Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Ruger vs. Weatherby

Trying to find a Vanguard S2 in 6.5 Creedmoor right now is like looking for the proverbial needle. Anyway, if you were in the market for a 6.5 Creedmoor and the choices were between a Hawkeye and a Vanguard, which would you choose and why?

I've owned and shot a bunch of Rugers over the years and several Vanguards so I am familiar with them both. I'd just like to see what you fellers think.

Hawkeye for me please...

Vangard 6.5CM

Found your needle...

I like them both. Both will be accurate. Go with the stock shape that fits you better.

Don't know much about the Ruger, other than their accuracy can be hit and miss. Vanguards on the other hand are typically always shooters and are guaranteed Sub-Moa. I've owned 3 Vanguards and the quality has been outstanding.

Neither? Sorry...I know that's not particularly helpful, but the Vanguard isn't truly a Weatherby and the Hawkeye is a better value when chambered in a DG caliber, IMO. If forced, I'd go S2 given their reputation for accuracy.

Hawkeyes are excellent rifles. The only real Weatherby to me is the Mark V.

I purchased my first Ruger Hawkeye and it won't be my last!

That being said I had to do some work to get it sub moa. It was 1.5 -2.5 groups were the norm out of the box. Usually consisting of 2 shots close by each other and then 1 shot thrown 2 inches from the other 2 previous shots?

I replaced the trigger by choice, I filed down the magazine box when I discovered it did not "move freely" in the magazine well, I opted to free float and bed the recoil lug. The rifle turned into a great shooter!! The previous accuracy was fine for hunting but I tend to be picky about accuracy. Good luck with whichever you choose.

Hawkeye.

I'd wait for the Ruger American Predator in 6.5 CD

The Rugers are made in the USA

That weatherby is likely made by the japs who started ww2.

Ruger headquarters. Southport, CT USA

+1

Savage_99, I love your thinking!!

Weatherby rifles are made in California and have been for a while now.
The cheaper Vanguards have a solid rep here for accuracy and reliability. The guy that made my last custom rifle found them excellent. I have personally seen several perform quite well.
That said, I prefer the Ruger action features. Their barrels and rifles have been as good as anyboy's for sometime now. E

Assuming your comparing to the Model 77-

I own both, and both shoot better than me. Based on my personal experience I would suggest the weatherby. Ruger Hawkeyes are mighty fine pieces of manufacturing, but they're different animals with the angled action screws and the torque recommendations. Regarding any work requiring stock removal, the Vanguard is a simpler take down/re-assemble, at least for me anyhow.

I purchased my only Model 77 Ruger recently. I'm a lefthander who had always used RH synthetic bolt guns(TC, Howa, Wthby Vanguards, Win 70). I decided for my last rifle purchase, I wanted a LH rifle with a wood stock. Based on availability in my area I went with the Ruger Hawkeye. More than a few trips to the range were required to zero this rifle. After googling for answers, a couple of modifications were required- first a scope change, then modifying the mag box to relieve stress put on action as a result of torquing the screws. By the time I finished this excercise it shot MOA and all's well.

This sounds like I'm bashing the Ruger a bit but I'm happy with my purchase. It's got a really good, crisp trigger, and is a very solid build. I'm just saying, the Vanguards didn't put me through as much to zero. Both makes shoot MOA or better.

Don, isn't about time for Dr Kevorkian to pay you a call ? How many 90+ years old work in a factory ? That "Jap" gun is made better then any US mass produced rifle and better then the Kimbers you lust after. That's a fact

I know that throughout the tang safetys and probably well into the MKIIs, the hit and miss accuracy reputation had some truth to it. I'm not so sure that is the case now. Pretty much without exception the Hawkeyes I own and have owned have been very consistent shooters. While the only Weatherby (Howa?) that I own is a Vanguard Deluxe and not an S2, I find the Hawkeye to be a much better handling rifle and out of the box accuracy is MOA and more often than not better. My current go-to rifle is an All Weather 7mm08 and I couldn't be happier with it. YMMV
John

Vanguards are and always have been, made in Japan

Vanguard s2 for sure accuracy,

I've stated it previously and I'll state it again, if senile dementia and mental retardation were currency, Savage_99/Don would be capable of paying down the national debt several hundred times over and still have plenty to share.

The only thing I have against the Howa 1500/Weatherby Vanguard is it not being made in a left-handed version.

Every model 77 I ever worked with did that. Not usually 2" though.