Hello All,

I'm new here. Have been absorbing info fora awhile abut now have a question. I recently won a rifle in a charity thing. Any way I have a choice of anything I want. I am interested in a .308 short magnum as I already have a scope well suited. If you were to get a new rifle in a 30 cal short magnum at 2 different price points one at $1000 and the other at $1500. What would your choices be? Also what short Magnum would be your choice? I will likely want to get Synthetic and stainless.

That sort of money should buy you a Stainless Synthetic Sako 75.

At either price point I would choose a Kimber 8400 Montana in .300 WSM. Top with Talley lightweight one-piece scope mounts and quality glass and you will have an excellent hunting tool. This combo is what I took to Africa in June and it performed flawlessly.

I would buy a Win Model 70 Black Shadow for around $400 to $500

I think the guys who said kimber montana and or sako 7 are steering you right. I personaly would prefer a regular 300 win to a 300wsm, and would avoid the rem saum.
If you have a scope with a short tube see if you can get offset rings and mount a fairly short scope.
The wsms work fine and any hunter would be well served with one, I am a bit of a crumudgen.
As far as I am concernrd the marketing collage boys a usrac dreamed up the short mags thinking they could convince us they had built a better mouse trap and we uneducated sheep would fork over mountains of money.
They were wrong and all the R&D advertising and retooling ,money helped sink the american tradition of Winchester firearms.
Scuse me for ranting...tj3006

If Kimber had been building rifles in .300 WM at the time I got mine that's probably what I would have gone with, however I've been nothing but happy with the WSM.

I do like the Kimber/Sako idea. I'd probably go for them in that order too.
Allow me to indulge a bit if you will. Since you have a choice in this drawing, I think I'd go for a standard calibre Kimber, probably a 30-06, -especially if this is your first rifle. Hey, it's the 30-06's 100 birthday this year! If your heart is set on a magnum 30, give serious consideration to the standard 300 Win mag, as when all is said and done, it is more powerful than the 300WSM.

I'd have one built if you have 1500 to work w/.

Find a used Model 700 for around 250-300, buy an aftermarket trigger for around 80(Hunting trigger), Get an HS Stock for around 275, and have Hart true the action and install a match grade barrel for around 600+. There you have it, a custom rifle that will most likely out shoot any factory production rifle and all for less than 1500.

Good Luck

Reloader

I can not comment on the Kimber and also not on the Sako but for a cheaper rifle I would definitely go with a Sako T3 light in stainless or up on a high level for the Steyr Pro Hunter stainless, both in .300 WSM (tough I would choose the .300 Win.Mag.). Both of them have marvelous, adjustable triggers and shoot lights out, just out of the box, the Tikka will be at around 600,-- $ and the Steyr for a few more bucks. I have them both in different calibers and couln't be happier with them..
Just my two cents....

The Sako would be a good choice, but if you can deal with
the anti-remington complainers you could also get a Remington 700Titanium in 30-06 or 300SAUM

The titanium comes pillar bedded in a carbon fiber/kevlar composite stock.


AllanD

I would take a Sako 75 - especially the grey wolf model with SS and grey laminated stock. I have also had excellent luck with Steyr rifles as sniper66 suggested.

If you want stainless and like a removeable get a Sako Finnlite, if you like blind magazines get a Kimber Montana. If you want blued get a Kimber 8400.
I would go with the 300 WSM in either rifle. The full size Kimber feels decidedly different to me than the WSM length. In that rifle I much prefer the shorter 8400. The 300 WSM Finnlite is also in a action size that is made specifically for the WSM.
You can get another 100fps or so out of a 300 Win Mag if you handload but it comes at the price of a longer, heavier rifle that kicks more. It's a great round though and if the longer rifle fits you better go with it. But if you are like me you will prefer the feel of the WSM length rifles, or not.
The Steyr SBS rifles are nice but they aren't near as smooth as either the Kimber or especially the Sako (I own several of all three it's true). They do have a neat stock that is easily adjusted for LOP but it comes at the price of a pretty hard buttplate - especially on my 376 Steyr Scout!
In all reality there are lots of good rifles around. Just pick the one that trips your trigger the most!..................DJ

Kimber

How about a Weatherby Vanguard Deluxe in 300 WSM for serious hunting, and then add a Quigly Sharps 45-70 as the one in the $1500.00 range to spice things up a bit..

