All right, since this thread keeps limping along, I can't stand it anymore so will comment.
Thanks for nudging me over the edge. Here goes:
I've only played with one X-Bolt. That was for a feature review of the new Eclipse Hunter. It performed quite well in testing and I had no issues with it, but I didn't hunt with it. If your tastes run to laminate thumbhole stocks, this may be your cup of tea. Or not.
I have decades of experience hunting with four different Vanguards. The first was an original Vanguard Deluxe in .270 bought off the blemish rack at Weatherby's old retail store. The rifle was a looker, and very accurate, but had a tendency to walk if the barrel heated up. I replaced the trigger with a Timney and eventually put it in a synthetic stock. I used it for many years before selling it to fund something else.
The second was an original Vanguard in tupperware stock in .257 Wby Mag. I immediately junked the trigger for a Timney and dropped it into what Weatherby then called their "Fiberguard" stock, tan with black webbing. To this day, it remains one my favorite rifles, and I have killed a pile of game with it. Many people have tried to buy that rifle off me, but it is not for sale and likely never will be.
I also acquired, somewhere along the way, an original Vanguard sub-MOA model in 300 WSM. It is, as you would expect, quite accurate, and has served me well.
The newest addition to the flock is the new Vanguard S2 Back Country in 30-06. Don't tell my other Vanguards I said this, but... it may just be the best of the lot.