sako 75 .280 or steyr .243?
 

Hello all newbie here,
I'm looking for my first bolt action rifle so I'm a little green here. It will mostly be used for just fun plinking but I plan on some hunting trips with family members for deer or boar. I've been looking around at the big box places however I stumbled into a local store of mine that was selling these 2 new guns at reduced prices obviously to move inventory at what seem like low prices. The Sako 75 in .280 was originally $1350 but is on sale for $800 and the Steyr Pro Hunter .243 was originally $990 but selling for $600. The Sako is traditional Walnut while the Steyr was spaceage like but felt nice shouldered.

Can anyone give any input on these two and if there are just better options for the same budget?

It sounds like the Steyr has a composite stock.

If all you are doing is going after deer and boar the .243 should od the job just fine.

The guy I work for has gone after some bigger feral pigs in the southern states, and for the biggest of those he shot, I would prefer the .280 for that even though the .243 could kill them. Sometimes that extra oomph is nice to have just to be certain.

Also look into ammo availability unless you do your own reloading. Some calibers are harder to get ammo for than others. The .243 caliber is so widely used that you can almost always get ammo for that caliber. The .280 up here isn't all that popular so getting ammo can be tough.

I suggest getting the .280 if you can.

I am not familiar with either rifle you listed but I do have a 243 and a 280. I personally perfer the 280, I dont even shoot the 243 anymore, but as stated above it is a fine cartridge that will do what you want and ammo is a lot easier to find and cheaper. I would go with the 280 though, a lot more versatile round that is capable of killing anything you may plan to hunt in the future. Just my opinion.

I have a Sako 75 (in 30-06 not .280 though). It's a dandy, well built, has a great trigger and shoots very well. I have no experience (other than just holding) the Steyr Pro Hunters. That said, there are many other choices for you to consider that would do the job. Check out Ruger Hawkeyes, Tikkas, Wby Vanguards, Browning X Bolts, Rem 700, Win 70, etc. Pick the one that feels best in a regular caliber with easily located ammo.

Take a look at these;

Recommend a .270 win for your use.

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=117270

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=117249

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=113410

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=87768

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=99595

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=90826

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=86358

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=86703

sako 75 .280 or steyr .243
 

Thanks for the feedback so far. Yes I looked at ammo today and it was not easy to find .280 and it was almost double the cost of .243. Has anyone had any experiance with the Steyr Pro Hunter as I'm still considering it?

I was looking at a few .270's today and they were all pretty nice Winchester 70, Browning A Bolt, Savage Classic. They all seemed fairly similar but thats only from looking and shouldering them. The worker mentioned practicing with reduced recoil ammo. Has anyone tried it and does it really work?

Thanks again

I suggest getting 2 rifles - the centerfire and a .22 Long Rifle that has the same action as the centerfire. You will save the cost of the .22 LR with your ammo savings. Savage has some good bolt action rifles in .22LR. Work on your form and accuracy starting with the .22LR. Form is very important as is proper fit of the firearm. Look at taking the NRA Basic Rifle course.

It seems you have your mind made up..........so here you go.


http://www.chuckhawks.com/steyr_pro-hunter.htm

Thanks........yes I have a Ruger 10/22 and I know it's not a bolt action but it's a fun little gun. I shoot just never really a bolt action very often. We use to shoot my father in laws 06 at the range and I just remember thinking why not go with less recoil if I'm at the range 90% of the time. Who know's maybe I'll just suck it up sure it's not much worse than my 12g.

Thanks

I am very familiar with the Styer Pro-Hunter. Mine is in 308 Win., and is what they refer to as the Mountain rifle. Has a 20" barrel. Note that the length of pull is easily adjusted by adding or removing the spacers. My Pro Hunter shoots lights out. I hunt with 4 guys that also use Pro Hunters ... 30.06 Spr., anther 308 Win., and 2 - 7mm/08's. I have heard zero complaints from these guys. In my opinion the factory trigger on mine is great but not superb. As for cartridge? Though I obviously prefer 30 cal., the 243 Win. is a fine deer hunting round, and in my opinion the higher quality 100 gr. controlled expansion bullets are the way to go for deer or hogs. I load for my daughter's 243 Win. I use 100 gr. Partitions. I am not familiar with the Sako 75, or any other Sako rifle. But the 280 Rem. I know well ! It is a superb round for medium game (about equivalent to the 270 Win. in performance) and would be my choice of the two as far as cartridge. Bottom line .... either will do the job well. If "plinking" is also in the picture, then I am of the opinion the 243 is the way to go.

The 10/22 is a great semi-auto. Practice with what you will be hunting with as the load. Practicing with reduced recoil and then hunting with full power is not something I would recommend. Look at taking the NRA Basic Rifle and see how many rounds you will fire during the course. See if they will also work with you on accuracy and form.

