MrDig
Member
I would have to flip a coin between the Weatherby with a wood stock and the .243 Savage
In the end I chose the Weatherby
In the end I chose the Weatherby
Clearance rack at the LGS - help me decide
- Thread starter ngnrd
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ngnrd
Member
Well, I've narrowed it down to three (maybe 4) choices. And, I went back and handled the rifles again, so I have a little more info.
The wooden Weatherby is a Series 1 Vanguard Sporter. There's nothing special about the wooden stock like I might expect on a Deluxe model, but it's nice enough. And, there's a couple of dings in the wood on the cheek rest. They're certainly not like the myriad of dings my M700 has on it after years of field use, but they're noticeable. And, there's some visible surface rust on the bolt; probably from people handling it and not wiping it down before putting it back on the rack after seeing the dings on the stock. And, this is by far the heaviest of the rifles on the list. But, that's not necessarily a bad thing in my book - just an observation.
The plastic Weatherby is also a series 1 Vanguard. I didn't notice any specific issues with this rifle. It is $100 cheaper than the wooden Sporter, but Boyd's has plenty of stocks to replace the plastic one for about $100, making it about the same total price as the wooden Sporter version.
Both Weatherby's have a swing away floor plate, which is a slight plus in my view.
The .243 version of the Savage 11 has the AccuTrigger, but not the AccuStock. There are no noticeable issues with this rifle. But, it is a blind magazine version, which is a slight negative in my opinion. The Bushnell scope could be sold for a few bucks, lowering the overall cost of the rifle. On the other hand, I would probably spend a few extra dollars buying a Boyd's featherweight thumbhole laminated stock for it. I'm just not a fan of the plastic.
I didn't notice any issues with the Tikka, either. For what it's worth, it is by far the lightest feeling rifle of the bunch. Again, I'm not a fan of the plastic stock. This one feels different than the Savage, but I couldn't say one was substantially worse than the other (although the recoil pad on the Tikka is much harder). But in this case, there doesn't seem to be any inexpensive options for replacing it with a wood stock, so I think I would have to live with it. If it was a stainless version, I could easily look past the plastic, as it would make the rifle more weather resistant. But, if I'm going to have to baby the blued steel, I'd rather have a better looking rifle. Just my opinion. Of course, how it shoots is more important than how it looks, and the Tikka's have a pretty good reputation for being good shooters right out of the box.
Anyway, I still don't know what I want to do... Maybe I'll buy all three. If I don't like any of them, I don't think I'd lose any money selling them.
EDIT: I did find a source for inexpensive wooden stocks for the Tikka. But, it would bump the total up over $450. (Still a pretty good deal for a wooden stocked T3.)
The wooden Weatherby is a Series 1 Vanguard Sporter. There's nothing special about the wooden stock like I might expect on a Deluxe model, but it's nice enough. And, there's a couple of dings in the wood on the cheek rest. They're certainly not like the myriad of dings my M700 has on it after years of field use, but they're noticeable. And, there's some visible surface rust on the bolt; probably from people handling it and not wiping it down before putting it back on the rack after seeing the dings on the stock. And, this is by far the heaviest of the rifles on the list. But, that's not necessarily a bad thing in my book - just an observation.
The plastic Weatherby is also a series 1 Vanguard. I didn't notice any specific issues with this rifle. It is $100 cheaper than the wooden Sporter, but Boyd's has plenty of stocks to replace the plastic one for about $100, making it about the same total price as the wooden Sporter version.
Both Weatherby's have a swing away floor plate, which is a slight plus in my view.
The .243 version of the Savage 11 has the AccuTrigger, but not the AccuStock. There are no noticeable issues with this rifle. But, it is a blind magazine version, which is a slight negative in my opinion. The Bushnell scope could be sold for a few bucks, lowering the overall cost of the rifle. On the other hand, I would probably spend a few extra dollars buying a Boyd's featherweight thumbhole laminated stock for it. I'm just not a fan of the plastic.
