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Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite #5421629 11/15/14 03:28 AM
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eneat1119 Offline OP
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Decided on either of these rifles in the Youth/Compact versions for my son in 7mm-08. I'm leaning towards the Vanguard S2 but really like the Tikka.

Anyone have experience with both these rifles?

Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5421753 11/15/14 05:19 AM
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Have both in other calibers and like the Tikka better. Both are good rifles though just like the feel of the tikka better and action is smoother for sure.


lf the saying "Liar, Liar your pants on fire" were true
Mainstream news might be fun to watch
Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5421754 11/15/14 05:21 AM
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Tika its not metric

Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: HorizonFirearms] #5421872 11/15/14 12:23 PM
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Originally Posted By: HorizonFirearms
Tika its not metric


?????

I've never owned a Tikka, but love my Weatherby's.


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Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5421930 11/15/14 01:25 PM
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I hear the vanguards are just as accurate but after owning a few tikkas I will never consider buying anything else in that price range or less. I don't know if you can get a better weapon for more money or just a better looking one. Just go somewhere that sells both and put your hands on them.

Unless it's a new offering I'm unaware of tikka does not offer a youth/compact rifle that berreta will import.

Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5421990 11/15/14 02:23 PM
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My wife's T3 7mm-08.



with my T3 '06.



I had a Weatherby Vanguard S1 in .243 that was a tackdriver. Heavy, though.

I'll choose Tikka. cheers


Originally Posted By: theserxtremedays
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5422414 11/15/14 07:20 PM
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Ran several of each and they all have been tackdrivers..
Tikka is a bit more refined with a better trigger.
I just wish they would make them in true short actions.

Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5422547 11/15/14 09:04 PM
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Tikka

Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5422599 11/15/14 09:37 PM
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Have both. Tikka

Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5422885 11/15/14 11:35 PM
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Tikka apparently IS making a compact and selling in the US now.

T3, but an S2 is not a bad choice by any means, would rather a lighter shank, and stock. Like the S2 better than a Rem out the box, but a T3 is the next best thing to a custom IMHO.



Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5422950 11/16/14 12:20 AM
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From personal experience Beretta's customer service is absolutely the worst. Not saying you will need it but if you do, caveat emptor in a big way. Once you have one of their products they could care less from that point on. If it's a close call for you go with the Weatherby.

Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5422975 11/16/14 12:43 AM
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I'd go with the Weatherby Vanguard synthetic youth model. - It looks like better quality to me, a really nice gun with important features for youngsters that the Tikka lacks.

Vauguard Synthetic Youth Model

Price is right too.

Bud's Gun Shop

A word to the wise about Bud's... Make an offer.

Last edited by charlesb; 11/16/14 12:44 AM.

Kind regards, charlesb


Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5423090 11/16/14 01:49 AM
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Which ever one you choose, go to Cabela's and buy some of the Hornady Custom "Lite" ammo. 139 gr SST bullet, my daughters never had an animal run off. Very lite recoil too.


SPACE FOR RENT


Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5423096 11/16/14 01:51 AM
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Browning X-Bolt Micro, damn accurate rifle,


SPACE FOR RENT


Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5423097 11/16/14 01:51 AM
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Which ever one you choose, go to Cabela's and buy some of the Hornady Custom "Lite" ammo. 139 gr SST bullet, my daughters never had an animal run off. Very lite recoil too.


SPACE FOR RENT


Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: Buzzsaw] #5423101 11/16/14 01:55 AM
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Originally Posted By: Buzzsaw
Browning X-Bolt Micro, damn accurate rifle,


An excellent suggestion as well. I have an X-Bolt White Gold Medallion in .270 Win. and it's a tack driver for sure. cheers


Originally Posted By: theserxtremedays
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5423190 11/16/14 02:46 AM
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Thanks for the input fellas. I have a X-Bolt and love it, just not in the price range I'm looking for.

Already have some Hornady Lite ammo. My son shot my 7mm-08 with Federal Fusion 140gr and loved it so I think the Lite will fit him perfectly.

Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5423203 11/16/14 02:55 AM
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My daughter has the Xbolt MM in .243 and the Vanguard S2 youth in .308 w/brake. Both have about the same recoil. She uses the .308 for hogs and .243 for deer. I also have 2 Tikka's: 1 in .243 and 1 in 30-06 w/brake.

The safety, stock and butt pad are better on the Weatherby. The action is smoother on the Tikka (for whatever it is worth). If you plan on upgrading the gun later, Tikka may be the better unit.

Both guns are tack drivers. You can't go wrong with either. Just remember on the Tikka, you will want the aftermarket butt pad from Limbsaver. I would go with which ever I could get cheaper (just add $30 to the Tikka for butt pad upgrade).

Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: BigPig] #5423843 11/16/14 04:28 PM
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Originally Posted By: BigPig
Originally Posted By: HorizonFirearms
Tika its not metric


?????

I've never owned a Tikka, but love my Weatherby's.


If you ever want to rebarrel it the wby vanguard is made in japan and used progressive metric 26mm-1.5 threads limiting the amount of smiths that do the rebarrel. The tika is good ole american threads. Not a huge deal for most but would be for me

Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5423979 11/16/14 06:11 PM
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Never having owned a Vanguard, but back the the old days owned several S&W Howa's which is the same exact gun as the intial VG & S1 Series and liked them, especially for the price.

I have owned 3 Tikka's ( 1 695 & 2 T3's) over the last 10-12 years, and consider them a Best Buy, within the price & feature parameters they are being sold at. My current bone stock 270 T3 SS/syn is a bughole shooter...but will kick the snot out of me at it's All Up weight of 6lb 2oz's gun + 3oz's Rings + 16oz's Scope + 3rnds of ammo @ 3-4oz's = approx 7 1/2lbs making the addition of the Limbsaver mandatory for me, given my ease of "Plavix" blood thinner bruising, and worse than the 9+lb All Up Win M70 300WMg in a tupperware stock & Decelarator pad I used to have ever did running max loads of 180's off the bench at 30-40+ rounds a session doing load ladders off sand bags....wearing the same PAST Pad strap on for both guns.

**FWIW I would not subject MY Pre to Early Teen kids or wife to the Bone Stock 270 Tikka's Lite's not so tender mercies of Recoil using Max Loads ( 59+gr's of H4831SC under Nosler FBSP 130gr'ers with WW brass & WLR primers that are over book Max for sure, but capable of dime size groups at 100 yards IN THIS Gun if I am doing MY job correctly)..... and expect them to ever Want to hunt with me again....and is a Prime Argument for Low Recoil Ammo to learn on, and allow the Young Nimrod to grow into the rifle several years down the road.

I have however been looking at and asking for comments for hands on experiences with the S2's, and been more than a little surprised at the number of positive responses's on S2's, from more than one Forum.

IMO the old S&W labeled Howa's were not bad guns, but needed some TLC to reach their potential ( primarily a new trigger & addressing the barrel channel/bedding issues), and subsequently I never bought a VG S1.... that had THE worst Barrel Channel & Bedding I ever saw on any rifle at any price...but am considering buying a S2 or several as they are offering IMO excellent value for the $$ with all the new upgrades - Weatherby Got it Right this time, and has some caliber options I'd like to try out....at least shiown on the Facotry Website, but we'll have to see if they are ever produced

Both brands - Tikka & Weatherby - are missing a rising tide of interest however in the 280's, with Ruger & Browning having all but disc'd the caliber, or the 280 AI's that Kimber cannot build fast enough to keep in stock, with a 6 month+ delivery time last time I looked.

I also am tired of Beretta's making caliber products strictly for Euro/Canadian distribution, with limited volume production levels, like I fought Plant Mgmt over back in my SAKO days in the 1980's.
**FYI EuroOptic is taking "Booking Orders" Paid in Full in advance for Tikka 6.5x55 Hunter Grades at full MSRP right now...wonder if they'll honor the Paid In Advance Order when the inevitable price increase for 2015 is announced and the guns have not shipped et???

