Hello all,
I thought some people may benefit from a review of the rifle I recently bought, the Sako A7.
First a bit about myself, since I haven't been very active on this site lately: I've been hunting and shooting from a young age. I'm now more middle-aged than young-aged. I have a collection of about 20 hunting rifles. I like light rifles and I reload my own shells rather hot. I don't mind the recoil.
I decided that I needed another stainless and synthetic rifle to hunt deer in bad weather. After some looking around and deliberating I bought the A7 in .270win from Cabela's in Edmonton. I got the package with the silver scope, but only because they didn't have an A7 that wasn't part of a package. The salesperson and Sako's website said the rifle alone weighs 6 3/8 pounds. So, that would be 6lbs 6oz. Seems like a reasonably light rifle. The scope was listed online to be 14oz, so with bases and rings it would be just under 7.5lbs. Not an ultralight, but seemed good, so I bought it.
I liked the rubberized finish on the stock, and the palm swell. The bolt felt good, and the trigger is nicely adjustable. I was happy, but it felt a little bit heavier than I thought it should. So I weighed it on a quite accurate digital scale. It was 6oz heavier than it was supposed to be. I took off the scope and weighed it again. 6lb 12oz. That's 6 oz too heavy. I tried a different scale. No change. 6 oz too heavy. I called Cabelas and said this rifle is too heavy, I want an exchange. Not happening. All firearms sales are final unless they are defective. I said this rifle is defective because it's half a pound heavier than I was told and was advertised.
Not happening.
So I called Stoeger Canada, but all I've managed to do is leave several messages. No response back.
So I put on a Leupold vxII 3-9x33 ultralight. This has made the rifle-scope combo weigh 7.5 lbs exactly. Just what I was expecting. I'm sacrificing a bit with light capture with this scope, but oh well.
I took the rifle to the range, and after trying 3 different types of ammunition I've yet to shoot a 3 shot 1moa group at 100 yards. I haven't given up yet, but I am a little curious about the 5 shot moa guarantee that is advertised. After all, they lied about the weight. Perhaps they lied about the accuracy too.
So, like I said, I've not given up on this rifle yet. I've loaded up a couple different loads, and hope to test them soon. The rifle could still be a shooter. But it's not proving to be an "out of the box tack driver" like I hoped.
Overall, I wish I didn't buy it. I recommend against it. It's half a pound heavier than advertised and so far is not as accurate as advertised.
Just thought others may be interested in this information.
Huntin' Gun
