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| one of us |
Depending on how much money you want to spend, here are the options I would look at in the order I would spend the money as it comes in- McMillan "Pounder" stock This ought to make the rifle lighter, but probably really painful to shoot if you don't get a good recoil pad on that stock.- Sheister | |||
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| one of us |
Rolf...the best way to get a ltwt rifle is to begin with one that is already fairly light as anything you do to your rifle is going to be expensive...a new ltwt stock will be $200 to $400...turning the barrel will be $100 to $150....and in truth most of these will either have little real impact on weight or will destroy the balance of your rifle. Several rifles that are already fairly light in weight are the Remington Model 7, the Remington Mountain Rifle and of course the new Remington Model 700 Titanium at around US$1000.00 ......Ruger also makes a ltwt bolt action but the barrel is really, really thin. Winchester rifles tend to be a bit heavier becasue of the weight of the action. My advice would be to sell the Sako and but a Mountain Rifle or Model 7 Remiington...both available in .308....you will save money in the long run and I think be a lot happier. | |||
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one of us |
I agree with the previous posters. But if you still want to go forward, you have to look at everything on the rifle where you can trim weight. The stock is probably the most significant. Get a light kevlar stock. Next you have to look at all the small items where fractions of ounces can be trimmed. Light scope mounts and rings, drill the bolt handle, flute the bolt, drill holes in the magazine box and follower, shorten the barrel. That's just a few of the things done by the expert in building lightweights. | |||
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| one of us |
Best way to save weight??? Eat light and exersize!! No kidding. The three pounds you save on a flyweight rifle can easily be saved in other gear, and on your gut. Flyweight rifles compramize much as far as practical accuracy (ability to hold them still) and handling qualities (smooth swing) They kick more too. Really good ones are also very expensive. I would spend what you were planning on using to lighten the Sako on ammunition, hone your shooting skills. That is a very practical way to become a better hunter. The Sako is a fine rifle, leave it alone. You might shave two pounds, if you got real aggresive. Not worth it. Just put a straight four power on it and go hunting. When I used to sell guns more often than not the guy buying the six pound hunting rifle was fourty pounds over weight and rarely got out of the jeep. Just makes you smile. If you are going to be scaling mountains at 10K plus feet and backpacking into remote regions.........maybe worth while. Who really does that though??? A few sheep hunters, but, those guys are very few. I bet 99% of the ultra light rifles never see that kind of duty. [This message has been edited by scot (edited 10-23-2001).] | |||
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| <R. A. Berry> |
Sheister, Good suggestions, but you meant Brown Precision "Pounder," not McMillan, right? ------------------ | ||
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| <Jordan> |
Rolf: It is very difficult to lighten a Sako very much. Not that they are not great designs. They are, its just that their design makes it difficult to take much metal off of them. I tried to lighten a short Sako once (591) by taking some cuts out of it with an end-mill, drilling a hole in the bolt handle, etc. It was alot of work and did not lighten the rifle much. By the time you spend money on a new synthetic stock and a new after-market light barrel (and the cost to have it chambered) you will be near a thousand bucks. The new Kimber 84M weighs in at 5 lbs 8 oz. and about $950.00. The Rem titanium is about $1150.00 retail, but you can find them for less. Jordan | ||
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| <Jeff in ND> |
I'm with Scot on this on. I will take a 8-9lb rifle (including sling and scope) any day and worry about the weight in other areas. But if you still want to undertake this project a few cheap and easy weight saving places are: If you do all of that you might save 1lb or so. To get lighter will require a new stock ($$), Light weight barrel and machine work on the action ($$). Good Hunting ------------------ | ||
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| one of us |
R.A., you're probably right. I was going off the cuff from memory, but my memory isn't what it was. Besides, I figured if I was wrong, one of the smart guys on this board would catch my mistake.  - If it were me, I would just order a ULA and have it over with. A rifle DESIGNED to be lightweight, rather than one made to be light is a much more balanced and useful package, IMHO- Sheister | |||
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| <PCH> |
Rolf, I don't know what you define as lightweight but I think a Sako 308 is light enough as it is. I use one myself and I've done a few very simple things to make it somewhat lighter. *I bought a 25 year old Sako 579 it is (and the AIII series) lighter and trimmer than the newer 591 or 75 series. *I swapped the club like wood stock for a Rimrock fiberglass stock. It's somewhat lighter than a Mcmillan or a wood stock. *I removed the iron sights. *I put on Warne low scope rings (lighter than Sako�s own). *I use a nylon carrying strap instead of a leather one. *I scoped it with a Swarovski AV 3-9X36 which weighs as much as a standard Leupold 3-9 but with better optics. A compact Leupold would be handier and lighter but if you do any Roebuck stalking I would definately want a euro scope. This package weighs scoped, loaded and ready to go 3,6 kg (7.9 lbs). This isn't really a lightweight rifle but I feel making it lighter would make it difficult to shoot. Cutting of 7-8 cm of barrel would make it lighter but I feel it would be unbalanced. For l�shundsjakt/finnspetsjakt/toppjakt in northern Sweden it's light enough I can assure you. | ||
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| <rolf> |
Hello and WOW! Glad to see so many replies. The rifle will be used when I�m hunting with my dogs. I�m not sure you guys hunt the same way "over there". When we hunt roedeer the most common way is to set the dogs on them and then try to find the sweet spot where they will show up. Hopefully. On an ordinary day I�ll probably walk and run something like 8-10 miles. Not like a marathon I know but I do this three to four times a week so there�s definitely a need for a lighter rifle. Buy the way, I haven�t bought the Sako yet so I�m open for suggestions. Thanks again and keep writing. Rolf | ||
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| one of us |
just a suggestion, check out the rifles at the Kifaru web site for some "micro-lite" ideas. | |||
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| <gone hunting> |
quote:
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| <rolf> |
Rolf again. Just wanted your opinion about another rifle I just found. It�s a Remington model R/700 Mountain in 308 Win. I think the price is right, they are asking 450$ for a brand new one. Also, what�s the R standing for? Would this be an alternative for the Sako regarding weight and handiness? Any experience? Keep them coming. Rolf | ||
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| <gone hunting> |
i have a long action 700 Mountian SS DM in 25/06 i use for a walk-around varmint rifle. after bedding the action and a 3lb pad at the tip it shoots any 85 to 87 grain HP/BT into 3/4" at 100yds. with 4.5-14x50 Leupold it weighs right at 8lb. the 308 Mountian would make a fine hunting rifle. a compact Leupold in light wt. rings and start shooting. ------------------ | ||
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one of us |
DB Bill was right. Get a Rem. Mountain Rifle. That are more accurate than most people can shoot and can get a B&C fiberglass stock for $150 and make it even lighter. Unless you get a headache after 3 or 4 shots, the rifle is toooooo heavy!!!! | |||
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