Weatherby Vanguard S2 vs. Tikka T3
 

hey guys im 19 years old and looking for a good rifle to last me a while that is affordable and accurate.

I think ive got it down to the Weatherby Vanguard S2 or the Tikka T3 what do yall think?

Also what caliber thinking about 30-06?

Thanks

either one is decent. shoulder them both and see what fits you better. Only you can tell. 30.06 is another fine choice although it does kick a little.

i like the tikka a tad better because the one i shouldered at the store a few months ago was lighter than the Weatherby.

I'd go for the Weatherby. Good choice in the .30-06.

Feel and fit definately have alot to do with the desicion on a purchase. If all is equal,i'd choose the Weatherby hands down. Why? IMO the stock seems better,no plastic bolt shrowd on the Weatherby no plastic clip on the weatherby,monte carlo stock on the weatherby.To me the Weatherby is just a better gun than the Tikka

Sako A7...

My Weatherby Vanguard in .300 Weatherby Magnum shoots 0.25 inch groups at 100 yards. I do not think any other rifle, even custom made ones, can come close to that.

Weatherby Vangaurds are made in J a p a n by Howa. Not knocking Howa as they are decent guns but Tikka is made by Sako. The action on the Tikka's are butter smooth. The Tikka T3 lite does have a cheaper stock but the Hunter model has a nice wood stock.
As for caliber the .30-06 is pretty versatile and widely available. .308 would be another one which is close to performance as 30-06 and availability.

For some reason I can't type ***an on here without it being censored.

Had a Tikka and did not care for it but it was accurate. Of the two you mentioned I think the Howa is a stronger, more robust rifle.

Choices
 

I own both so I feel I have some knowledge to share. The Vanguard as already stated is made by Howa of ***an to Weatherby specifications. The Vanguard will be heavier than the T3. The actions are a bit different if that matters to you. Both rifles come with an accuracy guarantee. The Tikka does have more plastic components than the Vanguard but with reasonable care both rifles will last you a lifetime.

The main criteria for purchasing the rifle is to handle each and see how they naturally feel to you. I can say hands down the Tikka just fits me better than the Vanguard. One thing though is if you're new to rifles the light weight of the Tikka allows it to recoil stoutly when firing 180 gr. loads with the 30-06. The Vanguard has less felt recoil as rifle weight will help lessen the blow. This is something you might think about. Both are good rifles and worth buying. Choose the one that fits the best and you will do just fine!

I honestly can give no comment on the Vangard other then the reputation of the Weatherby name. AS for the Tikka I can tell you that you probably won't find a slicker action then the T3's unless you upgrade to a Sako (same family). As for them having more 'plastic' components - not true. The magazine is a polymer that is much stronger than a sheetmetal magazine. You will also find that the trigger on the Tikka is superb. It will break cleanly with no creep or overtravel. Probably one of the better production rifle triggers out there.
The T3 as previously mentioned is lighter and will give you more felt recoil. But that will only be noticed on the bench and not during huntng. But the lighter weight will be a pleasure to carry.
The old 30-06 is tough to beat as a one rifleman's chambering. There are countless other cartridges that are better suited to specific tasks but the old '06 is extremely versitile.
But the best advice to your choice of rifles is, as stated in an earlier post, to handle them both and see which one feels better to you. If it feels good to you - you will shoot it better.

Take a look at these;

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/weatherby-vanguard-rifle-vgs270nr4o-winchester-griptonite-stock-stainless-finish-p-121954.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/marlin-bolt-action-rifle-xl7270-winchester-black-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-117249.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/ruger-hawkeye-bolt-action-rifle-hmk77rfp-7119-winchester-black-synthetic-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-99578.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/tikka-lite-bolt-action-rifle-jrtb318-winchester-bolt-action-black-synthetic-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-90826.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/remington-stainless-bolt-action-rifle-7267-winchester-black-synthetic-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-86358.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/howa-1500-rifle-whogue-stock-hgr62612-winchester-bolt-action-black-synthetic-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-99595.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/savage-116fcss-weather-warrior-rifle-17799-bolt-action-black-stock-stain-steel-finish-wdbm-p-86703.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/thompson-center-icon-weathershield-rifle-5547-winchester-synthetic-stock-weathershield-finish-p-112298.html

