Weatherby Vanguard 2 or Savage?

Wa_Coyote_Hunter

Wa_Coyote_Hunter

New member
Weatherby vanguard 2 or a Savage model 11fcns in 22-250 or .243.??
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Also would stainless be better or blued for coyote? I hunt all seasons and do clean my rifles often.
I want a walking rifle not a heavy varmint.
Thanks!! Dave
 
I have a Savage 7mm-08 in that model for my wife and daughters to shoot deer with, and really like it. I have owned and currently own plenty of Savage's and have never had any negative issues. They all have been able to shoot much better than my capabilities, and have functioned flawlessly. If you maintain your weapons, blued works just fine and is less expensive. As far as calibers, I am a 22-250 fan (as many are here), but you comfort and ability with the weapon is far more important than the size of the bullet. .223, 22-250, and .243 will all work great. Good luck in you pursuits.
 
At this time I am actually considering almost the same thing. Weatherby Vanguard S2 or a Savage Model 11 FCNS. I'm looking at the .308 Win . I've handled the Savage but not the Weatherby. There's been a couple of threads on here recently asking about the Weatherby, I don't think too many people have had their hands on or shot one yet.
 
If you guys ever want to change calibers or add different barrels then Savage is the way to go as you can do it right at home with basic tools.
They are all I have owned and the ease of swapping & building them are easier than melted butter.
Both are good guns though.
 
I have a savage 11 fcns in 22-250. very accurate rifle, and i love the feel of the accustock.

i never liked the looks of vanguards.
 
Have not seen the Vanguard 2 but had the Vanguard and Mark V. Have not got much good to say about either. Could not get either to shoot satisfactorily.
Much worse is I had trouble selling the vanguard and ended up giving it away. Resale can be low, a big measure for me.
Savage has a reputation for shooting out of the box and also for being ugly. The savages I have owned were all that and sold for a moderate resale.
 
Don't think you could go wrong with either, but for your application I think you would be more satisfied with the Savage, having the accutrigger and the ability to change barrels easily. Hope this helps.
 
Well I finally found a Weatherby Vanguard S2 in .308. I must say I was impressed. Very, very nice rifle. It had a very nice fit and finish, a 24" barrel, a military style 2 stage trigger with a short takeup and a very light 2.5 to 3 lb. trigger pull that breaks very nicely. It handles very well with nice balance and feels lighter than it actually is. It also has a very nice 3 position safety. Of course they did not have a Savage model 11 there to compare it to side by side. I've handled the Savage in the past and from my recollection the Weatherby seemed a bit more "refined". The last time I was choosing between the Savage and a Tikka in .223 and I ended up with the Tikka because it felt a bit better to me.

So the main differences to me are the stock and barrel length. The Savage has the nice Accustock with the full aluminum bedding and the Weatherby I'm not certain what the stock is all about, but it feels good. The people at the store didn't know and I've been unable to find any info on it and how it's bedded or whether it has aluminum anywhere. The Weatherby has a 24" barrel and the Savage a 22" . I'm not certain how much of a difference that will make. From my recollection the triggers are about equally nice. I'm going to go back when they get some Savage 11's in and make a side by side comparison. If anyone knows anything more about the new Weatherby (especially the new stock) or has shot one I'd be interested in hearing about it.
 
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i just got a weatherby it is very accurate but heavy with 50mm busnell and byepods my 700 is lighter shoots 2 inch groops at 100 yards my weatherby shoots half inch
 
Both will shoot, and both will shoot well!

With that, the action on the Howa/Vanguard is much smoother and IMHO built to a tighter tolerance than the Savage. They use Rem700 bases so mounting optics is easy and they have easily adjusted triggers. I have all mine right around ~2 lbs.

With that, the aftermarket in terms of stocks and barrels is tilted towards the Savage.

If I had to choose, I would choose the Howa any day of the week.
 
I have both a howa, and a couple of savages. I only picked up the howa because it was to good of a deal to pass up. The howa/vanguard has a bit slicker of an action and the old ones had nice triggers. Savage has more aftermarket parts and an easier barrel swap. They both can be very accurate. Savage is made in American, Vanguard is made in Japan. You will be happy with either, but I would buy the savage since it is made in the USA
 
Originally Posted By: SShooterZBoth will shoot, and both will shoot well!

With that, the action on the Howa/Vanguard is much smoother and IMHO built to a tighter tolerance than the Savage. They use Rem700 bases so mounting optics is easy and they have easily adjusted triggers. I have all mine right around ~2 lbs.

With that, the aftermarket in terms of stocks and barrels is tilted towards the Savage.

If I had to choose, I would choose the Howa any day of the week.

+1
 
I sold my 26" bull barrel Ruger so I could buy something lighter and hopefully as accurate.

I was not disappointed with the sub-minute guarantee with the Vanguard 2S in 22-250. After zeroing, it shot 2 groups of three at 5/8" each. Used Hornady Superformance 50 grain Vmax.

I have no experience with the Savage but I was really impressed with the 2S trigger, it is the best trigger I've ever used. I did not adjust it and I'm guessing it's under 3lbs. I also liked the fact that it had a 24"inch barrel as opposed to 22" with most Savage models. Should give more velocity, and the weight was also a consideration.
 
Originally Posted By: Wa_Coyote_HunterWeatherby vanguard 2 or a Savage model 11fcns in 22-250 or .243.??
confused.gif

Also would stainless be better or blued for coyote? I hunt all seasons and do clean my rifles often.
I want a walking rifle not a heavy varmint.
Thanks!! Dave

I have a Stevens in .243 and Savage 10 (non accutrigger) in .22-250. Both are extremely accurate with the Superformance ammo.

I also just bought a Weatherby Vaguard s2 in 7mm RM and am headed out to the desert today to try it out.

It feels better built than the Stevens and only a touch better than the Savage (don't know why, marketing segments, maybe?) I had to rework the triggers on the Savage and Stevens to get them to shoot half MOA consistently. The two stage on the s2 seems crisp and broke at a hair over 2 lbs.

If it's a money concern, the Weatherby ran me $469. The Model 10 was $359 (on sale) and the Stevens was $299. $100 each add'l to the Sav and Stevens for the trigger and they're in the same ball park.

As for barrel interchange-ability, it's do able, but it's not like you're going to switch the barrel the night before a hunt so you can use a different caliber. And if you add the cost of tools, time to head space, and make sure you're gtg, the aggravation factor may not be worth it. There are however, many more aftermarket parts for the Savage family or rifles than the Wthrby.

As for SS or blued, I wrap or conceal my rifles in one way or another so don't know of that helps.

Good luck!
 


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