So, Roy Weatherby’s 50-day hunting sojourn in 1948, which he chronicled on newsreel footage and brought back to the states, gave Americans a rare, real-life glimpse of exotic lands and big game many had never seen before.
   Weatherby’s love of hunting was a consequence of his hobbyist nature. He was the ultimate tinkerer. From lapidary (custom engraving) to crafting model airplanes to designing rifle cartridges, his interests were wide ranging. The latter changed his life, defined him professionally, resulted in his characterization as a groundbreaker and freethinker and positively impacted the firearms industry.
   At a time when many firearms experts, like Elmer Keith, were promoting big bullets traveling at slow speeds, Weatherby experimented with lighter weight bullets that traveled at high velocities. He believed the combination was ideal for the flat-shooting, hard-hitting power needed to create enough hydrostatic shock to kill animals quickly and humanely.

Weatherby: The Man, The Gun, The Legend by Tom and Grits Gresham, is a hard-cover book available for $29.95 plus $4 shipping, signed by the authors, from: Cane River Publishing P.O. Box 665 Natchitoches, LA 71458

   “At the time, Roy was quite controversial,” explains Brad Ruddell, vice president of sales and marketing for Weatherby. “His beliefs were often the subject of debate with folks like Keith and noted gunwriter Jack O’Connor.”
    As a salesman for an auto club and through the establishment of a retail gun shop in Los Angeles, Weatherby financed the fledgling cartridge and firearms business that he founded in 1945.
    Initially, Weatherby developed the .220 Rocket (based on the .220 Swift), and the first Weatherby Magnums—.257, .270 and .300 (based on the .300 h&h Mag.). He also built his own rifles on virtually any action he could obtain, such as the fn Mauser, Schultz & Larsen and Mathieus. He also offered to rechamber rifles for his newly designed magnum calibers.
   “Weatherby cartridges were substantially hotter than other rounds at the time, and the performance increases were impressive,” explains noted gunwriter Tom Gresham, who co-authored the Weatherby biography, Weatherby: The Man, The Gun, The Legend, with his father Grits Gresham.
   “The standard .30-caliber hunting round was the .30-06, which was considered a big cartridge. Few used the .300 h&h Magnum. The .300 Weatherby Magnum was hotter, louder, shot farther and hit harder than anything anyone had seen.”
   By the mid-to-late 1950s, Weatherby had expanded his line of magnum cartridges to include the .378 Weatherby Magnum and the .460, the world’s most powerful production cartridge, delivering nearly four tons of muzzle energy. In 1957, he again commanded the spotlight with the unveiling of the action recognized around the world today as the Mark v Magnum Action.
   “Roy Weatherby knew rifles and his role as a high-velocity pioneer is important,” explains Gresham. “But I think Roy’s most important contribution was modern marketing. He changed the way guns are marketed. He proved that you could sell higher-priced rifles than other companies thought possible, if you created a demand.
   “He redesigned a rifle to put California styling on it. We’re accustomed to that now, but at the time rifles came with dull, oil finishes. He put rakish lines on the stock and used high-gloss finishes. I wonder if there will be another Roy Weatherby.”
   Weatherby’s marketing genius found him dealing with the upper echelon of the firearms industry, the world’s most noted shooters and hunters and numerous celebrities. Brushing elbows with the rich and famous and Hollywood mega stars like John Wayne became part of the Weatherby mystique.

   Despite his involvement with the moneyed sector, Weatherby didn’t lose sight of the average consumer. This was clearly evidenced in the early 1970s when the Vanguard—a rifle that offered Weatherby accuracy and performance at a more affordable price—was introduced.
   Roy Weatherby passed away in 1988, but his visions are carried forward by his son, Roy “Ed” Weatherby, Jr. While not the task-oriented person his father was, Ed is a skilled people person and delegator, which serves his 21st century company well.
   According to Ruddell, Ed sets the vision for where he wants the company to go, then gives the competent people who surround him the autonomy to accomplish the vision.
   Practically every person at Weatherby—from customer service and credit departments through the executive ranks—hunts or shoots.       They’re enthusiasts and their intimate connection to the shooting sports and understanding of the consumer are evident in the product offerings and level of customer service provided.
   “Weatherby is the only company to offer an accuracy guarantee on rifles,” Ruddell explains. “All Weatherby rifles are guaranteed to shoot a 1.5 inch, 3-shot group at 100 yards with Weatherby cartridges. Vanguard rifles come with proof of accuracy.
A factory-shot, 3-shot target from the rifle is packaged with
each gun.”
   “We continue to work on new products and, in recent years, have focused on bringing more affordable products to the consumer,”
Ruddell adds. “Value is a word that is beaten to death,
but the consumer is confronted with it in every aspect of their lives. Everyone wants to get the most for their money.”
   The resurgence in demand for wood was the impetus for the new Vanguard Sporter, which is a wood-stock rifle with nice detail. Weatherby is also offering two Vanguard packages this year that require only a brief trip to the range to sight in and a hunting license before carrying it into the field.
   The packages include a traditional chrome-moly, blue-barreled-action Vanguard with a synthetic stock, gun case, sling, mounts and scope, that is factory bore sighted and also available in a stainless version. Look for additional offerings to be unveiled at the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (shot) Show at the end of January, specifically in the shotgun and Vanguard segments.
   From day one, Weatherby’s guiding principle has been to provide the consumer with the best ownership experience possible. As the company approaches it 60th anniversary, nothing has changed.