There is not much difference in the 270 and the 280. I have both, I have a Remington 700 SPS stainless 270 and I have a stainless Ruger M77 MKII 280, I perfer the 280, there is alot better bullet selection for the 7mm than for the 270, but you do need to hand load for the 280 to get the maximum benifit out of it, factory 280 loads are down loaded because the 280 was originally designed by Remington for there semi auto and pump rifles which can not handle the pressures of the bolt guns, therefore the factory loads are loaded weak to accomodate that, also the loadings listed in loading manuals are very conservative, loaded to its full potential, the 280 comes very close to duplicating the 7mm mag, with a shorter barrel and burning alot less powder. If you dont hand load a 270 is a better choice.

Thanks for the info on the Steyr........Same shop has a Stainless Browning X Bolt .243 Wood for $719 so i will check that out at the same time.

If I step up to a larger caliber I want to make sure the ammo is available so I'm assuming .270......06.....and .308. Is it all personal preferance or is there much differance between them? Am I missing anything else?

Thanks again

Out of those three calibers I would go with the .308 because there is so much ammo available for it, and it's one of the best performing cartridges ballistically speaking.

The .308 also has less kick than the other two calibers.

Realistically though, all three options will get the job done.

I own a Browning X-Bolt in the 7mm08 caliber, and I love the gun. If you can, I would recommend going with one of that family of rifles. My father owns an X-Bolt in the .243 caliber, and both guns are good to shoot with while not weighing a ton.

I would suggest checking out that Winchester 70 and the Savage. I assume the Savage has the accutrigger...great trigger. As others have mentioned, if you don't plan to hand-load, the .270 is going to be tough to beat. You will find negligible difference in the 3 calibers you mentioned (.270, '06 & .308).

My favorite of those is the .270. When it comes to those, it seems to me that it generally is a personal preference. You will find so many arguing ballistics and yada yada yada between the 3 stating that their favorite is the best, but they all come in pretty close, loaded correctly (once again, my opinion).

I shoot factory Remington Core-lokts out of my .270 with great results. Tried 6-7 different factory loads and this was the most consistent for my setup. Any improved results from hand-loading would not be profitable for me and my needs for the gun at this time. Good performance as is.

Now, for my .300 WBY MAG, it's a different story. I get pretty good performance out of some factory Hornady 180 gr SP's, but have a friend that reloads for me with 168 gr Barnes's, and they are mean! Don't hand-load myself...yet at least...so it saves me time and money to have a friend do it for me. I don't know all the other #'s on the loads, but it definitely works!

Now that I realize that I have gotten way off topic, I will stop rambling, and end by saying this...unless you reload yourself, or have a good friend that will do it for you, I would not recommend the .280. Great caliber, just hard to come by when it comes to ammo. The .243 is a great round, but MY PREFERENCE would be the .270. It is only that...my preference. But there ya go.

I am a huge fan of the sako 75. One of the finest guns made. Hate it they changed it.

280 is an awesome round with much potential. I would go for it. Steyr? I don't know.

Well getting closer thanks to everyones comments. The Sako is really nice but I', just not keen on buying a 280 since I don't reload and availibility. If the Sako was another caliber it would probably have been done.

Now I'm at chosing between a .243 or probably a .270. Not sure yet. I think the .243 would be more fun at the range but the .270 offers more in the way of down the road applications in the field. I'm sure either way will work out.

Now I'm choosing between the rifles. The Steyr is still available (.243) but fir the same money so is the X Bolt or a Win M70. I like both of those also and all three feel great. The Steyr is synthetic stock but I prefer the look and the feel of wood. I need to re vistic a Savage i think it was the classic. I do remember really liking all three but something about the Browning and Winchester that I like.

Everyone has had great comments and all from different angles.

I hope last question for all but blue vs stainless? Is it worth the extra spend? I know it's easier to care for but is there a real issue with glare in the field? Any last thoughts I'm sure i will drag this decision out until Sunday.

Thanks

Personally I would go with stainless, I have never had any problem with glare in the field. I have a bunch of blued guns and I like all of them but if I buy a gun nowadays and have a choice between stainless or blued, I will pay a little more and buy the stainless gun.

:lolabove:

ruger m77 vs x-bolt
 

hello all,
There has still been no decision here on the new purchase. I guess being patient........

I have eliminated the sako .280 due to ammo, and are not really considering the Steyr anymore.......

So I am still eyeballing the Browning x-bolt in .243.......semms like it would be a joy to shoot......it's ss also and at a $719 price tag not a bad deal

I also saw a Ruger M77 hawkeye standard in 06 for $589. I havn't had a chance to check it out yet but does anyone have any opinions on the Ruger vs browning in general?

