So I'm talking to guys at the gun store regarding a new SAKO Finnlight or Bavarian for a Newfoundland Moose hunt and all dissuade me from all short mags.

I'm confused since I read a lot of happy SM owners on this site.

Enlighten me!!!

1) They are idiots.

2) They are Yankees (I know, redundant)

It's your money,buy what you want.

or

1) They are brilliant and steering you away from a SAKO and not the cartridge


2) I can't change the Yankee part.

Who you gonna trust?

People behind a counter who may have had zero first hand experience or real hunters who shoot real animals (at least most on here are and do) and bring back first hand stories?

I personally like the WSMs, have owned at least one since 2004, but I'm a short action geek.

The short magnum isn't the answer today that it was a decade ago. It seems it went it's course and the industry has moved on. You would be better suited with a 6.5 Creed if you want to be current.

If you just want what you want, get it and don't worry about guys behind the gun counter. If they knew anything at all, they would be somewhere else.

^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^

Like Llewelyn Moss said the Carla Jean in "No Country For Old Men", "You're free white and 21, so I reckon you can do whatever you want.". Pretty good universal advise.

Lol, great comments and all have a point.

I'm also checking out the 7x64 as well. I want to make sure I can get ammo since I don't intend to reload.

I'm a fan of the 7mm magnum and the LL Bean rep made a good point shooting it in a Sako Finnlight and The new stock is pretty absorbent and I would shooting from a tripod, leaning against a tree or a position other than free hand.

One thing that can't be disputed is that factory ammo and/or components for the well established 7mm Rem Mag and 300 Win Mag can be found nearly everywhere that people hunt game for sport. I doubt that any of the RSAUMs or WSMs have anywhere near the distribution width of factory ammo and/or components.

I still own the best of the Short Magnums the 270 WSM.

300 WSM ammo is pretty much everywhere.......

If I owned a gun store, one of the first rules I would have is to let the customer buy what he wants.

Unless he asks for your opinion, it's not a counterperson's place to decide what a customer wants.

Otherwise, I'm sure See-Through mounts would make a huge leap in sales.....

Kindly GFY.

I shoot a 270 WSM

Dan

abbydog,

I've owned rifles of various makes in .270 WSM, 7mm SAUM and .300 WSM, and killed a bunch of big game animals with them from pronghorn to big bull elk. If you're not going to handload I'd look at the .270 and .300 WSM, since those are by far the most popular.

The "guys at the gun store" are evidently nitwits, but then being in a gun store doesn't mean anybody's smart. In fact I am starting to suspect, after decades of experience, that entering a gun store automatically drops IQ by several points, especially for real rifle loonies.

I own a 7mm WSM and regret buying it. The problem is you can't find brass unless you want to pay a fortune on Gunbroker or such. I keep hearing rumors that Winchester is going to make another batch, and even a few where the brass showed up in Cabala's or Sportsman's Warehouse, but I haven't seen it. Until it does, the rifle will be buried in the back of the safe. If you do decide to get a WSM, don't get a 7mm.

Pretty sound advice there.

I really never saw the need for the WSMs. Despite being a Yankee I still have the strength to carry the few more ounces of a long action rifle. A trait apparently not shared by all my fellow Alaskans.

All foolishness aside, the 300 WSM is a good round and certainly more available than a 7x64. I cannot remember the last time I saw a box of factory 7x64 ammo.

I quit listening to gun counter employees a few decades ago. Buy what you want and enjoy your moose hunt.

AB,

If you just wanted one load to kill everything smaller then a Cape Buffalo, a guy could do a lot worse then a 300 WSM and a 180gr NBT.

Wrap which ever gun you like around it, mount it with good glass, and go kill stuff.

I have absolutely no problem taking a short mag moose hunting and certainly no problem with a Sako. Killed my last moose with a 300 SAUM and a Core-lokt :o) ! My Kimber 300 WSM will be going moose hunting with me this fall, loaded with 165 TTSX's. Lots a great factory ammo available, brass availability can be cyclical ie. feast and famine when they do runs of it. Don't let that scare you, take what YOU want.

My goal was a lighter weight gun.
Is the Sako Finnlight "to light" for the 300wsm or 7 mm rem Mag ?

I like the Sako Bavarian ascwell

abbydog

Gotta say I've hunted Newfoundland moose and found the 300WSM Kimber Montana I carried plenty adequate. The 300WSM is a great cartridge for that long legged beast. I have had mine loaded with 180 TSX and they blew on through each time. Even diagonally breaking major bone on the way through. I have become convinced that the 165TTSX could be a touch better bullet for me.

I wonder how many moose the guy behind the counter has shot?

You may just find that there may be more than one gun store in Ct. I agree with the previous suggestion that you buy the gun that you want and confidently enjoy the hunt.

