Author Topic: Howa/Weatherby Vanguard forum (Read 3462 times)

Inrut24/7 · « **on:** April 26, 2007, 03:51:20 AM »

I dont know of any howa and vanguard rifle forums on the net. I know the rifles are great shooters and popular, but for some reason they are not talked about much. This might be a great place for it.

superjay01 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 28, 2007, 03:37:39 PM »

I agree with you I have one vanguard and think it would be a great addition.

*ROCK-MAN* · « **Reply #2 on:** June 09, 2007, 08:57:54 AM »

I have a Howa 1500 Lightening in 270 and it's a tack driver.
Few more votes and we can talk about um.
Doen't see why anyone would vote against something someone else wants.
They wouldn't have to post there.
Good Luck,
Rock

bigmac_au85 · « **Reply #3 on:** July 09, 2007, 03:41:18 PM »

12 "yes" votes now. Reckon the forum will be coming along soon?

Graybeard · « **Reply #4 on:** July 09, 2007, 04:00:51 PM »

Depends. So far no one has stepped forward and volunteered to moderate it. No new forum is established without a moderator as my rules and instructions so state. Even the person asking for it didn't hint that they would moderate. So when someone steps up and volunteers THEN we'll open it.

bigmac_au85 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 15, 2007, 01:59:23 PM »

What are the responsibilities/duties of a moderator?

JimG · « **Reply #6 on:** July 31, 2007, 12:54:06 PM »

I own a Howa/Houge in .308Win. Looking at buying a Howa in .204/.223/.22-250. Would love to see a forum dedicated to these rifle but I doubt the traffic would warrant the effort. Could be wrong though. Might be a 'build it and they will come deal'.

Mac11700 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 10, 2007, 08:55:29 AM »

Quote from: Graybeard on July 09, 2007, 04:00:51 PM

Depends. So far no one has stepped forward and volunteered to moderate it. No new forum is established without a moderator as my rules and instructions so state. Even the person asking for it didn't hint that they would moderate. So when someone steps up and volunteers THEN we'll open it.

Ok Bill...I thought I would wait and see if anyone else would take it...but...since no one does...put me down...I'm not the most knowledgeable person for them...but...I certainly do enjoy them and the Mark IV rifles

Mac

Graybeard · « **Reply #8 on:** August 10, 2007, 11:12:49 AM »

OK Mac it's done but with the lack of interest shown so far here I really don't expect much from it.

hawkenman · « **Reply #9 on:** August 10, 2007, 02:07:44 PM »

Great idea, I have a couple of Vanguards and as with Mossbergs,Remingtons,ect.. another forum for questions and answers would be good.

billy · « **Reply #10 on:** August 12, 2007, 01:27:24 PM »

Thanks for this forum ,i have a howa 1500 and love it also have remington 700 ADL and marlin 336,again thanks for this forum.

goodconcretecolor · « **Reply #11 on:** August 14, 2007, 09:02:51 AM »

I have had a Mossberg/Howa 1500 in 30-06 for more than 15 years. I absolutely love it. It has been a a great rifle to experiment with different loads, stocks and bedding. I do 75% of my shooting with this rifle. I hope this forum makes it.

Inrut24/7 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 15, 2007, 03:37:31 AM »

Quote from: Graybeard on July 09, 2007, 04:00:51 PM

Depends. So far no one has stepped forward and volunteered to moderate it. No new forum is established without a moderator as my rules and instructions so state. Even the person asking for it didn't hint that they would moderate. So when someone steps up and volunteers THEN we'll open it.

This was posted for so long on the request a new forum page that i wasnt even checking it anymore untill i saw it made it to the forums. I understand that to be a moderator you need to be around your computer alot, 50 % of the time my work is out of town and im only home on saterdays and sundays, But if thats not the case and i dont need alot of computer knowledge ( i cant even post pics without help) then yeah I will step up if more help is ever needed. Thank you to those who voted yes, and for those who voted no go buy a HOWA

Fat NDN · « **Reply #13 on:** August 15, 2007, 05:43:21 PM »

I just retired my Vanguard 300 Mag. It shoots like crap. I used it for 10 years, and killed deer with it, but took it to the
range 3 months ago, with a cold barrel, you can cover the first 3 holes with a quarter, but after that it looks like shotgun blast.
An old gun smith told me the their barrels were no good. That's why Weatherby guarantees it to shoot 1 1/2" groups with a
cold barrel out of the box. IT DOES. But after 3 or 4 shots, it shoots a 8-10" group. I have tried everything that I know how to
do, but it got no better. So, I buying a new Savage Euro Classic .270. I had a friend here at a steel foundry X-Ray the barrel and
he said that there were several inconsistent areas. Meaning that the metal had areas that were not as dense as others.
But, I am open to other ideas.

