To many firearms aficionados the Weatherby Vanguard isn’t just any rifle, it’s the heart of the company’s long gun line. Weatherby refers to Vanguards as “the flattest, fastest shooting rifles on the market” while reviewers at Field and Stream bill them as “one of the best hunting rifles around at any price.” There’s no doubt the it is a popular rifle, and now Weatherby is offering it in a new way as a package with Leupold.

Weatherby’s newest item is simply called their Weatherby Vanguard Leupold package, and that’s exactly what it is. The package consists of a bolt-action Vanguard Synthetic paired with a Leupold VX-2 3-9X 40mm riflescope. Interestingly this package comes with an accuracy guarantee, a promise that – with the use of either Weatherby factory or premium ammunition – this gun and scope combo will deliver a 3″ group of 0.99″ or less at a distance of 100 yards when fired from a cold barrel.

The scope itself is a popular one among hunters who are also fans of Leupold. It’s designed for clarity and durability and what Leupold calls “absolute” water proofing. Features include, but are not limited to, easily adjustable click windage and elevation dials. According to the company it performs well even in low-light conditions.

The Vanguard line has been around since the 1960s and was designed to be made up of no-frills, all-function rifles. All rifles in this line come with the aforementioned accuracy guarantee, but there have also been more than a few instances of the rifles producing even smaller groups straight out of the box. Weatherby manufactures Vanguards to get the job done and they seem to deliver quite well.

The Vanguard Synthetic has features such as a Monte Carlo Griptonite stock, 3-position safety, match-grade two-stage trigger, and a cold hammer forged barrel. It has a matte black finish, an average overall length of 44″ depending on caliber, and a weight of 8 1/2 pounds. Calibers available for the rifle/scope package vary a bit from those offered for the gun alone and include the following: .243 Win, .257 Weatherby Magnum, .270 Win, 7mm Remington Magnum, .308 Win, .30-06 Springfield, .300 Win Mag, and .300 Weatherby Magnum.

MSRP is listed as $1049.00. Take a look on Weatherby’s site at http://www.weatherby.com/vanguardr-leupold-package.html