Low prices on the Weatherby Sporter Vanguard S2 in .22-250 start at Champion Firearms-

The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection. For over 70- years, Weatherby has set the standard for quality and high performance hunting rifles in the industry. Established in 1945, with headquarters located in Paso Robles, California, the company originally began building its handsome, heavy duty custom rifles around the high powered magnum cartridges developed by founder Roy Weatherby. Throughout the early years, Weatherby rifles were seen as a status symbol akin to limousines, caviar and Italian sports cars. In fact, while it was still considered politically correct for Hollywood's elite to hunt and own firearms, celebrities such as John Wayne and Roy Rogers were seen proudly posing with their Weatherby rifles.

Roy Weatherby began to realize that his custom built rifles were beyond the means of an average hunter. A new, more affordable rifle series was conceived, whose final assembly would take place here in the United States, but where its principle components were to be made in Japan. By the 1950s, demand had already exceeded the company's manufacturing capabilities. As a result, in 1957 Roy Weatherby contracted with J.P. Sauer & Sohn in Germany to produce the MKV. For the Vanguard barreled actions, he then reached out in 1970 to international manufacturing powerhouse Howa Machinery Co Limited in Nagoya. Interestingly, many shooters contend that the fit and finish of the Japanese produced rifles exceed that of the earlier German made Weatherby's. Much of the Vanguard's significant price reduction would come in the way of a newly designed action and bolt.

Today, some 45- years later, the Weatherby Vanguard S2 Sporter represents a clear improvement over its predecessor, and given its affordable price tag, should prove equally successful among hunting rifle enthusiasts. While the modifications vary only slightly and the basic core components remain virtually unchanged, the Series 2 upgrades nevertheless have been instrumental in increasing overall performance. The action is still machined from solid bar stock. More importantly, rather than the MKV's intricate and expensive nine locking-lug bolt, the Vanguard's forged one-piece bolt was economically engineered down to just two hefty lugs located up front, with a fully enclosed bolt shroud at its rear.

Remington, Winchester, Savage and Sako had already experienced success with similar dual locking lug, push feed based rifles, but Weatherby made several important key safety and reliability upgrades that these other designs lacked. For instance, take the addition of a rear bolt shroud. In the unlikely event a case ruptures occurs, or where a primer is pierced, the shroud acts to redirect gas away from a shooter's face. The bolt was also given longitudinal flutes that reduced weight and friction during bolt travel, thereby providing smoother operation. Moreover, the fluting reduces surface area and provides a place for debris to migrate, preventing the bolt from binding. Three relief holes have been cut in the bolt body to also assist the shroud in redirecting gas pressure away from the shooter. Knurling on the rearward sweeping bolt handle ensures a positive grip for loading and unloading.

Similar to the MKV rifle that debuted back in the 50's, Vanguard cartridges today continue to be encased in Roy Weatherby's famous "Three Rings of Steel"-- which is the barrel, bolt face and receiver ring that combine to bring unequaled strength and accuracy. A large pivoting Sako style extractor rides just above the right locking lug. It has a longer, wider hook than normal push feed extractors, and gives a more positive bite on the case rim. Many experts consider this to be an essential feature on a push feed rifle, which is on par with the reliability and extraction power of a control round feed action.

Located at the bottom rear of the bolt, a cocking indicator can be seen, and even felt in low light. If your a discerning rifle owner that prefers to keep the firing pin decocked after the gun has been safely unloaded, this feature enables the shooter to quickly field check and verify if a round had been chambered, or not. The upgraded S2 series rifle is equipped with a three-position safety. Set to its rearmost position, the bolt is locked and will not allow the Sporter to fire. The middle position similarly will not allow the Weatherby S2 to fire, but still gives a shooter the ability to open the bolt-- allowing for the safe loading or unloading of the rifle. The forward position allows both bolt operation and the ability to fire.

The Weatherby Vanguard S2 Sporter wears an A-Grade Turkish walnut stock with a rosewood forend and fineline diamond point checkering. A satin urethane finish compliments the pleasant appearance of the rifle and provides a degree of weather resistance, while the buttstock features a raised Monte Carlo comb for precise cheek weld when using optics. Factory equipped with front and rear swivel studs, the stock has been outfitted with a special high density, recoil absorbing buttpad.

All Weatherby Vanguard S2 barrels are cold hammer forged, which provides durability, precision and accuracy. The Sporter has a #2 medium contoured barrel that features a recessed target crown to protect the muzzle and enhance accuracy. It is set at 24-inches to combine balance, portability and guaranteed SUB-M.O.A. accuracy-- while still providing terminal performance down range. In fact, all Series 2 Vanguards are backed by a SUB-M.O.A. accuracy guaranty, which is a 3- shot .99" group at 100 yards using premium factory ammunition. By the same token, even though most Weatherby rifles will typically shoot cheap ammo with tack driving efficiency, tiny groups with bargain bin loads are not guaranteed by the factory.

Weatherby's "bottom metal" is thankfully still made of metal these days, as the one-piece trigger guard and hinged floorplate wear a black matte aluminum coating that perfectly matches the gun's bead blast blued finish. A factory tuned match grade trigger (set to 3.5lbs) comes standard on the Weatherby S2 Vanguard Sporter. It is very crisp, breaks cleanly and is user adjustable down to 2.5 pounds. The rifle wears no iron sights, but is instead drilled and tapped for standard scope bases. It weighs in at 7.25 pounds, is chambered for .22-250 and has a capacity of 5+1 rounds.

Weatherby has been a name synonymous with quality firearms for decades. All firearms are manufactured using the finest materials, having been thoroughly tested and inspected in every phase of production. Due to the confidence Weatherby has in its products, the company does not provide a written warranty, but rather stands behind its reputation for customer service and satisfaction. Suffice it to say, there are few firearms manufacturers that can match Weatherby's distinction for high quality and consumer approval. Overall, the Weatherby Vanguard S2 Sporter is a good-looking, superbly accurate and well built precision grade hunting rifle built to provide a lifetime of reliable service.

Established in 1993, Champion Firearms is a retail gun store and indoor range located in College Station, Texas.

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