Sako or Remington?

As pointed out above, a .308 can be built into a trimmer, shorter rifle. If you do not intend to use bullets heavier than 165's it's not a bad choice, but the .30-06 has the advantage once you choose bullets weighing 180 or more, especially if you are a handloader.

While it is true that a .308 has outshone the .30-06 on the target range when fired from super accurate match rifles, this has nothing to do with hunting rifles. Any off the shelf .30-06 hunting rifle will shoot as well as a .308 of the same brand and model. I've owned several .30-06's that would dump good quality bullets into a single ragged hole at 100 yards, and anyone who has owned a decent .30-06 and handloads will tell you the same thing.

There is something that the .30-06 will do that the .308 has difficulty with - and that is shooting heavy bullets. As good as they are, not everyone believes that the TSX is the be all and end all in hunting bullet design. A .30-06 with a 1:10 twist barrel will handle bullets up to and including the 240 gr Woodleigh lead core bullet, designed to expand fully and reliably at .30/06 velocities. The most devastating varmint bullet I've ever used was the Speer 130 gr hollowpoint loaded in a .30-06, and it would group .625" on a good day. 200 gr cast bullets pushed by a load of SR 4759 can provides cheap shooting and makes the .30/06 a very effective small game load.

Because you are more interested in a hunting rifle than in a target rifle, I would suggest you find a rifle with controlled round feed. Keep an eye on the EE for a .30/06 M-70, Brno, Husqvarna, or FN CRF sporting rifle. Buying a lightly used rifle should keep your budget in tact, and will allow you to own a higher quality rifle than you could afford new. Any of these rifles equipped with a variable power scope in good mounts will satisfy your requirements. As your budget allows, down the road you can change the stock or barrel to better fit your needs, but the heart of the rifle remains the action.
 
600RemGuy said:
I like Sako and I like Remington, but this true story makes me think. Roughly 15 years ago two fellows each bought an new rifle in 308, one a Remington 700 BDL and the other a Sako, not sure exactly which model at the time. The Remington fellow bought reloads at a gun show and off to the range they went. After the first round, which had an unusual report, the Remington bolt would not open and I believe they snapped off the bolt handle trying to do so. The Sako fellow, after witnessing this, also fired (???) one of these unknown reloads. When all was said and done, the receiver had split in two, wrecking the 3.5 x 10 Leupold and the barrel of the rifle had cartwheeled down range leaving the shooter dazzled but basicly unhurt. Later examination of the reloads by a good personal friend on mine determined the powder charge was far far below any listed weight in every reloading book in his store thus leading him to believe the powder detinated rather than burned. In the end gunsmith Joe Kroetsch got the Remington up and running and Sako man went on the try and sue the Sako importer. Didn't work. I know this might never happen again, we are all human. This leaves me to thinks that my choice of Remington was a good one. I'll recommend them to anyone willing to ask.
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I have personally seen 4 remingtons that locked up, broke stuff, or simply
"spontaniously disasembled " themselves after being shot.
Just because one rifle let go doesn't mean the rifle brand is no good.

Take a looka round and see how many remington bolt handles have fallen off over the years.
Sako also had some issues with a bad bunch of steel, but I am told that all the rifles have been replaced from that lot.

Savage also has had issues, as had every other manufacturer of anything on the planet , be it planes, trains, or automobiles ( or firearms!)

However, between the tikka and the Remington, I would take the Tikka for several reasons, their bolt system and scope bases for a couple.
I've only ever seen one that wasn't accurate....
Cat
 
I like both. I own both. For exceptional out-of-box accuracy, smoothness of operation and refinement, I vote the Tikka. For availability of every concievable type of accessory, scope base, and add-on you cannot beat Remington. Both are good hunting rifles and both are more than accurate enough for your purposes.
 
If you are only considering the Remington and the Tikka T3, by all means do yourself a favour and buy the Tikka. I've never had a problem with a Tikka - can't say the same thing for Remington.

I'd also go with the 30-06; if you buy a Tikka you'll be getting a standard length action, so might as well "fill" the magazine rather than have a short cartridge in a long action.
 
People see Remington breaking because there are so many of them.
Now you guys sems to forget Tikka and Sakos issues with barrels, he...
 
I have both Tikka's and Remingtons. The Tikka's have better triggers, feed smoother, found them more accurate and lighter.
 
K98 said:
I'd say yes look at the Ruger and also don't overlook the CZ.
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Agreed. Both are superb rifles, both are rather underrated. I'm not necessarily in the 'CRF is better' camp, but I do love those mauser 98-based actions. I'd take a Remington 798 (zastava commercial m-98) over a 700 any day.

Remingtons are just overpriced IMHO. Good guns to be sure, but most of the design features just scream 'cost cutting,' yet that's not reflected in the final price tag. Ditto on the Tikka, though the fit and finish on the Tikka is much better than recent Remingtons, and the price is usually cheaper. Savages also sport many 'cost cutting' features, but that at least shows up in the final price tag.

Ultimately they all work well, but to me a nice mauser 98 design says 'this is a fine rifle, a craftsman's tool' while the others say 'I'm a mass-produced rifle'
 
Controlled feed usually has a big claw-style extractor, and an ejector that's not one of those spring loaded plungers in the bolt. With a CRF, the bolt holds the round. You can partially extract a round and then re-chamber it with a CRF where you couldn't with a push feed. CRF should also (theoretically) feed upside down
 
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