Guys,

I live here in Australia, I am about to buy a new hunting rifle.

Due to deals and what not i've narrowed it down to 2 (Both Rifles are New in Box) and will be paired with Ziess 3-12x50

Remington 700 XCR II - 300WSM - $950AUD ($570USD)

or

Sako 85 - .30-06 - $2000AUD ($1200USD)

The rifle will be used from Wild dogs to large deer (200KG in size, 400lb in US terms) at ranges out to 300M (330 Yards)

Ammo wise both are plenty available and similarly priced here in Australia.

Thoughts?

No other options there down under?

Are you talking calibre or rifle we pretty much have the same available as the USA on bolt guns and calibres

In your boat sport, I would hit usedguns and look at Brno ZG47 and 21 as neither of those you list do a thing for me.

I would take a Remington in 30-06 and spend the price difference on 165 grain BTSP hunting loads. I shoot the '06 regularly to 350 yards here and you'll be surprised at how flat it shoots with a good boat-tail bullet.

Sako 85 .30/06

I'd suggest the Remington, except I'd get a 30-06. It'll do anything the 300wsm will do and ammo should be every where in oz.. scope choice is fine although I'd get a 40mm objective as opposed to a 50mm. 50mm holds no benefit over a 40mm due to the human eyes ability to absorb light. Good luck with whatever you select.

I agree. But if I had to go with WSM to get the 700, I'd take it.

I have a personal prejudice against Sako's having worked on a number of them. I hate those little bitty bolt parts.....

4 best options:
In no particular order

1. Buy Sako $1,200
2. Buy 2 Remingtons $570 X 2 = $1,140. Save $60
3. Buy 1 Remington and you have $630 to buy the best recoil pad you can buy!
4. Ignore my options and do what you want.

Just bored!

Good luck and let us know your decision!

Of the two I'd prefer the Remington, given that it is less than half the price of the Sako, but I'd also say that I'd probably find other rifles for similar money that I prefer, and in a calibre that I prefer too - .30/06 or .308 for example. I have a Browning .30/06 that I like a lot, for much the same sort of application, and they can be had for not a lot more than that Remington. You could have a Howa/Vanguard, Tikka, Mauser M18, and quite a lot of others for about the same money too.

I'd also agree with hotsoup re the scope. Zeiss make good glass, but a 3-12x50 is going to be heavier, sit higher and be bulkier than I personally want. I don't think the 50 mm adds anything useful either, unless perhaps you are shooting under moonlight. I'd be more inclined toward a 3-9x40 or 2-7x32. In fact the latter is what I have on my Browning.

Long action Sako 85s have ejection issues. Would go with the Remington in this case.

g

Only two rifles available there...?

I'd pass on all of it...




But keepin' up with the Sako motif..

How about a...

Tikka T3x Lite Stainless --

6.5 Creedmore or 308

Fixed 6x Leupold FX-3 6x42

That rig and any either of those two will handle anything twice as big and twice as far as what you are talking with a higher fun quotient, considering a qualified shooter and a good bullet.

The Creedmore just about hands it all to you out of the box, being easy to shoot and with good over-the-counter factory ammo.

You don't need/want a WSM...

I totally agree with all of that, except for the Leupold part... Poor guy doesn't want to have to send the damn thing across the pond to have it repaired. Even though they have a stellar warranty and repair service... I'd look at getting that rifle and throw a Burris FFII 3-9X40 with ballistic plex reticle on it and be done...

Remingtons have extraction issues and the triggers are chidt, and the bolts fall off. I'd buy a savage before I bought a Rem 700. Or, I'd be looking at getting a used Ruger MKII or hawkeye or Tikka t3/t3x...

Sako in the 300 WSM

There's no way I'd own a WSM on the Remington 700 platform.

Of your two I'd go Sako/30-06 (though I'd go 30-06 in the 700). No reason to run something the power of the 300 WSM for the intended game at the ranges you mention. May as well enjoy yourself.

Me, I'd go 308 Win in a 700 Rem (or whatever) and enjoy myself even more.

Here's an Aussie that did ok with the 308:

If I knew more about what optics are available down there, then there might be more options, but I know Leupold is.

I'm not generally a Leupold fan, but in their entire line-up, the Fixed 6x is mostly reliable.

It's reasonably priced, light weight and decent glass for someone who doesn't need to dial.

As long as you don't want to hunt in the state of Victoria. There's a legal minimum of .270 for the larger species of deer there (sambar, rusa and red). Lots of deer and lots of public land to hunt them too (save for right at the moment), and together with southern NSW the best place to get a sambar.

I cannot like either of the rifle/cartridge combos you listed, and would not spend my money on either one.

I was thinking CZ, Brno, Winchester model 70 classic.

If you are only going to have one rifle, make it a 30-06. If you want to go smaller a 270, 7-08 or 7x57 come to mind. Whatever is readily available in your country.

If you are stuck on one of two originals rifles, grab the one you like the most. The one that fits and feels the best.

+1

Why a FFII over a FX-3? Both do their warranty work in the US. Do you think the Burris would be a tougher scope?