Field artillery is not needed to kill the moose. In fact if you own a 30-06 or .270 Win. they will do the job just fine.

Best to you
Jim

Jim,

How is the recoil on the Montana?

Wow, that gun is close in weight to the Sako Finnlight.

I really look to the guys on this site for guidance and appreciate the input.

I think I want to go at least 06 and more likel a 7mm or .300wsm in case I go west.

Of corse, I can always buy another gun!

Buy yourself a 30-06 and go kill a moose

350 Remington Magnum

........The original short mag

Ridiculous.

If a guy wants to use factory ammo, it's out there. Not hard to find. If handloading, .300WSM brass is a simple pass through the sizing die from being 7WSM brass...

I should have added that I'm a small man 5'6" and 160 lbs. I believe the Kimber Montana is about the same weight as the Finlight and I was comfortable shooting it and sure was glad it wasn't heavier to carry. You will do far more walking and carrying then shooting.

You don't reload so consider this: Barnes VOR-TX Ammunition 300 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) 165 Grain Tipped Triple-Shock X Bullet leaves the barrel at 3130fps! WOW! What a mighty Moose Masher!

If I didn't reload this would be my 300WSM huckleberry.

Happy Hunting.
Jim

i'd steer clear of some of them but the 300 wsm is a winner. i always wanted them to come out with a 350 wsm but 35's ain't sexy enough for some folks.

If you're still thinking about a Sako 85 Finnlight do yourself a favor and do a google search on "Sako ejection problems". Lots of folks have experienced problems. Especially with 06 length cartridges. A friend of mine bought a Sako Finnlight in 7mm Mag. and had problems with the ejected rounds hitting the scope and dropping back into the action. He wound up selling the gun at a loss.

A properly executed short mag is a fantastic rifle. Kimber did it right. Remington did not; as delivered from Big Green they are hurtin' in terms of COAL and in feeding smoothly. Dunno about others as that's all I've owned.

I love short actions. Love them. Far prefer to a long action. The short mags give about the maximum performance you're going to get from a short action. If that lights your candle (it does mine!) then there ya go. Otherwise, buy a damn 30-06.

I have a 270 and a 300 WSM. The recoil is less than a 270 wby or a 300 Win mag with the same bullets loaded in each rifle. You could do worse than a short mag. I'm thinking about a 6.5 WSM. I guess it would be like a 264 Win mag in performance. Anyone have one?

Hanco, Smokepoke has a 6.5 WSM.

The hot short-mag 6.5 is the 6.5 SAUM aka 6.5 GAP 4s. Google it and settle in.

My 6.5 GAP will be done in a few weeks. Pretty pumped.

Here's an opinion, that is therefore wide open for the slaughter <g>. A properly-implemented Rem 700 SA WSM is one of the finest rifles you can build. Period. A huge key to proper implementation is to either run a DBM setup (like the GAP Extreme Hunter I'm copying for my build) or else an extended, single-stack magazine like the Wyatt's setup. In either case you fix the big reasons NOT to own a M700 WSM: feeding*, and COAL restrictions.

*the 270 WSM donor I built into the rifle below (7 WSM) literally would not feed 270 WSM ammo, and a 2.82" COAL is too damn short to get WSM's or SAUM's humming)



But given all the advantages of a short action it's totally worth the effort.

No matter what it's shot with, the moose will do its moosey thing if hit in the chest. Stand there and look pained, and then topple.

Although some have taken long shots, my friend and I shot every Newfie moose at less than 100 yards.

There's nothing functionally wrong with a short mag of any flavor. The problem lies with factory support of them, the same which can be said of the RUM's. Eight years of Obama have taught me that if I'm going to get another rifle it's going to be something with multiple brass suppliers in a common chambering. For a 30 caliber magnum that would mean a 300 win mag for me. I just got really tired of having to go months or years before components became available. I can't imagine how all the guys shooting the remington ultra mags feel, remington has basically disowned them. The WSM's aren't as poorly supported, but the last eight years have shown that ammo and component supplies can't be counted on when you get an anti gun administration in the White House. Right now things are getting better with Trump in there, but another let another hard core leftist like Obama get elected and we'll be right back at it.

IMO the best of the short-fats was the 7mm SAUM. It had an adequate neck length, something sorely lacking in the WSM rounds.

That said, I love my Kimber MT 325 WSM for larger critters. It's thumped two elk DRT and will be my plains game gun if I manage to get back to Africa again.

I also like the way my Mdl 70 Classic FW in 270 WSM shoots, but its a bit too heavy to hold up with my left arm now, so I'll be selling it and only for that reason. My lighter HVA 7mm AI still fills that niche.

