Would a Weatherby Vanguard be a much better choice than a Savage 110?
It seems to me as if it would, but I am not really familiar with the various Weatherby rifles.

BTW, what does a Target tag on a Weatherby rifle mean? I looked at a few rifles today- all new Weatherbys, and a couple of them had a tag on them saying Target, or Target Model, and had a small pic of a target that comes with the rifle. They were not priced higher than the other Weatherby rifles. The barrels looked to be the same diameter, not heavy target barrels.

Jim

quote:

Would a Weatherby Vanguard be a much better choice than a Savage 110?

IMO.....yes!

Thanks Vapodog. I appreciate a clear answer!
The only thing I was wondering about is whether the newer Weatherby Vanguards were as well made and as accurate as the older rifles.
How is their quality and reputation in the newer offerings?

Jim

The Weatherby Vanguard is a Howa barreled action in a Weatherby-designed stock. That said, I personally would prefer the Vanguard/Howa.

The Savage has a huge following, but mainly because of its barrel-mounting method. The barrel nut they employ allows simple barrel replacement with pre-chambered, custom-made barrels available from several providers. Its AccuTrigger is better than what was previously provided; the old trigger is currently used on the Savage. Aftermarket triggers are available for all of these rifles.

If you can find a Howa dealer, compare those rifles and prices to the Weatherby.

I can't account for the Target tag on the Vanguard. There are rifles available that have been sorted for accuracy and have a guarantee, but those carry a price premium as well.

Is there a difference between the wooden stocked and fiberglass stocked rifles, or is it just personal preference?
These are prived between about $499.00 and about $650.00. It seems to depend on whether it has a wood stock and the caliber. The .257 Weatherby sounds expensive. If I get one it will probably be either a .270 or a .243.
I do need to look up the info on the .257 Weatherby though. It sounds interesting.

Jim

I'd take the Weatherby, I just about walked out of Wholesale Sports today with a new Vanguard. .300 Weatherby is a bit on the heavy side for a new deer gun though! Nonetheless, I don't like the accu-trigger gizmo on the Savage rifles. Some folks love them, they just don't work for me. Also, Savage insists on detachable mags on some rifles, I just don't like those.

All Weatherby Vanguards are guaranteed to shoot 1.5" at 100 yards with factory ammunition. The Vanguard Sub-MOA rifles are guaranted to do under 1" at 100 yards, IMO not worth the premium unless you like the fancy stocks. My secondhand experience with a shooting range fellow who bought rifle and the ammo used to shoot his target had no problems getting good accuracy from his gun.

I would research the .257 Weatherby a bit more, it's an awesome little round but remember, the Vanguards only have a 24" barrel so you won't be able to wring the most out of it (IMO Weatherby rounds are fantastic but are best in 26" pipes).

I checked into the prices for Weatherby ammo, and I'll stick with either a .270 or a .243. $46.00 and up for the Weatherby ammo is too much for me.
The Savage I had in mind, that I was comparing the Weatherby to is a pre-accutrigger. The new Weatherby Vanguard is only about $100.00 more than the used Savage. I guess if I had mentioned that at first the choice would be clearer. The only reason I asked was several people seem to love the Savage rifles.

Thanks,
Jim

The Vanguard/Howa's are fine rifles, and it depends on what you need from a rifle. If you like to shoot more, I suggest a Savage as you can change calibers easily, something to practice with, and your super-fast hunting cartridge so you don't burn out your barrel.

I'm assuming the "target" tag means it is guaranteed 1" or better at 100 yards, although the Howa's and Savage's shoot better than that without the extra cost, usually.

Since I just bought a Vanguard in .300 Wby, I'd have to say go with the Weatherby Vanguard. I think it's a good gun for the money.

The trigger on mine was a POS as it came from the factory. With some good advice that I got here on AR and a little spare time, I now have a crisp trigger that I can adjust from 2 lbs up.

I want to put a custom fancy walnut stock on it so until I get it finished, I won't work up any loads for it, but it looks promising.

I have a vanguard in 257 wby mag. I'm not sure what the "target" description means, maybe it's the "moa" rifles just re-named "target"? Mine is a standard model with a wood stock. I think I paid $500 for it, maybe a little more than that, but I don't remember.

