Remington SPS or Weatherby Vanguard

[Larry in SD]

I am going to be ordering a new Rifle chambered in .308 Winchester in the not to distant future (hopefully next week). I have decided that I want to try a .308 Winchester, so the chambering is decided.

I had my mind all made up that I wanted a Remington Model 700 SPS, but my local dealer keeps trying to talk me into a Weatherby Vanguard.

What to do?

What is your preference (Remington Model 700 SPS or a Weatherby Vanguard) and why?

Thanks guys.

Larry

 

[FOTIS]

Weatherby.

They make a good barrel (Japan made).
As of late Big Green has not been good to me accuracy wise.

Hopefully the bad trend will break for me when I pay off my new CDL in 300 RUM. If not that is the last dime they will be getting from me.

 

[DrMike]

I'll cast my vote with POP. The Vanguard is an excellent rifle for the price. I haven't seen one yet that left the owner disappointed, and unfortunately, I have seen some of the newer Remingtons that are less than satisfactory.

 

[shoots_5]

I have no experience with the Weatherby but I have bought a newer SPS recently and have been very happy with it so there are some good ones out there. Mine is chambered in 22-250 and completely stock with hand loads is shooting under a half MOA. I had planned on replacing the stock and doing some accurizing work to it, but after working up some loads I'm not sure it would be worth the money! I'm not sure I as a shooter am capable of better accuracy than it is currently giving me!

Also one other thing to consider would be any modifications or parts you might need/want. You can find a million and one things for a remington 700.....

 

[Guest]

I'd buy the Vanguard long before I'd buy an SPS Remington. Use the $100 you save to improve the glass you buy for it. You won't be sorry. If the two were both the same price, I might be less inclined to the Vanguard, but if you compare equal trim rifles (synthetic to synthetic, or wood to wood) you will come out anywhere from $100-250 better off buying the Vanguard. And Weatherby stands behind their products better than Remington, in my experience.

Accessories are an issue, but if you shop a little, you can get plenty of goodies for the Vanguard action.

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

Recently I've seen two Weatherby Vanguards Sub-Moa's shot on their first day with factory ammo. Both shot under 1/2 MOA. You could also take that extra $100.00 and get a submoa version.

 

[Divernhunter]

I have rem and Vanguard rifles. I would buy the Vanguard. You will be happy with the way it shoots. You will also have extra money to buy a better scope. As far as extras the vanguard is a howa action and there are things out there if you want them for it. You can also order excellent one piece Millet rings/bases direct from weatherby. I had mine in 2 days and the price is good. You can buy weaver/leupold etc rings/bases almost anywhere for it also.

 

[FOTIS]

And there you go! :lol:

 

[TBASTIAN]

I'd have to agree with the Weatherby...I currently have one chambered for .30-06, topped with Leupold rings and a new Redfield 3-9X40mm with the Accu-Range reticle.

It's not a SUB-MOA version but routinely shoots handloaded 150 grain Hornady Interlocks between .5" - .75" groups at 100 yards.

I won the rifle at a banquet last year, and am keeping it for my son to learn on. I've been really impressed with the way it shoots and feels, especially for the price!

 

[super-7]

I don't know what the sps have for a trigger but be prepared to buy an aftermarket for the vangaurd, the factory trigger is not that good. good news is a timmney drops in very easy.

 

[Guest]

The Vanguard trigger can be adjusted, and the newer Vanguards actually have a much better trigger, I'm told.

TBASTIAN, could you do me a favor and measure the ocular housing diameter on your new Redfield scope? Also can you tell me if it's fairly obscured if you fog it with your breath, or not?

 

[nodak7mm]

Larr,

I would go with the SPS with the plan to rebuild. The 700 action is the 350 Chev of the rifle world. The Aftermarket acessory world is centered around it and the gunsmiths, if they do rifle work, you can bet they work 700's. And I have never had a Remmy that exhibited bullpucky QC issues that people speak of.

That said, if I was buying a new factory rifle and had no intent of any rebarreling, mine would be a Ruger 77.. But thats just me and I aint had one that did not shoot without a little std lovin. Plus I think they are one of the best looking bolt action rifles ever. Classic Lines and Looks.

