Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Sako vs mrc

Hello all, New comer here. I'd like some opinions and feedback, I'd like to get a medium bore rifle and these manufactures are what I'm looking at. First off I'm left handed, but really like the looks of the sako black bear in 9.3x62. There's also the Hunter model in the same chambering which can be had as a lefty.
I'm also very interested in montana rifle company, specifically the x2 model in 338 win mag, left handed of course. What are the pros and cons of these two rifles? Any first hand experience is great. Now I don't really need a medium bore, but I'm a rifle Looney and I've been wanting one.
Oh and price is not a big deal, rifles are the only thing I like to spend money on.

Thanks in advance! Jack

Jack:

First, welcome to the 'Fire.

Second, I have a Sako Black Bear in .308 and like it a lot. Had a Swaro Z3 mounted using Recknagel QD mounts so I could access the iron sights if needed. Accurate, handy, slick and very well made. Only drawback is the muzzle blast from it's 20" barrel.

The 9.3x62 is an awesome cartridge . I would have bought a Black Bear in 9.3x62 if I didn't already own two other rifles in that same caliber. A friend bought one in 9.3x62 and was well pleased with it. On his first hunt with that rifle he used it to shoot (of all things) a black bear!

I have no opinion on the MRC.

Hope this helps.

Thank you, I will have to find one to handle, I've only handled the sako Hunter which seemed fantastic.
Those z3 scopes really are something, have one on a kimber 84l.

I would buy the MRC .338 Win. Have a MRC in .338 RUM and I love it.

The Sako dovetail gives you limited mounting and may not work well on a long action with short tube scopes. There have been ejection problems reported on the 85 long actions. Mostly the Sako is a solid gun. I don't know much about the MRC. Best to handle both and let that decide you. I would want to know what mounts are available for the MRC. A picatinny solves lots of issues.

I believe Talley makes one piece light weight mounts for the MRC, and I understand the dovetail dilemma. I just got an l579 that I'm having trouble finding mounts for. I would really like to handle the montana but have not seen one in any gun stores.

MRC uses the same mounts as a Winchester M 70.

As stated in my post, I had Recknagel QD mounts installed on my Black Bear (including their bases). This is a perfect solution to the Sako mounting issue and gives quick access to the iron sights if required. The excellent iron sights that come on the rifle are actually made by Recknagel as well. I agree that the Sako Optilock mounting system is suboptimal.

My Dakota 76 African in .416 Rigby also has the same Recknagel QD mounts and bases installed. They withstand heavy recoil with no issues. We fired 6 shots at 100 yards, removing and reattaching the scope between each shot. The rifle shot it's usual 1" group and there was no discernible change in the point of impact shot to shot. They exhibited no issues on several safaris. While I have not performed the same experiment with the Black Bear, based upon my experience with Recknagel QD mounts, I would expect the same result.

I bought a Sako 75 in .300 Win mag with a Swaro Z6i to take to Zim in 2007. I acquired the rifle shortly before departure. An Ed brown Savannah 704 that I intended to bring turned into a disaster and was sent back to the maker for a refund. There were issues before departure with the 75 failing to eject fired cartridges, but there was no time to get another rifle. Ejected rounds were hitting the scope and bouncing back into the action. This trend continued in Africa and I simply put that rifle away and used my .416 Rigby for everything. I sold the 75 upon my return.

That said, my friend has reported no ejection problems with his Black Bear in 9.3x62. I had no ejection problems with a Sako 75 in 7-08 and my Black Bear in
.308 has functioned perfectly. However, those are medium actions. Ejection problems with Sako 85 long action rifles are well known. Apparently, not every long action Sako 85 suffers from that problem, but some certainly do.You can do a search here on the 'Fire to learn about the experiences others have had with Sako 85 rifles.

Personally, I would not hesitate to buy a Black bear in 9.3x62. YMMV.

Wow those recknagel mounts a very impressive, and pretty pricey. I might have to end up getting both rifles, but the second one would be down the road a ways. The ejection problem is a bit disconcerting. Are there any others comparable rifles that at left handed?

Yes. You might look at a Blaser R-8, which is available in 9.3x62. There is no upcharge for a left handed bolt. I have the older R93 with a 9.3x62 22" barrel and it shoots .5" with factory ammunition.

I would suggest the R-8 in the Professional S variation. That does not have the detachable trigger which I do not care for.

I would absolutely love a blaser, but I don't know if I can justify spending 4k on a rifle, although I do lust after them.

Split the difference and buy the 9.3 x 74R in the Merkel half stock!




ya!


GWB

Holy smokes geed that is a pretty rifle, hows the recoil?