IMO & YMMV
I know ya'll get tired of my referencing my past Guns Sales experiences, but for 13 years I concentrated on the FAB's aka Feature Advantage Benefit of a product, any product I was selling, to justify to the Dealer & his Client to buy at Retail what I was selling. That was then and this is 20-30 years later. I see much more of a Style over Substance scenario today becoming the dominant concept driving buying decisions, because that's the Death of Quality for a Product Category. Ruger American's are a Commodity Item, like breakfast cerial and beer.

So I guess the OP really needs to get out the Ole Yellow Pad & put a line down the middle top to bottom, and write down what HIS FAB's are & important to him on both guns side by side ...to reach a "logical" decision...and then if he cares to ....submit his choices to whatever peer group approval he'll want from family/friends/deer camp buddies/THF'ers to justify his purchase....because someone else will always challenge his decision no matter what rifle,scope/ammo/car/truck airplane/pizza/beer/brand of deodorant & style of underwear yadda yadda he buys.

After he buys a few rifles/shotguns etc and is successful OR NOT with them he'll realize the value of doing the necessary research with a POUND of Salt and have a clearer understanding of his own values and Why.
Have Fun
Ron

Last edited by WileyCoyote; 11/16/14 06:49 PM.

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"Those who fail to learn from History are doomed to repeat it" ....Santayana
Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5426275 11/17/14 05:13 PM
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Wiley, why not just buy a 243? With good bullets it will kill deer/hogs as well as any 270.



Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5426414 11/17/14 06:09 PM
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One of the problems of old age, is that with Life's Experiences you gather all kinds of prejudices from disappointments or old grudges in the past. I feel about like I do with anything that comes in a Green Box like I do about anything in 244 diameter....and that's not a fair opinion on my part ....just some Life Experiences mirroring my comments to my Remington Factory Rep...that YES I could get along WITHOUT Remington's to sell as a Distributor, and did. History on the other hand has proven me correct with numerous events like the On Going Trigger Recalls, & that miracle of modern bean counter engineering, the Remington 710 yadda yadda.

If you ever see me with a Remington rifle in my hands it was given to me by someone I cannot afford to offend + with pictures taken of me recieving the gift so there is Historical Proof that I actually recieved the rifle....or I was paid enough to take it ...same song 3rd verse in 6mm's. Just Sayin' but thank you for the, I assume, kind well meaning thoughts....and not someone who's aware of my predilection and just raggin' on me about it, like most of my old time friends.
Ron


It is TIME for Term Limits, cause Politicians are like childrens diapers and for the same reasons...Robin Williams

"These are the times that try men's soul's"...Thomas Paine

"Those who fail to learn from History are doomed to repeat it" ....Santayana
Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: eneat1119] #5426539 11/17/14 08:15 PM
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I would go wby vanguard. Love mine. I looked at a few tikkas when I was buying my 243 and they looked and felt cheap to me. Add to that in 243 that have a faster twist than several other makers and I crossed it off the list.


It's hell eatin em live
Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: redchevy] #5431294 11/19/14 05:38 PM
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Red, if not mistaken your VG has a 10" twist, like many other mfg. Regardless, a 10" is standard, and typically the slowest twist, and loves the 95 Ballistic tips, had a 6BR 10 twist, shot 1/2" at 200 yds with them. An 8 twist in another rifle shot the same.

I will vow that a T3 will run right next to a VG out the box, and perhaps outshoot it, easily, with all bullets thru 100 gr.



Re: Vanguard S2 or Tikka Lite [Re: 6.5BR] #5431331 11/19/14 05:58 PM
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Originally Posted By: 6.5BR
Red, if not mistaken your VG has a 10" twist, like many other mfg. Regardless, a 10" is standard, and typically the slowest twist, and loves the 95 Ballistic tips, had a 6BR 10 twist, shot 1/2" at 200 yds with them. An 8 twist in another rifle shot the same.

I will vow that a T3 will run right next to a VG out the box, and perhaps outshoot it, easily, with all bullets thru 100 gr.


Yes my vanguard has a 10-twist, but its a 300 wby. My 243 is a savage and has a 9.25 twist. Not a big difference, but I read that some of the 10 twists wouldn't stabilize a 100 grain bullet and that would have been a deal breaker for me.


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