Length-of-pull adjustability, along with the great price, makes this rifle a popular pick for parents who are raising their kids in the sporting life. It’s also a great option for tight quarters inside hunting blinds or the perfect gun to take on a coyote hunt. The Compact Hunter comes with a threaded barrel that is ready for a suppressor or the included recoil reducing muzzle break.
FINISH
Barrel/Receiver/Bolt/Bolt Knob/Safety – Tungsten Cerakote
Stock – Black polymer synthetic stock with orange and grey sponge accents
yotehtr1 –
Just came back to update my review after hunting season. My son used this rifle to shoot his first two deer ever, at 9 years old! First day he shot a nice doe at nearly 100 yards, and almost a week later he got his first buck, a nice 6, at about 30 yards. His rifle is the .243 version. I had him shooting Barnes tsx bullets which not only shot very accurately at the range, but more importantly performed great on game. Both deer were shot through the front shoulders. Both were complete pass through shots. And both resulted in great blood trails that weren’t necessary due to how quickly they tipped over but good to see none the less. He was able to get a lot of practice leading up to season because of how well this gun worked for him and honestly I shot it a ton myself and enjoyed it more and more as I went. Actually I liked the rifle so much I just bought another for myself. So now we have a pair of vanguard compact hunters and a very full freezer. I’d say we plan on making that a trend! Excellent job weatherby! Great rifle.
Terry Mayes –
Spotted this one on sale at Sportsmans Warehouse, my first Weatherby, (in 60 years).
Took it out a few days later when it warmed up a bit, with a box of reloads out of the Speer manual, and with a few turns on the scope to get the POI where I wanted it, I turned in 3 consecutive 3 shot groups at 100yds under an inch. I was more than impressed. The muzzle break did tame the recoil down quite a bit. It won’t be my last Vanguard.
Josh H –
Very accurate. Shoots factory barnes 120 grain tipped tsx 7mm-08 very well. My son is 10 yrs old and 70 lbs. He carried this rifle 4-5 miles each day on a two day hunt last month and shot his first deer. Very nice mule deer at about 170 yds. Suppressor made this rifle even more kid friendly.
yotehtr1 –
This is a fantastic rifle for youth shooters. I recently snagged one in 243 for my boy to start deer hunting. Had it out to the range for the first time last week and the rifle performed flawlessly. He shot it with the included muzzle brake which make it very comfortable for him and he really enjoyed shooting it and shot it very well thanks to the low recoil, short length of pull, excellent trigger, and smooth feeding action. One other thing that was impressive is the traditional weatherby style Monte Carlo comb. For a small kid trying to get a good cheek weld and correct sight picture that feature was priceless. I have traditionally had to build up the stock on all his other rifles to accommodate him but not with the weatherby. As an added bonus I was able to shoot the rifle myself although short for me still rather comfortably and it’s a shooter! Very accurate little rifle. I looked at several options and finally came up with the vanguard compact and glad I did. Nobody else offers these features so well thought out for youth shooters. And as a side note the stock looks awesome in person! Got my boy super pumped to shoot it! Great rifle and I would highly recommend it!