Vangaurd 257WBY won't shoot - options?

[Chopaka81]

I bought the rifle as a project from a pawn shop for $325 as a project.

Details:
First thing I did was de-fowl the barrel of copper. Second thing was R&R the trigger with a Timney. Then I began working on the injection molded stock, to get the bbl free floated. Using a Weaver 6-24 pwr target scope. The load is 73.5 grs of H1000, Nosler 110gr AB, Fed Mag Primers, Wby brass, neck sized.

I am thinking that I should try to glass bed the recoil lug as a temp fix and see if the bedding is hosing me up. I was thinking of using a Brownells kit. I have my doubts that it will bond to the plastic stock, but I am hoping that it will provide consistant enough bedding to develope the load.
Am I wasting my time?

Options(?):
Is the action worthy of having it "accurized" and rebarreled into a LR shooter with a new stock? I want to go with a 7/300 Win Mag - not an STW.

Thanks!

 

[esshup]

Is the crown OK? Try a ladder test and see what the gun likes. I have t different .257'sand they each have their likes and dislikes. What groups are you getting?

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Yes the Action is worth it I just sent mine off for a blueprint all though I have been told by a lot of guys that the Vanguard(HOWA) allmost never needs one.

I do know that the factory stocks are not so hot! I am planing on having Joel Russo build mine in the future. But Mcmillan and manners will inlet your action as well.

I am by no means an expert on bedding rifles but I think the brownells bedding kit will bond fine with the plastic in your stock just make sure you remove enough material and rough off the surface real well to give the glass something to bond to.

 

[esshup]

FWIW, mine found it's accuracy node with 70.7g of H-1000 with the accubond. I have the black plastic stock on mine and I bedded it a few years ago with accuraglas and it's still holding up fine. I also had to relieve one side of the barrel channel.

 

[Chopaka81]

Is the crown OK? Try a ladder test and see what the gun likes. I have t different .257'sand they each have their likes and dislikes. What groups are you getting?

I am getting 2 to 3 inches @ 100 meters (110 yds). The crown does not look boogered up.

 

[blipelt]

117gameking 60.5 IMR4831 fed match mag primer. This worked exceptionally well in my vangaurd custom. It took however about three months of load development to come up with this load and group.



I do however think the weakest link in the firearm is the stock they choose. Even the submoa's I have with fiberguard stocks aren't real good.

Brent

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Hay not to get off subject but if you guys are using Vanguards would you post up some pics?

Chopaka81

Maybe you should try a diffrent bullet weight? Or a diffrent rest a lot of good sugestions here but I think you are allready on the right track.

 

[Broz]

.Or a diffrent rest a lot of good sugestions here but I think you are allready on the right track.

Bingo, I have owned several. If you free floated it there is not much left of the tupperware stocks forearm. Slid the baggs back toward the mag box and start looking for a replacement stock.

Jeff

 

[blipelt]

I hope I didn't get your hopes up but when I mean custom, we bought them from the local scheels as a custom in SS with a grey laminate stock for $600. We bought 270, 257weatherby, 300winmag, 300weatherby. I am currently working on building a 300wsm submoa for a light carry rifle. I replaced the trigger with a timney and am looking at stiffening the fiberguard stock with aluminum strips or just buying a new one.


Brent

 

[Chopaka81]

OK, I agree - the black plastic stock is a P.O.S. I agree the forearm is not ridgid enough. What are my options? I want a Sendero style stock. A laminate stock would be acceptable. My son wants me to get a JRS style laminate. I am wondering I should just put the OEM trigger back on the rifle, dump it, and go buy a sub MOA vanguard instead?

 

[friendlyfireisnt]

OK, I agree - the black plastic stock is a P.O.S. I agree the forearm is not ridgid enough. What are my options? I want a Sendero style stock. A laminate stock would be acceptable. My wants me to get a JRS style laminate. I am wondering I should just put the OEM trigger back on the rifle, dump it, and go buy a sub MOA vanguard instead?

Laminate can be a good way to go, but they are heavy. McMillan and Manners would be another way to go instead of the laminate. I put my -06 Vanguard into a Boyd's thumbhole, since it was stiff, and fairly inexpensive. It was my first foray into doing any work on a rifle.

No real need to dump it, you can probably make it fairly accurate without too much effort. Floating the factory stock may not be a good thing, since it's so flimsy that it will probably contact unevenly in the end anyways. I heard that many have good luck with a pressure point anyways, although I did an aggressive free float on mine, and have no complaints.

Bedding can't hurt, and will probably help. I bedded the lug and forward a couple inches, along the action, and the tang, although I put a bit of tape on the back of the tang for some relief.

I also noticed that with my rifle, although I found several loads that shot well, was very picky when it came to loads. Simply changing lots of brass caused the grouping to spread a bit.

 

[blipelt]

The submoa's stocks are a little better but not much. They are pillared, but they don't have the reinforcing in the forearm for freefloating either. Midway had some B&C medalist stocks on sale awhile back for either $150 or $180. I do have a buddy with a factory tan/black stock from a 300weatherby. It could be a cheap way to go back to a pressure bedded stock. Shoot me a pm if you are interested and I can get you the info.

don't care for pressure bedding either because I have seen some of our vanguard rifles change the POI.

Brent

 

[Chopaka81]

I checked Midway, those stocks are not sale right now. Does the aluminum bedding block extend the length of the forearm?
Thanks! Don

 

[blipelt]

I don't think it is, but it carries my bartlein barrel extremely well on my 6X47lapua. The gun total weight is around seventeen pounds. The other one I was looking at was the new axiom stock from blackhawk. They are different looking, if you like that sort of thing. Hope it works out for you.



Brent