and is, that the Mark V is expensive (prices run from just under $1,500 to more than $3,000). So, in 1970, the company contracted with Howa to produce the far-more-affordable Vanguard, which costs—all across the line—about a third of the Mark V. And though it is far less expensive to purchase, the Vanguard is not cheap in any sense. It is a quality hunting instrument, so much so that the company guarantees that it will shoot 1.5-inch three-shot groups at 100 yards from a cold barrel when used with premium (non-Weatherby calibers) or Weatherby factory ammo. The company feels so strongly about this claim that it backs it up with a letter of assurance from Ed Weatherby, who took over for his father in the 1980s. To see how well the Vanguard does
Selling Tip
A new wrinkle in the Weatherby product line this year is the Vanguard Synthetic Combo ($629), which includes a Simmons 3.5–10x40mm scope and Leupold rings and bases. With this, for a few dollars more, the customer can leave your store ready to shoot.
shoot, I obtained the entry-level Vanguard Synthetic (SRP: $523) in .257 Weatherby Magnum for an antelope hunt last fall in Wyoming. The rifle features an injectionmolded Monte Carlo composite stock and a 24-inch hammer-forged barrel. At the range, I verified the company’s performance claims. As long as the shooter does his job (meaning no flinches), the rifle will produce 1.5-inch groups. On the hunt, the rifle performed flawlessly, and I took a nice goat at about 150 yards. Sometimes, that’s all you need to say. The other half of the equation is the ammo I used. You don’t have to hold an advanced degree in economics to know that the cost of ammunition has skyrocketed over the past five years. And it certainly doesn’t require a marketing expert to understand that price spikes ultimately crimp demand. Premium ammo, especially, has taken it on the chin; a shooter takes a look at $80 a box and decides that maybe he doesn’t need to shoot much this year. But price isn’t the only issue. In Weatherby’s case, just getting enough product in the pipeline at the right time is a big issue. Weatherby-branded ammo is manufactured by Norma of Sweden using a variety of bullet suppliers, including Barnes and Nosler. The arrangement demands that all the required components be in the same place at the same time, which is no small feat. In addition, all those component ship-
ments add cost to the final product. In 2009, Weatherby simplified this process for its popular .257 Weatherby Magnum and .300 Weatherby Magnum lines by having Norma utilize its own brass, primer, powder and spitzer bullets for a new line of 100-grain loads (.257 Weatherby) and 180-grain loads (.300 Weatherby Magnum). The new program assures more timely delivery of product, but it also helps lower the price. Weatherby can sell this new ammo for around $40 a box. I used the Norma loads, and they worked just fine. You can recommend the ammo without hesitation. The Norma Precision Brass comes with CNC-machined primer pockets produced to match-grade specifications. Specially designed primers provide positive ignition of the large powder charges within the Weatherby Magnum rounds. The ammunition is loaded with Norma High-Grade Premium Powder for maximum velocity and energy, and has a double radius Venturi shoulder design that increases the velocity of escaping gases without increasing the pressure within the cartridge. The ammo complements the existing Weatherby line. Those shooters who prefer the 120-grain Partition in .257 Weatherby or the 180-grain Accubond in .300 Weatherby, for example, will still be able get it, though at a higher price. (800-227-2016; weatherby.com)
26 ❚ ShoT BuSineSS ❚ june/july 2011
0711_FiringLine.indd 26
5/11/11 10:53:06 AM