257 bee to buy and load or not

[Sas874runner]

I know someone selling a brand new 257 weatherbe vanguard.brand New from the factory. It has their new trigger abd a synthetic stock. their factory accuracy papers have this rifle shooting .5" groups. What are your guys thoughts on these rifles and caliber.

 

[FOTIS]

Jump on it if the price is right!

 

[dubyam]

I'll second this. If you can buy it right (below current retail) you'll be well served. The 257Wby is one of the best rounds out there for deer and other thin-skinned game. I prefer the 270Wby as it delivers a heavier bullet a bit flatter but the 257 is nothing to sneeze at. The Vanguard platform is an excellent rifle and will likely offer you better accuracy than most rifles costing twice as much.

 

[FOTIS]

Everything from mice to moose brother.

 

[Rem Jim]

Whats NOT to Like ? :mrgreen:

Cheers RJ

 

[Vince]

I'd grab it if the price was right and it was a left hand action. :grin:

I was looking hard at the .257 Weatherby when I went with the 6.5 x 284. If I hadn't fallen in the 6.5 Camp I would've gotten a Weatherby in >257 Weatherby Magnum. I may still get one at a later date but for now I'm good to go.

Vince

 

[Guy Miner]

Great cartridge! Like a souped up .25-06, and still, after all these years the hottest commercial .257" caliber available. Works great on deer sized game to any reasonable range, with a very flat trajectory. It's got a great record of success with 100 gr & heavier bullets.

Ol' Roy Weatherby liked it so much he used it on much bigger game than he likely should have... And it worked.

The Vanguard is one heck of a deal too. Great rifle at a great price.

 

[JD338]

I agree with the others. Grab it if the price is right.

JD338

 

[DrMike]

The Vanguard is a real bargain, and the 257 WBY is a great cartridge. If the price isn't boosted into orbit, I'd be inclined to snag the rifle.

 

[Sas874runner]

The story... my neighbor had a 257 bee that was.brought in for random bolt sticking and zero accuracy. ( somewhere in the range of 20"@100). Upon further inspection find the action to be cracked where the barrel threads in. Contacted weatherby on this issue because it was a brand new rifle at the time. (About 7 months ago) and was told to send it in. Well just the other day weatherby called and said they were replacing the entire rifle. Now the original customer had since moved on and wants to sell the brand new replacement rifle. For $500.00. I have never looked at weatherby rifles so I Am unsure about what they normally go for. But price does not seem bad at all

 

[Sas874runner]

Nice glass rem Jim. Viper?

 

[Guy Miner]

wants to sell the brand new replacement rifle. For $500.00. I have never looked at weatherby rifles so I Am unsure about what they normally go for. But price does not seem bad at all

The fancy Mark V Weatherby rifles are more expensive, but there are plenty of shooters who swear that the less expensive Vanguard series are just as accurate, if not more so. Vanguards are often seen in the $500 - $600 range. Sometimes a bit more. They are good rifles, built in Japan to high quality standards.

Buy with confidence, they're good rifles, and that's a hot, flat-trajectory, rompin' stompin light-kicking, heavy killing cartridge! :mrgreen:

Guy

 

[Dr. Vette]

I know someone selling a brand new 257 Weatherby Vanguard. Brand new from the factory. It has their new trigger and a synthetic stock. Their factory accuracy papers have this rifle shooting .5" groups. What are your guys thoughts on these rifles and caliber?

Interesting. The new Vanguards don't come with targets, but given the issues that the previous buyer had with his first rifle I suspect that's why this one has a target as proof that there's not an issue.

As noted by others the Vanguards generally are exceptionally accurate, and often more so than the Mark V. Why, I don't know, but I have seen this with my own rifles too.

If you have a need/use for this caliber then I wouldn't hesitate.

 

[Rem Jim]

Nice glass rem Jim. Viper?

Thks - YES Viper HS 4-16 x 44 30 mm ! :grin: RJ

 

[Dwh7271]

Don't know I can add much other than I have Vanguards in 257 Wby and all the above are true. :grin:
You won't be sorry I would think.
They're fast, loud, kill stuff DRT and flat fun.

And.....if Nosler will make a 257 ABLR then it should fit this cartridge like a glove

 

[Sas874runner]

Thanks guys. I was looking through the box and there were 2 different loads shot using Barnes 110 gr bullets chronograph speeds and target grouping. According to weatherby they have made some changes to the vanguard line. Maybe that is why they now have targets?.? But I do know the trigger measures a crisp 3# pull. Rem jim I just picked up a nice viper hs-lr 4-16x44. That may have a nice home on top of this rifle. Maybe a new antelope cartridge?

 

[Rem Jim]

I don't think there is a Better Antelope cartridge then the 257 WBee ! The Vortex 4-16 has a perfect power range for this cartridge too ! :grin: JMO RJ

 

[dubyam]

The Vanguard used to come with a three-shot target, fired with the action in a fixture, prior to it being stocked. All that was done in Japan at Howa's facility. With the newer Vanguard carrying a .99MOA guarantee for three shots at 100yds, Weatherby went to a cost saving measure and eliminated the test targets. I suspect it also had something to do with final assembly of the barreled action and stock (and perhaps the trigger, but I'm not entirely sure) here in the US. Regardless, targets were discontinued a few years ago. I'm pretty sure Patrick (Dr Vette) is right and this one has a target as a gesture of goodwill after the cracked action. (Which is bizarre. Just bizarre.)

I'm notoriously cheap, and I would not pay $500 for a Vanguard Synthetic, but only because I come across them frequently for less. But in this case, knowing the history, I'd be willing to bet that one is a real gem, on purpose, if you follow my drift. If you want a good deer/antelope round, and a place to park your new Vortex glass, this one will certainly fit the bill.

 

[HOGWILD338-378]

From what I have seen looking online at retail prices for a new rifle they are close but everyone I looked at were sold out and as mentioned you should be able to get them for a little less than 5 bills!! I just got my second 257 Mark V today and it's a sweet 26" Lazermark from 1996 NIB almost my first was a Vanguard and it's a tack driver!