If I did get the American, I'd likely leave it stock. It looks like most of them shoot pretty well right out of the box, so I can't see adding weight and money to it. The SWFA would be nice, I'd opt for the 6x myself, but neither is an option since they won't export to Canada.
If I was looking for a rifle that was going to see a lot of heavy duty use, the custom route would be a nice option. Right now though I'm just looking for a decent, all-round beater rifle, something that'll do whatever I need to with a minimum of fuss.
If this Vanguard shoots well now, then I'll scope it and try to be happy...if I can't be happy with it, I'll look for a Howa locally. The local gun shop just moved location and is reopening today, so I have to stop in and see what they have. Never know
what might happen...
The only change I would make on a Howa/Vanguard it would be the trigger. My brother snagged an absolutely beautiful 300 wby mag blued with the deluxe stock from gunbroker for 5bills delivered. It has a great trigger and stock. I have never seen a rifle line that was so trouble free aside from the trigger.
Let's be clear about the Vanguard trigger. The issue was limited to the original Vanguard, which had a truly terrible trigger. Lots of people, including me, complained about them for years. The standard cure was to drop in a Timney and make a small cut or dremel out a small channel inside the stock to allow for the greater forward travel of safety lever arm, or whatever you choose to call it. The Timney is an excellent trigger that updrades to a three-position safety on the original Vanguards.
The S2 Vanguards have -- wonder of wonders -- a very Timney-like, three-position safety.