Casull · « **Reply #14 on:** August 15, 2007, 06:06:58 PM »

Don't know about your Vanguard Fat, but I have one in .338 Mag and I've taken it to the range and put maybe fifty rounds through it within an hour and a half, and the groups were just as tight near the end as the beginning. Was about 80 degrees out and a couple of times the barrel was too hot to leave my hand on (I know, I shouldn't do that).

Matt_243 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 15, 2007, 06:58:41 PM »

Hey all, I have a Vanguard Synthetic Stainless in .243 WIN. So far am loving it and have just got into reloading.

When I got it out of the box, I shot it and it shot fine, probably about 1.5 MOA at 100metres. I thought "lets make it shoot better"so I floated the barrel, got the trigger smoothed out and had the action bedded. I'm just about to take it to the range and see how she goes. The barrel is still floating so I'm expecting to have to pressure bed it just under the forend.

The loads I'm shooting for kangaroos, goats and foxes etc are Hornady Vmax 58gr on 42 grains of AR2208. I don't have a chrony however I think these might be moving about 3700 fps. The Vmax are doing a great job so far.

What are the best loads you have shot out of your 243 vanguard?

cheers
Matt

JimG · « **Reply #16 on:** August 16, 2007, 12:42:02 PM »

FatNDN- please don't take this as a personal attack as it is NOT meant as such. I do wonder about your post however. You say it's a .300mag, well I will admit to not knowing much about that particular cartridge but what is it that you expect?

? You say the first 3 shots can be covered by a quarter. You never specified a range, so I'll say 100 yards. Sounds good to me. You then say the next shots open the group up. Well yah, it's a hot barrel. Again what do you expect? It's a sporter contour barrel and a cartridge that I imagine gobbles up powder faster than a drunk chugs drafts at happy hour. It's gonna walk shots all over the paper. How many shots are you taking at that deer/elk/moose anyway? One, two, three tops?? I'll bet that Savage you want will do the same thing with a warm barrel. Actually show me any 'out of the box' centerfire rifle that won't scatter the 'hot' shots to some degree. Some just throw them worse than others. As for the "inconsistent areas", I'll say it's possible but it's very unlikely with forged parts. Cast parts yes, milled bar stock to a lesser extant, but it's rare with forged. I think yer wantin' more than any poor boy rifle can give yah. I personally think Howas are THE best non-custom sub$1K rifle money can buy, but Howa just like any other company can and does put out a lemon from time to time. Call Legacy Sports or Weatherby to see what they say, maybe they can help. Oh and for your gunsmith friend well he likely simply does not like them due to being produced in Japan vs the US. Howa knows a thing or two about barrels, they ain't junk like he wants you to believe.

Graybeard · « **Reply #17 on:** August 16, 2007, 12:53:31 PM »

Not all of them do that. I used to hunt with a fellow who owned one in .300 Whby. Mag and I loaded his ammo for him. He came to my range to test loads to see which were best and to sight in and practice. He got that barrel on his so hot you really could not touch it without a burn. We used ice packs laid on the barrel to cool it down enough to keep going once when he was trying to get it ready for a hunt in CO. It really was hot enough to blister your skin but the groups stayed quite reasonable. Not as good as when cool but no more than double in size.

