I you were going to pick between the 2 which one would you buy?

RAR

Thanks BSA.......anyone else??

Vanguard hands down for me in a deer rifle. I like the availability of the fast Weatherby calibers too. My RAR 06 is OK on function and shoots well enough but is too light to balance or point well for me. Sighted in my cousin's 300 Wby with Talley one piece mounts this year and was hitting the 500 yard target by shot # 12. My sample size is small but there is a big difference in how they feel and shoot to me. I was thinking of selling the RAR and picking ups 257 Wby for a perfect antelope gun.

Vanguard seems a bit on the heavy for a walking rifle.

1gun, I know it's not what you asked but I'd split the difference and get a Hawkeye. All-Weather if you can find one.

John

Vanguards are well made traditional looking guns. But as heavy as a boat anchor. I've had a couple and they are gone. I have other "nice" rifles, but the RAR's are an awful lot of accuracy for the money.

I like mine a lot as a truck gun or something for local meat hunting. They are too new to have proven themselves long term as a rifle I'd recommend for a long distance hunt I paid money for. But so far no complaints.

Ok guys so what would you recommend in the 7.5-8 pound range all up at the $5-600 price range? Scopes going to be a leupold fxII 6X36

The Vanguard hands down and even more so if we are talking about the S2 version. Mine in 7mm RM is proving to be a very accurate rifle.

ditto for me on the Vanguard.......RAR all day long
But for a little more , I would go with a Tikka

Tikka might be a consideration, a slight one but a consideration none the less.

What do you intend to hunt with this rifle - what calibers are you thinking of shooting? If you want a 223 to put behind the seat of your truck or atv get the RAR. I use my Vanguard for elk hunting with shots over 300 yards more common than not.

My all around do everything recommendation is the Tikka in 300 WSM with a Zeiss 3-9 Conquest at under $1,000 it is light but solid and works for just about everything. If you are shooting white tails at a feeder at 75 yards you don't really need that.

If an old fat guy like me can carry a Vanguard hunting elk in a walk in area wth lots of climbs starting over 8,000 feet it can't be that heavy.....but it is certainly heavier on the way out with a pack full of elk meat - the good kind of heavy.

1gun,

Was & bough the Ruger American. Couldn't be happier.

Lefty C

Spec, going to be used for a whitetail still hunting gun.I mainly use my marlin336 for the task.

http://www.cdnnsports.com/rugerr-m77r-hawkeyer-308-all-weather.html#.VmZav9IrJkg

Another option if Whittakers still has any of them is the Marlin XS7 Stainless 7mm-08 at about $275. Mine with Talley rings and a Monarch UCC 3-9x40 goes 7.5 lbs and the last 3 shot group I shot out of it was 1/2 inch. I've got about $500 in the whole setup.

To me it's way more gun than the RAR. I thought about an RAR myself but after handling them some, they just feel cheap. And I'm a huge Ruger fan. I think it's the stock. If I had one, I'd have to get an aftermarket stock for it. The Marlin feels more like a real rifle, much as a Vanguard does. The Vanguard just does it in a much heavier package.

The Vanguard is the same as the Howa 1500, and Whittaker's ( Short Action Smokers) Shop, carries them for $329. I had one delivered to my FFL guy for $345.

It is replacing a Ruger Am. Predator for me...I just have issues with the Ruger, and in a year plus, just haven't been able to warm up to it, no matter how much I've tried... its real accurate.... but so is the Howa...

plus the Howa feels like a real gun in my hands, where the RAR feels like a Wannabe...

If it is a 7/08 you might be wanting, then Tatelaw's suggestion of the Marlin XS7 is a preferable alternative IMHO over the RAR.....

I made the decision, by holding the Ruger and shouldering it with my eyes closed concentrating how it felt... and then did so with the Howa....made my decision off of that..

As stated, the Vanguard is a heavier gun, BUT you may prefer a heavier gun. Depends, if you're in a blind all day or going after mountain sheep.

Now I understand your desire for a lightweight quick pointing rifle, but it will be hard to beat your Marlin with any scoped bolt action rifle. My hunting areas are mostly wide open both here and Colorado but the biggest buck I ever saw locally would have been on my wall with my old lever action and was gone before I could bring my scoped tang safety Ruger 7 mag to bear.

In your situation I might look at a BLR or BAR in a 308 based cartridge, but if you are set on a bolt the compact RAR would be my choice. I'd add a low power variable with a lighted reticle - Trijicon, Leupold, or similar to speed up target acquisition.

My grandfather liked to still hunt, we had thicker woods in his day and he used a scoped semi-auto Remington in 30-06 so he was fast in the thick stuff but could reach cross canyon when necessary.

