in a .300wsm and I'm now looking at max whitetail, hog as the "biggest game". I love the Sako but now looking at the Bergara Premier series in either .308 or 6.5 creedmore. Will occasionally paper punch for fun. Have a ton of .308 but their catalog states a 20 inch barrel which I'd rather have a 23/24inch barrel. Anybody have experience with their rifles?

I dont have experience with Bergara but I have a lot of experience with the .308. You don't lose much going from 24" down to 20". For a hunting rifle and taking ethical hunting shots, a 20" barrel will be more than enough. I have a buddy who routinely made hits out to 1000 yards with an 18" barrel in .308. Making consistent shots at distance is all about getting good dope on your rifle.

One of my kimber 308s is chopped down to 18”, I love that gun. I prefer the shortest barrels I can get due to how thick the brush is here.

If this is merely a "reason" to get another deer rifle then OK.
Honestly though, I think you'd be just fine with what you have. Maybe adjust the bullet choice a tad, but a souped up .30 cal is never a bad idea.

quote:

Originally posted by apprentice:
If this is merely a "reason" to get another deer rifle then OK.
Honestly though, I think you'd be just fine with what you have. Maybe adjust the bullet choice a tad, but a souped up .30 cal is never a bad idea.

Been thinking the same thing all day. I'd hate to tell you some of the "way too big" things I use for deer.
But, never one to ruin someone's excuse for buying another gun, I didn't say anything.

Take a gander at 7mm-08. Should fit your new type of hunt pretty well. Less recoil, (depending on the gun) less blast and probably cheaper to shoot too.
With a 25 yard zero 1/4 inch low, its only about an inch high at 100 yards and dead on at 200, with the 140 grain load.

Trade the sako off for one in 6.5x55 swede. Soft shooting will fo everything you want and mentioned.

Thanks all for the replies...

Withdrawn.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Blackmore,

If you really want to step down in caliber(although no need (if you sling 150's from the 300wsm) Id simply get another Finnlight. I certainly wouldn't swap a Sako for a Bergara. I ended up selling my 3 Finnlight in lieu of Blasers . About the only other tempting option for me was the Barret Fieldcraft.

Tikka T3X Lite Stainless in 6.5 Creedmoor has a 24" barrel

I used a Browning X-Bolt 300 WSM to deer hunt here ( MS ) for years. It'll be fine wherever you go, besides you might go after big game someday in the future.

Why get a different rifle to shoot a 30 cal bullet a little slower, when you can just use a reduced load for the one you have? A Sako 85 is a really nice rifle to shelf simply because you want to shoot 300 FPS slower.

quote:

Originally posted by fz4vgq:
Tikka T3X Lite Stainless in 6.5 Creedmoor has a 24" barrel

I have one of these, it’s getting a few inches chipped off the barrel in a week or so, excellent rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by WARPIG602:
If you really want to step down in caliber(although no need (if you sling 150's from the 300wsm) Id simply get another Finnlight. I certainly wouldn't swap a Sako for a Bergara. I ended up selling my 3 Finnlight in lieu of Blasers . About the only other tempting option for me was the Barret Fieldcraft.

I’ve got a fieldcraft with a 2-10 leupold vx5, it’s a nice rifle I still prefer the 3 position safety of the Kimber Montana for that type of rifle but it’s still an awesome gun.

I love lightweight mountain rifles and have a bunch of them, I need to cut back on buying kimbers, tikkas, Barrett’s and Winchester’s but getting sweet gear is part of the fun of living in Alaska and being a serious sheep hunter.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:

quote:

Originally posted by apprentice:
If this is merely a "reason" to get another deer rifle then OK.
Honestly though, I think you'd be just fine with what you have. Maybe adjust the bullet choice a tad, but a souped up .30 cal is never a bad idea.

Been thinking the same thing all day. I'd hate to tell you some of the "way too big" things I use for deer.
But, never one to ruin someone's excuse for buying another gun, I didn't say anything.

There's nothing wrong with using a big cartridge for deer hunting, but a super-high-velocity cartridge will ruin a lot of meat if you are anywhere near the shoulder or back.

I shot a medium-white-tail size animal with a .375 H&H Magnum once. It worked perfectly fine because, while it's a big, heavy bullet, it isn't very fast.

An animal shot with a 300gr .375" bullet moving at 2500 fps looks about the same as an animal shot with a 200gr .30" bullet moving at 2500 fps - the .375 will just penetrate a lot farther if you need it to.

A 300 WSM will work fine for deer, but it can be punishing out of a lightweight rifle. Heavy bullet loads will be especially unpleasant and light bullet loads will ruin the most meat. It's just more than necessary - it'll work but has some drawbacks.

One of the reason's to going to a .308 or 6.5 was to do some occasional paper punching at distance. My Sako 85 has been a great shooter with heavier bullets. Also .300wsm is more expensive to feed the rifle.. Plus I'm 62 and humping 9500-10500ft for elk and mulie is not turning me on as much and I'll be moving to areas which are alot more densely wooded . White tail,maybe hog will be about max.

Sounds like a 45/70 lever gun is the ticket

300 WSM can be handloaded down to 308 velocity or less very easily. Many people bought it with this in mind. If you can, keep the Sako.
6.5 Creedmoor has become a favorite of paper punchers with good reason. It is also an excellent hunting round for deer and antelope size game. Many good factory rounds for either purpose.
Have shot beside a couple of people with the lower grade than Premier Burgara rifles. They looked good and shot well. Their owners were very happy with them.

You may want to wait until you get to where you are going to purchase a rifle for hog hunting. See what the locals are using first.
In Georgia a lot of people were going to an AR-15 style in 300 Blackout or 450 Bushmaster because of thick cover and large groups of hogs needing multiple shots.

I've got a Savage MSR10 Hunter in a .308 with a few mods on it . That can take care of the hunting side, maybe I should just go to a 6.5 Creedmore if I want to punch paper.. Yeesh rifles are like motorcycles, you just can't have one.