New Product Highlight: Weatherby Vanguard Obsidian

I love affordable hunting rifles. I’ve also had great experiences with Weatherby. Those two worlds are generally polar opposites, though.

Weatherby just dropped the Vanguard Obsidian, a rugged hunting rifle that can survive the harshest hunts without shooting holes in your budget.

The blacked-out Weatherby Vanguard Obsidian is built to take a beating. Its synthetic stock is impervious to the elements, and while we love adjustable stocks, the lack of moving parts means fewer things can break.

The two-lug action isn’t exactly the gun jewelry that Weatherby is known for (shoutout to nine-lug actions), but it’s damn near indestructible. As if that weren’t enough, the bolt has three gas ports to vent excess pressure in case of ammunition failure. The M16-style extractor and integral recoil lug are equally tough.

Simplicity keeps costs down, but the Vanguard Obsidian still features a cold-hammer-forged barrel, a two-stage trigger, and a three-position safety.

To top things off, Weatherby backs the Vanguard Obsidian with a sub-MOA guarantee (using three shots of premium factory ammo within two years of the original purchase date). That’s especially handy, considering many of the cartridges this rifle supports are screamers that practically demand to be pushed to extreme distances.

Is it fancy? Not at all. But it looks like it’ll drive tacks in all kinds of heinous weather. If you care more about spending time outdoors and filling the freezer than posting gun pics online, that’s all you need. There’s always the option of painting your rifle yourself.  

The “affordable” Vanguard line has roots back to the 1960s, but that’s a relative term that may not be as budget-friendly as you’d like. Until recently, the least expensive Vanguard was the $699 Vanguard Synthetic. Chopping more than 20% off the MSRP is a welcome change in our book.

If you want to get really deep into the weeds on the Vanguard line, check out Weatherby’s On Our Mark podcast.

Weatherby lists an MSRP of $549 for the Vanguard Obsidian.

What do you think of the new Weatherby Vanguard Obsidian? Let us know below. For more affordable bolt guns, check out our guide to the Best Hunting Rifles.