Sako 85 270 Win 1 in 9 Benchmark (updated with first kill)

[gerry]

A few of you may remember I got a LH Sako 85 in 30-06 a while back. The short story is it shot ok but not great and I have been sitting on this Benchmark 1 in 9 twist 277 blank for a couple of years so................ :roll:

Off it went to a semi retired gunsmith and it came back a 270 Win I messed up a bit on my order so the barrel ended up being 23" long but it fit perfectly into the wood stock. I wanted 24" but it really wasn't a big deal being 1" shorter. As it turns out speed isn't an issue.









Had to try out my favorite 277 bullet which is the 160 gr Partition and wasn't disappointed. Working up from 58-60 gr with IMR 7977 the groups measured .700", 1.03"and .730" so it looks like it will be a shooter 8) probably only some slight tweaks and it will stacking them. Taking it black bear hunting this weekend :lol:







Going to shoot again this week and hopefully all goes well so I can hunt it on Friday. After this load is done I'm looking at the 140 gr Sierra HPBT with IMR 4451 or H 4350 and the 150 gr Ballistic Tip with one of those powders plus Magnum, IMR 7977 or H 4831sc. Have to say I do actually miss the 30-06 too so can totally see another one in the near future.

 

[Thebear_78]

Nice looking rifle!! I'm going to have to pick up some 7977 to try with the 165 matrix.

Only one problem with that rifle, bolts on the wrong side


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[gerry]

Thanks I knew you would appreciate a gun like that even if you don't like the location of the bolt :lol:. This will be a gun to use in nice weather only, I got others for the bad weather and the rough stuff. IMR 7977 in the Nosler brass is fairly compressed so I may use W-W brass and sort it since it has more case capacity, at least the cases I have are like that.

 

[DrMike]

Very handsome, Gerry. Your initial loads certainly show promise. Yeah, it is about ready to take into the bush. Here's pulling for you and hoping for every success.

 

[Thebear_78]

My magazine is pretty long, with the 150 LRAB I can go 3.417" COL to reach the lands, I have plenty of magazine room to spare. Hopefully that will free up a little room for powder.


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[SJB358]

Gerry that rifle looks great and man it looks like an awesome shooter. That 160 at 2800 should be the answer to just about anything.

 

[truck driver]

Nice looking rifle Gerry and it looks like it will shoot good too. Good luck on getting a Bear.

 

[gerry]

My magazine is pretty long, with the 150 LRAB I can go 3.417" COL to reach the lands, I have plenty of magazine room to spare. Hopefully that will free up a little room for powder.


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That's one of the great things about the Rem 700, lots of room in the magazine. I know I'm happy with both of my 700's. The Sako is a bit more tight but I do have a bit of wiggle room there. Going to try the 150 gr ABLR as well in this gun so I'll be watching your progress with it and the other sleek bullets you will be trying.

 

[Guy Miner]

Wow! Rifle looks great - the stainless barrel really sets it off.

I'd say you're well on your way with load development - those groups are just fine for hunting anyway.

Best of luck on your spring bear hunt!!!

Guy

 

[6mm Remington]

Now look what you did Gerry, ruined a perfectly good 30-06!! Oh the shame! I can't blame you really if it didn't shoot send her packing which you did. Sure looks nice.

 

[sask boy]

gerry, I think I am going to bring up my CDL in the 270win and if we go out to shoot I could accidentally put yours in my case :mrgreen:!
All kidding aside gerry that is a great looking rifle and once you get a little more time I am sure that you are going to have it shooting very small groups.
Also I hope we are going to be BBQing some bear Bratwurst when we get up there in August .
If you need more brass let me know, I believed that I picked up more on my last trip to the range .

Blessings,
Dan

 

[AFG270]

Gerry, beautiful rifle! I really like that stainless barrel. That 160 gr. PT should take care of any black bear. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[35 Whelen]

Great outfit, perfect for Blackies with your 160gr Partitions, congrats on a great build! Looks sweet, good luck hunting.

 

[gerry]

gerry, I think I am going to bring up my CDL in the 270win and if we go out to shoot I could accidentally put yours in my case :mrgreen:!
All kidding aside gerry that is a great looking rifle and once you get a little more time I am sure that you are going to have it shooting very small groups.
Also I hope we are going to be BBQing some bear Bratwurst when we get up there in August .
If you need more brass let me know, I believed that I picked up more on my last trip to the range .

Blessings,
Dan

Thanks Dan, I do believe you would like this rifle and I'm pretty sure there will be some sausage for us to BBQ when you come for a visit. Thanks for the offer of the brass but the brass from my old 270 doesn't fit and I can't resize it enough to make it work. I expected that anyway since most gunsmith's tend to use tighter tolerances. Thankfully I still have some new brass.

 

[gerry]

Thanks for the kind words guys, I am pretty happy so far. Will update this thread as things go along with both hunting and range time.

 

[LD375]

Very nice rifle Gerry, I like it buddy, good luck bear hunting, my hunt is 3 weeks away

Lou :wink:

 

[gerry]

Well the gun now has a bear to it's credit using the 160 gr Partition load which obviously worked. I'll fill in some details tomorrow after we take care of the butchering.

 

[Anonymous]

Nice bear! Way to go Gerry!

 

[DrMike]

Beautiful bruin, Gerry. He has some size to him! Excellent job.

 

[truck driver]

Way to go Gerry, looks like a very nice Bear .