View attachment 129707 WELLLL... since I own a 6.5 CM
Browning X-Bolt Pro I cast a vote for it.
6 lbs. 1 oz. "naked".
Yes, other mountain rifles are lighter but the X-Bolt Pro has a lot of goodies that I wanted and the price for them was quite reasonable. And it has a 22" barrel, not a truncated 20" barrel like the SAKO 85 Carbonlite, so you don't lose much velocity from the "standard" 24" 6.5 CM barrel. (And, if you want a longer barrel you can get the X-bolt Pro Long Range with a 26" barrel in any offered caliber
and a 1:7 twist in 6.5 CM.)
PLUS it is about $900. or so less money than the very similar SAKO 85 Carbonlite. The ONLY thing the Carbonlite has over the X-Bolt Pro is a controlled feed bolt. Deer and elk won't notice the difference nor will you.
Yeah, some will say, "Oh, but the SAKO
quality etc. etc."
Uh huh...
I do not think for one second that SAKO's Finnish workers make a better rifle than Miroku's Japanese workers.
Both have excellent materials and quality. Both have very good triggers, out-of-the-box accuracy, great carbon fiber stocks and clever design features like bolt unlock buttons while keeping the rifle on SAFE.
Eric B.
BTW, Browning now offers many X-Bolt models in the 6.5 PRC. Had it been offered when I got my 6.5 CM I would have got that cartridge.