Wby Vanguard re-barrel suggestions

[rtabor]

I have a Weatherby Vanguard (not the S2), chambered in 300 Wby. I am interested in upgrading the 24" sporter contour barrel to a 28" sendero contour.

I plan on loading Berger 215 or 230's.

I just don't know if I can find an accurate load with those bullets while still keeping the coal at 3.560.

I am open to switching to 300 win if i could have more potential for an accurate load given my coal limitation.

Any suggestions??

 

[MudRunner2005]

Since you like your .300 Wby, look into the .300 Ackley. It's an improved version of your .300 Wby. Uses .300 Wby brass. And you can even use a .300 Wby neck-sizer die to reload until your custom dies get to you. Unless your smith has a carbide reamer, in which case he can open up all your dies to .300 Ackley.

You won't gain much for velocity, but the 40* shoulder keeps the brass from growing so rapidly, and IMO, the rectangular shoulder is more accurate than the radiused shoulder of the Wby, even though they space off the belt. I just feel the rectangular shoulder fits in the chamber a little bit more snug and precise. But that's just my thoughts, I'm no expert.

Also, a 28" Sendero contour barrel would be perfect for the .300 Wby or .300 Ackley. I would get a 1:10 twist, that way you are good all the way up to 230gr bullets.

 

[rtabor]

Thanks for the suggestion. If it has a case design that could be inherently more accurate, that is a plus.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Like I said, I have no idea if it's more accurate or not....But I would assume naturally that since the chamber has a squared-off shoulder, that it would be easier to repeat that all the way around the reamer, than a rounded shoulder would be. But I'm sure technology has gotten so good these days that there's virtually no difference. I mainly just like the cool name, the uniqueness of the cartridge, and the way it looks better than the .300 Wby.

Here's a picture to show you how close they are.

Here's one of my new .300 Wby cases loaded & ready to fire-form (left), and here's a fully formed .300 Ackley case (right).

 

[MudRunner2005]

Here's a few pics of my custom built Rem 700 "Sendero SF" in .300 Ackley.

It is a fully trued and blueprinted stainless 700 action. Brand new fully worked-over factory 26" Remington Sendero SF .300 Wby barrel, that was re-chambered, hand-lapped, and re-crowned. Worked old-style factory trigger. And a Remington take-off Sendero HS Precision stock.

So, other than the chambering, and the barrel and bolt handle getting blasted matte finish (my smith's trademark), it is a Sendero SF that was literally pieced together 1 part at at time. Even the action's serial number is period-correct for the Sendero SF models.

I found the barrel at my gunsmith's shop, he had it sitting on a shelf mixed in with his other new take-off barrels.

Here's a few before I mounted the scope...

 

[rtabor]

Nice set-up. Thanks for sharing.

 

[ahiaring]

FYI, Vanguards run metric sizing threads. Not a huge deal but make sure your smith can do those. I have ran into a couple people who wouldn't rebarrel a vanguard for this reason.

 

[HARPERC]

With a quality barrel, properly installed, I doubt you would find one of the .300 magnums delivers more accuracy than another.

If you like the .300 Weatherby, and are set up to reload etc. for it continue on if you like it. One decision you have to make with it is to free-bore or not to free-bore.

I'm currently enjoying a .300 Winchester, but I've played with Weatherby's that shot well. I've shot clunkers in both calibers.

If I had a good smith with a good reamer I might let that make my decision for me.

 

[rtabor]

With a quality barrel, properly installed, I doubt you would find one of the .300 magnums delivers more accuracy than another.

If you like the .300 Weatherby, and are set up to reload etc. for it continue on if you like it. One decision you have to make with it is to free-bore or not to free-bore.

I'm currently enjoying a .300 Winchester, but I've played with Weatherby's that shot well. I've shot clunkers in both calibers.

If I had a good smith with a good reamer I might let that make my decision for me.

That sounds like good advice. Thank you.

Do you think my magazine length would be a limiting factor on performance in 300 Wby shooting the 215 or 230 Bergers. I thought I could go to the 300 Win if seating the bullet out would lead to better accuracy. I know it's only one factor out of a bunch of factors, but I was wanting to make sure I don't regret going back with the Wby if I can't get a long enough COAL to optimize the load.

Not sure if I'm making sense, or maybe focusing on something too minor, but I would like to know.....

 

[Dr. Vette]

The magazine length is definitely shorter in a Vanguard than a Mark V. You will be limited, and I don't think (offhand) that there are any longer magazines available for a Vanguard. The Vanguard I set up for 300 Wby is limited to 3.565 COAL, while the Mark V is 3.666 with a bit of room to spare.

You might want to think about selling the Vanguard and buying an Accumark in 300 Weatherby. They are common to find on the market as "used on one hunt," have a larger contour barrel, better stock and longer magazine. I suspect that your overall price would be very similar and you would not have to worry any more about the magazine length. There is one on GB now for $1199 with a scope you'd probably sell and net out at about $1000.

 

[HARPERC]

The magazine length is definitely shorter in a Vanguard than a Mark V. You will be limited, and I don't think (offhand) that there are any longer magazines available for a Vanguard. The Vanguard I set up for 300 Wby is limited to 3.565 COAL, while the Mark V is 3.666 with a bit of room to spare.

You might want to think about selling the Vanguard and buying an Accumark in 300 Weatherby. They are common to find on the market as "used on one hunt," have a larger contour barrel, better stock and longer magazine. I suspect that your overall price would be very similar and you would not have to worry any more about the magazine length. There is one on GB now for $1199 with a scope you'd probably sell and net out at about $1000.

Good advice! I prefer my .300 Winchester Magnums with the longer magazine box as well. One should consider single loading as an option, but some action types lend themselves to this by having a bit bigger opening. I have a Remington 600 in 6mm, I was going to single load Bergers into. Workable, but I don't care for it too tight for my clumsy hands. Limited Weatherby action experience on my end.

A good custom smith should be able to customize the chamber for you.

 

[Deleted member 46119]

Yup magazine limited.

If you decide to rebarrel it, I highly recommend a Pac-Nor prefit. Then the thread is a non-issue for your smith.

Selling would pay for a new barrel.

 

[bigngreen]

A Remington mag box can be fitted to the Vanguard the same way a Wyatts box is fitted to a Remington, give you some breathing room. I would lean to the 300 Win for the simple reason that seating is easier and can be throated specifically for the bullet you want and not throated wayyyyy long and hope your choice bullet likes it.

 

[rtabor]

The magazine length is definitely shorter in a Vanguard than a Mark V. You will be limited, and I don't think (offhand) that there are any longer magazines available for a Vanguard. The Vanguard I set up for 300 Wby is limited to 3.565 COAL, while the Mark V is 3.666 with a bit of room to spare.

You might want to think about selling the Vanguard and buying an Accumark in 300 Weatherby. They are common to find on the market as "used on one hunt," have a larger contour barrel, better stock and longer magazine. I suspect that your overall price would be very similar and you would not have to worry any more about the magazine length. There is one on GB now for $1199 with a scope you'd probably sell and net out at about $1000.

I have thought about selling it, but it's the first gun my wife bought for me, and i give it extra value because of it. What bullet are you shooting in your Vanguard you set up for 300 Wby?