Hey guys,
New to the forum. Fairly new to deer hunting. Been hunting this season with a friend's Browning BAR .300 Win Mag. It's a fine weapon, Belgium made. But I'll need to return it, so I'm shopping. And I apologize for starting probably another thread like this - I've googled forums everywhere for answers but need a bit more.
I've been to some shops and handled the Savage 111, Rem 700 SPS, Browning X-bolt and Sako A7. I prefer the latter two for their balance, action and trigger feel.
So I handled both the A7 and the X-bolt for awhile. My impressions after about 15minutes of this:
(By the way I'm looking at .270 Win with synthetic stocks).
X-bolt:
+ Handles and is balanced nicely to me. Comes up to shooting position naturally.
+ Stock has a nice tactile feel to it, like a bit of rubber on the surface. Grips nicely
+ Maybe prefer the safety over the A7
- Don't like the action as much
A7:
+ Action very smooth
+ Prefer the trigger over the X by just a hair (ha no pun intended)
+ Like the magazine release mechanism (have to push up and press button to release)
- Stock doesn't feel as nice as the X
- Balance and handling good but the X feels more natural.
This is all without a scope mounted.
I can't have all I want in one so I need to compromise - it's basically coming down to Handling vs Action/Trigger. Not that the A7 handles like a tank (the BAR feels that way to me, compared to these two) but the difference is a bit noticeable. I always do things a bit different so I'm also drawn to the Sako for that reason.
Thinking about the hunting I've done this year, holding and handling the firearm has been key, the action is second (ideally we load and wait for one shot, right?). So maybe the X has the edge. But I'm still thinking about it.
I welcome your comments, thanks!