Somehow the Montana stock makes the 300 WSM recoil very tolerable.

Light, 7lb 4oz with 2.5-8 Leupold, pretty compact package, shoulder nicely, easily adjustable trigger, great stock, usually great shooters out of the box not a bad way to go. Many have, just ask bigwhoop, he alone probably had a dozen! Says a member(twice) of the bigwhoop hand me down club!

They may have been steering you away from the Sako rather than a short mag.

What you shoot an animal with is almost the least important factor I think.

If you want light, and a short mag, the Kimber Montana is pretty sweet and in .300WSM it's not only capable but versatile and should not be hard to buy ammo for if need be.

For the record I don't have any WSM's, not because they a poor choice but I bought plenty of others before they came out and see no reason to switch.

I've got the 270 and 7mm WSM. Had a 300. All three of them were easy to load for and easily attained book speeds without murdering casss. Even with the 7mm WSM supposedly being dead I can go into my local Gander Mountain or other sporting goods shops and find 2-4 different 7mm WSM loads. I'm betting I could get by with them if I had too.

If someone feels the need for something more potent than 308 then the 300 WSM is an excellent choice. I've had the bigger belted magnums and wouldn't want one anymore. The 300WSM handily beats 30-06 speeds and comes close enough to 300 WM to not matter. But with enough less recoil to notice and it can be had in a more compact lighter package.

I have one and I like the round. That said anymore I'm starting to think of my 308 as a BIG gun.

I have 5 short mags. All Remington M700. (2)7 Saums, 300 Saum, 270 WSM, 300 WSM. If Remington chambered one in 7 WSM I would have it too. No problem feeding them. 3 are custom.

I have a .270 WSM and have been very pleased with it. It shoots factory ammo very well and has proven easy to load for. I liked the rifle and it just happened to be chambered in this cartridge. I wouldn't change a thing, and I like the gun and cartridge the more I shoot it.

I love my Remington Model Seven 7 SAUM. Never had a problem finding brass for it.

I tried a few, but have none now. I keep thinking that a Kimber Montana in .300 WSM would take a lot of the mental dickering out of deciding what to take on which hunt. I liked the .300 WSM that I had, but the rifle in which it was chambered was just too heavy for the way that I hunt.

Having lived and hunted in both the "east" and "west" - there is really only as much difference as you'd like to make, once you get into discussions on 30-06, 7RM, WSM etc.

If you're not hand loading and looking at that weight of a rifle, I'd do 308, 30-06, 270, or 7RM.
Just my 2cents, You only have yourself to please and it sounds like you have a few other rifles - so rock on, shoot a lot, and enjoy the hunt!

i have a 300 RSAUM in a Ruger M77 MK II and like it. As some folks point out with their factory 30-06 ammo, it does not chrono to spec (possibly partly due to all the old actions out there and the factories tone them down a bit). But I would expect factory ammo in the short mags to deliver as advertised. So I see this as a potential plus to the short mags over their .473 head diameter cousins. If the ammo was not so expensive i think they would see more play.

Buy what you like. Nothing wrong with the WSMs. The one to avoid in the Sako seems to be the medium actions.

Somewhat of a paradox between your message to the gentleman about the term he ascribed to Northern Americans and the link at the bottom of your page would you not say? Kinda doesn't jive with the the Fruit of the Spirit. Just sayin. But maybe by GFY, you meant "Go Fool Yourself."

I had a Montana in 300 WSM. One of the many rifles I should have kept:)

Just sayin. Just sayin. Just sayin.

Don't apologize, mean it or don't say it. Millennial afraid to commit comments.
I don't like the short magnums because they look funny to me. I don't like short and fat. That's it. I'm sure they do the job.

I ain't scared.

The short mags and the short actions they live in are an improvement over the long-action (puke) cartridges they are competing with. Not in terms of sheer horsepower; you aren't gonna beat a 28 Noz with a 7 WSM. In terms of how efficient they are and let's face it, how awesome the riflemen themselves are. Those of us into short mags are just.... better.

Well, what did you decide?
I like the short/fat cartridges: 6.5 SAUM, 6.5 WSM/Leopard, 7 SAUM, 7WSM, 296 USA (300 SAUM necked down to .290), and the 7.82 Patriot.

A whole bunch of cartridges will do a good job of killing game, if you pick the right bullet(s) for the job and then place it correctly. Get what you want, have fun, and go hunt big game.

Damn the fishing sucks here <big grin>!

I like my 7WSM, glad it's not the .300. I've a lifetime of brass an then some so I'm good. I generally never listen to them salesman, most "just" sell an don't know much. Of course on the other hand there is a few that have some savy. It's a complicated world we live n. lol

I love my Sako 85 Finnlight 300 WSM. Everything about it works perfectly as it should.

