HELP ME PICK!!!! Winchester EW FWT or SAKO A7

Which one? SAKO A7 (.308) or Winchester EW .30-06

  • Winchester Extreme Weather FWT .30-06 spfd

    Votes: 70 82.4%

  • Sako A7 stainless .308win

    Votes: 15 17.6%
  • Total voters
    85
  • Poll closed .
S

sgt.rock

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Yellowknife, N.W.T.
Had my heart set on buying a Sako A7 in .308win tonight. Had it up in my hands, and thought "nice gun, smooth bolt, light enough" , then literally about 5 seconds before I said "wrap it up" , I noticed this lonely little Winchester Extreme weather Model 70 FWT in .30-06. It had a SMOOTHER BOLT, better felt trigger, Fluted barrel, and a Bell & Carlson stock. It only was $80 more. (although the Sako comes with installed bases, the Winchester needs bases bought separately)
FFS What to do???? I am not really a .30-06 fan and was hoping to get a .308, but I won't buy a gun based on the caliber only. Is there any issues with the Sako's or These specific WInchesters? I've looked online, and cannot find any Winchester EW guns for sale, and I think they may be discontinued. (probably cause not that many people are prepared to spend $1280 + tax on a Winchester yet)
So help me decide. Pick your pick and if possible explain why.
 
I've owned both, A7 in 7mm/08 and M70 EW in 30/06...... I still own the M70.

I have had 100's of rifles go through my hands now. The only one that was consistently accurate with EVERY factory load (no matter the weight) I've put through it is that M70. The bore hardly fouls, every thing on it is machined very well and it just feels like a "workhorse rifle". The new M70's are one of the best built factory rifles these days.

The A7 while being the best fitting (for me) rifle I've ever owned, was a horrific shooter. I don't know if it was just mine but I was not impressed (actually there's a guy at my range having the same issues with the same calibre). It would shift groups, shoot great one day and not the next. Picky with ammo, finicky with action/stock tension.
The mag system was great, the action felt superb, the fit was perfect. But with the unreliable accuracy, the abundance of plastic and IMO that flakey recoil lug system the A7 and T3 use, I won't hunt with another.

BUY THE M70!.......... You won't regret it.
 
Winchester. Especially at that price and also because the .30-06 and 200gr Partitions make for an excellent game getting combo
 
Model 70 all the way. I have lots of Winchesters model 70 and model 94. All of them perform flawlessly. I've only had one newer one it was the feather weight in a 270wsm and it was a real tack driver and smooth as silk action. Have a couple custom shop rifles from the 90's and they are out of this world performance in my opinion.
 
I've owned 2 Winchester rifles. The first was a trade for a push-feed .30-06 with a ramline stock. I ended up losing the rifle when the guy that I loaned it to had his boat sink in a bad storm. They nearly drowned , so losing the gun wasn't as bad as it could have been. (I didn't mind loaning it out on occasion, because it was a $400 rifle)
The second was a New Haven Classic wood/blue. It was a decent gun, but I traded it off in a stainless steel/synthetic craze. The feel of this Extreme weather has me all gooey about ss/syn again................
 
sgt.rock said:
I really think the Winny is gonna come home with me unless someone talks me out of it.
Click to expand...

It should. They stopped making real Sakos around Y2K. Now they're engaged in the race to the bottom like most other makers, though they did have the advantage of starting from a high higher position, hence why their offerings, though less well made than previous versions, aren't on par with the 783 or Axis. Winchester still seems to turn out as good (some would argue better) products than they did 20 years ago.
 
When I was working at the range, I got a chance to look over many guns and the Winchester M70's by FN were head and shoulders above most other manufacturers. I have an M70 EW in 30-06 that is consistent, accurate and solid. Nothing about it feels cheap at all. The A7 just didn't interest me at all when holding it as you could tell it was built to a budget.
 
Another for the M70, Currently have a EW in .264 and two featherweights in 7x57, love them, and featherweight stocks fit like a glove,

Now if i could get my hands on a stainless 22-250 M70, all would be golden, ( Winchester are you listening, stainless, please)

I had a 270 WSM in an EW, but couldn't warm up to the 270 WSM and it was fussy,
 
I personally think the Winchester is a better built gun and the 30-06 a better cartridge..........you can always load it to 308 ballistics........Now if it were a Sako L61R, I would likely feel much different about it.
 
I borrowed my old mans M70 EW in 30-06 last winter. Grabbed the cheapest box of 180gr ammo at the gas station, tacked up a target at about a 100 yards, leaned over the hood of the pickup in -30 and fired a whole magazine at the target fairly quickly (-30). All 5 rounds were touching, and this rifle can do that all day long.
 
Well HOLY HELL. It is a serious LANDSLIDE so far. Thanks for all the chime-ins guys. I will post pics either tonight or tomorrow. (I'm working 12hr shifts today and tomorrow, so I may not even get out to Can Tire until later this evening, or.............Monday if all goes to crap like it usually does when working with dementia patients. They all get "manic" after supper each day. It is called "sundowning" and most , if not all dementia patients end up showing signs of this. So I hope the valium cookies do their job...... ;) just kidding, but now that I think of it, that might be a good idea.................
 
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