re: Thoughts on Weatherby Rifles

Weatherby's Vanguard line of rifles are made by Howa of Japan. As I understand it, the only differences are: Weatherby version has a barrel that's 2" longer and made by Weatherby; some minor dimensional differences in the bolt; Weatherby version finish is a little better refined.

20 yrs ago or so I had a S&W M1500, a bolt action rifle made by Howa. It was one of the most accurate rifles I ever had. I later sold it to finance some other purchase. Howa makes solid rifles, albeit not usually as fancy as some others.