Description
The Weatherby Vanguard Compact Hunter 22-250 is a youth-and-small-frame rifle that does not feel like a compromise. It pairs a 20-inch cold hammer forged barrel with an Accubrake, a tungsten Cerakote finish across the barreled action, and a Monte Carlo polymer stock in black with grey and orange accents.
What sets the Hunter apart from the plain Compact is the muzzle brake. On a 6.5-pound rifle, the Accubrake takes .22-250’s already modest recoil down to almost nothing, which is exactly what a new shooter needs to build good habits instead of a flinch.
Vanguard Compact Hunter 22-250 Barrel and Brake
The barrel is a 20-inch #1 contour, cold hammer forged like every Vanguard, with a 1:12 twist suited to the light, fast bullets .22-250 is built around. With the two-inch Accubrake installed, total barrel assembly length is 22 inches, and the threads are 1/2-28 if you would rather run a suppressor.
Tungsten Cerakote covers the barrel and receiver. It is a genuine corrosion barrier rather than a cosmetic coating, and the matte grey tone kills reflection in open varmint country where a shiny rifle gets noticed.
Stock, Fit and Trigger
The Monte Carlo polymer stock adjusts for length of pull from 12.5 inches to 13 5/8 inches using a removable spacer, so the rifle grows with the shooter. The raised Monte Carlo comb puts the eye in line with a scope without a cheek riser, and the orange and grey accents make it look like something a kid actually wants to carry.
The trigger is Weatherby’s two-stage adjustable unit, tunable to roughly 2.5 pounds. Behind it sits a three-position safety that allows unloading with the striker blocked, and the bolt body is fluted with a fully enclosed bolt sleeve.
Specifications
- Model: Vanguard Compact Hunter
- Manufacturer part number: VYH222RR2B
- Caliber: .22-250 Remington
- Capacity: 4+1
- Barrel: 20 in., #1 contour, cold hammer forged
- Barrel assembly length: 22 in. including 2 in. Accubrake
- Muzzle threads: 1/2-28
- Twist rate: 1:12 in.
- Finish: tungsten Cerakote on barrel and receiver
- Receiver: drilled and tapped
- Stock: Monte Carlo polymer, black with grey and orange accents
- Weight: 6.5 lbs
- Overall length: 39 to 40 in.
- Length of pull: 12.5 in. to 13.625 in.
- UPC: 747115451449
Why 22-250 in a Compact Rifle
.22-250 Remington is one of the flattest-shooting varmint cartridges ever standardized, and it produces almost no recoil in a rifle of this weight. That combination makes it close to ideal for a first centerfire: the shooter sees hits at distance without ever developing a flinch.
It also has genuine utility beyond practice. Coyotes, prairie dogs and groundhogs are all well inside its range, and in states that allow it, heavier bullets make it a viable deer round at moderate distance.
Why Buyers Choose It
Weatherby applies the same sub-MOA guarantee to this rifle that it applies to the full-size Vanguards, backed by the same cold hammer forged barrel and adjustable trigger. Most youth rifles in this price range offer none of that.
The adjustable stock means it is not a rifle your child outgrows in two seasons. Pull the spacer out to start, add it back as they grow, and the same gun serves for years.
Optics and Ammunition
A compact 3-9×40 or 4-12×40 balances well here and keeps the scoped rifle near eight pounds. The receiver ships drilled and tapped, so standard Vanguard bases and rings finish the setup at the bench in a few minutes.
Who Should Buy It
This rifle fits the parent setting up a first centerfire, the smaller-framed adult who has always fought an oversized stock, and the predator hunter who wants a short, braked, low-recoil rifle for calling stands.
Learn more from Weatherby, or browse the rest of our firearms selection.
Every firearm we list ships to your chosen FFL and is transferred there after a background check.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.