I have a SS model 70 New Haven gun in a B&C Ti stock. I like the gun alot and it has anchored everything it has shot at. 180 gr. full power loads do let you know they are leaving the building though.

Or they didn't have any short mags in stock. My son has a Tikka T3 in 300 WSM. Very accurate rifle and recoil is not bad.

I would recommend that you get a 30-06.

It will kill moose very well.

Ammo will be available everywhere.

It is chambered in every style rifle available, thus allowing you to choose the style you like the best.

I think you got some good advice.

Forget the short mags...forget the Sako...get a Tikka.

You would be farther ahead of the game than you realize at this point by picking up a stainless Tikka in a standard caliber.

308, 7-08, and 6.5 Creedmore has A LOT to offer in a short case, but will likely only add to the confusion.

30-06 or 270.

Picking one of these is likely enough of a dilemma for you right now.

Could not have said it better myself...on all points.

Light rifles shooting 300 wsm don't kick as much as an 06, bull puckey! I have both, you folks are only kidding yourselves! More powder same bullet weight and less rifle weight, doesn't make for lighter recoil! Physics my friends.

I've got a 85 Finnlight in 300wsm and never felt the recoil when shooting at game. Got another 85 Finnlight in 7mm-08 and a 75 Finnlight in 270wsm. Don't plan on parting with either of them. So, I guess you could say I like the Finnlights and WSMs.

Tikka`s are fairly light.About 6 1/4 lbs.I have one in 270 WSM and it really shoots.All up with a Zeiss Conquest 3X9X40 ,Talley light weight rings and fully loaded it is under 7.5 pounds.How ever I also like Sako`s and would buy one if I had enough cash on hand.Huntz

My only concern would be about the Sako ejecting properly. Seems to be a crapshoot. Get some snapcaps or make up some dummies and try before you buy.

Nothing "wrong" about the Wizzums; just sh*t support. Someone on the Hunting Rifles forum said that Hornady is going to start making ammo fir the .300.

The village called......🤡

What was the Randy Newman song about short people? Short mags got nobody?

I've only shot one moose with a .300 WSM and it worked as expected. If you could find a friend who reloads it could easily be loaded to 30/06 or .308 levels. The majority of moose I have taken have been with .270 Winchesters and most died where they stood.

The .300 WSM I have is a Winchester Super Grade so it is a little heavier than what you seem to be looking for. I do have a Sako .30/06 in a light weight and it shoots at least as well as the Super Grade. Lots of choices out there, find what you like and buy it.

Jim

I think you would have better luck finding 30/06 ammo, for instance, as compared to the shortmags.

I'm a Yankee, so I'm no authority. What ever you do don't buy a 270, You can't even kill a deer with one!

Ding ding, we have a winner!!

Moose tags are a tough draw here in Wyoming,but the one moose tag I did fill fell to one shot from a 300 WSM.

ADOG -
I noticed your post because I am a fan of Finlights
and a Bavarian is on my bucket list. Inn addition own
and respect potent package of the handy size 270 WSM
even though a die hard 270 WBY owner. At the risk off
adding too many thoughts one more is too tempting. Not
Knowing beans about killing a moose I have killed lots of
bears that I imagine might use similar hardware. Your
thoughts of quality short action with potent compact
cartridge prompts me to suggest into consideration a
short action in 35 whelen. As best described by many
helping me in similar quest " The Whelen is a very forgiving
Cartridge in an impressive package". I ended up
finding a sweet short action Rem 700 that fit the bill.
Let us know the result of your shopping.

Bounce off?

Now, you not trying to perpetuate that nasty gay rumor, are you...

DF

Could have sworn my 35 Whelen was a long action..

Mine must be a rare one as well since it's long action.

Evidently there's REALLY some confusion about "short magnums"....

I think I am wrong on that.
I got in the safe and looked at my
700 and Rugger 35 Whelen. They
Indeed do look like long actions ?
Just seem more compact than my
Remingtons in other magnum
calibers. Sorry about that !

All in good fun

g

I've shot newfoundland moose and big whitetails with the .308 and .06 and couldn't imagine taking my 7RM out of the safe. Believe me, you will find a lot more .308/06/270 etc. ammo on the shelf in nfld. than WSM .But it all comes down to what you like and can shoot. When the 30-30 came out , wasn't it considered overpowered?

Well , I bought a used SAKO Finnlight .300 w.s.m. I found on GB.

I will outfit with a Swarovski scope.

Next hurdle is to keep up the weight loss, excercise and get in shape.

It will work great-Good luck on your hunt!

Thank you for everyone's advice, comments and impartiality.

Steve

Everyone on here has the same opinions. NOT