Stalking rifle

[munkjack]

I'm looking in the near future for a nice stalking rifle in 308 I have budget around the £1800 mark I prefer traditional when it comes to this IE wood and dark metalwork any suggestions?

[SWShooter]

Ive been thinking of something similar in the same price range , this looks like the way to go for me http://www.sako.fi/rifles/sako-85/85-deluxe

[munkjack]

Very nice I've had a look 308 is special order anyone got any pros and cons on this rifle in this form? Any other rifle of this Ilk for this sort of money?

[Simon J]

My Tikka T3 Hunter suits me well, half decent wood and suitably accurate for stalking, mine's a 6.5x55. Not sure if a Sako offers you better value for money, but I agree it does have a better more secure magazine, having lost one of mine while stalking, fortunately I had a spare as it was hind culling.

[terryh]

Munkjack,

 

I used a Sako 75 for a few years, very nice and accurate rifle, I would imagine the de-lux 85 would be a prettier version of the same. It is nice to have something that looks the part I'm assuming that your £1800 is just for the rifle?

 

I went back to stalkig and purchased a Tikka T3 in 6.5x55, short varmint barrel with plastic stock in corrosion resistant (aka 'stainless' but sprayed tan), the diametrical opposite of your desires but the rifle gets very wet & muddy in use so that drove my thinking.

 

Do not think you'd be disapointed with 85?

 

T

[Shuggy]

The Sauer 202 seems to have very nice wood and is available for about your budget.

[munkjack]

The sauer 202 or the sako 85 seem to be in the right ball park does anyone have experience with either of these ? Id be interesting to no as this is hopefully will be a rifel I will want to keep for a long time!

[jcampbellsmith]

Have a read of this before you buy - http://www.ballisticstudies.com/shop/The+Practical+Guide+to+Long+Range+Hunting+Rifles.html Regards JCS

[SWShooter]

Have a read of this before you buy - http://www.ballisticstudies.com/shop/The+Practical+Guide+to+Long+Range+Hunting+Rifles.html Regards JCS

 

 

Isn't long range shooting best left to varmint shooters and paper punchers, not deer stalkers?

[gbal]

As per JCS suggestion,though the Foster book is explicitly Long Range oriented-much more way over 600y than up to 400y. He rates the Sako 75 much more than the 85,but the actual statistical data for this is ....slender (he had a few poor 85s)...Tikkas he likes,Sauer not included. Remington Police/Senderos he likes-but the point is these choices are for totally unrealistic to UK uses,and are a gunsmith's preferences(he has to work on them as well as shoot them-not the same at all). Not disagreeing,and I'd go for a 75-did-but bear in mind where advice is coming from and why. He may be a tad controversial,too.

European sources will consider Sauer far more than US souces,its just availability/price.Above all,it's your rifle/baby-among the quality options,get the one you are happiest with- within limits,no body else's opinion really matters,especially about aesthetics/pride of ownership etc. Make sure it fits and feels good,and you can carry it etc....functionality matters too. Choose well and enjoy!

 

gbal

[maximus otter]

The rifle I use for the little stalking I get is my Sako 85 Finnlight in 6.5 x 55mm. It is stainless steel in a synthetic stock.

 

I followed the advice of a pal of mine, a professional stalker with 3 - 4,000 deer to his credit. He said that his heart sank when a client turned up with a traditional rifle, i.e. wood stock, no bipod etc. I saw why when I accompanied him as pony boy on a paid stalk. His client - an experienced European stalker - was using a lovely wood-stocked Mauser in .308

 

I RCO'd as the client shot a creditable group of about 1½" at 100 yards, off the bench using his haversack as a front bag.

 

A few hours later, after several interludes of Highland sunshine followed by torrential rain, the client missed a couched stag at less than 100 yards, and by a considerable margin.

 

The only explanation we could come up with was wood swelling in the barrel channel of the Mauser. Nothing else fitted the facts.

 

I wouldn't go as far as one writer in a UK shooting magazine - "Wood is for looking at or for burning!" - but I would not choose a conventional wood & blued rifle for stalking.

