Legacy howa or weatherby vanguard 6.5 creedmor

[Dano4734]

Can't decide what do you guys suggest. The legacy howa is 100 bucks cheaper. I been wanting a creedmor for target shooting. Also looking at the weatherby vanguard series 2.
I want to try my hand at 500 yard targets as you guys have got me hooked on shooting and reloading

[VoodooMountain]

Same gun

Weatherby has a comb on the stock and usually a 24” barrel.

Same receiver, bolt, etc.

The weatherby will probably balance better though. I have 2 howa 1500’s and the hogue stock makes it feel a bit chunky. Not heavy or ungainly but not a natural pointer for me.

[Dano4734]

Maybe the weatherby vanguard would be worth the extra hundred from your evaluation. Thank you my friend

[Dano4734]

I have a weatherby vanguard series 2 30-06 that I absolutely love. At 200 yards it shoots groups that nearttouch each other.. It just cuts the bullseye out.. Love the gun. I know it's a howa also. Never tried the legacy with the Hogue stock

[NHSHOOTER]

I own 3 vanguards and they all shoot under MOA..look and feel great..2 with wood stock and 1 synthetic..Never held or shot a Howa.

[Dano4734]

The weatherby and the howa are the same rifle but the stocks are designed different. I am not sure what else weatherby does to put their name on it. I was thinking to save a couple of bucks if it was just the name but now I see the stocks are not the same

[Mobuck]

The Series 1 Vanguards had a somewhat obnoxious trigger(some did anyway) that was changed with the series 2. My 257 Wby had an unbearable trigger that I swapped for a Timney. A .223 bought at the same time has a decent but not stellar trigger but I haven't changed that-YET. I don't shoot the 257 much so may swap the triggers between the .223 and 257 so the .223 has the Timney.
EVERY(and I'm not kidding) HOWA/Wby Vanguard I've shot has been above average on accuracy. I currently have 5 and sold/zeroed scopes on maybe 10 more and each and every one was accurate right out of the box with random choice ammo off the shelf.

[Dano4734]

Mobuck. When I first got my weatherby vanguard series 2, it had been many years since I hunted and shot a rifle. I could not believe the accuracy at 200 yards off the bench. In the 60's one would pay a fortune for a rifle that accurate and today 500 bucks gets one. Amazing

[Wyosmith]

Same barrel and same action.

Different stocks and stamping on the barrels and receivers.
You'll be happy either way. Get the one you like the look of and the feel of, and don't look back.

[Don Fischer]

The only Weatherby I ever saw that I liked was a wood stocked Vanguard when they first came out. I think the Weatherby and Howa both come with one of those ugly plastic stocks don't they. If the Weatherby came with a wood stoch, I'd pay the extra $100 in a heart beat!

[Colorado Redneck]

If you can find one of these distributor exclsive models they are really sweet. I traded for one at the local gun shop. Asking price was $800. Has a floated barrel, adjustable trigger, very nice laminate stock, and the very best part is , the rifle shoots factory fodder into sub 1 moa groups.
http://buy.tworiversarmory.net/produ...e-metal-finish

[oldscot3]

IMO the stocks that come on both are not much good. I never was crazy about the tacky feel of the Hogue (Howa) stock and they don't have bedding pillars. Some Hogues do, but not on the Howas.

The basic Vanguard stock on the series 1 was cheap, cheap,cheap looking and feeling plastic, however, mine worked well enough to shoot good groups. I'm not sure what the baseline is now for the series 2 but probably the same. I put a B&C Medalist around my Vanguard for under $300.00 and now it looks, feels and shoots like a gun twice its price.

Howa or Vanguard either way I'd replace the stock and never be ashamed to put it next to rifles costing much more.

My Vanguard is a sporter weight 270, I put it in the Weatherby styled B&C. My Howa is a H bar, I put it in a heavy target styled B&C.

[oldscot3]

BTW if you pop for the extra $$$ and get the Range Certified Weatherby Vanguard, it comes in a nice stock which I believe to be made by Bell & Carlson.

