Sako vs Kimber

BIGREDD

BIGREDD

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I'm sick of caliber vs caliber... lets see how the manufacturers measure against one another.
Sako and Kimber both make some nice/expensive and supposedly good quality hunting rifles.
Why is one a better choice than the other? What did or would you buy and why?
 
Their both great rifles, if you mean the 75 sporter versus the 8400 , they are pretty equal.
I have the Sako A2 in .243 and its sweet, I like the palm swell, stock fit is choice.:D Only real draw back is it likes mid weight bullets, which limits selection a bit, would rather it shot light or heavy well.
 
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I haven't heard much about the Kimber. Went to the website and they look okay. I question their limited selection of cartridge choices. Seems to be only 3 to 5 available depending on the model.

Sako on the other hand have about 12 - 15 for each model.

Not much of an opinion, I know.

I keep hearing how Sakos have great accuracy. What are the Kimbers like? Kimber makes their own barrels BTW (according to the website, haha).
 
just orderd the kimber montana from tse (should be here tommarow or monday) and i got a couple sakos
ill let you know what i think then
 
I have several Sako's of all varieties and I just bought a Kimber 84m classic in 308. the fit and finish is about equal, all of them have significant freebore, the triggers on the Sako's seem more crisp to me, although the Kimber is pretty good. The stock design is quite different the sako has the nice palm swell and montecarlo style and the kimber is straight with very fine features. I've never owned a short action finnlight, but they would weigh essentially the same. On the rounds in questions the CRF feature is irrelevent, there is also a real difference in the "pitch" of the stock(I may be using the wrong term, on teh sako's when you stand the rifle flat on it's butt it comes up at an angle when the kimber is striaght up). Scope mounts are easier to use and probably more versaitle for the Kimber. The Sako's feed smoother(not sure if that;'s the CRF thing), the Kimber I have is very small featured, I have to use a bore guide for a Sako A1 in 223 to fit into the bolt guide.

I haven't shot the Kimber yet to know If I like it as much as my various Sako's so the juries still out, for the moment I am a committed Sako guy.
 
Both are really nice rifles. Have a Kimber, controlled round feed with mauser extractor, match trigger and barrel, pillar and glass bedded. Beautiful rifle. Sako's are supposed have CRF in the model 85 but I read a review from Chuckawks.com and he stated its not a true CRF.... this is what he states

Quote "Sako claims that the Model 85 is a controlled feed action, and perhaps technically it is (although we don't agree). In any case, it lacks the advantages of a true controlled feed action. The bolt head mounted extractor is much smaller than the full length extractors on a Mauser 98, Winchester 70 or Ruger 77, and takes a smaller bite on the case rim. If you close the Sako's bolt about half way (until you hear the next cartridge in the magazine click up, ready to be fed) and then pull the bolt back and try to close it again, it will jam the rifle by attempting to double feed. "

A true controlled feed action, in that situation, holds onto the first cartridge until the bolt is completely withdrawn and it is ejected. If the bolt is run forward again while still holding the first cartridge, the extractor keeps it in place and guides it into the chamber, preventing the bolt from attempting to pick-up the second cartridge and preventing a double feed jam.

Nor does the Sako 85 guide a fresh cartridge into the chamber like a controlled feed action. It simply pushes it forward and into the chamber like any push feed action. It is not until about the last 1/4" of forward bolt travel that the Sako's extractor actually gets a firm grip on the case rim. By that time the cartridge is almost all the way into the chamber, anyway, so being "controlled" at that late stage is pointless Quote

But I personally haven't tried the new model 85 one, so don't quote me on it...

Personally, I like the stock better on the model 75 and Lebaron's has the model 75 on for 1300 bucks right now.

The Kimbers are selling for 1150 for the classic and the new Sako 85 is 1600....

Both are very well built rifles. I think its just a matter of personal preferance.....
 
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Sakos are always nice guns, period.:)

I have never shot a Kimber, but IIRC they are CRF, and that means someting to me i a big game rife. I like CRF, so I woud choose the Kimber.

As much as I like Sako rifles, I woudl ony want one in a small bore, for coyotes etc. Not a big game rifle fo rme.
 
I've owned 4 Sakos over the years including my two current Model 75s. I've owned a Kimber although not a centrefire. I've shot a couple of the Kimber centrefires and concluded I will stick with Sako.

The Kimber I owned and the ones I shot were very attractive rifles. In their favour they were light. Sako rifles are generally heavy and even more so if you use their rings and bases. My .270 when loaded tips the scales at just a hair under 10 lbs. The Finnlight is in the same weight range as the Kimber but the Sako lightweight comes with a barrel just over 20" and I'd rather not have a barrel that short when the Kimber 8400 Montana has a 24" barrel and weighs about the same.

On the downside is that Kimber seems to put more emphasis on pretty than performance. I was underwhelmed with the accuracy with the ones I tried (appalled in one case). The .22 I owned wasn't particularly well fitted and I had a couple of problems with it. My Sakos meanwhile are tack drivers, reliable and came with excellent adjustable triggers.

CRF versus push feed isn't an issue for me but if I wanted a lightweight rifle the Kimber 8400 Montana would be a definite contender. However it wouldn't shock me if I found myself visting a riflesmith to go over the rifle to ensure it fed reliably and was set up correctly.
 
