Looking at a good deal on a new Weatherby Vanguard in .30-06 for my "go-to" plains rifle (for practice, deer hunting here, and possibly to bring with for my Africa trip unless I eventually get a .375).

I've been really debating getting a Tikka T3 Lite in .30-06, but that would be about $500 with no scope. This Vanguard is about 1 pound heavier (7.3 pounds vs. 6.3 pounds for the Tikka), but comes with a Bushnell Elite 3200 scope, and is $375 - I have more than enough scopes, and will probably just sell the scope for about $175 - so technically the rifle will cost $200.

I'm used to Tikka T3s (I have one in .223) and like them, but I figure this is a pretty good deal.

Will I appreciate the extra pound, the 90 degree bolt, the extra 2" barrel, raised cheek piece, fluted one-piece bolt, and seemingly heavier/safer features?

I've got a T3 in 30-06 it's a good rifle. Recoil in that light gun in 30-06 is practically equivalent to a 300 win mag in a rifle thats 1 lb heavier. Light guns take some practice to get good with and the T3 is as light as I want to go in any caliber.

I shoot a Vangard in .270 I like it a lot. I did replace the trigger with a Timney, a little better. I had no problem getting it to shoot MOA. But like you I would replace that scope pretty quick.

How does it feel when you shoulder. If it fits well it should work for you. As I said in a different post, they all work, even weatherbys.

TerryR

My Vanguard has always shot very well with factory ammo. I just returned from SA where it performed very well on plains game.

Limcroma Safari

A few years back I replaced the stock, bedded and floated the action/barrel.

Nice gun, one piece bolt etc, the sub-moa version might be worth the extra money and put a aftermarket trigger on it.

Buy a Ruger, Winchester or Kimber in 30.06 or 300 Win Mag. Ruger being the best value for the money. Then when, and you will, purchase your 375 H&H, 416 Win Mag or 458 Lott you can purchase the same type of rifle. Controlled feed, wing safety and similar bolt position and throw. If I was starting from scratch today to build an African hunting battery, I would purchase a 338 and 416 and never worry about being adequately armed for anything on the contenient. If you can't handle a 338 you need more range time or you will never be able to handle a heavy. Also, don't worry too much about rifle wieght. A bit heavier rifle will aid in off-hand or field rest shooting, absorb recoil and makes a much better club should all else fail. Besides, if you can't carry a pound or two more rifle, perhaps you need to take 10 or more off your middle and increase your upper body training.

Perry

I concur with pwn375, although other caliber combos would work also.

I was going to say buy a Howa, it's the same thing but cheaper, but you can't argue with the price on this gun!.

JohnCrighton:

pwn375 makes a very valid point in favor of the heavier rifle. It hangs better in offhand shooting. You indicated (on another thread) that you were familiar with relatively short barrelled and light weapons. Shooting a hunting rifle at distances is something you will have to adapt to because it's wholly different. Light weight is not always an aid to steadiness of aim in a hunting rifle. (Accustoming yourself to a heavier rifle is a matter of conditioning yourself - I remember when young that sometimes pistol coaches would recommend holding up a glass milk bottle full of water and sighting over the top to accustom {and strengthen}the wrist to holding a Colt 1911A1, 45 ACP, fully loaded being fired with one hand. ((yeah, I go back to when milk came in glass bottles) Heavy rifles have endured for a reason - you can shoot better at distant targets with one -even offhand. Just my thoughts.

Well, I handled some Tikka T3s today and some Weatherbys. The T3 felt . . . well . . a little too "light" to me. I loved the bolt throw and action, 60 degree turn instead of the Weatherby's 90 degree. The Weatherbys were not Vanguards but the Mark V. Quite a bit more costly than the Tikka. I did like the stock and cheekpiece of the Weatherby, and the trigger was nice, but the bolt just wasn't on par in operation with the Tikka.

Well, I've found a nice, NIB .30-06 Tikka Whitetail Hunter, blue, synthetic, for about $465. The T3 is 6.1 pounds, the WH is 7.5 pounds. So perhaps that extra 1.4 pounds will tame the recoil a bit more and give me a more balanced rifle. From what I read the WH was just about as close to a Sako as you could get without paying the big bucks for one. I like the metal magazine as well.