Considering a Sako A7

[newguru]

Thinking about getting something lighter this season for a Colorado elk hunt.

I currently use a Remington 700 Sendero II in 300 RUM.

Its a great shooting gun but is hella heavy for packing up and down the sides of mountains.

I'm considering getting myself a Sako A7 Stainless in either 7mm Magnum or 300 WSM.

I currently have a Zeiss Conquest with the Rapid Z 800 scope so I will likely just use the same scope on the new gun.

This should drop a good amount of weight and make for better packing on foot for long hikes.

Thoughts?

 

[matt_3479]

The 300 RUM is a beautiful caliber and as you know will put an elk down without hesitation. You defiantly dont need a new gun, but you have a pretty good excuse to get one, haha. Anyways the reason im answering your question i own both rifles a Rem 700 7mm rem mag and a Browning a-bolt 300. wsm. I was shooting a 160 grain accubonds in my 7mm for big game such as moose, caribou and black bear and i wanted an excuse to get a new rifle so i down sized to 140 grain and bought a 300 for big game. I do not regret it at all. The 300. wsm with a light gun like the A-Bolt or Sako A7 will have a decent amount of recoil but will still have less recoil then the 300 win mag but identical performance. My vote is the 300. wsm

 

[Airgunner7]

I hunt Elk with a friend and we both use Sako 270's, mine is old and his is a very light SS T3
He harvested a bull last year and the bullet went clean through and never recovered. One shot kill, It was a 140G Hornady Light mag.

Buy the gun you like to carry. Don't worry about caliber, shot placement and bullet selection are far more importaint.



.257 Roberts has worked for my brother in-law, with 2 elk so far.

I vote for a 7mm A7. You will love hiking with that. No elk will stand a chance.

 

[John-Pure Precision]

I make you a heck of a deal on a Sako 75 Fin lite 270 WSM. It has only 60 rounds through it and it shoots sub MOA. It has a couple kills too a 308 inch bull and a 327 inch bull both shot passed 600 yards. Let me know

 

[winmag]

I LOVE my 270wsm! Its my ''go to gun'', Even killed a Oregon record book blackbear with it (un-official but not for long) but I ''need'' a 300wsm to bridge the gap between my 30-06 and 270wsm to my 300wby and 338 win mag. Im in simmilar shoes to you, but my mind is made up .

 

[FEENIX]

I hunt with a heavy rifle along with a day pack with all the things I need (and then some ... just in case) in the Big Sky Country wilderness.

Elk hunting esp. CO is no cake walk. Please don't take this the wrong way, get into better physical condition instead and you won't have to worry about a pound to two difference in weight between the two rifles. In the end , your better off anyways.

Good luck!

Just my 2-pence for your thoughts.

 

[newguru]

I hunt with a heavy rifle along with a day pack with all the things I need (and then some ... just in case) in the Big Sky Country wilderness.

Elk hunting esp. CO is no cake walk. Please don't take this the wrong way, get into better physical condition instead and you won't have to worry about a pound to two difference in weight between the two rifles. In the end , your better off anyways.

Good luck!

Just my 2-pence for your thoughts.

FEENIX, if you saw me, you wouldn't say that.

I'm a guy that is in the gym 4 days a week hitting the free weights and mountain bike twice a week every weekend the weather is nice so being in shape isn't my problem.

The other reason for the interest in the Sako aside from the weight is the removable magazine.

We quad in to a point where you walk the rest of the way in and you have to have your gun unloaded on the quads in CO and its a real hassle if you see something while driving where if you needed to get a quick shot out there having to manually load through the bolt on the Remington; and then of course having to unload it manually as well when you leave. A drop mag would be quicker and nicer.

I'm sure I could make due with what I had but there are some good deals out there right now on guns due to the economy and I'm looking for something new as well.

 

[FEENIX]

FEENIX, if you saw me, you wouldn't say that.

I'm a guy that is in the gym 4 days a week hitting the free weights and mountain bike twice a week every weekend the weather is nice so being in shape isn't my problem.

The other reason for the interest in the Sako aside from the weight is the removable magazine.

