Hey guys, need some opinions on this one. Ive been looking for a beginner setup for long range prs style shooting. I thought i had my choice narrowed down to either the tikka tac a1 or the Bergara hmr pro. I stopped by the local gunshop to see if they had either of these rifles in stock so i could handle both before throwing down the money for one. unfortunately they had neither. However they did have a new Sako A7 roughtech long range in 6.5 creedmoor sitting there. Everything about the gun felt right. The stock seemed sturdy, the trigger was light and crisp, and the action was like butter. The only bad thing i saw about it was the crappy 3 round factory magazines. However, upon further research when i got home i discovered CDI is making bottom metal for these so that solves the magazine issue. I already have a Steiner 4x16x50 in tps rings ready to go. So scope mount, bipod, and cdi bottom metal and it seems like a legit setup. Would there be any major reason to steer myself back to my original course, or should i go for it? by the way, the price on the Sako was 999.00. Thanks in advance.
- Thread starter jsel10
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I have yet to own a Sako that wasn’t a shooter. Three A7’s, one in 25-06 and two in 7mag. I have the exact rifle that you were looking at in 7mag but haven’t shot it yet as I am waiting on a new ATACR. Put a Lil Bastard break on it. Tikka is good....Sako is better IMO. 
Most accurate rifle out of the box for the price with a butter action?
I have not had a A7 but i did have a 75 standard wood stocked model in 30-06. Was a reliable 1" or better gun with good hunting rounds. Smoothest bolt operation i have ever shot has been on sako.
I dont think you can go wrong with any of them.
I dont think you can go wrong with any of them.
A7 LR is a jack of all trades - master of none. Great for extended range hunting and plinking.
Compared to the TAC A1, the A7 is lighter weight, non-adj cheek, non-folder without arguable magazine advantage (compact 10rd, OAL+) and provisions to add QD rails, stops, NV bridge, etc.
If money is the issue, get a CTR and see if LR is really your bag. If no, easy to sell it. If yes a stock/chassis upgrade is easy but not any cheaper than the TAC A1 package.
Compared to the TAC A1, the A7 is lighter weight, non-adj cheek, non-folder without arguable magazine advantage (compact 10rd, OAL+) and provisions to add QD rails, stops, NV bridge, etc.
If money is the issue, get a CTR and see if LR is really your bag. If no, easy to sell it. If yes a stock/chassis upgrade is easy but not any cheaper than the TAC A1 package.
Had an 85 in 243 that I wish I had never sold. Beautiful wood stock and .25 at 100yrds with bring regularity.?
So I decided to pick up the sako, and I have to say I'm pretty happy so far. I picked it up on Tuesday and was able to get to put some rounds through it today (Don't mind the bird shit on the shooting bench, it's the first time out this year and I had nothing to cover it up with lol). I had one box of Hornady 140 grn eld match, and one box of nosler 140 grn hpbt. 5 shot group is the hornady. I decided to finish off the box of noslers with the 8 shot group (keep in mind I'm a beginner). I think with some more time behind the rifle, a trigger adjustment, and some hand loads those groups will tighten right up. Looking forward to learning the precision game.
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Nice ride amigo? Only thing different is the brake compared to mine. Is that a 360 degree discharge for the brake? Only a problem when shooting prone in dusty conditions if so. Is that cheek piece one you installed after the fact and did you buy it on line? Might be interested in one myself. Your gonna love the rifle as I can’t seem to get away from them. For the price there is just not a better rifle out there and if they make a chassis for a Tikka you can bet they make one for a Sako? waiting on my ATACR to show up first of next month, get it paid for and then save up for an Atlas. Once that’s done on to a chassis. I would argue with anyone that for the price point your not going to find a smoother action or more accurate rifle.?
In my initial post is see that I typed in $999 for cost.....it was 799. Throw $1000 at a nice chassis and you have a superior precision rifle than the Tac A1 for about the same price IMHO.
Sorry that was your 999..... my bad?
Wouldn’t help me with my 7mag but it would jisel10? Thanks for the info as I will end up with a 6.5 Sako before it’s all said and done. Probably end up going local with an A5 McMillan for my 7mag unless there was a chassis for long action that struck my fancy.
