Sako 85 Finnlight in 300 Win Mag?

one-mad-dog

one-mad-dog

Regular
Rating - 100%
77   0   0
Location
Central Ontario
I have a Sako 85 Finnlight in .243 with a Zeiss Conquest 3-9X40 which I use for deer hunting and like very much. It is a light, accurate, durable well-made rifle.

I have been considering replacing my Remington SSDM in 300 Win with a Finnlight in a caliber large enough for moose but I have some questions:

- Will 300 Win produce a great deal more recoil with the Finnlight vs. the Remington I now have? I know there will be more recoil with a lighter rifle but would it be unacceptable for hunting?
- Is the 300 WSM a better choice for the Finnlight?
- Would a non-magnum caliber be better?
- Will the Finnlight reliably eject the magnum cases with a Zeiss Conquest 3-9X40 mounted in low mounts?

Any information or opinions appreciated.
 
The recoil will be a bit more intense, a lot of the time stock design comes into play more than weight. If a stock fits you well it will disperse the recoil better, what hits hard for one person may not for another just because the fit is better. I find that the finnlights need an upgrade to a limbsaver pad right away, the one that I shot in 30-06 was a very hard kicking gun for 30-06, the pad is not very absorbant. Maybe the newer ones have changed? Don't worry about recoil for hunting, you don't notice it in the woods, it's the recoil on the bench that keeps you from practicing that is the limiting factor
 
There is some "rule of thumb" numbers I can throw your way.

Where I work we keep some info sheets for this very type of question.

Anyhow, in general "felt recoil" will increase/decrease by about 5% for every extra/less half pound (8oz) of rifle weight.

The average shooter can handle about 20 pounds of recoil before it begins to get "uncomfortable".

Now I am speaking in GENERAL, we all have different thresholds - personally I find 20 pounds to be more than I want to shoot, at least for repetitive shooting.

Now I don't know the exact weight of your current set-up, but if I guess the rifle weight (bare) to be 7 1/2 pounds, I'm probably close (typical Rem weight). Then add your scope (about 1 pound) and a few ounces for the mounts, then load up the magazine and you might be pushing 9'ish pounds.

So that combo, shooting a 180 grain shell might develop 24 1/2 pounds of recoil.

The Finnlight would weigh in about 11 ounces less - all else being equal, which might increase the felt recoil to 26'ish pounds - so not the end of the world, but if you "feel it now" when you pull the trigger, it certainly won't get any nicer to shoot.

Going with a 300 WSM in the Finnlight might tend to keep the recoil about the same as your currently feel with your Remington but unless you reload, your cost of ammunition will probably go up and the availability and variety of what is available may become more challenging (and if you have to mail order that just skyrockets the price).

While I personally don't find carrying a 9lb (loaded) rifle to be a big burden, if I was considering dropping some weight I would also tend to look at a somewhat smaller caliber that was still more than suitable to get the job done. For instance, a 7mm Rem Mag can do most of what the 300 can, ammo is available even at "Bob's corner store" and the recoil would be a little less than even the 300 WSM, by a couple of pounds.

For all my babbling - if you find your Rem "uncomfortable" to shoot now, you will really "dislike" the Finnlight..

It may be nicer to carry, but if you flinch when you pull the trigger, you have kinda defeated the purpose..
 
Keep collecting in the Sako's !!:dancingbanana: Bought my first back in 1997 and the Sako Bug BIT me

I have the Sako m75ss 300WM, then bought a Sako m75ss 243, then a 22-250, and then and then...and then ...and..lol DONT TELL MY WIFE:cool:

Possibility of more felt recoil in the Finnlight over the SS model. Don't think you would really know the difference. Buy a Greywolf model (LS) to be heavier to have LESS "Felt Recoil". Other option would be to put a Muzzle Brake. Feel like shooting a 243.

Stick to the WM version IMO if you reload, plus you probably already have factory 300WM ammo supply to shoot since you have one already.
 
My Finnlight in .308 is by no means a heavy recoiler but it does deliver a lot more felt recoil that I thought it would. It caused shoulder soreness from the bench at the range within the first say 5-7 shots. I added a limbsaver pad which helped, but it is a light gun and wants to move. It is much more comfortable to shoot now and I have been able to practice with it a lot. I am not sure what exactly the 300 WM would feel like in this model, but I think it would be relatively unpleasant based on my experience with a much gentler round.