Rod

 

[GB300wm]

Go with the Weatherby and don't look back. I just got a Vanguard in 338 win mag and it is a shooter. I replaced the stock and the trigger and spent the same money as if I had bought a remington. IMHO, big greens quality control has gone south. They are not the rifles they used to be. Change the stock and trigger on the weatherby and have yourself a custom rifle. I did it. :grin: :grin:

 

[CAhunter]

If you are going to buy a vanguard and replace the stock and trigger I have a different suggestion. I would just buy a howa barreled action in whatever caliber you want and buy a stock. IMO

 

[Powerstroke]

Hard call... I bleed Rem Green, but also just but my first Weatherby SUB MOA in the safe a few months back. Got a good deal on it in .270wsm so it was hard to pass. Dollar for dollar the sub moa is the better value compared to the SPS.
My last Rem purchase was a SPS in .257 Bee - the finish work ( where I say your pride shows ) is lacking ! it is a good shooter though :grin:

 

[super-7]

yes the vanguard trigger is adjustable but the spring pre load is set so it cannot be adjusted much less than 5-6 lbs. after market is definitly the way to go with the vangaurd.

 

[GB300wm]

You're right super-7. The new vanguard trigger is adjustable, but once you get the trigger down low enough, the safety won't engage. I tried everything and still could not get the creep out of the thing or get it down to 3 lbs or so. The timney trigger is great and it is a 3 position one. What an upgrade for just $100. The best money spent on my vanguard. :grin: :grin:

 

[nomosendero]

Between the 2 choices, like Nodak said the Rem. is the easier to modify, if you see yourself customizing the rifle over time. I like Remingtons anyway, but not crazy about the SPS stock. So, if the stock fits you OK, you may bed it & that would not cost much if you do it yourself. There are alot of folks who have had undesirable results with Remingtons & they are credible folks & I believe them, my problems have been few, but most of my Remingtons are older, maybe that's part of it.

In unaltered form, I think the Vanguard is nicer than the Rem & tend to shoot quite well & despite the fact I like Remingtons I would place the Vanguard alittle ahead of the SPS in stock format. Before you purchase, you may want to see if you can live with the Vanguard trigger. One mentioned the Sub-MOA for $100.00 & another the artermarket trigger for $100.00. I think this would make a nice rifle indeed & I realize that each was mentioned separately, but before adding $200.00 to the Vanguard I would just buy a used M700, adjust the trigger & bed the stock.

I hate to complicate matters by adding a 3rd choice, but you may consider buying a Savage with the Accutrigger & Accustock allready in place & they usually have good barrels. Then just mount good glass & start shooting small groups right out of the chute.

Just a thought.

 

[huntnfool]

IMHO, buy the Vanguard.

I own a 270 WSM in the Savage Model 14 Classic Left Handed. It is a tack driver.

Just a thought. I am very pleased with mine.

http://savagearms.com/firearms/models/


Paul

 

[Guest]

Here's what Weatherby's site has to say with regard to the new Vanguard trigger:

Sear engagement is factory set between .008 to .014, with let-off weight set between 2.5 and 3.8 lbs. – averaging 3.15 lbs. Additional sear engagements must be performed by a Weatherby Service Center or qualified gunsmith.

Now, there are two things to remember on this. First off, if you adjust the sear engagement too far, you can disable the safety. That's actually not hard to fix, either, but I won't go into it here. Additionally, if you have a Vanguard that won't adjust down to around 3lbs, it may be one of a batch that had bad springs in them from the factory. Weatherby is offering a free adjustment (which I assume includes re-springing) for this trigger to get it down to the 3lb range. This can be performed in Paso Robles at the custom shop or at any authorized Weatherby service center. Check with Weatherby and they'll give you the particulars. I've adjusted some of the Vanguard triggers, and they are much like the Remington 700 old style trigger, in that they can be made very good for hunting purposes. If you're concerned, just dry-fire the Vanguard before you buy it, to see how the trigger feels. I bet it's better than you expect these days. The newest Vanguards are supposed to be pretty darn good.