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The Vanguard is worth the extra bucks for the better stock (you may not feel you need to replace it) and it's still available in stainless instead of the Legacy-applied Cerrokote goop. Heck, you can get a blued S2 in .257 or .240 Wby for about five bills on GB. Pretty cheap fun.

Yes, $500, good deal.

I really like my Howa but not the Hogue stock so much. Didn't realize McMillan made something that will work for the Howa. Could be interesting.

Have always had great luck with Howa's. Love the new trigger. Action and barrel are top notch for what you pay.

Weatherby has better stocks and better triggers. Not sure on barrels, but I think the Vanguard just used the same action as the Howa.

My local gun show has the blued synthetic Vanguards on sale for $499. That is the option I would take over the Howa. As someone else mentioned though, if I could find the closeout Tikka's at the cheap price, I would go there first.

Howa=heavy Clunker

Lefty C

I have overused this picture, but here is a Howa Lightweight in a McSwirley, sako classsic pattern.

It started out as a .243, but I rebarreled it to .308, and it now has a VX-2 CDS 2-7X33 instead of the regular scope. Here it is with a non-competing Dinkathon candidate.

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).

Kinda impossible to go wrong.

I just got a 25-06 for Christmas that hasn't disappointed yet, the trigger is very good and breaks at exactly 3 lbs - for $329 from Whittaker guns it is a bargain. I shot some inherited reloads and one box of unknown bullets shot a 3/4 inch group. The action was a little stiff to start but after the 20 round barrel break in it is nice and smooth and I'm expecting it will shoot quite well.

The stock is better than the Ruger or Savage plastic stocks but not as good as the new Weatherby S2 stocks. My old Howa made Vanguard in 300 Weatherby shoots lights out but it needed a Timney trigger to shoot well, both the new Vanguard and Howa 2 stage triggers are about as good as the Timney.

I put the very nice Meopta 2.5-10 on mine for a little over $300 from CameralandNY in Talley lightweight mounts and have a total of less than $750 in the rifle including a SVL adjustable handle sling. For not very much money the combination is hard to beat for an accurate reliable all around hunting set up.

I still have some work to do to find the right load for the rifle but it hits my 490 yard elk vitals rock consistently already with the mystery reloads that say they are 117 grain probably Speer or Sierra bullets with an average load of 4831 and unknown primer.

I know, I had 2 of them. First one would do no better than 3-4 inch groups at a 100 yds. Sent it back and they sent me another one. That shot a little better, but was not up to my standards. On the other hand, I have a 204 in the Lightning, and had a Vanguard 223 that will shot extremely good.

nice write up....

I've gone with a couple of Howas in 223s, the Minis, a non mini is 223, and then a Weatherby.... While I love the Hogue, unlike many others, that Vanguard 2 is my favorite of all of them...

That Weatherby Stock is why.. I love that thing, the way it fits and feels...you can get them from Weatherby for $140.. which I am thinking of picking up...for another Howa I ended up with...

also debating which 243 to let go of to replace with a Vanguard 2 in that caliber also... then I hear a 6.5 Creedmoor and a 7/08 whispering my name...( which I don't need) but they relentlessly keep whispering my name, no matter how much I tell them to shut up...and now the 240 Weatherby is doing the same thing...

Howa's twist is only 1:10", if that makes it easier to ignore the whispers.

Been thinking about a 204 Ruger. Whats the best format, the mini or non mini?

I don't know what kind of COAL length you play with in the .204.

But in the .223 the standard Howa is the winner. The Mini holds you to AR mag lengths.

If that's a non-issue the Mini is cool as schit. And I'm sure they'll have a standard bottom metal for it sooner or later.



Travis

Compared to what?




Travis

What should it be?




Dave

Savage offers 9.25, Remington 9 1/8.

If it doesn't matter to someone, they won't get an argument from me. But for the reasons I'd choose a .243 over something else, being able to use heavier bullets would send me in the direction of a 700.