I sometimes hunt thick timber for elk and have thought a short semi-auto in 35 Whelan or similar would be just the rifle for the task. But I'm stuck on the flat shooting reach out and touch them calibers and would probably go with a 325WSM or other oddball when it came down to it. My fathers old 06 shoots terribly and it might get re-bored to a short barreled woods rifle in 35 caliber, but that is just because it is kind of useless now.

Good luck on your search - the optic will probably makevthe biggest difference.

Vanguard.

Not even comparable IMO.




Travis

I agree. I had Vanguard 7mm-08 for a short while, but sold it because it was so dang heavy. My brother has a RAR in .30-06 and while it is a great rifle, it doesn't have that "feel".

Whittaker's has the following M77 Hawkeyes for $499!

Standard Wood - .243
All Weather - .243/.270/7mm/.300wm

Great deals IMO

The Weatherby Vanguard S2 carbine would be a fairly light carbine. You can get them in 7mm-08 and 308 Win. One of these would make a nice lightweight hunting rifle. And, they won't cost a lot. In fact, I believe they are a bargain.

The Weatherby Vanguard S2 carbine would be a fairly light carbine. You can get them in 7mm-08 and 308 Win. One of these would make a nice lightweight hunting rifle. And, they won't cost a lot. In fact, I believe they are a bargain.

For that purpose I'd much rather carry my kid's RAR compact in my hands all day than my EDGE-stocked Howa. The Vanguard compact is listed as 7 lbs, which isn't my idea of a starting point for "lightweight."

Howaguard.

Vanguard all day

I haven't seen any Vanguards on the shelves here. The RARs are selling for just over $400, and a Tikka is over $700. For a Northeast woods gun I would buy the RAR in a 7mm-08 or 308. If I wanted something to take out west, I would go for a bigger caliber in a Vanguard. My buddy has a MOA Vanguard in 300 Weatherby, and it shoots like crazy. However, you don't need that for deer in lower NY State or Vermont. I happen to like Tikkas, and my Tikka 695 in 30-06 would work here and out west.

They make Vanguards in short action chamberings also.



Travis

+1 for the Vanguard.

Guys thanks a lot for the input, I appreciate it!!! I have the opportunity to purchase a VG S1 in 270W never been fired for $350 or a RAR for $339.

Here my observation, the VG has a better stock,better fit and better finish

RAR lighter weight,definate plus, stock,IMO sucks, don't like the blade trigger.

VG just seems like a better made rifle the only down side is the weight.

I know which rifle I like better but am I being too critical of the RAR?

You only hafta please you. If you don't like the gun, don't buy it. I like Howaguards better too. But given lighter weight options there's no way I'd carry one in my hands all day. Maybe you stillhunt differently than me though.

IMO, you are getting a lot more rifle for just a little more money with the Vanguard. Plus you seem to like it, so it sounds like a winner to me.

You can hold both of those rifles up to your shoulder and close your eyes and wish they were something else, but in the end they are what they are...

It's you who has to be happy with your decision. I bought a vanguard once and had extraction issues with it. Had to send it to a factory authorized service center. 3 times before they fixed it... It is your money, sometimes you get what you pay for... .... and now we know why I buy real rifles now...

IMO, yep.

The RAR is a remarkable design for a hunting rifle. It has a lot going for it, regardless of it's economy price point. I like it's ergos and care less that it 'feels' cheap. Paraphrasing something I read on 24hrCF; how well it functions in the field trumps fluff that only matters on the couch. The few shortcomings I've encountered are easily fixed with a rasp, rattle can spray paint, metal duct tape, canned expanding foam and a few minutes time.

That said, I am also not saying that the VG is a bad choice.

Kinda like a looking at a pair of shoes...

Looking at them doesn't tell me which one fits better, and feel better...

Neither are a Model 70, but then, the Howa is a more palatable alternative than is the Ruger... the Ruger American isn't a Model 77 Mk2.. thats for damned sure..

Vanguard all the way. Yes it's heavier but unless you climb after sheep then it's not enought to matter. I often walk 18 holes 3-5 miles depending on the course carrying a golf bag that must weigh 20 lbs or more. The vanguard to my mind is just a much nicer rifle. Ymmv

Dam I was that young once lol

2 Vanguards 308 and 7/08
1 Howa 30-06
NO RAR's.

Weatherby Vanguard S2 over RAR all day long. I have their .30-06 Sprg and .243 Win. On the heavy side - yeah, quality and excellent accuracy - yeah. Not down on Ruger - I own a RPR in 6.5 CM and love it. But given your choice for a hunting scenario, I'd definitely pick the Weatherby.

Saw a few Vanguard's over at Bass Pro today for #350 and some Howa's right next to them for $399.