Weatherby’s Newest Vanguard: The Series 2 And The .257 Weatherby Magnum

[ADMIN]

Like Tom Cruise's character, we all have a need to go just a little faster whether we're talking about horses, cars, airplanes or rifles: Especially rifles.
In my own case there was the .257 Roberts, a fairly quick stepper with good manners: Easy to load for, little muzzle blast, but nothing really pulse-quickening either. A change to the .25-06 Remington, with its ability to push 100-grain bullets just past the 3300 feet-per-second mark, accuracy, and lack of recoil set my heart fluttering, especially when it was chambered in one of Weatherby's Vanguard rifles.
The Vanguard and I hunted hard over a period of three years, from Wyoming's plains to Oklahoma's wheat fields, and I never found the rifle or the cartridge wanting, but…there was something bothering me, a little nagging detail, really.
I was shooting a Remington cartridge in a Weatherby-branded rifle, a situation akin to building a Shelby Cobra replica and then dropping a stock small-block Chevy motor in it. Something had to be done. Read More...

This is a thread for discussion of the article, Weatherby's Newest Vanguard: The Series 2 And The .257 Weatherby Magnum , By Dan Arnold. Here you can ask questions or make comments about the article.

 

[Scot E]

Curious if the new stock is stiff enough to get the barrel to free float with some DIY mods.

Scot E.

 

[deadeye25-06]

Good write-up but it would be hard to use 40% more powder for 100 fps over my 25-06.

 

[Mike 338]

Good write-up but it would be hard to use 40% more powder for 100 fps over my 25-06.

Agreed. Especially the part about the "good write-up". You got the good, bad and the ugly. I also appreciate knowing it was a random purchase tracked by the Author, from "anywhere America". That's how I get a gun.

Dan Arnold's the name. Journalistic Integrity's the game.

 

[Goodshot]

This is a thread for discussion of the article, Weatherby's Newest Vanguard: The Series 2 And The .257 Weatherby Magnum , By Dan Arnold. Here you can ask questions or make comments about the article.

Dan, I too recently bought the same rifle. I am curious on how you were able to fit a Timney trigger. I was told by Timney that the current Timney trigger designed for the Howa / Weatherby would not fit the Weatherby S2 Vanguard. Let me know how you made it fit.....Timney told me it wld require some machining . I put my new S2 in a Bell & Carlson Medalist. I have not shot it yet.......put a Weaver Super Slam 3 x15x 42 with talley lw rings. I bought Nosler brass and have some loads with Ramshot Magnum and 100 grain swift scirocco II . Also will try your RL25 load. What was your oal on that load. I will let you know how mine does. Goodshot

 

[rsbible]

Great article! Tells me exactly what I want to know about the new Vanguard AND the difference between the .257 Weatherby and the .25-06. I'm sure the Weatherby Mag are great for many folks but I think I'll keep shopping the .25-06 and .257 Roberts. Again...good read. Thanks for the info.

 

[Goodshot]

Timney Trigger on S2 Weatherby does not fit. I spoke with Timney again yesterday and they confirmed that the current Timney trigger for Vsnguards and Howas etc does not fit the S2. I just want folks to know so they do not try to do this. I do not understand how Dan Arnold got it to fit. Goodshot

 

[SteveAreno]

Great article! Was looking at the vanguard as my next rifle. Now I'm convinced. Thanks for puttin that one to sleep for me.

 

[GoArmy]

I know this thread is old, But I just got a new S2 Vanguard, and I took the Timney trigger off my old Vanguard SMOA, and it fit perfect on the new S2. I dont know why Timney would say that. The trigger area on the reciver is milled the same, there was no difference. Perfect fit.

 

[FredF99]

Curious if the new stock is stiff enough to get the barrel to free float with some DIY mods.

Scot E.

Last year I purchased a brand new Vanguard S2 in 300 Win. Mag. after drawing a bull elk tag that I'd been trying for for the last 12 years and ended up doing just that in order to get it to pattern in the advertised Sub MOA manner. When I first brought it home I shot several different Federal and Hornady factory loads in both 150 and 180 gr bullets and was lucky to hold 5-6" groups and 100 yds. After reading several online forums in which other people had the same problems and solved it by free floating the barrel I did the same thing. The stock was quite soft so removing material was easy but quite a bit had to be removed in order to get it to free float when resting on my bi-pod. The rifle did shoot much better after doing this (1.5-2" groups @ 100 yds) and I went on to get a decent 6x6 bull elk and a nice 5x5 whitetail with it. This year though i got rid of the original stock and put a Bell & Carlson Medalist on it and am working up some new loads trying to get more accuracy out of it.

 

[Scot E]

Last year I purchased a brand new Vanguard S2 in 300 Win. Mag. after drawing a bull elk tag that I'd been trying for for the last 12 years and ended up doing just that in order to get it to pattern in the advertised Sub MOA manner. When I first brought it home I shot several different Federal and Hornady factory loads in both 150 and 180 gr bullets and was lucky to hold 5-6" groups and 100 yds. After reading several online forums in which other people had the same problems and solved it by free floating the barrel I did the same thing. The stock was quite soft so removing material was easy but quite a bit had to be removed in order to get it to free float when resting on my bi-pod. The rifle did shoot much better after doing this (1.5-2" groups @ 100 yds) and I went on to get a decent 6x6 bull elk and a nice 5x5 whitetail with it. This year though i got rid of the original stock and put a Bell & Carlson Medalist on it and am working up some new loads trying to get more accuracy out of it.

Thanks for sharing your info. Please keep us informed on how the gun shoots with the new stock and loads. Did it shoot better with just the stock change?

Scot E.

 

[FredF99]

Thanks for sharing your info. Please keep us informed on how the gun shoots with the new stock and loads. Did it shoot better with just the stock change?

Scot E.

I had it out and shot some of the factory ammo (Hornady Superformance 180 gr Interbonds) that I had from last year and it was better but still not the sub-moa that these guns are advertised to shoot. I was going to load up some handloads and play with it to see if I could find a load it liked better but last week I was on Weatherby's website and noticed a recall on the Stainless S2 Vanguards affecting a serial number range that my rifle fell into. The recall says that the barrel nuts on these rifles were torqued insufficiently which is odd seeing as there is no barrel nut the barrel just threads into the reciever. Anyway, long story short the rifle will be going back to Weatherby soon and I'm hoping that it shoots a little better after the recall work.

 

[Badger300wm]

Good write up and good read. I have both a 257 wby and a 257 roberts, love them both. The wby is a custom jobby that I picked up from a gunsmith who had a customer not be able to pay, so it is a better shooter.

 

[MSU Marksman]

I see Timney has the trigger issue taken care of, and I've got an itch for a new gun. A couple of questions for those of you with a 257 Vanguard.

How is the fouling with this round? Would you say the finish of the barrels are smoother than Remington's, causing less fouling? As far as this being an over-bore cartridge, is it worth looking into the stainless barrels for sake of barrel life?

As for load development with the Weatherby cartridge, I assume loading into the lands is impossible, so you are pretty set on loading to magazine OAL? When it comes to shooting groups, I assume 3 shots at a time are enough before you get that sporter contour barrel too hot?

Thanks in advance for all the info!