I have a book at home that covers many of the obsolete calibers of the world. There are references to arcane calibers of every shape and size. The most common thing among them is their lack of power. Most are so bad you might be better off with a sharp stick, I know you would be safer with a sling and a big rock.
Along about the early sixties a dude with a chronograph and an idea set about changing that forever. His name was Weatherby. He set about building the best hunting rifle in the world, and the most powerful.
The original Weatherby was a work of art in all respects. The wood was beautiful, the action was custom with a nine lug bolt, lapped until the action would slide open smoothly when the angle of repose was exceeded. Expensive as all get out.
When sales dropped off in the Eighties a grade of rifle for the rest of us was built. The Vanguard was a Weatherby built on a Belgian Mauser action, with a synthetic stock and chambered for a Weatherby round.
Walmart entered the picture and offered the rifles at a low enough price that I bought one because I thought it was priced wrong. One of my friends bought three. They come with a target from the test firing at the factory. Friends you have no excuses, if there is a miss, it was the shooter, not the gun. My target shows a three leaf clover at one hundred yards.
The .300 Weatherby Magnum boots a 165 grain bullet along at about 3200 fps.
I bought a decent scope and headed out to give it a try. The first shot destroyed the internals of the scope, knocked everything out of focus. It now wears a long eye relief 5 to 9 scope with a five inch eye relief. The 180 grain slug whacks you with 54 ft/lbs of free recoil. I weigh above 250 lbs, and it will pick me and the rifle up off the bench.
The Love of my life will not even stand behind me when I shoot it, she says the blast makes her teeth hurt. It makes my teeth hurt too, though for another reason.
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