[T. O'Heir]

The Vanguard was made by Howa. The Howa M1500 is the same rifle. Neither are target rifles.
"...what else Weatherby does..." They increase the MSRP.

[oldscot3]

The Vanguard was made by Howa. The Howa M1500 is the same rifle. Neither are target rifles.

As far as I know, the Vanguard is still made by Howa. They may not be target rifles that a serious competitor would expect to win national level matches with, but they are available with heavy barrels and can sometimes turn in surprising results with the right ammo. Both mine do.

For informal shooting out to 500 yards, the Howa made products seem a good choice for an affordable price.

[Striker1]

The newer series 2 Vanguard has a new synthetic stock also. I've handled them and like it a lot.

[USAF Ret]

Can anyone find a 6.5 Weatherguard in stock? I cannot find one anywhere that isn't an H-Bar.

[Wyosmith]

If i were going to make a 6.5MM on a Howa 1500 action (no matter what stamping is on it's side) I'd do it in 6.5X55 not 6.5 CM.
The magazine is long enough for the Swede. The 6.5CM was invented to reproduce Swede ballistics, but fit in a short NATO length magazine. It comes very close, but it never beats the Swede in the same barrel lengths at the same pressures.

Howa even makes one as a factory option in 6.5X55.

I do have a high degree of respect for the 6.5Creedmoor, but frankly, the Howa is the wrong action to use for it. The Swede is a better fit and does all the CM will do, plus a little bit more.

If I were going to make a bolt action (or buy one) in 6.5 Creedmoor it would be a Ruger Precision Rifle, or a re-barreled Ruger Scout, or a re-barreled Mossberg MVP. These 3 have NATO length detachable magazines.

Any action that will take a 308 length cartridge with a little bit of room in the front of the box I'd barrel to a 260 Remington instead of a CM. If it's close---- then I'd go with the 6.5 CM

Any one that takes a 57MM length Mauser length cartridge (6MM Rem, 257 Roberts, 6.5X55, 6.5X57, 7X57 or 8X57 9X57 or 9.3X57) I'd barrel in 6.5x55 Swede. Of the 3 best 6.5MM cartridges (260, 6.5CM and 6.5X55)I think the old Swede is still the best of the bunch. By a very small margin I'll admit, but it still is on top. As accurate as any and a slight bit faster.

Any of the bolt actions available that takes a 30-06 length cartridge I'd barrel in 6.5-06,---------- or more likely I'd just go with a 270 Winchester.

Yes yes....I know. The BC of the 6.5 bullet is higher. But not high enough to overcome the extra 300 FPS velocity the 270 gives me with the same bullet weight, and the 270 is also available in heavier bullet weights at faster speeds, so that extra edge of the higher BC in the 6.5CM has to cover a LOT of ground before it catches up with the 270
But that's just me.
I have shot the throats out of two 270 barrels and I am working on the 3rd one now, so I know the trajectory pretty well. I can't see any reason (personally) for ME to re-learn a different trajectory curve, especially when the 2 don't match each other until I get farther ways than I'll shoot game anyway.

If I ever decide to make a CM for myself I will do it on an AR-10 size auto loader with a 1-8" twist. That would be interesting to me.

[Striker1]

^^^^

That seems like a lot of gyrations just to avoid the 6.5CM bandwagon...I suspect many, including the OP, might rather just get a rifle and go shoot.

That's where the 6.5CM seems to shine.

[Wyosmith]

^^^^
Must not have read it carefully.

[Striker1]

^^^^

Well...I did try

[old roper]

http://www.gunbroker.com/All/BI.aspx...Weatherby++6.5

[Wrought]

I heard the howa 6.5x55s are finicky little rifles. I love howas but is it true?

[VoodooMountain]

^^I’ve heard that as well but no first hand experience.

[Nunya53]

Originally Posted by Wrought

I heard the howa 6.5x55s are finicky little rifles. I love howas but is it true?

Not sure if you are referring to the 6.5x55 in general or those made by Howa. In any case I have two 6.5x55 rifles, 1 built off an FN JC Higgins action and 1 in a Winchester Featherweight. Neither one is finicky to me and both shoot great.

Jerry