Thread: Wanting a lighter rifle

Hi all. Currently I have a left handed Sako 75 in 30-06. With bipod and gunworks suppressor it's very much on the heavy side and unbalanced (the old mans fully wooded 303 feels lighter!). So I'm looking at spending a bit of money and getting it sorted once and for all. Options I thought of is to keep the sako, re barrel to 308 to chop it and also because from when I bought it, seems to have some pitting even though it shoots well. Get a new stock etc. or sell it, get a tikka and do some bits to that. Or go for a left hand carbonlight, the benefit being a shorter action to the other two. Either way it's going to cost me a bit and it is what it is, life's too short to be carrying around something I'm not happy with. Thoughts???

Should also mention my shooting skills probably limited at 300 yards

keep it, buy a Tikka or similar and chop etc. 2 rifles always better than one and you can always sell the one you don't like as much.

Otherwise left hand carbonlight would definite be the go

Im with Mikee

for the cost of rebarrel etc just buy a nd hand t3 in 308 / 708 chop it to 14 - 16" wack a dpt or new ssrnz can on and a lite vx3 etc scope and your away laughing

Or for a cheap option. Switch the gunworks can for a DPT and ditch the bipod for a decent shooting sling or shoot off a pack.

Do Sako do a Carbonlight LH?
The 75 is the best Sako action IMO, even if it is a touch heavy.
McMillan or other carbon stocks will shed a few pounds. Scope choice often makes a difference too. For 300y shooting you won't need much. I'm sure the 06 would perform fine with a few inches lopped off, and as others have put, the DPT suppressors are good and light. You have plenty of options. No good reason to go backwards and buy a T3

Yeah they do LH, in short action only. Yeah scope is a Schmit and bender and probably on the heavy side also being 3-12. Only reason I though tikka is that I could throw a bit of coin at it to get it to a good standard

No need to throw coin at a Tikka to get it to a good standard - they already are a good standard. If you want light, then go for a med action in a 308 or similar type cartridge, maybe even with a lightweight factory stock, Talley one piece rings, and a nice compact scope like a Leupold 1.5-5 or 1-4. No need for high magnification or big objective with a 300metre rifle, 4x is fine. But make sure you get good optics for the light gathering. There are plenty of choices out there to fit the bill without going nuts in the finance dept. And keep your Sako as it is, its a nice rifle.

Originally Posted by HB.

Yeah they do LH, in short action only. Yeah scope is a Schmit and bender and probably on the heavy side also being 3-12. Only reason I though tikka is that I could throw a bit of coin at it to get it to a good standard

As a lefty I know how hard it is to get something decent. 15-20 years ago LH options were terrible. They're slowly getting better.
S+B is a classy scope but average over 500g+ for the 3-12.
My opinion on the 85 action is limited but from what I've seen IMO it doesn't hold up next to the 75.
I have a mate with a 7-08 75 in a McM carbon stock with 2-7 VX3 and its a real workhorse. Its shoots straight, is real good to carry and doesn't miss a beat. If I had the option I'd do the same to the 30-06.

Dean Maisey in Tauranga did a good job of lightening my Sako, turned the barrel down to rem mod 7 profile, hollowed out the stock a bit, played around with a bit of other stuff... Did an awesome job and cut over a kg.. Real happy with the outcome and glad I didn't trade her in for something less...

there is a little Swaro Z3 3-9x36 on TM at the moment which has great glass and is about as light as you can get

Trade the suppressor for something lighter and carry the bipod in your pack until you're in a position to need it fitted? I carry mine in my pack until reaching suitable lookouts.

Is a wooden stock? Try and source a synthetic stock perhaps?

Originally Posted by HB.

Yeah they do LH, in short action only. Yeah scope is a Schmit and bender and probably on the heavy side also being 3-12. Only reason I though tikka is that I could throw a bit of coin at it to get it to a good standard

What is the price on a left hand Carbonlight? I would assume for that coin you could have a pretty trick T3. For a 300m rifle I don't think I would stay with the 30-06. Great cartridge but not necessary for what you want by the sounds of it. A chopped 308 or similar with a light weight suppressor and 3-9x scope would do the business.

Message STUG if your considering a replacement stock. He does fantastic carbonfibre stocks!

Originally Posted by Beetroot

Or for a cheap option. Switch the gunworks can for a DPT and ditch the bipod for a decent shooting sling or shoot off a pack.

+1 or shoot off shooting sticks far better than a bi pod and lighter