Advice on rifle chambered in .416 Rigby

HuntersStand said:
I have to admit I realy have my heart set on that Brown Bear....
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I know the feeling all too well. Then you must follow your heart to be truly happy. :p

Sako rifles are appreciating in value quite well. I bought a Sako 85 .300 Win. Mag. Grey Wolf 3 years ago. Current retail price is up by 20%. To me it's like an investment - plus I'm getting a lot of enjoyment owning it. Well-made with excellent workmanship, these are very beautiful rifles to behold.

I haven't done a lot of load development to optimize accuracy yet with my Kodiak. I get 1" to 1-1/2" groups at 100 meters from the bench rest with the hunting load that I've settled on which is 77.0 gr of Reloder19 and the Woodleigh 300gr PP SN bullet (2350 fps MV). Note that new Sako rifles have guaranteed accuracy with Sako factory loads.

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Sako 85 Kodiak .375 H&H Magnum with Leupold VX-2 Ultralight 3-9x33mm scope

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Sako 85 Grey Wolf .300 Win. Mag. with Nikon Monarch III 4-16x42mm scope

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Thanks! The Sako 85 Barbarian is also a fine looking rifle. Nice walnut and beautiful rosewood Schnabel forend and grip cap, and equipped with a single set trigger. But if I had bought one it might have become a safe queen. Not scared to hunt with my Kodiak or Grey Wolf in the rain. :p

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Just had a client with a Sako 85 Bavarian out in the real world, these aren't bespoke Rigby's, buy it and get out there. :d He's lined up on a grizzly bear right there waiting for him to offer a clear shot, and shortly after this pic he got it. Lovely rifle his was a .300, guided that gun twice now. I still think a .416 or .375 should be a CRF action (not Sako's "CRF" style).

 
The Mauser action has its merits. The CZ550 is nicely finished (way better than a Zastava which also has a Mauser action) and is a fine rifle - just not quite as well-balanced, graceful and pretty as the Sako 85 in my mind :p -

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The Sako 85 rifle - sure, very nice rifle.

May I ask if any of you on this thread has or has had "ejection problems" with a Sako 85 rifle chambered in .416 Rigby - or in any other caliber ?

That ejection issue (empty case hitting the scope) is all over the place in many other gun forums. Maybe the Beretta people have messed up a rifle action (Model 75) that was not in need of any "messing up" at all. The .416 Rigby case is huge, so it should be a prime candidate for ejection issues, no ?
 
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No ejection issues with my Kodiak which has a Leupold VX-2 Ultralight 3-9x33mm scope. After firing a shot, pull the bolt back like you mean it and the empty case is flung out of the action no problem at all. But there could be a problem, not with just the Sako 85, if a scope with a big turret on the ejection side is installed.

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NL-Hunter said:
:sok2 No Sako Love?
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They're fine, but they get hyped pretty hard when really they're just another production rifle. I prefer 90 degree bolts and the Sako ejection while I've never seen an issue with it is curious. More than anything the more I read about it the more I think about it. Client last year at the range sight in with an 85 in .300 shot 20 rounds and I watched the lazy flop out of the gun at the bench. Used a Sako in anger recently and it worked perfectly, however it definitely doesn't huck the cases. Does it matter? No... As I've never seen one fail yet. But there are guns I like that don't allow me the same question marks to talk myself out of Sako, I prefer their styling and features, and they're generally cheaper. For a big gun my feelings are it should be close to a Mauser.
 
Ardent said:
They're fine, but they get hyped pretty hard when really they're just another production rifle. I prefer 90 degree bolts and the Sako ejection while I've never seen an issue with it is curious. More than anything the more I read about it the more I think about it. Client last year at the range sight in with an 85 in .300 shot 20 rounds and I watched the lazy flop out of the gun at the bench. Used a Sako in anger recently and it worked perfectly, however it definitely doesn't huck the cases. Does it matter? No... As I've never seen one fail yet. But there are guns I like that don't allow me the same question marks to talk myself out of Sako, I prefer their styling and features, and they're generally cheaper. For a big gun my feelings are it should be close to a Mauser.
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The Finnish rifles are not what they used to be ... I just appreciate the "slickness" when cycling.
 
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