 

maximus otter

[jcampbellsmith]

 

 

Isn't long range shooting best left to varmint shooters and paper punchers, not deer stalkers?

 

You make a very good comment. I'm primarily a deer stalker, however to improve my performance in the field I've pursued target shooting with my stalking rifles. I found Nathan's book very interesting and it did explain how I had arrived at the rifles I currently use. Chuck Hawks also writes on rifles and is another source of views on rifle selection.

 

Regards

 

JCS

[Offroad Gary]

I'm looking in the near future for a nice stalking rifle in 308 I have budget around the £1800 mark I prefer traditional when it comes to this IE wood and dark metalwork any suggestions?

Get Ronin to rebarrel and refinish/blue an old sako with nice wood. It will shoot and look pretty!

[MJR]

Sauer, Tikka, Sako, all will suit your needs but my advice would be try the fit of the stock before you buy. I use a 202 and love it for stalking but I have had to use a comb raiser to get correct scope alignment with a 56mm scope. The wood/synthetic stock debate I feel is a little misleading. Synthetics are without doubt weather proof when properly sealed and finished but then again I have never had a problem with a wood stock with suitable barrel clearance in the barrel channel.

 

Gary's advice is sound, for your budget I'd imagine Ronin would build you a suitable accurate stalker on say a T3 action (as would other smiths on the forum). The rifles Ronin turns out are amongst the most accurate I have encountered.

[gbal]

It's easy to spend on rifles etc-from the armchair,end even for real.

I understand the preference for wood and blue-if your useage permits that-MJR's experience has to be balanced against the perhaps unlucky VBavarian in Max.Otter's example.

When I had to carry these tools,on the hill,a light canvas slip was quite adequate in keeping quite fine rifles dry,and I'm sure modern synthetics are eeven better-sso it need not be a decisive issue.That said,I'd not take a fine wood rifle out in very rough terrain or wet weather-more that it would get sscratched,that warp,but perhaps neither risk is worthwhile. So an allweather back up-or is the beauty in burl walnut the fair weather back up (like the open 2 seater,versus the family estate car)?

 

Essentially a stalking rifle-or any-is a tool for a job,and looks are very secondary to function-so I'd much rather have a used but known Sako 75 (say) than a new walnut (but hog's back stock) bavarian masterpiece. (scope issues!)

II could easily get by with 308,too (though depends on species),and there are indeed plenty such around-as a deer rifle,a used example will probably have fire a few hundred shots,well short of the effective barrel life (several thousand shots),so will have effectively a lifetimes stalking use left.Some had excellent wood.I can't see much need for anymofe than half the proposed budget,and maybe a fair bit less.That will still get a very nice-even patina-ed rifle,of known provenance,with a decent scope for say another £600 (choice depends a little on location etc),and the balance 1/3 for decent stalking-after all,quality matters there.

Just another take on realities and options,a rilfe not in use may be a joy to behold,but on the hill function counts for far more. I see rather more 'used' classic rifles that I'd want,than new shiny stainless plastics,though one of those would be nice-for when the weather means midgie free conditions. An example with known provenace-ie been successfully used and not abused-edges out virginal alternatives,for me. If it was made before plastics were pervasive,and had a sound stalking history,so much the better. I'd get a goretex/harris tweed slip for it (£300...:-)

Pride if you must have that comes from successful use,but the classic used Sako (etc) need not trade functionality for aesthetics,and it's performance will satisfy most,and impress any others,worth impressing,if selected with some care. That's how such earned their reputation,usually in countries where hunting is revered.

 

 

 

 

 

gbal

[swagger700]

I had a heym Sr 20 that was quality piece of kit

[MJR]

gbal, I've read, re read and read again your post and other than gleaming that you'd pass on virginal alternatives (You do have a pulse?) and a rifle cover is a good idea I think we agree?

 

I find this one excellent, made by TAB gear. There is a Sauer 202 with moderator fitted in there.