I didn't notice any issues with the Tikka, either. For what it's worth, it is by far the lightest feeling rifle of the bunch. Again, I'm not a fan of the plastic stock. This one feels different than the Savage, but I couldn't say one was substantially worse than the other (although the recoil pad on the Tikka is much harder). But in this case, there doesn't seem to be any inexpensive options for replacing it with a wood stock, so I think I would have to live with it. If it was a stainless version, I could easily look past the plastic, as it would make the rifle more weather resistant. But, if I'm going to have to baby the blued steel, I'd rather have a better looking rifle. Just my opinion. Of course, how it shoots is more important than how it looks, and the Tikka's have a pretty good reputation for being good shooters right out of the box.
Anyway, I still don't know what I want to do... Maybe I'll buy all three. If I don't like any of them, I don't think I'd lose any money selling them.
EDIT: I did find a source for inexpensive wooden stocks for the Tikka. But, it would bump the total up over $450. (Still a pretty good deal for a wooden stocked T3.)
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Purgatory
Member
Though it's not the most desirable option, I really don't find the blind mag to be an issue at all-especially on a budget rifle.
Just load the mag full, press the top round down and ease the bolt closed and you have a full mag of very protected cartridges from the elements and a safe rifle. You can jump fences, crawl under whatever and keep the rifle loaded in camp if you're alone or otherwise certain of nobody meddling with the gun.
The only time it's even a 'slight' nuisance is when you have to leave the field and head home.....and running the unspent cartridges through the chamber one at a time is no big deal if the firearm is pointed in a safe direction. At the range, just load one cartridge at a time.
Just curious: Does the Savage still have a free-floated barrel? Was kinda thinking they were free-floated barrel stocks even before the 'Accu-Stock.'
Just load the mag full, press the top round down and ease the bolt closed and you have a full mag of very protected cartridges from the elements and a safe rifle. You can jump fences, crawl under whatever and keep the rifle loaded in camp if you're alone or otherwise certain of nobody meddling with the gun.
The only time it's even a 'slight' nuisance is when you have to leave the field and head home.....and running the unspent cartridges through the chamber one at a time is no big deal if the firearm is pointed in a safe direction. At the range, just load one cartridge at a time.
Just curious: Does the Savage still have a free-floated barrel? Was kinda thinking they were free-floated barrel stocks even before the 'Accu-Stock.'
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C-grunt
Member
I believe the Tikka to be the better rifle but I voted for the 243 Savage as it fills a gap in your collection.
Captcurt
Member
Gotta go with this.
ngnrd
Member
And, just to throw one more twist in... The same store in the next town over has a synthetic/blued Weatherby Vanguard series 1 in .243 on the clearance rack for $300. Hmmm...
ngnrd
Member
Thanks for all the input guys. The store won't be open tomorrow (Thanksgiving), and I didn't think it would make it through all the Black Friday shoppers. So I bought the Tikka tonight because it was just too good of a deal to pass up. (Seriously... who finds a brand new T3 Lite for $350?) If it turns out to be the shooter that everybody says it should be, I could see it replacing my old M700 Mountain in the line up. I might even sell the Remy and get a nice .243, .257 Roberts, or .25-06 to fill that "gap" in my gun rack. Maybe even a 6.5 Swede.
Anyway, I've already got the Leupold mounted, and a Limbsaver recoil pad and sling installed. Now I just have to give it the ol' "new rifle" scrub down and get it out to the range with a couple of boxes of 140gr AccuBonds and see just what it'll do.
One last comment... the plastic stock isn't nearly as elegant as wood (not even the old, beat up wood on my M700), but this trigger is absolutely amazing for a factory unit. Maybe I'll just have to spend more time pulling the trigger than I do staring at it.
Anyway, I've already got the Leupold mounted, and a Limbsaver recoil pad and sling installed. Now I just have to give it the ol' "new rifle" scrub down and get it out to the range with a couple of boxes of 140gr AccuBonds and see just what it'll do.
One last comment... the plastic stock isn't nearly as elegant as wood (not even the old, beat up wood on my M700), but this trigger is absolutely amazing for a factory unit. Maybe I'll just have to spend more time pulling the trigger than I do staring at it.
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