A little Sako Love

[Blkram]

High winds, rain and hail today...will try again next weekend.
Will get better pics under better lighting conditions too.

 

[Darkhorse]

6 Lefthand Sako's? I think I like you more and more everyday. The closest I can get to a LH Sako is my LH Tikka in .308 and that too has a super slick bolt.
I have 4 other LH rifles but none in the class of your Sako's.

 

[ShadeTree]

I hear ya Gil. Never heard anything but good about Sako's, I've never owned one but like probably most people I'd like to someday. You're making up for the rest of us!

 

[Blkram]

Made it out to the range today to test the new rifle.
Used the following 338 Federal factory loads, 3 shot groups @ 100 yards:
Federal Premium 180 gr AB - best group approx. 2" (other 2 groups 3" and 4")
Federal blue box 200 gr Uni-Cor - best group approx. 1.5" (other 2 groups 2" and 3")
Federal Premium 210 gr PT - best group approx. 5/8" (other 2 groups 1 1/4" and 1 7/8"); most promising load

Cleaning between groups saw the first shot off from the following shots after checking at 25 yards and sighting in at 100 yards, and the first 2 groups with the 180 gr ammo, so shot one fouling shot before each group after that.

Will try again on another day, and compare results. With the first 3 groups of the 180 and 200 gr ammo, I was starting to wonder of I was having a not so great day at the bench, then shot the best group of the day with the 210 gr PT

As an interesting note; same loads in my rebarreled Winchester Model 88 today:
180 gr AB - 1.250"
200 gr UC - 1.125"
210 gr NP - 1"

Didn't have my tripod, so couldn't chrony the ammo today.

 

[Blkram]

It has been awhile, but here is an update...

Finally got out to the range with this rifle again this summer, and just to make sure it wasn't a scope issue too, I mounted a VX-3 3.5-10x40 B&C on the rifle. (Rifle package dropped from 8 lbs 3 oz to 7 lbs 12 oz.)
Groups were in the 4-5" range for the various factory loads that I had shot previously. Best group was 2"

Talked to the gunsmith that rebarreled the rifle for me, and took it back to be checked over. Took about 3 months, but got the call yesterday that it was ready for pick up.
Apparently the 338 Federal reamers have quite a bit of freebore (long throat). Just too much jump for the hunting bullets that I want to shoot, as I am not interested in using long VLD's in a short action cartridge (let alone any other hunting rifles I have). They cut a couple of threads off and rechambered it with a shorter throat.
Test targets with the Federal Premium 210 gr Nosler Partition printed 3 shot group @ 200 yards of 0.893" centre-to-centre, at an average of 2505 fps (that's 125 fps slower than Federal's advertised velocity). A little slow for my taste, but will still perform reliably on big game out to 300 yards.
The Federal blue box 200 gr Soft Point printed 3 shot group @ 200 yards of 0.477" centre-to-centre, at an average of 2687 fps (that's 13 fps less than Federal's advertised velocity). That will give me reliable expansion on big game out to 400 yards.

Looks like this rifle is going to perform!

Can't wait to get out and try the other factory ammo that I have on hand;
Federal Premium 180gr AccuBond; and
Federal blue box 200gr Uni-Cor.

Then it will be time to develop a handload with the 200 gr AccuBond and Re-17.

 

[Slimfinn]

It has been awhile, but here is an update...

Finally got out to the range with this rifle again this summer, and just to make sure it wasn't a scope issue too, I mounted a VX-3 3.5-10x40 B&C on the rifle. (Rifle package dropped from 8 lbs 3 oz to 7 lbs 12 oz.)
Groups were in the 4-5" range for the various factory loads that I had shot previously. Best group was 2"

Talked to the gunsmith that rebarreled the rifle for me, and took it back to be checked over. Took about 3 months, but got the call yesterday that it was ready for pick up.
Apparently the 338 Federal reamers have quite a bit of freebore (long throat). Just too much jump for the hunting bullets that I want to shoot, as I am not interested in using long VLD's in a short action cartridge (let alone any other hunting rifles I have). They cut a couple of threads off and rechambered it with a shorter throat.
Test targets with the Federal Premium 210 gr Nosler Partition printed 3 shot group @ 200 yards of 0.893" centre-to-centre, at an average of 2505 fps (that's 125 fps slower than Federal's advertised velocity). A little slow for my taste, but will still perform reliably on big game out to 300 yards.
The Federal blue box 200 gr Soft Point printed 3 shot group @ 200 yards of 0.477" centre-to-centre, at an average of 2687 fps (that's 13 fps less than Federal's advertised velocity). That will give me reliable expansion on big game out to 400 yards.

Looks like this rifle is going to perform!

Can't wait to get out and try the other factory ammo that I have on hand;
Federal Premium 180gr AccuBond; and
Federal blue box 200gr Uni-Cor.

Then it will be time to develop a handload with the 200 gr AccuBond and Re-17.

Good info to know. Glad to hear it is working out for you now, those are some great groups. Cant wait to hear about the load development.

 

[Blkram]

I should also update that I finally got around to sighting the 338 Win Mag...
Mounted a Leupold VX-III 3.5-10x40 on it.
Sighted it in with Federal Premium 210 gr Nosler Partition ammunition; first groups averaging at 1.1" @ 100 yards.
Recoil is very manageable with the LimbSaver pad.
While my old LH Rem 700 BDL shot this ammo just under an inch (0.9" groups), it did kick more, even with the LimbSaver pad, but I think the rifle was lighter which would account for more felt recoil.
Next outing will trying the Federal Premium 225 gr AccuBond ammunition.

Haven't taken the opportunity yet to sight in that mannlicher stocked 30-06. Will try when I take the 338 Win Mag out again. With other priorities right now (like shooting that new 338 Federal more) and hunting season, it might be spring before this happens.