Dad's 65th is coming in Oct. and I really wanted to get him something he would never buy for himself. So I'm looking at the Sako rifle line-up in 25-06. He's an avid whitetail hunter in South Texas and is a fan of the caliber but doesn't currently own one ( his regret). There are many choices with the Sako brand so I'm asking for guidance from those who have owned or shot one. The hunter 75 is nice but so is the heavy barrel varmit model, also there's the deluxe, too many choices! I've been saving a long time for this and he totally deserves this so your feed back is greatly appreciated. As far as scopes, maybe the Zeiss Conquest 3-9.

Get the best.....A .25-06 is a good choice and it seems he'd prefer the hunter model verses the heavy barrel model. Get the gun without a scope and let him pick out his own scope. If you want you can attach three crisp new $100 bills toward the scope.

The SAko is a very fine rifle.....

Thanks Vapo, that's a great idea, thanks for your help.

Has he seen a Thunder Five? You can see it at: www.Thunder5.com

If you want fancy, fet the SAKO. If you want a great rifle for a great price, get a Tikka (same barrels from the same assembly line as SAKO). The Tikka is just as accurate and well made as the SAKO, and will allow you to buy a Great scope to go with it.