I can't really comment on the Weatherby cuz I don't know that I've ever even shot one, but I own a .308 Tikka T3 Ultralite, and I love it. The action and barrel are the same as the Sakos, which are widely regarded as some of the best rifles on the market. Not sure if the trigger is the same, but it is a great trigger anyways. Of all my guns I like the action on the Tikka the most. I was a little put off by all of the plastic parts on the Tikka at first, but plastic is not a very accurate definition of the material. Its a very strong polymer that I have found to be much more scratch resistant than most synthetic rifle materials, and I have never managed to break anything on it. Shortly after I bought the gun, I bought an extra clip, out of fear that the rather flimsy feeling clip would break and leave me SOL in the middle of a hunt, but that has never happened. I have a friend who told me he once broke the piece that prevents the bolt from falling out the back, but it didn't render the rifle useless, and it was a cheap fix. The action is so smooth that if you leave the bolt open, it will slam back and forth bouncing around in a vehicle or when handling. Generally I leave the bolts open when I store my guns, so anyone who comes along can see that its not chambered, but with my Tikka I leave it closed to prevent any unnecessary bolt slamming just in case by friends accident wasn't a fluke. As far as accuracy goes, I am more than happy with my Tikka. Someone on this thread said that the T3 wouldn't come close to 1/4" at 100 yards, and I'll admit that right out of the box it didn't, but now that its good and broke in I know for a fact that it does shoot that accurate, or at least extremely close. In fact, when I sighted it in for Deer hunting this year using a sled and custom loads, I emptied the 3 round clip three times, and only once did it leave more than one hole on the target. And that was probably due to a poor load because I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to reloading. The only real gripe I have with the gun is that when the clip is loaded, you have to apply quite a bit of extra pressure to pop it in with the bolt closed, even though it goes in almost effortlessly with the bolt open. Not knowing this the first time I took it out hunting, I popped in the clip with the bolt closed, and didn't realize till I was about a quarter mile out that I had no clip. Luckily I found it, cuz a replacement is about $70 bucks, and if you ever held one of those clips you would know how steep that price seems. I'm sure the Weatherby would be a great gun too as I know a few people who have them and love them, but I would not hesitate to buy another Tikka T3, and I'm willing to bet you wouldn't regret buying one.

You should note that the 270 is a superior cartridge to the 30-06.

Flatter and faster flying.

The next better cartridge to the 270 is the 7mm mag. But as a young man you probably do not yet have the bone and muscle mass to handle any of the magnums yet.

The next better cartridge to the 7mm mag is the 300. That's just FYI.

The best made rifles are the Remington and the Winchester, due to their superior metal characteristics. Anything else is cheaper. J a p a n has a great reputation for steelmaking however, so a J a p a nese made Weatherby would be a pretty good bet.

I prefer to buy American anytime I can. But sometimes if you find a superior product that is foreign made then you can't really get around it. My 45ACP double stack is Czech. All my other guns are American.

what?? the 270 is superior?? c'mon.. And i wouldn't call remington the best of anything. there are many good guns out there.

I doubt the barrel and the action are the "same" as Sako. Why would Sako put their "meat and potatos" on a gun then charge 2/3rds less for the gun?

As far as the stock..IMO it's a piece of cr@p as are most of the factory offerings in synthetic. Molded injected stocks are a cheap inexspensive way of producing stocks.

A 19 year old man does not have the bone and muscle mass to handle a magnum cartridge? :confused2: I know plenty of men in that age range that can handle that level of recoil.

I think the barrels may be from Sako but not sure of anything else.

Isn't repeatable accuracy what reigns supreme ?

Just checking......................because otherwise ???

I wouldn't call the 270 superior strictly because it shoots light bullets faster then the '06s heavier bullets. I would give the edge to the '06 due to bullet selection, and caliber size over a 270 for big game. I also wouldn't claim the M700 being the best, or one of the best. Theres plenty of good rifles out there, and most outshoot the shooters. Personally, I have a pair of new haven made M70s, and they dispell the legends of how superior remington's push feed action is in terms of accuracy. I can also say, I bought a 7mm mag when I was barely 20. Still own it, and still shoot it. I was a tall scrawny guy back then, no less.