Mine is a tack driver with my own handloads, easily shooting under 1" groups. I don't buy factory ammo for any centerfire gun I own, so ammo costs are not important to me.

The 257 wby is a pretty hot round in a .257 bore diameter. The barrel heats up pretty fast, and I can't shoot more than 3 shots without stopping to let it cool down. If you're not going to handload at all, then a standard caliber would be a better choice. The 25-06 chambering would be close enough to the wby mag to get it done and be cheaper to feed.

The first thing I did to my vanguard was to throw away the crappy trigger. It has to be one of the worst triggers ever put on a hunting rifle, truly pathetic and almost unshootable. If you get the vanguard, PLAN on replacing the trigger. Mine has a Timney trigger in it now, and it shoots like a different gun. The vanguard is pretty heavy for it's size, mine weighs like 8 pounds if I recall, and by the end of a tough hunt, it's starting to get heavy, don't know if that matters to you or not...

There's nothing wrong with Savage rifles either. They shoot very good, and other than a bad case of "ugly", they are good rifles. I have several Savage rifles planned for my future...

My Vanguard has a lovely trigger.

The correct answer to the Vanguard/Savage question, is of course: Both!

Pawn Shop find --

Weatherby Vanguard, 30-06, synthetic stock, Leupold VXII 3 -9x 40mm. 85% $270 out the door.

It's a nice rifle, functional. Trigger seems entirely adequate. Very accurate.

I got a hell of a deal. Pawn shops tend to pay for the rifle only and people pawning them don't remove the scopes. So the scope comes free.

I can't believe the pawn shop didn't remove the scope an sell it separate. But it was only "out of pawn" for less than a day when I walked out with it. "All Guns 20% Off" sale.

I'd also shop around for a Howa if your choice ends up being the vanguard. Basically the same rifle.

I have a Wby Vanguard in the .257 Wby Mag and it is extremely accurate. However, the trigger had a lot of creep. Had a trigger job and it shoots wonderfully. I reload, so the cost of ammo isn't such a shock.

I looked at the Weatherby vs the Howa and saved money by getting the Howa different stock but the Howa was still nice, the target tag on the trigger means there is a target in the box with your rifle from the factory showing a 3 shot group the weatherby taget was about a 1" group the howa group from the factory is right at 1".

I also have a Savage 116 in 338 it came w/barrel comp and acc trigger my first trip out and maybe the first 10 shots I questioned the acc trigger after a bit and shooting it, I love the trigger it shoots 3 shot groups of less then 3/4" and most important my first shot with a cold barrel is right where I dialed it at the range.

Just yesterday, I made what i hope is the right decison on this same question. Wby Vanguard in 243 win. Very nice wood. Older model gun though. Havent shot it yet, but I like it so far. I just cant warm up to Savages, although many swear by them.

I'm with you there, nothing fits me quite as comfortably as a Weatherby.

I think the Vanguard has a better fit and finish to it...

The Savage has a better barrel in most instances...it also has a lot of easier utility to it...

If practicality and utility was my motivation, I'd go with the Savage...that has its own beauty..

If I wanted a nice better looking rifle to impress my friends more, I'd pick up the Vanguard...

I hav given a few Vanguards as presents... I have kept any Savage I have bought for myself..

I have tried to look at Savage rifles many times. I'd really like something so easy to replace barrels on.....

Each time I pick one up I end up putting it back down, as they just seem too cheaply made to appeal to me.

I would buy the Vanguard and not look back.

Cheers,

Dan

The Savage I have in mind has a brown laminate stock instead of the cheap looking plastic stock on so many other Savages. It also has a Weatherby Premier scope on it.
This is actually a rifle I put in pawn to finance another. I have been dabating whether to get it out or buy a Weatherby. The Weatherby is more and comes with a cheap Bushnell scope.
The Savage shoots around 1"- I never really tried much other than getting it on paper. It's groups really tightened up when I tightened the action screw.

I will get it out since I know it shoots. The Weatherby sounds like a decent rifle but not orders of magnitude better than the Savage.

Jim