THE famous Vanguard rifle was first added to the Weatherby family back in 1970 as a less powerful and less costly bolt-action rifle to boost sales by appealing to buyers who wanted a Weatherby but couldn’t afford a Mark V. Roy Weatherby approached Howa in Japan to make some changes to its Model 1500 action before introducing it as the Vanguard.
“Weatherby sales quadrupled after the new Vanguard models were introduced”
First released in standard calibres, the Vanguard was eventually chambered for hot cartridges like the .257 and .300 Weatherby Magnums.
The 1500 action — Howa’s first high-powered rifle — has an interesting history that dates back to 1967. The rifle was introduced to America as the Dickson Howa Golden Bear but its arrival hardly rated a mention in US shooting magazines. Dickson dropped it but from 1970 to 1973 it was marketed by Smith & Wesson as the Model 1500 Mountaineer.
Mossberg adopted it in 1986 but not for long. About that time, the Howa was imported into Australia by Geoff Rabbidge of Commercial Marketing and sold as
