Weatherby Vs Thompson Center

fizzer

I am looking for a little help choosing a 308 rifle that is moa. My budget is $600 and I have narrowed it down between these two. 1) Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard or Thompson Center Venture Weathershield.

Both websites they say are guaranteed moa. It will be used primarily for long rang shooting 600 yards plus. I am willing to choose 6.5 creedmoor instead, but that is another topic. Right now I would like to pick the rifle.

Thanks.

rufe-snow

I was in the business years ago. And this was a recurrent subject. Guys would buy a high end $$$$$, accurate rifle. Than bring it back all mad, because it wouldn't shoot minute of angle. Like all the rifles, the BSers in the gun rags shot.

Unless your a good shot, with a lot of shooting experience. And do a lot practicing, and working up specific loads. Those 600 yard MOA shots, are just a pipedream. No matter what rifle you use.

elubsme

Ruger American. Bought my 77 (308) in '70. If I were limited to one rifle, this would be it. [:)]

tsr1965

I am with Rufe on this one. It is in the whole system, rifle, optic, the way they are set up(rigidity, and stress free are the name of the game in accuracy, along with good components), and the shooter's ability.

There are several good budget rifles out there today that will hold MOA or better with a little attention. The Weatherby Vanguard is the basic same rifle as the Howa 1500, and the old S&W 1500. They will do decent with some extra care. The TC Venture is also a great rifle for the money. Of the two, I would go TC, if I had to choose between them

If I had other options, I would go to the Tikka T3. The rifles I sold many of, and all were sub MOA out of the box, great triggers, that are glass rod crisp, and great ergonomics. The Ruger American is a knock off design fashioned after that rifle. Stock/rifle relationship set up the same way, and they have a trigger similar to the Savage Accu-Trigger.

Just some food for thought, but my money would go to Tikka. Otherwise, you might be spending more money having a knowledgeable accuracy minded gunsmith, like myself to get your rifle to do what you want, than you shell out for the Tikka. They are truly the only factory rifle that is not custom, or semi-custom like the Cooper's, that will do what you are looking for out of the box.

Tailgunner1954

In racing they say "Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?"
In shooting it's "Accuracy costs money, how small of groups do you want?"

$600 puts you 1/2 way to a decent scope.
$600 puts you 1/2 way to a decent receiver.
$600 can buy you a good barrel and a set of mounts.
$600 can buy you a good stock.

The least expensive route is to buy a USED "F-class" rifle. It may be "shot out" by their standards, but it will still be 2-3 times more accurate than any mass produced factory rifle.

Ricci Wright

I would look for an older used Remington 700 PPS or that hadn't been shot too much. It should have the pillar beaded H.S.P. stock and the ones I have been involved with shot well. As mentioned the rifle is just the first step as the glass and mounting system are at least as important but you probably know that.

fizzer

Thanks for the input. I had never thought about the Tikka, figured they were out of my price range. I did find a T3, with free shipping. So now I have more to think about.

groundhog244

How about the T/C Compass at about $375.00. The one I bought is a very good shooter.

dunbarboyz

I second the Tikka T3 I have one that every factory ammo I have tried shoots less than an inch at 100yds.

nononsense

fizzer,

I have never been a big fan of the Howa 1500/Weatherby Vanguard. While it may have the necessary components to make a usable action and rifle, it uses metric threads. Yes I can thread metric, it's just a nuisance when virtually every other rifle/action makers used standard threads.

I Do however agree with the Tikka T3, especially since Euro Optics has them on clearance special:

http://www.eurooptic.com/tikka-t3-rifles.aspx

There are some good bargains here, just look through all the categories.

quote:It will be used primarily for long rang shooting 600 yards plus.

There are many who will state that it is the Indian and not the arrow, that makes the difference. And this may be true with the most outstanding shooters in the world. However, those of us who are not lifted to that lofty perch by experience and ability often need the help of exceptional 'arrows' and 'bows' to accomplish some of our goals. One MOA as a guarantee is about 15 years behind the curve as far as most of the better than average manufacturers are concerned.

Once you've ascertained that the rifle you want will serve the purpose you intend, you have to start with the practice which will guarantee that you will live up to the ability of the hardware.

Here are the working definitions of Precision and Accuracy:

http://www.velaction.com/difference-between-precision-and-accuracy/

The link has the illustrations for the wording.

"There's quite a bit of confusion between these two terms. Basically, precision is simply the ability to deliver repeatable results. In this example of a shot group from a rifle, you can see that the cluster of holes is fairly tight. It has a small spread, so is precise.



Precise, but not accurate

Precise, but not accurate


The process that the shooter used was consistent, and the gun was capable of shooting in the same spot time after time. So, what's the difference between precision and accuracy?

An accurate process, by definition, is one that centers on the desired outcome. In this second picture, if you average out the location, the shooter is hitting the bulls-eye. He is shooting with accuracy. It just isn't what normally comes to mind when one thinks of an `accurate' process, since he is all over the target.



Accurate, but not precise

Accurate, but not precise


What people generally think of when they envision a `good' process is one that is both accurate and precise-one that both centers on the target, and has a small spread.



Centered. Accurate and precise.

Centered. Accurate and precise.


So, in practice, the difference between precision and accuracy is irrelevant. You need both for a process to be effective. A widely spread shot group that is `accurate' is just as useless as a `precise' process that is well off the mark."

Best.

patt7638

I think you should consider Savage. The 6.5 Creedmore is a winner.