For what your looking for the Steyr, Sako or Kimber should do well.

if your going to shoot far dont get a kimber, those skinny barrels are no good. took me over 100shots to get mine running anygood, uptill then it was doing 2-1.5" groups. it does about an inch with a good load now. although others have gotten them to shoot nicely. but over here a lot of people say that they arnt very good, maybe we got a shipment of crap ones from the first lot that they made.

id go for a sako. they have a good reputation and have been around for longer in hunting rifles.

It took me 800 shots to get my Kimber 8400 Montana shooting better so Paul beat me by a year and a half. I still prefer the Kimber as they and not Sako/Tikka have the good reputation.

Remember the blowups and the cover up?

The WSM that I have in a Winchester has an out of round chamber that USARC would not fix. I would not buy a M70 in a WSM. Check on what Bill Leeper said about them.

Article

"We have got all of the guns back, except in the United States, and 90 percent of the weapons we sold there have been located.

quote:

Originally posted by Savage99:
It took me 800 shots to get my Kimber 8400 Montana shooting better ..

Now there is quite an endorsement for a rifle!

Get a CZ. Spend the remainder of $$ on a good scope, if you have a choice. All the CZs I have shoot very accurately. I think they are the best working rifle you can get for the money.

If I needed two serious hunting rifles I'd pass on the WSMs and buy two Kimber 84M Montanas for ~$1000, one in 260 Remington, the other would be immediately rebarreled in 358 Winchester (bringing its total up to ~$1500).

But for my purposes I'd be inclined to buy a wood stocked Kimber 84M in 260 and their matching 22 with as nice a wood handle as the leftover cash would allow.

I'll say a Kimber Montana in 300 WSM since you said it had to be a short magnum, but I'd prefer it in 308. Just put good glass on whatever you get.


Okie John

For $1500 that's an easy one you pass on the manufactured stuff and get a custom.

Get this one; it'll go nice with your scope!

.300 Rem. SA Ultra Mag

http://www.remingtonle.com/rifles/700pltr.htm

Sako or Kimber and in a standard magnum or regular caliber. If you want to "limit out" your 1500, one of the Weatherby MKVs in your caliber of choice will also do nicely. CZ is also a fine choice with plenty of money left over for a good scope. jorge

if one wants a 300wsm, stainless and synthetic?

winhester classic stainless, d'arcy echols legacy stock,

go hunting

jeffe

quote:

Originally posted by BusMaster007:
Get this one; it'll go nice with your scope!

.300 Rem. SA Ultra Mag

http://www.remingtonle.com/rifles/700pltr.htm

I'll second that choice!

quote:

Originally posted by Claret_Dabbler:
That sort of money should buy you a Stainless Synthetic Sako 75.

Hell yeah!

hairbol,
Welcome to ARForum!!

If I had that money to spend, I would opt for a control fed action-period. But it is not the money we are talking about eh? You are getting a choice of rifle make and caliber of your choice. Sako is a smooth runner and very accurate. I have only one of the rifle that Sako made and it is the L61R in a .338 mag.--marvelous shooter. A buddy of mine has a Tikka .338 mag--again a tack driver. A first rate pushfeed bolt action surely.

Do a search on the 'kimber" rifles and you will assuredly note that their is some owners that have stated their accuracies vary from .3"approx. to 2" groups-- some shooting huh? Most of all the Sakos shoot amazingly well without a complaint as I have gathered in the past. I am expecting your search to be either here in the AR or 24hr. Campfire but in anycase I would definately do some research, even for a freebee.

Wish you great joy on your choice! Again welcome, good studious smiths, reloaders and shooters here.


regards,

quote:

Originally posted by Savage99:
It took me 800 shots to get my Kimber 8400 Montana shooting better so Paul beat me by a year and a half. I still prefer the Kimber as they and not Sako/Tikka have the good reputation.

Remember the blowups and the cover up?

800 shots? ohhh..was your barrel fairly rough inside? mine sure was and still is.



my brother had a 270wsm from the recall, he said the next rifle he got was alot better, said they barrel was smoother inside and alot easier to clean!

Paul,

I was the crown all along. I tried lots of loads, shims, scopes, screw tension, barrel clearance, and did a trigger job. I did use it to bag a few deer as it was accurate enough for that and it's a powerful but light gun.

