The newer Howa triggers are indeed crisp and nice, perfectly good for a hunting rifle. Maybe not as nice as a Tikka. The actions are heavy, but they have a feel of smoothness and mechanical precision and quality that is rare in any manufactured product these days.
They did a run of 6.5x55 that for some reason tended not to shoot up to Howa's reputation for accuracy.
The only significant defect you'll hear about across the board is the bolt stop screw breaking. Most people never have it happen. Replacement screws through Weatherby are $3.99 at MidwayUSA.
The Vanguards are usually specified with longer barrels, i.e., 24" instead of 22" for a given chambering.
Vanguard S2 stocks can be had on fleabay for ~$60-70 from time to time.
The "Lightning" stocks are a Hogue without the rubber overmold. At least the shape and texturing pattern are the same as the rubber ones. I kinda like them. Easy to reshape and paint if you want.
Hogue full-bed stocks with the full-length aluminum block are much, much stiffer than the tupperware, so you get away from the issues with the forend touching the barrel. The whole thing has a different feel due to the greater stiffness. Also more expensive, but deals can be had from time to time. They are available in an almost-grey version of the ghillie green that looks pretty awesome(google for pictures, it's nothing like the marketing photos on the Hogue web site).
Last edited by OlongJohnson; 02/18/17.