I think the tariff on a Blaser R8 Professional S is about $2.8K, not $4K, if that makes a difference.

The 300 win mag in this model is not fun. This one comparable to a 30-06. On game I don't remember thinking about the recoil after the shot.

GWB

Picked this pre-enjoyed R93 Blaser Prestige with a 243 Win barrel, here on the fire for about 23 Benjamins.



came complete with bolt head, saddle mount and case,(scope not included)



Its a shooter and works well on hoglets, but I'm much more inclined toward the 9.3 x 62. I plan to purchase a barrel in that chambering as soon as I recover from my present state of financial embarassment..

ya!

GWB

I've enjoyed my Black Bear in 9.3. Will kill a deer with it this fall if things go as planned. I have 3 Sako 85M length rifles and no issues with ejection, but maybe I've been lucky.

I see them for sale do 2200, that is a great price for a blaser.

I've owned two MRC rifles, both the wood stocked versions. One was a 300 WSM and being as I'm getting old I can't remember what the second was. I've lost count on how many Sako's I've owned. I'm a Sako slut and very partial to the brand!



Custom Sako AV, 280 AI, 140 gr Nosler Accubonds @ 175 yds

Sako Bavarian Carbine, 30-06 Springfield, 168 gr. TSX in factory Remington Hog Hammer @ +/- 120 yds.

ya!


GWB

All this information is fantastic guys, really appreciated.

Just to throw one more item into the mix.

I've glommed onto Steyr rifles in the last two years. I own seven. Four synthetic stocked pros/mountain and three wood stocked classics/classic mannlichers. I've been able to purchase the Steyr pros between $470 and $750, sans bases and rings. IMHO considering how they shoot, they are the best value going IMHO.

I have the pros in 260 Rem. 308 Win, 7Mag and 376 Steyr. The 376 Steyr is my fav-0-rite. IIRC got it from Euro-optics for $750 NIB (sans rings and bases).



Right out of the box I loaded it with the 260 gr. Sierra spitzers and the 235 Gr. TSX bullets.



The rifle likes the TSX's.








and it will most definitely thump hoglets!



JAPPFT,

GWB

Damn GDub.. Just how big is yer pig parlor? Are you killin the same damn pigs over and over again?

😜

Trespass leases are the norm here in Texas,as access to public land is somewhat scarce/difficult. I and 7 other old farts are on a 1,700 acre tresspass lease that is out of a 60,000 acre plus low-fenced/no-fenced ranch that was the the Dolph Briscoe homestead. Being its a lot of foothills and canyons, it's seems like 3,000 acres. It is just below Reagan Wells and 16 miles north of Uvalde, six miles in off the nearest paved road. If you look at a map of the area you can see that it is very sparsely developed, being mostly ranch country. We are over-run with hogs. I go up at least once a month and usually stay 3 to 5 days. Actually I usually make between 16 and 20 trips a year. I managed to snare and shoot 20+ hogs in April and May. A sow can breed at six months, can have up to 13 shoats per litter and can have 2 litters per year. I don't think I'm making a dent in the population. Besides, hoglets are the best tasting bullet test media I've found. Next trip I will have two pens finished and will start trapping them.

ya!


GWB

Sako's are good guns, I just like mine with a big claw extractor and a 3 position swinging safety.... winchesters, montanas, and kimbers for me...

I have a kimber and winchester, just not left handed or in a bigger caliber. Mrc is really interesting.

I run across a long snouted piney woods rooter every now and then but yours look like No.1s to me. 😜

GW- That 376 Steyr shoots!

Thanks for the pics.

You are very likely to end up with a great rifle irrespective of which one you buy. Functionally you can expect them to be near equals. Given that, here's the way I would proceed. I would ask myself a few questions and let the answers to those questions guide me.

Where is the gun made?

Does the company have a reputation for excellent customer service?

Does the rifle have a friendly scope mounting system?

Which one has the preferred or most robust bolt/feed/extraction?

Have owned both Sako's and MRC's. All left handed. All have fed, fired, and ejected with zero issues. Neither would be a bad choice. Things you might want to consider:

1) My impression, off the shelf MRC sporters might be a little heavier than than comparable Sako's. That could be a positive if you are shooting a thumper. Could be a negative if you are climbing a sheep mountain.

2) Stock ergos vary. I really like the new MRC X2 synthetic stocks. Not so much the MRC ASR wood stocks from Boyds. Sako AV style wood stocks are O.K. for me. I have had a couple MRI Mountain Eagle rifles built on Sako L691 actions in HS Precision stocks that I could shoot all afternoon without feeling beat up.