I've had to send in far too many Leupold rifles scopes. I also have many friends that have had many issues with them. Most of the guys I run with, have given them up as well. There is one old guy at the club who will die thinking the sun rises and sets on Leupold, but those of us that know better, know now not to depend on them. Burris on the other hand, even though much less expensive, are a much more dependable rifle scope. I don't care how good a companies warranty program is, if they sell chidt products, its still a chidt product that you'll ultimately have problems with..

The WSM ( may as well say 6.5/284 type) just don't seem to feed well from the Mod 700 push feed. Now, I base that solely on 2 rifles..A Mos 700 SA .308 I had converted to the 300 WSM and a Mod 700 SA I had made into the "then wildcat" 6.5/284. I had to go to an In Line magazine to get the WSM to feed and the 6.5/284 did well until the last round, which would fly out of the rifle, ha! I guess I am one of the lucky ones as I have never had a Mod 700 bolt break off, or have an extraction/ejection issue ( if maintained well) and the Mike Walker triggers never screwed up, though I had them worked on by good gunsmiths, and later in life went with Shilen/Timney/Trigger Tech triggers. Good luck to you sir!

Unless you are a walnut and blue finish sort that wants a pretty rifle get a stainless synthetic. I know you didn't list Weatherby Vanguard2, or Savage 16/116 but they are reasonably priced and can take a little wet and dirt without damaging the works or finish. As to the original question .30-06. About all you will want for recoil if you shoot a lot.

Hell...just get a 270 then...

In retrospect it'll actually work better than the other choices.

See...your government knows what's best for you...trust them...!

Also, I forgot that the only 'Fire approved answer to this type of question is 270 Win...

Yeah, vast areas of public land you can hunt on, no tags, no closed season, no bag limit. Hunting sambar deer is just a nightmare of complicated over-regulation, isn't it? Of course you can just go over the border into NSW and have similarly vast areas of public land, no tags, no bag limit, no closed season and use whatever calibre you like, if Victoria's tangle of restrictions is just too much. You're probably still going to want at least a .270 though.

So many Leupolds we’re having problems in Australia that the importer had to set up a Leupold service center in Brisbane because freight was killing them sending them back and forth to the US

A Tikka superlite in 708 or 270 would be my pick with a 3-10 SHV

There are alot of "Chinese Made Knock-Offs" of Leupolds, complete w/papers/pkging. Could it be these are the ones failing?

To the op, Sako/30.06.

Not much of a fan of either rifle and don't much care for the .300 WSM. I tend to agree with Col. Whelen that the 30-06 is never a mistake. What the hell, I'm old, grumpy and opinionated as hell.
Paul B.

Do you really think the Leupold importer is going to fix fakes?

Are you buying the Zeiss v4? I absolutely love mine, excellent clarity & mine is on a long range Bergara 6.5 and has dialed with great consistency in a small 150-200 round sample size.

I like the 300WSM particularly if you are a reloader and don’t have to pay store ammo prices. The caliber is supposed to be inherently very accurate & in factory loads pretty much equals 300Win Mag. Have a friend with a model 70 who was getting unbelievable velocity with 1.5” groups. Think I hurt his feelings a little when I suggested giving up 100fps to get .75” groups. But he has killed several elk & deer with his And loves it,

I’d usually pick Sako over Remington all day long but not at twice the price.

Pick the rifle that feels right for you. The one that has the best trigger. The one that you can shoot best. Go to your local range and see if the other shooters there will let you try what you are considering. That, it has taken me a few years to learn, is far and away the best way to buy a new hunting rifle.
Which caliber ? I'll bet real money that you could shoot game for the rest of your life with both and have a hard time telling which worked best. E

Well after looking further I skipped those two and ended up getting a Winchester 70 Featherweight Compact in .308 soon as i picked it up i had to have it!

Shifty, don't walk, RUN AWAY FROM THE SAKO 85 as fast as possible. It is a looker, and feels even better, but it has major problems!!! EJECTION SYSTEM IS TERRIBLE. I had one a few years ago, in .270 Win. that WOULD NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. I was lucky enough to get a refund from Beretta, but many others were not so lucky. If you want a Sako find a nice older one L579, AIII, AV, L691 but not a 75 or especially an 85. I would suggest a model 70 Winchester, or a Tikka. If you can get past the plastic the Tikka Tx3 in a Superlight would be my pick. Good luck

AttaBoy! A wise choice! Too many potential issues with the other two, though good ones are well, good. The Sakos are very nice rifles, but as others have mentioned there have been pretty convincing tales of woe in connection with the long-action ones. I think Tikkas are fine rifles too, but detachable mags on hunting rifles leave me cold, especially ones that stick out. I'll spare you my list of alternatives since you have already decided with your wallet.

Good luck and enjoy!

Edit
Just saw what you got! Good for you

Good!

An M70 in 308 is about all anyone really needs to know about a BG rifle.

I've got one, and it's not going anywhere.

.30-06. I shoot mine to 600 yards with 168g bullets.

A day late and a dollar short...