The rifle I tested was chambered for .22-250 cartridges. Other sub-MOA Vanguard chamberings include .223 Remington, .243 Winchester, .270, .308, .30-06, .257 Weatherby Magnum, .270 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM), 7mm Remington Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum, .300 WSM, .300 Weatherby Magnum and .338 Winchester Magnum.

The author tests the action of a new Vanguard rifle. The Howa-manufactured rifle is well made and operates smoothly. For 2005, Weatherby introduced a variety of upgraded Vanguard rifles, which are no longer available solely through Wal-Mart.

Firing Winchester USA 45-grain jacketed hollowpoint .22-250 varmint loads (not premium ammo), the rifle consistently punched 100-yard, three-round groups ranging from 11/16 to 7/8 inch in diameter. I blamed the lone 1 1/2-inch group I punched on operator error. Other shooters at the range reported similar results, with some groups measuring just 5/8 inch between centers.

Because these sub-MOA rifles are individually selected, then given special treatment, they carry a suggested retail price of $799. Stainless steel versions are also available, and these list at $919.

The Vanguard makover doesn't end there. These solidly built rifles are newly available in several different versions, including the basic Vanguard Synthetic that carries a suggested retail price of $476 but can often be purchased for just $399.

Sub-MOA Vanguards are available with either black or tan synthetic stocks.

Another great buy for budget-minded shooters is the new Vanguard Synthetic or Stainless combo package, which is new this year. In addition to the Vanguard rifle, this package includes a factory-mounted and boresighted 3-9x40mm Bushnell Banner scope, Uncle Mike's nylon sling and swivel and a Plano Pro-Max injection-molded case. With a blued-steel Vanguard, the complete package lists at $596 ($715 for the stainless version).

Another neat idea that is new from Weatherby this year is the Vanguard Compact. This lighter, shorter Vanguard sports a 20-inch No. 1-contour barrel in a youth's- or women's-size hardwood stock with a 12 1/2-inch length of pull. This rifle is offered in .22-250, .243 and .308 chambering only. Here's the kicker: This $549 rifle comes complete with a full-size injection-molded composite stock at no extra charge. The extra stock allows the rifle to grow with young shooters, eliminating the need to buy another rifle later on. The Vanguard Compact weighs only 6 3/4 pounds--just under a pound less than full-size Vanguards.

For shooters who prefer wood stocks to synthetic handles, the Vanguard Sporter features Weatherby-style Monte Carlo stocks of genuine walnut. These stocks sport fine-line diamond-point checkering, a contrasting rosewood fore-end tip and a glossy urethane finish. Both blued ($582) and stainless ($701) versions are available.

What's more, you can now customize your Vanguard by specifying a stainless steel barrel action with longitudinal flutes and your choice of a recessed field crown or an 11-degree parabolic target crown. Fiberguard pillar-bedded stocks or Accuguard stocks with imbedded, CNC-machined aluminum bedding plates are offered in six distinctive color patterns. These include dark timber camo, desert camo, snow camo, tan with black webbing, black with gray webbing and black with red webbing. I know of no other factory-made production rifle available in this variety of stock colors.

While Weatherby's new sub-MOA accuracy guarantee applies only to Vanguard rifles identifiable by their "SUB MOA" floorplates, other Vanguards are routinely capable of similar performance. The standard .257 Weatherby Magnum Vanguard I recently acquired was accompanied by the usual factory target. This target displayed a three-shot, 100-yard group measuring barely 7/16 inch between centers. That makes my new .257 Vanguard a sub-half-MOA rifle. I've fired two different factory loads and a few handloads through this rifle, and it's a real keeper.

I'm happy to see Weatherby finally recognize what it has in the Howa-made Vanguard. No longer a neglected stepchild, the Vanguard rifle has finally earned a deserved place alongside its more famous Mark V brother.