I recently added a stainless and laminate Ruger Hawkeye in .375 Ruger to my collection and it provided an interesting opportunity to see how the increased weight of that rifle would offset the much heavier recoil of the .375. I have put less than ten rounds through this rifle but I already am convinced that if I were to expand my Sako collection with something bigger (and coincidentally a 300 WM is next on my list) I would strongly consider the grey wolf for the benefit of the added weight. I personally think there is some benefit to the added weight with rounds which creep up in pounds of recoil.

In my view, the Finnlight is not the most practical setup for the sharper kind of recoil the 300WM produces and could be outright painful and miserable. I would look at a heavier configuration and would also be wary about whether the 85 L action has the same ejection issues I found in my .270win (M action) which has been discussed in various threads here and on other forums. My .308 has the same S action size as your .243 and these actions do not have the ejection demons the M has and the L may have. Nobody has been able to confirm for me one way or another if the L action has the problem. I know how nice the Finnlights feel and love mine as well, but they are best suited to lighter rounds IMHO.

Best of luck!
 
Thanks everyone for the information. I still like the Finnlight and although I know there will be more recoil with the 300 WM than with my heavier Remington 700 I think it will be an acceptable trade-off. I will be using factory 300 WM and sighting in with a support on a bench so recoil won't be much of an issue there and my experience in the field is that in the excitement of the hunt - you never even notice the recoil of the rifle.
O-M-D
 
Limbsaver is a great idea,
I like the 300WM over the WSM for no particular reason (have had both).
I have a 85 stainless synthetic in 338WM and although I like the looks of the Finnlight more I like the feel of the stainless synthetic more in my hands.
The Finnlight feels, well, light...
Never experienced any ejection issues (or any issues for that matter).
My next one will be in 30/06 in a stainless synthetic, someday.
They are excellent rifles, I'm sure you will enjoy it.
 
I have 75 synthetic stock in 300WSM, recoil is there and in the begining i did not really like it but after trying so many giferent loads i get used to it and can shoot it just fine. There is no significant diff.between WSM and WM in recoil just a bit lighter rifle of those in WSM because shorter action. You try on range before you buy it but if think recoil might be an issue get the one with laminated stock and maybe 270 WSM. Is good enough for everything up to moose and recoil is much smaller. Still think you should get another Sako because they are great rifles...
 
I have a Sako 85 Finnlite in 300win mag with a limbsaver recoil pad. It shoots fine. I have shot many other 300win mags that recoil way more. Its my go to gun. Buy one... You wont regret it. Mine has a VX3 3.5-10x40. No ejection problems at all.
 
one-mad-dog said:
1- Will 300 Win produce a great deal more recoil with the Finnlight vs. the Remington I now have? I know there will be more recoil with a lighter rifle but would it be unacceptable for hunting?
2-- Is the 300 WSM a better choice for the Finnlight?
3- Would a non-magnum caliber be better?
4- Will the Finnlight reliably eject the magnum cases with a Zeiss Conquest 3-9X40 mounted in low mounts?

Any information or opinions appreciated.
Click to expand...

1-My main rifle for chasing Elk on foot is Sako 75 Finnlight in 300 WinMag. It has Limbsaver pad and came with Muzzle Brake that I can't stand. Recoil is no problem and I am shooting 180 gr TTSX at 3000 ft/sec.

2-300 WSM has very unpleasant recoil as burning the same amount of powder in shorter column generates sharp hit and not push.
3-I don't think so. You have one in 243
4-I have Finnlight 85 with low Optiloc rings in 30-06 and Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 and never had any ejection issues.
 
Finnlight has very little recoil in 300 win mag in my opinion. Never changed the recoil pad, has what came on it. I bought it 5 years ago when I was 18. I can shoot 180gr accubonds all day with it and not feel a thing, even when I do a quick shot with the but of the gun accidentally on my bicep it doesn't bother. I'm 5'11 about 205lbs now but when I was 18 I was around 185lbs for what it's worth. As mentioned above recoil is felt differently by everyone, I've been shooting large magnums since I was 13 so maybe im used to it more so than others. Only thing I've noticed with it is it jumps a tiny bit and to the left sometimes but probably the way I pull the trigger on occasion. As for the ejection issue it's probably hit or miss, I have a bushnell elite 6500 on mine and I tried medium rings and the cartridge would bounce off the wind age knob and fall back in or get stuck. The scope has a rather large wind age knob tho, I'm not sure I've paid much attention to how zeiss looks. High rings fit me better than medium or low anyway. Should be able to find a gun shop that will set the scope in lower rings on the rifle for you to cycle an empty cartridge through to test it out
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom