You can't go wrong with any of the (3) rifles you've mentioned. Is price a concern at all? There's a considerable margin of difference between the top of the line Sako and the more budget oriented Howa/Weatherby.
You want a light rifle for both hunting and target shooting chambered in a good overall cartridge choice? Wow, that's a handful for any one rifle to live up to all of your expectations and to do them all well. A hunting rifle doesn't make a good target rifle and vice versa.
Having said that and you had to make (1) purchase of a factory produced rifle and cost wasn't an object, I would recommend a Remington 700 LTR in .308 Winchester. It's relatively compact with a 20" medium weight varmint barrel and in a cartridge that will be quite satisfactory for both hunting and target shooting. The LTR's synthetic HS Precision stock is durable and comfortable to use.
You mentioned that your dad owns several Tikkas so you weren't keen on having another in the family. So, if it came down bewtwen the Sako and the Howa, I personally would take the Howa. Why? For several different reasons.
(1) Because it's a high quality well designed rifle that be found at reasonable prices so it represents a great value for a hunting rifle. These's little doubt the Sako has a higher degree of craftmanship, material, and finish quality but is it necessary to do the job?
AND
(2) I think you're eventually come to the point where you realize what I've mentioned above regarding a one rifle does all approach and you're going to want to buy a second rifle that's more suitable for target shooting purposes. So, why spend thousands on the Sako for a rifle that will just be used for hunting purposes?
You want a light rifle for both hunting and target shooting chambered in a good overall cartridge choice? Wow, that's a handful for any one rifle to live up to all of your expectations and to do them all well. A hunting rifle doesn't make a good target rifle and vice versa.
Having said that and you had to make (1) purchase of a factory produced rifle and cost wasn't an object, I would recommend a Remington 700 LTR in .308 Winchester. It's relatively compact with a 20" medium weight varmint barrel and in a cartridge that will be quite satisfactory for both hunting and target shooting. The LTR's synthetic HS Precision stock is durable and comfortable to use.
You mentioned that your dad owns several Tikkas so you weren't keen on having another in the family. So, if it came down bewtwen the Sako and the Howa, I personally would take the Howa. Why? For several different reasons.
(1) Because it's a high quality well designed rifle that be found at reasonable prices so it represents a great value for a hunting rifle. These's little doubt the Sako has a higher degree of craftmanship, material, and finish quality but is it necessary to do the job?
AND
(2) I think you're eventually come to the point where you realize what I've mentioned above regarding a one rifle does all approach and you're going to want to buy a second rifle that's more suitable for target shooting purposes. So, why spend thousands on the Sako for a rifle that will just be used for hunting purposes?