3) Safeties: MRC uses the Win M70 3 position swing safety that locks the bolt, if that is important to you. The left hand Sako's that I have owned still had a right hand rocker safety. Sounds counter-intuitive to use a RH safety on a LH rifle. But actually requires less movement to release the safety since you do not have to move your thumb back to the left side of the action to manipulate the safety.

I would gladly hunt either one given the chambering and stock of my choice...

They definitely both have their strong points, I've heard of customer support complaints from MRC, but not with any of their new production rifles, and they are made in the USA with a familiar action. Ive shot a browning Abolt 338 win mag and the recoil wasn't any where near what I thought it would be. Weight wise, these most likely wouldn't n my choices for a sheep hunt anyway, having better cartridges for the job.

FWIW, I'm not pushing the Blaser. Actually, I prefer the M70/Dakota76/Mauser98.

However, one Blaser advantage is the interchangeable barrel/caliber feature. I have .30/06, .300 Win mag, .338 Win mag, 9.3x62 and .375 H&H barrels for mine. I also have two bolts; one for .473 case heads and another for .532. It takes all of two minutes to switch calibers and the Blaser saddle type scope mount takes about a minute to swap between rifles. If you keep a zeroed scope with the barrel, the rifle will print to the exact same point of aim every time, despite the disassembly/reassembly. The Blaser also breaks down into a relatively small package for travel. Americase made a case for me that holds the R93 stock and two scoped barrels. It is quite a bit smaller and lighter than any other two rifle case I have.

Blaser barrels cost about a grand new, less used. This is less expensive than buying a whole new rifle and scope for each caliber that you want and is much easier to store. My .30/06 and 9.3x62 barrels shoot factory ammunition into .5". The .300, .338 and .375 barrels shoot an inch and a half.

The rifle needs nothing as it comes out of the box. The trigger is a crisp 2.5 lbs. It does not need to be bedded. The Blaser scope mounts fit perfectly with absolutely no gunsmithing required. The action doesn't have to be polished or squared and trued. It has a nitride rust resistant finish, so it does not need to be Cerakoted. Should you want to change barrels/calibers, no gunsmithing is required.

One last feature is that since the Blaser has no true receiver, it is about four inches shorter overall than a conventional bolt action rifle. That means the overall length with a 26" barrel in .300 Win mag is equivalent to a conventional rifle with a 22" barrel.

Are Blasers a panacea? Absolutely not. I mostly hunt African DG. I would not bring one on a DG hunt for a myriad of reasons that appear in my previous posts. But for a southpaw who wants two calibers and can't decide between them, a Blaser makes a lot of sense.

A montana x2 in 338 win mag would be sweeeeet...

Don't own any 338s but own 2 300wm. A sako and a MRC ASR, I have had several problems with the MRC. My choice would be the sako!!!

Please explain your problems, I'd love to hear about thema nd the resolution you were able to find...

I would also like to hear the problems. I have yet to hear of any with the current production of mrc rifles. It's all appreciated, as this will be my first heavy reclining rifle.

Good luck,
and enjoy!

GWB

Jack: See my thread regarding extraction issues w SAKOs.

Jack, see my you-tube vid's on Sakos with no ejection problems.


Sako L61R in 7 Mag

Sako AV in 280 AI



Sako 85, 308 Win




I've owned Riihimaki's 461 Vixens,S 491, L 579, , L61R, AII, AIII, AV, and M995 in the Warbirds and 338 Lapua mag.

I've have/had a half dozen 75's

I have 3 85'S, A 6.5 X 55 Bavarian half stock a 308 Win Bavarian Carbine and a 30-06 Bavarian Carbine.

out of say two dozen or so , I've not had an ejection issue.

Only one model, the 75 Black synthetic in 338 Federal, could I not get to print under an inch at 100 yds. I tried two of those in that caliber. Turned out that a run of that model got out with oversized chambers.

I guess I'm just lucky!

ya!


GWB

G: On your second video, the third shell (I think) that sort of stayed in the magazine is what the 7 Mag was doing and they never expect them as far as yours.

Jorge,

If you notice on the third shell, I gingerly pulled back the bolt so as not to eject the cartridge. Could you be short stroking or ejecting too gingerly?

Quien Sabe?

GWB

Believe me, I slammed the bolt back (empty shell) and the scope's not the issue.

I guess every gun has their quirks, geedubya I have a l579 in 243 and can agree on sako quality, it is one sweet rifle. I'm going to make a trip down state and handle a right hand x2, and if I really like it that's what I'll get.

10/4, Sounds good to me.

Take what I say with a grain of salt as I'm a Sako slut!

ya!

GWB