Fat NDN · « **Reply #18 on:** August 16, 2007, 01:10:10 PM »

That Wby 300 mag is not the only gun that I own. I have a Savage 22-250, Tika T3 6.5x55 Swede, .308 Remington, H&R 7mm-08, Savage MarkII .22LR and a
CZ 452 American .22LR. The 22-250 really heats up, but it still keeps the group fairly small. The 300 is the only one that shoots that way.

nomosendero · « **Reply #19 on:** August 16, 2007, 01:58:19 PM »

Quote from: Fat NDN on August 15, 2007, 05:43:21 PM

I just retired my Vanguard 300 Mag. It shoots like crap. I used it for 10 years, and killed deer with it, but took it to the
range 3 months ago, with a cold barrel, you can cover the first 3 holes with a quarter, but after that it looks like shotgun blast.
An old gun smith told me the their barrels were no good. That's why Weatherby guarantees it to shoot 1 1/2" groups with a
cold barrel out of the box. IT DOES. But after 3 or 4 shots, it shoots a 8-10" group. I have tried everything that I know how to
do, but it got no better. So, I buying a new Savage Euro Classic .270. I had a friend here at a steel foundry X-Ray the barrel and
he said that there were several inconsistent areas. Meaning that the metal had areas that were not as dense as others.
But, I am open to other ideas.

If your barrel was crap, it would not shoot the first 3 into a tight group.
Check out what these guys have to say about Vanguard barrels: http://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html
Scroll down to "Great Factory Rifles". Look at the comment about the barrels in the Howa. These guys know rifles far better than most.

Concerning your rifle, most likely you have a bedding problem & something is changing as it heats up. If your barrel was bad, it would be bad all the time. I would suggest that you find a smith that knows these rifles, have him look at it & get a second opinion before you do anything.

I was looking at ordering a 308 Howa with a heavy barrel & lam. stock, but I got a chance at a Mod. 700VS & a good deal at that. I feel the potential of these two rifles with both tricked out is very comparable & that says alot for the Howa/Wea.

JimG · « **Reply #20 on:** August 16, 2007, 02:26:35 PM »

Maybe I was a little harsh. Nomosendero has a good point, maybe it's a bedding problem. As well as a pressure point on the barrel such as somewhere along side of the barrel the stock is touching, barrel warms up and voila a pressure point in a bad spot. It also could be a simple as too much or not enough torque applied to the takedown screws. I've heard internet rumors from time to time that Howa's can be finicky with the amount of torque applied to the front takedown screw. I have not found that to be true with my .308Win and have not 'tinkered' with my new .204Ruger as of yet. However all stocks vary and since I know of at least 6 different types of stocks Howa's and re-badged Howa's have been sold with it could vary well be true with a certain stock. I assume you have the synthetic factory Vanguard stock.

Sourdough · « **Reply #21 on:** August 17, 2007, 06:45:31 AM »

When hunting how often do you shoot more than three times. That first one is the most important. My Weatherby MK V shoots real good even after seven or eight shots at the range. I have a MK V Accumark in .338-378, fluted barrel, factory brake, and synthetic stock. I use it for long distance shooting, I put a Night Force 6X15X50 scope on it. Shot a medium Bull Moose with it last winter, one shot at 800 yards and down he went. I'm using Noslers 225gr Accubond, infront of 104grs of IMR-7828. It is moving at 3210fps through my Chrony. I'm happy. Now for some wolves, that would make me happier.

Fat NDN · « **Reply #22 on:** August 18, 2007, 11:06:08 AM »

RE: nomosendero

I think that HOWA makes the action, but Weatherby make the barrel. That's what I was told anyway.

JimG · « **Reply #23 on:** August 18, 2007, 12:34:17 PM »

No I do believe that is incorrect. Howa manufactures the action AND barrel. I've asked the same question in the past many times and both knowledgeable and possibly not knowledgeable people have all the said the same thing.

Graybeard · « **Reply #24 on:** August 18, 2007, 01:00:54 PM »

Please let's move the discussion to some new threads. This thread was only to get the forum set up it is now so lets use the forum not just this one thread. Start some new topics and discuss the guns you asked for a forum to discuss.

Rat Rod Mac · « **Reply #25 on:** August 20, 2007, 02:03:03 AM »

Hey Matt243, Try 39 grains of Imr 4064 with a 70 Gr. Nosler ballistic tip. Keep your barrel clean. See ya, RRM

Mac11700 · « **Reply #26 on:** August 20, 2007, 06:43:51 AM »

Well...I locked the voting on this poll....and am locking the topic as well... As Graybeard asked..let's make post for our reloads and other things on new topics...

Mac

Poll

Would anyone like to see a Howa and weatherby vanguard rifle forum?

Author Topic: Howa/Weatherby Vanguard forum (Read 3462 times)