Now it's shooting very well. At first it made seven groups at 200 yds with a 1.2" average but now its even better. I carried it varmint hunting last week. Most important of all it stays sighted in. Its zero'd with 140 Accubonds for the game season.

quote:

Originally posted by grizz007:
hairbol,
Welcome to ARForum!!

If I had that money to spend, I would opt for a control fed action-period. But it is not the money we are talking about eh? You are getting a choice of rifle make and caliber of your choice. Sako is a smooth runner and very accurate. I have only one of the rifle that Sako made and it is the L61R in a .338 mag.--marvelous shooter. A buddy of mine has a Tikka .338 mag--again a tack driver. A first rate pushfeed bolt action surely.

Do a search on the 'kimber" rifles and you will assuredly note that their is some owners that have stated their accuracies vary from .3"approx. to 2" groups-- some shooting huh? Most of all the Sakos shoot amazingly well without a complaint as I have gathered in the past. I am expecting your search to be either here in the AR or 24hr. Campfire but in anycase I would definately do some research, even for a freebee.

Wish you great joy on your choice! Again welcome, good studious smiths, reloaders and shooters here.


regards,

I did a search and found that the greatest and most important complaints were about Sako owners hands being blown off while Sako issued no warning and can't find 10 % of them here.

Sako complaint picture.



The barrel of Mark Almeida's rifle broke into three pieces when he fired the weapon.

I've never owned a SAKO but they look well built and the stocks seem to fit me well. As Savage99's picture shows, you should stay far away from the ultra-lite model. The bore looks like it would be easy to clean

As far as Kimber's go I'm not impressed. I really like the concept, but the production guns leave a lot to be desired. The fit and finish on these are terrible by any standards. The stock is only comfortable shooting from a sitting position for me.

Here some pictures of the last kimber I ordered. You can judge for yourself.

This is were you keep spare ammo I guess Kimber thought you would have a lot of barrel whip with these and needed some extra room under there.


Notice the nice even gap on both sides


The gun WAS shooting to the right. Lucky for me the stock fixes that and I don't need to adjust the scope.


HA!


Just a little higher and the barrel will be completely out of the stock!


I've got a Chinese MAK-90 in the safe that has a better wood to metal fit!

The montana may be the way to go as it takes less craftsmanship stuff a barreled action into a plastic stock. IMO, for what Kimber charges for these you should get a better gun.

Terry

my kimbers barrel was touching most of the way. at the muzzel it was touching, and all they way along it was touching, not right at the bottom and not on the side either, but about half way between. about 45degrees around from the bottom of the barrel on both sides.

also it was touching under the chamber, i think it should either be floated right back to the action, or it should be bedded just under the chamber.

Rem 700 titanium in 7mm SAUM, 280AI performance in a short action that weights 6 3/8 lbs.

Hey TC1, Do you believe the Termite Food was cut wrong, the Termite Food "warped", or is the barrel skewed in the receiver?

Nice flicks, which say a lot more than words.

TCI,

Good post. Kimber needs to know.

Would a Model 3 CZ (MRC action) fit the bill. They pop up in the 500-700 range in CM and SS.

Rich

If I were spending $1500 I would get a Sako Hunter 75 model. One great gun!

TC1, I've looked at a bunch of Kimbers and own at least my share. I've never seen one that bad before. It needs to go back to Kimber to be corrected. Fortunately they actually seem to care about what they sell and have fixed the problems on guns I've known to have been sent back. Good luck...............DJ

well hairbol,

that should say something about the two--perhaps as this goes on you just might be better off choosing a Winchester or a CZ. Sako has had some a serious barrel issue on the Tikka models I believe and they gave the recall. I do not tend to think as some that this all Sako derivatives to present. You will note that their is still some unhappy Kimber owners and some totally thrilled. The Sako even in its present new design the 75 is a sweet rifle. As you can tell CZ is still a fine and decidedly by most to be as accurate and reliable as it should be compared to the more costly rifle(s).

In any case as I have mentioned choose well and enjoy. Wish it were me--it would be easy

regards,

Hey DJ, Yes it's been back to Kimber for repair. They sent it back with a new stock that had a big dent knocked in the stock in the butt area and some how thay managed to scrape up the muzzle on the barrel. I sold the rifle and moved on.

Hot Core, This is just a guess but I think the stock was cut from a "green" piece of wood and it moved after the barrled action was placed in it. Termite food, HA! funny stuff.

Terry