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.
Damn GDub.. Just how big is yer pig parlor? Are you killin the same damn pigs over and over again?
π
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.
Damn GDub.. Just how big is yer pig parlor? Are you killin the same damn pigs over and over again?
π
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
I run across a long snouted piney woods rooter every now and then but yours look like No.1s to me. π
"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." Thomas Jefferson
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.
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.
Jack: See my thread regarding extraction issues w SAKOs.
A good principle to guide me through life: βThis is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worseβ¦β
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.
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.
A good principle to guide me through life: βThis is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worseβ¦β
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?