I am getting serious about the idea of putting together a lightwieght handy mountain, hiking rifle.

I liked the idea of a Seven in .300 SUAM but once I looked at the Titanim and Finlight(.300WSM) things got complicated.

There is not a whole lot of difference between them all in terms of weight and length.

Has anyone had personal experience with any two of the rifles side by side?

My little idea is to deck the rifle out with quick detatchable mounts, for two seperate scopes.

One, a 1.5 - 6 x zeroed @ 50m with a 220 grain bullet, the other a 4 - 16 zeroed @ 200m with a 167gn.

These mounts have been so good over the years that I have come to trust them completly and never had them change zero on me.

So aside from the fact that the Seven is a lot cheap, what are some pros & cons between the Titanium and the Finlight?

express;

my friend followed my rec' and bought the r700 titanium. we sent it to answer products for a brake, pad, trigger job. he did nice work. the gun is pleasant to carry. shoots 3 shot just under 1 m.o.a. with fed h.e. n.p. 180. fit and finish were good , no complaints.

cold zero

Not to muddy the water and I know you did not ask-but I cannot help myself. I'd take a close look at the Tikka T3 b4 I got very serious.

6 lbs
very accurate
smooth bolt
excellent trigger
sub $500

Just my thoughts... I feel it is easily the most accurate light rifle on the market as we speak.

Lastly Kimber is making their lightweight "Montana" rifle this year-it will be just over 5 pounds naked.

Have a great day

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dogz

EXPRESS
I have extensive experience with 8 Remington model 7 rifles in calibers 223,243 350RM[custon shop gun] and 5 in 308. I have friends that have 2 6mm, 7mm-08 and 3 other 308 rifles.
All have performed flawlessly except for my 350 RM. It would not feed with reloads, they would jump out of the magazine[porpoise I think in the term]. I have shot 3 of the 308's extensively on paper to 600 yards. They are some of the most accurate factory hunting rifles I have ever shot.
I can highly recommend them.
Because they are so light they shoot their best when held tightly and used with a hasty sling.
I am a big fan of the 308WCF as a general purpose hunting rifle. I am also a big fan of the 300 Mag. The 300RemSAUM in a Mod 7 would be a very good rifle.

Also I think the 350 RM can do anything the 375 H&H can do in North America to include Alaskan game.

I just bought a 700 Titanium myself in .308 Win for the same purpose. I've yet to see a Model 7 that shot worth a damn. The SAKO Finnlight is not all that light. - - much like the Winchester Model 70 "Featherweight" of 7-1/2 lbs. The Remington 700 Ti in short action is only 5-1/4 lbs with a normal 22" barrel.

Haven't shot it or scoped it yet. Out to the typical ranges of under 300 yards, I see no difference between any of the .30 rifles, so why deal with the "magnum" myths? Especially in mountain hunting, the small trajectory advantages of the higher velocity cartidges are largely negated by the up/down effects.

I also have no faith in "detachable" mounts - - I prefer a durable non-detachable mounting for a single scope. The need for 2 different scopes of wildly differing power ranges escapes me.

KuduKing
All of my Mod 7's have shot remarkably well. Much better than a rifle of that price and weight should. I have been well pleased with all of them. All have been shot to 300 yards on paper with 3 of the 308's being shot on paper to 600 yards.

My "out of the box Seven" in 7mm-08 hold 5 shots just under 6"(=15cm) before a changed of the barrel to a heavy profile that could shout. Today with only the change of barrel, stock and bedding it suddenly is under 0,6" (=15mm)
PerN

My Remington model 7 didn't shot well until I floated the barrel and bedded the action. It was sold to make room for my new Titanium.

May I suggest you consider the Remington Titanium in the short action, 5 lb. 4 oz. Buy it in a 7mm-08 and then rechamber to .284 Win. It will perform similar to a .280. This way you won't have the additional weight of the short magnum. I suspect there is a wildcat version of the .284 in .30 cal. if you have your heart set on it.

The stock on the Titanium is much nicer than the model 7. The model 7 clamps the action into plastic while the Titanium has pillars. I also like the 22 inch barrel better than the 7's 20 incher.

A lower cost option is a model 7 with an after market fiberglass stock but I believe the .284 Win. is the best caliber in the Remington short action. I don't understand why it is not a factory offering.

I have no experience with the Finn Light.

Another choice is a Mod 7 from the Custom Shop. My 350 was from the CS and I have handled a 7mm-08 from there. They have a kevlar stock. Both were nice rifles. Most of my Mod 7's are the older ones with the greenish stocks [some are factory camo]. I have 2 308,s with the new black plastic stock and do not like them near as well, however they are nearly industructable, I will give them that.
Take a look at the Blaser Synthetic before you buy.

my model 7 in 7-08 (18" barrel) performs pretty close to my .280. Close enough that I wouldn't rebarrel it to get .284 performance.