Weatherby Vanguard BackCountry

[Jake C.]

Looking into buying a new rifle, I've liked Weatherbys. The Vanguard Back Country caught my eye and I really like the look of them plus they have added some nice features to the gun. Anyone have a Back Country or could anyone tell me about any experiences with them? Probably gonna go with the 300 Win Mag. I would like a 500 yard rifle but Im not sold on the 300. I live in Indiana and they have legalized just about every caliber for hunting now so if you guys have a better option let me hear it. It will be making a trip to either Idaho or Colorado for Mule deer in the near future as well. Thanks!

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

I just picked one up in .30-06, second hand for a good price, but I haven't shot it yet. I was happy to see that it weighed in at 6 lbs 9.7 oz bare, which is a bit lighter than stated. Weatherby makes it seem that the Bell and Carlson stock on the Backcountry is a lighter model, we will find out tomorrow as I ordered a standard one for another Vanguard I have. I've got 4 Vanguards total now, and the three I've had for awhile all shoot sub-moa and are well made, but the older they are the better fit and finish they seem to have.

This appears to be true for the Backcountry as well, the original model was stainless and had a pillar bedded stock. The current model is chrome-moly that is cerakoted and the stock has an aluminum bedding block in it.

As I said, I will post up weights in comparison to my other Vanguards, and update once I get the scope mounted and it out to the range, the rings just arrived today. I do plan to have the barrel cut back to 22" and free float it. They come skim bedded from the factory and it appears reasonably tight.

 

[Jake C.]

Gator, that was the only thing that threw me for a loop about the back country. Why do everything to protect the outside of the rifle and then use a chrome-moly instead of stainless for the barrel?? The whole reason I was drawn to them so much was the fact that they made them so weather resistant. I'm sure the chrome-moly is just fine but it seemed stupid to me to not use stainless.

Ya definitely post up what ya find out on this thread about weights and what not. Good info an I appreciate it.

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

Just went out and weighed the stocks. The L/A Bell and Carlson Backcountry stock comes in at 1 lb 8 oz, which is pretty good IMO. A standard S/A Bell and Carlson comes in at 2 lbs 5 oz, which is only an ounce more than the factory synthetic stock.

The Leupold 2-7x33 and dual dovetails come in at 15 oz, so I'll be right at my 7.5 lb goal. Hopefully I'll be able to shave a little bit more to be there with a sling and cartridges.

 

[Jake C.]

Right on Thanks!

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I have one in 300 Weatherby which I got in a trade with a buddy for the same rifle but in 30-06. The 300wby isn't something I really needed but the 30-06 wasn't being used so I figured what the heck.

They are good guns, both the ones that have passed through my hands have been durable but Ill admit, Im not a fan of ceracoat, Ive had issues in the past from chipped ceracoat the gets rust under it.

 

[gelton]

This one is in .300 win mag with a VX3 -3.5-10x40 and it works for me. The Cerakote has held up fine. Shoots under an inch MOA as long as I do my part:

 

[doubledowranch]

I got the gun in 300 win and I love it. I think it’s been through 4 hunting seasons and the cerakote has held up great. I’ve beat it to death on some mountain hunts. Topped with a z3 swaro I’ll probably hunt with it forever.


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[Owenst7]

Gator, that was the only thing that threw me for a loop about the back country. Why do everything to protect the outside of the rifle and then use a chrome-moly instead of stainless for the barrel?? The whole reason I was drawn to them so much was the fact that they made them so weather resistant. I'm sure the chrome-moly is just fine but it seemed stupid to me to not use stainless.

Ya definitely post up what ya find out on this thread about weights and what not. Good info an I appreciate it.

4xxx alloy steels have very good corrosion resistance. Some of their mechanical properties lend to a better barrel than stainless. Some of these properties would allow for a ballistically equivalent barrel that weighs less than it's stainless counterpart. I'm guessing that was the choice the metallurgical engineer made when they chose that. Short of leaving it submerged in salt water, I doubt the corrosion resistance would ever be noticed in the real world.

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

4xxx alloy steels have very good corrosion resistance. Some of their mechanical properties lend to a better barrel than stainless. Some of these properties would allow for a ballistically equivalent barrel that weighs less than it's stainless counterpart. I'm guessing that was the choice the metallurgical engineer made when they chose that. Short of leaving it submerged in salt water, I doubt the corrosion resistance would ever be noticed in the real world.

I too was not thrilled that they went away from stainless, but bought a Backcountry anyways as something besides my Vanguard Deluxe that could be "thrown down a mountain", which is about what looks like happened to the one I picked up secondhand. Scratches through the cerakote on the barrel, wear on the top of the muzzle where it rode in a scabbard, chips and gouges in the stock, etc.

In fact, there was surface rust on top of the cerakote in several places on the barrel, where the action meets the stock, and the bolt shroud. I could see some spots down the bore that looked like it was just dirty, but worried that this rifle might in fact have actually been submerged in saltwater and pitted it.

Thankfully, pulling it out of the stock showed everything else to be free of rust, the bore cleaned up beautifully and shows no signs of rust damage, and most of the rust on the cerakote came off with some steel wool.

All that is to say, if the Backcounty can be abused/neglected to level that it is rusting through the Cerakote, yet the bore remains in perfect shape, I'm much less concerned about the lack of stainless.

 

[Gehri1tm]

The HuntBackCountry Podcast had some good stuff I think in their later 60's and into session 70's about backcountry rifles. They happened to go with the Weatherby Vanguard Backcountry. Might take a listen. I'm still deciding myself on a backcountry rifle and torn between the Weatherby, Savage Weather Warrior, and Howa Alpine Mountain.

 

[Silentstalker]

I bought one a few years ago. After much thought I went with a .270 Win. Since then It has cleanly killed multiple mule deer out to 475 yards and I killed my bull elk this at 550 yards. It shoots the 150 gr. nosler ballistic tip and Partitions well under moa.
I would buy another one in a heartbeat.

 

[bow_hunt32]

I got the gun in 300 win and I love it. I think it’s been through 4 hunting seasons and the cerakote has held up great. I’ve beat it to death on some mountain hunts. Topped with a z3 swaro I’ll probably hunt with it forever.


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