Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters New Rifle Choice: Weatherby Vanguard S2 Range Certified vs Browning Xbolt Medallion

OK, you need to listen around and you will hear trigger stories. There are 50 Remington 700s for every Browning A-bolt out there. There are going to be more stories for 700s than ANYTHING.

I have NEVER seen an A-bolt make it through a hunt without the trigger failing. They get a little dust in them and the rifle will not cock. I have several 700s and have hunting them a LOT. I have never had a trigger failure. Only failure of any kind I have had is a broken extractor on a 700.

Ask Sitka deer about his experiences with them. Mirrors mine. I never said they aren't accurate or well built. They are poorly engineered and not very reliable. That is a fact. They would not have discontinued them otherwise. Did Remington discontinue the 700? Nope- new models every year.

I know zero about the X-bolts. I have never even held one. Browning is stuck in the wrong dimension when it comes to bolt action design.

The Japanese made Weatherby actions are pretty darn good. Only thing I don't like about them is the metric barrel threads that Howa uses. I am assuming Vanguards are the same way- maybe I am wrong. Just makes them a PITA to rebarrel. Every one I have shot has been quite accurate and quite reliable.

Buy whatever you want. Don't complain when you ask questions and you get info from folks that have used them.

Relax.....Don't go and get your undies in a bind. I'm talking about Browning "XBOLTS", not Abolts! Your the one who brought up the Browning Abolt. Okay, you don't like them even though by your own admission you've never owned one. Maybe....just maybe your hunting clients need a lesson in proper gun cleaning. I think Browning makes some of the best hunting rifles in the world. None of the elk killed by either my Xbolts or Abolts have ever complained! I appreciate your input. And yes......the Weatherby is a fine firearm. I own several as well.

2 entirely different animals. I can't imagine picking up and Xbolt then fondling an S2 and thinking I have a decision. You should be able to make up your mind by picking them up back to back. Handled both. Plain S2 gets my vote. Cant fly Xbolt. Stock designs are worlds apart...

W

Browning bolt rifles have been a goat fuuuk for a loooong time.....

I guess all my hunters carrying Remingtons, winchesters, Howas, Tikkas, Rugers, CZs, TCs... know how to clean them better than the few Browning hunters I have had.

If you really think Browning makes 'some of the best hunting rifles in the world' you live in a small world. There is a lot not to like about their bolt rifles. They keep changing them because they can't seem to get them right.

They USED to make some of the best hunting rifles in the world- the Browning Safaris made on the FN actions were top notch. The (dash)-bolts, not so much. BARs have their following but not very popular. The lever action- what a joke. I'll bet John Moses is flopping in his grave!

After they dropped the FN and Sako's,the Brownings were a lost cause and they haven't gotten it right since.

Not for me,thanks.

I have heard that John M. Browning is presently shooting Ruger Hawkeyes ………....in the Happy Hunting Ground of course!

Klik: Ever see a John Browning design crap out?

Nope! I can only wish someone will still be impressed with what I did while on this planet long after I'm gone - let alone even remember I existed. JMB was an amazing guy; I wonder what he would be doing with today's technology?

I shudder to think.

It's true what you say about the BLR being a joke. While carrying a BLR in 358 Win this past season, I had a black bear approach me at less than 25 yds. The bear died laughing.

Dan

I bought a synthetic stocked Weatherby SS S2, sub MOA .30-06 about a year ago. It is in fact sub MOA with factory or hand loads. Hornady's factory 150 SST is about .020 off the lands. It will shoot my hand loads with 56 grains IMR 4350 at about 2850fps. That is with both 150 SST or 155 Scenar. Both these loads go so close to the same POI that they can be used interchangeably on targets or varmits at 300 yards. Most accurate rifle I've bought that has had no adjustments of any kind. Only cleaned it, scoped it and started using it. Haven't shot a Browning since I sold my BAR .30-06 35 years ago. Can't comment on Brownings, but they sure have a good reputation.

What he said!

I've always said that guys from New Hampshire JUST KNOW!

Weatherby would be my for sure and certain. Simply a better build rilfe in every aspect.

LOL
I thought you were going to be serious


You haven't used one, and I really don't believe they all "failed" since mine is over 30 years old and has never failed

If you don't like them, just say so , but there's no need to make up silly stories

I bought an X-Bolt in 7mm wsm, liked it so well I bought a 7mm-08. Both are nice, well built, quality firearms that shoot sub moa with several different handloads. I had a BLR years ago and didn't really like it. These are in a whole different category. The trigger, the stock, the recoil pad, the overall fit and finish are very good. And they are on the lighter side at 6-8 and 6-5 lbs respectively. I consider these better and more accurate out of the box than a couple of Winnies and a couple of Remingtons I've purchased.

I own both and have used both... just bought a HOWA in 243 if that helps start things in the right direction. I used my 375H&H to shoot a Kodiak bear many years ago. It is one of very few I have seen that did not fail.

There are several posters here that had their A-Borts fail while hunting Kodiak with me. I have seen more fail than ALL other makes and models combined. And that was done with an amazingly small number of rifles.

The metallurgy in the trigger group is suspect and when introduced to Kodiak-style rain it oxidizes so fast the linkage wire freezes the trigger to a locked-up and useless mode. Generally it takes about three days of "Tuesday" to cause it. Few make it past a week. If they do they will likely never be a problem.

I have dealt with a few more Howas over more time than A-Borts and have never seen a failure of any kind.

And for those that may have missed it before, I have many other Browning guns of both recent and vintage mintage and love almost all of them... The recent rifles are the worst joke ever perpetuated on the market.

To be clear, John Browning was the most incredible firearms designer there ever has been and likely ever will be... and I bet he is flopping in his grave over the A-Bort.

The gift to the US of the BAR and all his work seeing to its production for the pittance he took for it was simply one of the most selfless gifts ever given to the US and did more to win WWII than just about anything or body imaginable.

I would bet the A-Bort would disgust him...

Did the X Bolt correct the shortcomings of the A Bort or is it just more of the same?

I don't have either, not in the market for either, just asking.

DF

Which A-bort?

The A-bort?

A-bort II?

A-bort III?

The first 2 are no longer made. The third specimen in this long and distinguished line of goat fuuuks is seemingly being phased out by the X-bolt.

Fixing the shortcomings of the A-bort isn't possible. As evidenced above.

Instead of going for A-bort IV, they decided to change the name this time.

Different trigger, magazine, safety, stock, recoil pad, scope mount........