 

[munkjack]

Hi all thanks for your comments some interesting thoughts for me to think about I had thought of buying a used sako 75 and having a makeover done on it especially when I saw the one boldly did! I've always had a dream about owning a classic looking stalking rifel since I read books and watch programs on Yorkshire TV about Scottish Gilles taking clients up snow topped mountings and bagging a red stag with a traditional rifel!!!

I'm by no means an old fuddy duddy when it comes to rifles I own two one has a bell&carlson the other about to be bedded into a GRS.

My theory is that for decades deer and just about every other species of animals on the planet have been shot with wooden stocked rifels that have survived the African rain forest this rifel needs to be modern practical and in my eyes look good I have heard the heym is a nice rifel it would be great to go somewhere and try a few as said as Weight fit and looks will all play a part and after watching Franz Albrecht boar shooting with a custom wooden stocked sauer 202?

[SWShooter]

gbal, I've read, re read and read again your post and other than gleaming that you'd pass on virginal alternatives (You do have a pulse?) and a rifle cover is a good idea I think we agree?

 

I find this one excellent, made by TAB gear. There is a Sauer 202 with moderator fitted in there.

 

 

 

True enough , most Chillies I've been out with tell/ask you to leave your rifle in its slip until you get real close so a water proof slip is the way to go for wooden stocked rifles unless you can be sure its not going to rain in Scotland that day :)

[gbal]

MJR & SWS: you can never be sure it won't rain! But the (lightweight) waterproof lightweight rifle slip goes a very long way to keep the option of a classic wood stock rifle open.My preference was an MS carbine,6 1/2 lb ,so about as carry-able as is possible (and 39 inches long,6.5 cal).Plenty of others fit the bill,Sako being high on my list.

Bench rest shooters,MJR,learn to modulate their pulse,so as not to upset their 36x target dot movement; but I really meant I'd take the 'well used successfully' rifle (as above) over some shiny new unused model with plastik bits,which was virginal in the sense of never shot yet.Just mot my idea of a classic hill rifle.

Plenty others would choose otherwise,some even put on camouflage jackets.Fine,except that the proper and effective camo developed over time,is called tweed....

Munkjack,your image,is pretty close. It is worth noting this does actually work quite well,and isn't traditional just for nostalgic reasons-and the hill pony is still a good way to get the beast home...I know,I was that hill pony!

For other purposes-precision at distance,for example, considerable progress has been made and should be taken advantage of Shehanes,80x scopes,co-axial front rests,and so on...I'm even considering these here new fangled plastic tipped bullets,now that there are green ones...but that lot is not being lugged around hills...not fair on the pony ! The Victorian English gentleman shooting pachyderms etc had a gunbearer,not as an imperialist gesture (well,not just) but so as to be fresh enough to be able to lift and hold the mighty black powder double rifle when it really mattered.

 

Anyhow,looks like scandinavia and bavaria ( Finland and Germany specifically) offer the best choices-nothing new there,then!

 

gbal

[Sixpointfive]

I regularly shoot the 6.5 x 55 hunter and a .308 heavy barrel sako 85 all in wood and blued barrel

 

Gotta say they are a delight, never had a problem with any of them, if a choice to be made, the 75 or 85 is the one I would plump for, both are very well made and accuracy is brilliant

 

I wouldn't think you would go far wrong with either rifles or calibre

 

ATB and happy shopping for the new rifle

 

6.5

[TSG]

I have Sauers, both are accurate, reliable although the safety arrangement is not to everyone's taste. The wooden stocked option can be prone to the barrel and wood touching although a drastic reaming can sort this out. I would only opt for the steel receiver option. Sako sand Tikkas are equally good. Both can come with nice wood. I suppose it depends on how you define stalking. If it's the Scottish Disney experience trailing after a chap in tweed with you rifle in a slip the rifles will all do just fine.

If you want out on your own, climbing, getting wet and blowing through your hoop get a Tikka CTR in 260/308 and some good glass.

My RFD, (Safeshot on here) has a very nice sako based 270 at the moment! I would not be seen dead with it however it is accurate, someone has put love and skill into building it and if that makes you happy then that's fine!