We quad in to a point where you walk the rest of the way in and you have to have your gun unloaded on the quads in CO and its a real hassle if you see something while driving where if you needed to get a quick shot out there having to manually load through the bolt on the Remington; and then of course having to unload it manually as well when you leave. A drop mag would be quicker and nicer.

I'm sure I could make due with what I had but there are some good deals out there right now on guns due to the economy and I'm looking for something new as well.

Glad to hear that you are in good/great shape ... that's why I said get into "better" shape . I too spend 4 times a week at the gym (30-45 of mins cardio and 30 mins of weights).

Sounds like shaving the weight off a rifle is "not" the issue. I'm a big SAKO fan (mine is M995 in .300 WM) ... go for it and enjoy!

Ed

 

[Airgunner7]

A good padded elastic sling makes all the difference as well. Takes the impact out of it.

We all justify buying a new gun for one reason or other....

I say you buy two.

How bout a lightweight Sako 300WSM, you can share bullets with your big brother.

 

[newguru]

A good padded elastic sling makes all the difference as well. Takes the impact out of it.

We all justify buying a new gun for one reason or other....

I say you buy two.

How bout a lightweight Sako 300WSM, you can share bullets with your big brother.

Yeah I have a nice Butler Creek neoprene sling that works great. That gun still gets heavy when you are hiking for 8 hours though.

Part of the reason I initially was considering the 300 WSM was for the very reason that I could share bullets though.

Incidentally, I use 200 grain Nosler Accubonds in my 300 RUM rounds and what I have read, they are recommending nothing bigger than 180 grain rounds in the 300 WSMs so that might not be an advantage for me.

Unfortunately I will have to go with different powder on that one as the Retumbo powder I reload my 300 RUM with isn't the best choice on the 300 WSM.

 

[soren]

Take a look at the Tikka T3 in 7mmRM. Put a Limbsaver pad on it and maybe a Dednutz base/ring w/ your Conquest and your good to go.

 

[azsugarbear]

Either the Sako T3-Lite or a Browning A-Bolt II will fit the bill. Both are light weight and come in many popular calibers. If the removable clip is important, then you should also look at the Browning X-bolt. Both Sako and Browning are known for their light weight rigs that come with good out-of-the-box accuracy. Choose the one that fits/shoulders the best. Let us know which way you went.

 

[soren]

The recoil pad in the T3 is not very soft, when shooting larger calibers. So you will want to change them. I do have 2 T3's in .243, that are very pleasant to carry and shoot. One will be my son's first deer rifle.

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Feenix, I packed 12 pound custom long range elk rifles into most national forests in the west for over 30 years. If I could see an elk I could kill it. Ran cross country all my adult life and stay in top shape. Not far from 60 now and can still out walk 90+% of elk hunters. Problem is being in good shape doesn't really matter as you get older. Carrying the heavy gun all day just wears a guy down as he gets older. I had no problem hauling a rem 700 338 rum last year up and down mountains. Had to carry it because the 12 pound 338-378 just got to heavy for an older guy. This year I have Tikka t3 lights in 300 wsm, 300 win mag and 338 win mag that weigh just over 7 pounds scoped out. Now I am 600-700 yards with my hunting but I figure that gives me maybe 10 more years of hard backpacking. Still in great shape but just don't have the energy as you get older and wear down much easier.

I think it is called stamina but I can understand the light rifle idea for newguru. I would suggest the tikka t3 for anyone wanting to lighten there load a bit. Scoped out at 7 1/4 pounds and kill elk at 700 yards is a good idea depending on your age and abilities. The stainless is $549 at cabelas right now. I got a display/demo stainless model 300 win mag last week for $450. They are very nice accurate rifles for the money.

By the way, lifting weights has nothing to do with getting in shape for elk hunting and bicycling does little but helps. Get outside and walk or run a lot up and down hills so you are working the muscles you need to work. Just a word to the wise because I have guided way to many gym freaks who flat out could not make it in elk camp and were not capable of the hunt. Just like Feenix I am not trying to hurt anyones feelings, just telling it like it is to help guys enjoy the outdoors.