I know the rounds are way different and not sure about using the 06 on a regualr basis for a range gun but i guess you couldn't go wrong.

thanks again

I would buy the Ruger over the Browning any day!!!! For one thing, alot of people dont seem to care about, the Ruger is made in the U.S.A. the Browning is made in Japan. I say support America's economy and buy American!!!! I have two Ruger rifles and love them both, one is a 280 the other is a 223. I have some Brownings but the only ones I own are older Belgium made.

I own;

Marlin,Stoeger, Berretta, Browning, Savage, Sako & Remington.


I wish all my guns were as good as my Brownings !

BTW - My X-Bolt is a Stanless Stalker in .338 Win Mag.

If no decision ... here's my vote. And this is part personal preference and part field performance. I am a huge fan of the 308 Win. Factory ammo abounds. It is a hand loader's dream as far as options. Every rifle that I have owned in 308 Win. and every rifle in 308 Win. that have helped folks set-up have "loved" bullets in the 165 - 168 gr. weight range.

I hunt white tails, feral hogs and mule deer. I have made clean, quick kills at what I consider long shots on both mule deer and white tails .... in the range of 375-400 yards. Had a great rest mind you and very little cross wind to contend with. Also dropped a coyote at I am guessing about 450-500. Took me 2 shots ... correcting on the second tom make the kill. As far as which manufacturer? That is a persoanal choice for you. Go with what feels food. There are so many very good to excellent factory rifles being made these days that you can hardly go bad wrong. And practically every one is at worst "affordable".

My No.1 hunting rifle is the Styer Mountain that I mentioned previously. Lord only knows how many deer I ahve kiled with it. Well over 200 I suppose. It shoots lights out. A good buddy of mine has a Browning A-Bolt that is a great shooter too. Anotehr has a Ruger Mk II 77 that is a great shooter.

As far as stainless or blued ? Keep it clean and doesn't matter much. Don't get the idea that stainless will not stain, corrode or pit. It will, just not as readily as blued. If you do a lot of foul weather hunting or hunt near a salt water coast line, I'd go with the stainless and a synthetic stock.

its decided
 

Well it's done.......thank you all for your input. I think many are accurate when they say "you can't go wrong". I think I am already thinking about the next purchase but thats months down the road.

The Steyr was so tempting as it was the .243 i was looking at and it was a cool little gun. However, i think not only did I want wood but also at the end of the day a major brand just seems to have advantages when something goes wrong (if it does) and who knows where you are. I also heard that forearm stock can flex at times so...

At the end of the day I went to the Big Box store Bass Pro Shops (damm i like supporting the little guy) to look at the Ruger M77 and what do you know the Browning X-Bolt was on sale, I already had shouldered it and liked it and it was wood so it was just a matter of caliber. I think I would have prefered a .308 but the sale price of $599 was on the .270 or 06 so the .270 it was.

I'm sure no matter which way I went things would have been good
but this is my socond Browning long gun so there might be a trend.

this is a great forum and look forward to more chat down the road

thanks,

Tar Heal

Congratulations Tar Heal !

Hope you got a shooter !!!

Good deep cleaning and off to the range - take your time on the break-in proceedure.


Keep us posted......................

The Steyr Pro Hunter is a piece of junk...short barreled (which reduces accuracy), crappy trigger...and not a good hunting rifle, especially for a newbie! I know, I had one and it was as accurate as throwing rocks at the target!

As a few others have suggested I would also recommend 2 rifles...a plinker 22 (like the Savage Model 93) and a hunting rifle.

If I had to give up all but one of my guns and keep one for all my hunting needs...I'd have to say I'd keep the .308 or .270...really hard decision. But both calibers are easy to find ammo for relatively in-expensive too (well by today's standards). Both calibers will allow you the flexibility of hunting hogs or deer and have modest recoil.

Seeing how it is your first rifle, I suggest something less crappy than the Steyr Pro Hunter and less expensive than the Sako and a little more durable and friendly handling...

Rifles...there are many options for relatively inexpensive highly accurate (sub-MOA) off the shelf rifles that can be had for under say $600. Look at the Tikka T-3, the Browning A-Bold, Savage (model 116, 110, etc.), the Weatherby Vanguard Sub-MOA, or the Remington 700's. All will produce sub-MOA accuracy, have adjustable triggers, and all cost under $600 new and are available in most big-box stores off the shelf.

hahaha...I missed the post where you stated you made a purchase...I think you made a great choice...I have several Browning's (no X-Bolts tough) and love them all! The .270 cal is my favorite all time cal...I have 2...a .270 Win and a 270 WSM (my all time Fav). You will love the accuracy and mild recoil of the .270...enjoy!