Weatherby Vanguard Accuguard, .270 Win, 24", SS Fluted, Composite Stock - 24" Barrel, 5+1 Rounds

This is my second Accuguard. My first is a .300 Win magnum. The first range session with my .270 was with Remington Core-Lokt bullets and I wasn’t expecting much in the way of anything but hunting accuracy as I have not had very good luck the last several years with Remington ammunition. Groups with it were in the 1 1/2 to 2 inch range at 100 yards. What was promising was the fact that the groups were triangular. Showed the rifle was consistent anyway. My next range session was using handloads. Hornady 150 Interlock ahead of 57 grains of RL-22. These tightened up to the 1” to just under 1” mark. So it hit the sub-moa but I’m going to switch to IMR4831 for my next load. I’ve had better luck with it than the RL series—at least in standard cartridges. What is most interesting to me is that I bought two of these at the same time, one for me and one for my nephew. Both rifles shot the same way. You can tell when a company takes short cuts. When the action is pulled from the stock those areas you can’t see are less finely machined. Not so with any Weatherby. The machining is flawless inside and out. If you are thinking about this rifle/cartridge combination NOW is the time to act as they don’t chamber it anymore. Also pay attention to the manual with regards to proper torquing of the action screws. Use a torque driver and some blue loc-tite. It makes a huge difference! Don’t rely on the “that feels about right” method. My .300Win went sub-moa, actually 1/2 moa with my first group. This one is taking a little more time to fine tune but it’s getting there very quickly.

I have been a Weatherby fan since my first rifle. I own several of the Vanguard S2 series as well as the AccuMark series. The AccuGuard falls somewhere in the middle. This gun has excellent fit and finish, stainless fluted barrel is excellent, bolt operation is flawless and I love the three-position safety. My frustration is with its accuracy using factory ammo. I tried every combination of the Weatherby recommended ammo with marginal results. However, after several attempts with handloads, I found a combination that makes this one of the most accurate rifles I own. I just don't understand why factory ammo performed so inconsistently in this particular gun. Overall, I am at a point where I am pleased but it took a long time, a fair amount of money and a lot of frustration to get here. I would not buy this intermediate-level gun again - for the money, the Vanguard S2 series is a better option that yields great results with factory ammo.