Rem 700 vs Weatherby Vanguard

[TJarratt]

I am in the market for a new hunting rifle this season, mostly for hunting whitetail in Centural Texas. It will be my first new rifle (have been using a hand-me-down) so I am looking to spend around $500-$700. I am stuck between the Remington 700 SPS Stainless 30-06 and the Weatherby Vanguard Stainless 30-06. I like the Remington because of the 700's reputation for reliability and out of the box accuracy, but like the Vanguard because of it's beautiful craftsmanship and have heard that it is also a very straight shooter. Any comments or personal expirences with either of these rifles would be appreciated, thanks.

[LLOYD]

This is one of those questions which will boil down to personal taste. The Remington is a very good rifle for the reasons which you have mentioned. Most will shoot very well out of the box. The Remington is also built in the US where as the Vanguards are built on Japanese Howa actions and I believe assembled in California. This, by the way does not make them a bad rifle as Howa rifles are apparently very good as well. Certainly the Remington is more tried & true since it originated in the 1960s. The Ruger M-77s are very good rifles and also fall squarely in this price range. I own Rugers and Remintons and both are very good, and although I dont own a Vanguard, I'm sure they would perform well for you as well. I, personally would buy the one that appeals to you the most.

[Yooper]

I'd personally go with the Vanguard. Weatherby provides proof of accuracy in every box with a target and the list of ammo shot. Who else makes that claim? Remingtons are good too, don't get me wrong. You also can't go wrong with a Ruger or a Winchester M70 either. Best thing to do is go and see what fits best. Try the actions and see which is smoothest, etc... Do this and you'll find "the one." Then spring for decent optics.

[Todd G.]

Here's my thoughts. First off, if you only plan to hunt with the rifle, choose the one you like best and forget about it. In the end, either will do more than you will ever need the rifle to do.

If you are thinking about using it for target shooting, etc. or doing some custom work to it down the road, get the Remington. The M700 action is the most used action type on almost every target range. Therefore, you will find more opportunities and qualified information than on the Vanguard. You will also find the Remington trigger is easier to adjust for more characteristics, or to switch out.

The Vanguard comes with an adjustable trigger for pull weight. So, that helps if you aren't planning on making any alterations. It also comes with a guarantee of 1 1/2" groups at 100 yards. (Personally, I don't care about that. Most any quality factory gun will be able to shoot as well with premium ammo.) It will also come with a factory shot target. (Who cares... so did my Sig Sauer 226... it falls into the same thought as above.) One thing that is different is the barrel length on the Vanguard. You get a 24" barrel with the Weatherby, where you will likely get a 22" barrel on the Remington depending on model.

So, try both of them on for size, and see which one feels best. In the end, they will both get the job done in the field.

[Yooper]

The thing about the whole "comes with the shot target" thing that appeals to me is that it is like a stamp of quality control. It's like saying, "yes, this gun has been shot, will shoot, and will shoot with decent accuracy." Other than that... I totally agree with ToddG's comments. Basically any gun should be that accurate with decent ammo.

So again, run with what feels right.

[OhioOutdoorsman]

You can get a sub-MOA Vanguard which guaruntees sub - 1" at 100yds. This seems to be a way for Weatherby to jack up the price of the 1 out of 100 guns who meet this criteria. Who knows if these guns that shoot more accurate with their first three shots will be the most accurate guns in the long run. But then again it sounds like you'll be hunting and not target shooting, so go with what feels best - I think people tend to weigh benchrest accuracy too highly when purchasing a hunting rifle. Get the gun you like the feel of.

[houthoofd]

I bought one of the first Weatherby Vanguard Stainless 30-06 rifles they made a couple of years ago and it shoots sub-moa and has proven itself over several trips (whitetail, bear and caribou). I am also a fan of the Remington but don't own one. You can't go wrong either way!