Weatherby Vanguard Rifle Serial Numbers

Founded by Roy Weatherby in 1945 in South Gate, California, the original rifles were custom guns made to order on Mauser actions. In 1956, he contracted with both Sako and Schultz & Larsen to manufacture complete rifles, while he continued to make custom guns in California. In 1958, Weatherby introduced his Mark V action, which was designed to handle the high pressures of his proprietary cartridges. Mark V action was made in U.S., with rifles assembled and finished at Weatherby shop in South Gate. Mark V featured a very modern stock design with glossy finish, high comb for scope use and contrasting grip and fore-end caps. Beginning in 1959, rifles were made in what was then West Germany. In 1972, production was moved to Japan, where rifles were made until 1995. Since that year, Weatherby rifles have been made in the U.S. Barreled actions for Mark V were made by ATEK in Brainerd, Minnesota. Mark V rifles are currently made in Sheridan, Wyoming. The action for Vanguard is made by Howa in Japan. For many years, Weatherby shotguns were made in Japan or Italy. Current models are made in Turkey. The family-run firm is currently run by Adam Weatherby, the 3rd generation Weatherby at the helm. Weatherby moved operations from Paso Robles, California, to Sheridan, Wyoming, in 2019. As of April 2019, Weatherby relocated its manufacturing and business operations to Sheridan, Wyoming.