Weatherby Vanguard First Lite VFP243NR63 243 Winchester

The current “cool” trend among rifle enthusiasts seems to be long-range disciplines. Especially for the PRS game, 6mm rifles rule. Those chamberings offer good downrange performance, the ability to buck the wind well, and to do so with recoil light enough to allow the shooters to spot their hits and misses. We talked to the folks at RCBS recently, and they confirmed the popularity of the likes of the 6 Dasher, 6 BR, 6 BRA, and 6 Creedmoor chamberings in their competition die sales. Interestingly, the most famous of all the 6mms, the 243 Winchester, is conspicuously absent from that list. At least, that is, until you look at their sales of hunting-class dies, and then the 243 is in the top ten.

Some of our readers who hunt told us that they wanted to hear about rifles chambered in 243, so here we go. While we wanted to take a look at four quality rifles, we wanted to pick a quartet that wouldn’t break the bank. Our first selection is the Savage/Stevens Model 334 as imported from Turkey. Selling for a mere $425, this rifle sports a three-lug bolt and a real Turkish walnut stock. Next in line is the Savage Model 110, $760, with the outstanding Accustock and a trigger that was appreciated by this group of trigger snobs. Third is another rifle for the budget-minded in the guise of a Ruger American, $442. Batting cleanup is the Weatherby Vanguard First Lite, $923, the most expensive rifle in this test by a factor of two over the Ruger and the Stevens. The First Lite arrived with a camouflaged stock, Cerakoted action, fluted barrel, and a muzzle brake. It looks great, but was the shooting worth the extra cash? Let’s find out.

Weatherby Vanguard First Lite VFP243NR63 243 Winchester

$923

Gun Tests grade: B+

Good accuracy with outstanding trigger. Balance was great, easy to carry. Upgrade the stock just a bit, free-float the barrel, and this could easily have been our winner. However, price is a significant downside, costing twice as much as the Ruger.

Weatherby started out life based in California, but the company moved to Sheridan, Wyoming in 2019. Much Weatherby’s product line is produced in Sheridan, but our Vanguard First Lite was made to Weatherby specs using a Howa action from Japan. We’ve had good luck with Howa actions over the years, so that wasn’t a concern. 

Once again, there were advantages and disadvantages to the stock design. Unlike the others in our test, the Weatherby stock brings color in the form of their First Lite camouflage pattern. With a sand-colored base, brown, green, tan, and rust shades are added to make a good arid-country camo. The fore end and wrist are stippled, though we thought the feel was still a bit slick. The buttstock provides a Monte Carlo cheekpiece to go with a negative comb. This was to lift the shooter’s face to a good position and still direct recoil away from it. The fore end was well reinforced on the inside, but not to the extent of the Savage Hunter. It was also left in firm contact with the barrel. No free-floating here. Stock-to-metal fit was good. Two sling-swivel studs are provided.

The action also brought some extra touches. In keeping with the stock’s color scheme, and with the exception of the trigger, bolt release, and the thumb safety, most of the exterior action parts have been finished in Cerakote brown. The coating was very uniform and left a good look to the barreled action.

The bolt is a two-lug piece with a plunger ejector and an AR-15–style extractor. The bolt body is lightly fluted, leaving an avenue for dirt to clear. Bolt throw was the smoothest of the four rifles tested here. The trigger, with a required compression of 1.84 pounds, came very close to our theoretical perfection. Break was very crisp, with a little overtravel.

Measuring just under 0.6 inch in diameter at the muzzle, Weatherby threaded the barrel at 5⁄8×24 and then provided an Accubrake muzzle brake as well as a thread protector. The 24-inch tube is also fluted longitudinally, leaving the Weatherby as the second-lightest rifle in this test. Ammunition is carried in a smooth-feeding five-round internal box. 

The 24-inch barrel might be a little long for convenient attachment and carrying of a can, but the extra length showed up in increased velocity. When we compared the results, especially from the lighter Barnes TTSX load, the Weatherby was producing 200 fps more than the other rifles. If you’re on a coyote hunt out West, it might be just the thing for you. We also liked the muzzle brake. We know — it’s only a 243, but we work with many youth hunters, and that little extra recoil reduction can make a serious difference for a recoil-sensitive student.

Our Team Said: This Weatherby Vanguard First Lite may have wound up in last place in the accuracy race, but it only missed first place by an average of 0.15 inch overall. We have to declare a winner, but there just wasn’t much difference between the winner and the loser. Price will be an issue for many hunters, with this Weatherby being more than twice as expensive as the Ruger or Stevens, but go pick the rifle you like best, and you’ll do fine. 

Written and photographed by Joe Woolley, using evaluations from Gun Tests Team members. GT