My Kimber 8400 in 270 WSM, feeds like a dream and shoots .75 out of the box, with whatever I fed it. The only rifle I have that keeps the almost same point of impact, with different loads, saving me from readjusting my scope all the time.
 
I use a Kimber 8400 in 270 WSM, it is a fine rifle, accurate and feeds very well, it is very accurate with consistent 3/4" groups shooting 140 Accubonds, the rifle is very light and makes a great carrying rifle, the Sako is heavier especially in the non magnum calibers, they are both built well but they are miles apart in handling caracteristics. The added bonus is that the Kimber is CRF and also has a M70 3 position safety. You would have to put one to your shoulder to make up yor mind, it will come down to that, unless the features are what attract you. In my case the rifles handling and the CRF clinched it, for a big game rifle those things matter to me.
bigbull
 
You can still unload the Sako 75 on the safe position so the 3 position is moot I think. 3 position is even one more thing to complicate things. I have tried to shoot at game on both Ruger and Savage when I though I had moved to the fire position.

I'd take the Sako 75 system in that regard.
 
i totally agree with bigbull
i now have both
as for actuall hunting the kimber hands down(light acurate and handy)
bench wise maybe the sako but pretty tied
the only thing im not sure i like about the kimber(have to use it for real first)
is the fact that it doesnt have a clip or floor plate
Id probably buy a kimber before a sako next
 
daniellybbert said:
i totally agree with bigbull
i now have both
as for actuall hunting the kimber hands down(light acurate and handy)
bench wise maybe the sako but pretty tied
the only thing im not sure i like about the kimber(have to use it for real first)
is the fact that it doesnt have a clip or floor plate
Id probably buy a kimber before a sako next
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The wood model Kimbers have a floorplate but the synthetic doesn't. Not sure why they did that.... I prefer having a floorplate to drop them out.
 
I'm potentially looking at getting a new varmint rifle before too long and both the Kimber and the Sako 75 are appealing to me. The big question for me is which should I expect to be more accurate. Any opinions?

Chuck
 
Chuck said:
I'm potentially looking at getting a new varmint rifle before too long and both the Kimber and the Sako 75 are appealing to me. The big question for me is which should I expect to be more accurate. Any opinions?
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Sako. I've never found one that wouldn't shoot five shots into under an inch (in a couple cases WELL under) at 100 yards.

The Sako has a better trigger system IMHO as well and for vaminting CRF and a three position wing safety aren't needed.
 
Chuck said:
I'm potentially looking at getting a new varmint rifle before too long and both the Kimber and the Sako 75 are appealing to me. The big question for me is which should I expect to be more accurate. Any opinions?

Chuck
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I just took my new Sako 75 Varmint to the range on Thursday to test out hand loads for the first time.

I loaded the 40 gr V-Max over varget, 6 shots and over RL15, 6 shots after a couple worked up of each for pressure testing.

Varget, 6 shots .5"

RL15, 6 shots .75 but it did have a .25 flier to screw up what would of been a .5"

All 4 ladder loads were shot at the same taget, .5"

So I can only say...SAKO VARMINT!!:D
 
BIGREDD said:
I'm sick of caliber vs caliber... lets see how the manufacturers measure against one another.

Why is one a better choice than the other? What did or would you buy and why?
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I have gone down this road many many times and agree with you fully, it's high time we pay more attention to the gun instead of the caliber. How often are we caught up with the decision on what caliber to buy but the guns hardly ever change or if they do its maybe a slightly longer or shorter barrrel or some other minor modification. And I say this knowing full well that I own a few different calibers in the same model gun! For instance we go and buy a snappy 25-06 and it is chambered in the exact same configuration as a 30-06, same action length, barrel contour and stock proportions, some manufacturers even chamber short cartridges like the 308 in the exact same action length as the 30-06, the Tikka T3 for example doesn't make a short action, that just doesn't make sense to me! In my books a short cartridge should have the properly configured rifle to go along with it. This is why I think the Kimber has it all over the other companies when it comes to choices. They did their homework and are reaping the rewards with fantastic sales of their 84 and 8400 models, the new long actions I predict will as well liked as their shorter rifles, I for one was not in the market for another 300 Magnum until I picked up and shot my buddies 8400 Kimber, I didn't think it was the greates rifle for shooting at the range all day long due to its weight and proportions but I did think it was one of the best HUNITING rifles I have held in a long time. I have plenty of rifles but none come close to the light fast handling magnum power that Kimber has managed to squeeze into that package and the standard model 84 is even lighter. The only other rifle that comes to mind that offered this was the Ultra Light Arms but I think at more than twice the price of the Kimber and also it being a push feed it wouldn't hold a candle to the kimber, IMO.
On a side note the Kimbers 3 position safety is just like the Winchesters, it works by pulling the firing pin back and is a very superior design to the Sako that is actually a Trigger safety, much more complicated and not as secure as a true firing pin safety, more parts is equal to potentialy more problems, IMHO. The Winchester in my books still has the safest trigger and safety along with the original M98.

bigbull
 
In my books a short cartridge should have the properly configured rifle to go along with it. This is why I think the Kimber has it all over the other companies when it comes to choices.
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Over the Sako you say? Sako comes in 5 action lengths. No other company comes close to this kind of precision fit the the calibre.

This is a Sako vrs. Kimber thread. Surprised you over looked that detail.;)
 
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