Man, where did you find yours for 799? I thought mine was a good deal, now I'm jealous! The cheek riser is a Bradley adjustable cheek rest. It stays put and is pretty sturdy. The muzzle brake is a 360° design. I didn't try shooting without it yet so I can't say how much it reduced recoil. Also, I talked to Jeff at CDI yesterday and am shipping the rifle to them tomorrow.
Sportsman’s Warehouse in Phoenix but mine did not come with a brake. Paid 315 for smith and little bastard brake so yours was a good deal. Watch them and Cabellas after Christmas for deals on rifles and they have an online presence.
I have an A7 in 300 Win Mag with a Zeiss Conquest MC 6.5-20x50. I haven't shot it much but it does very well. At some point I'll get around to load development for it.
I added an American Precision Arms Gen 1 Little Bastard brake.
I added an American Precision Arms Gen 1 Little Bastard brake.
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I have a 300 RUM and thinking about swapping out the barrel and thought about clambering to a win mag but can’t break away from the extra horse power with 200 grain+ bullets with high BC. Almost bought the same gun you did but went 7mag instead. You will definately enjoy the Sako?
Hey guys question for you. I just picked up a Sako A7 Long Range in 308 to really make a step in getting serious about long range shooting. I was curious about getting a chassis system, but after google searching I cannot seem to find a chassis system for the Sako. Is there really not a company that makes them? Also what bipod would you guys recommend? I am pretty new to the long range shooting, so any advice would be awesome! I have been listening to the everyday sniper podcast so I am learning. But far from a professional.
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McMillan makes an A5 for it I but I haven’t picked one up yet. GG&G makes a bipod adapter that comes with the screws you need to use an Atlas of your choice. This was a 25-06 that I threw a Krieger on and chambered to a 6.5-284 and love it. Damn hard to beat a Sako action for the money spent on an A7.
yea honestly I want more for hunting! But I am really wanting a chassis to set this one up for shooting long range. Does anyone have one in 308? Willing to share any load data that worked great for you??
I've got one in 308. I've got a Caldwell sling stud adapter and a UTG Pro TBNR bipod and the fore-end seems to be touching the barrel, I can barely get a sheet of paper between them. Should I worry about accuracy in this case? I haven't tried it out yet since I got the bipod, I was shooting it off sandbags until now.
RNWRKNP, the sling stud to pic adapter seems quite long on yours(covers both sling studs), is it this one https://www.gggaz.com/swivel-stud-to-picatinny-rail-adapter.html ?
RNWRKNP, the sling stud to pic adapter seems quite long on yours(covers both sling studs), is it this one https://www.gggaz.com/swivel-stud-to-picatinny-rail-adapter.html ?
Replied to your PM and note that GGG comes with proper screws and Seekins doesn’t come with any screws....For everybody’s benefit, the one that I use is the PSS GGG-1246 and picks up both studs for stability. I use it on 2 A7’s in conjunction with an Atlas without issue.
Tactical Bipod Adapters | GG&G Tactical Accessories
Our Bipod Adapters are built to the high standards that all GG&G American Made products are proudly known for.
www.gggaz.com When the pic rail adapter with the bipod sits on the front sling stud, I can't get a paper to slide between the forearm and the barrel. I had to move it to the other sling stud and now it's better.
So then having a pic rail covering both slings studs should add stability to it I'm thinking. Not entirely clear how it works, did you have to unscrew the sling studs? Or you remove them and add new screws from the inside of the stock?
So the engineers designed this for hunting but marketers said "naaah, it will be fine at a range too, bipods will work with no issues"? Ugh, it keeps bothering me, although I haven't started shooting it properly yet. Thinking of a McMillan A5 and a CDI bottom metal for bigger capacity magazines, although being in Canada might not be that easy or cheap. Or just get another rifle in 6.5 maybe and a chassis.
Another thing is I bought an oversized knob from https://www.boltknobs.com/bolt-handles/sako-a7/ but can't remove the factory one for the life of me! I haven't tried heating it with a blowtorch though. Put a Sako factory slim muzzle and replaced the plastic bolt shroud with a metal one. I put a bit of an effort into this so I want to make this work
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GG&G will come with replacement screws for the sling stud screws that you are going to remove from the stock. Small Allen through the eye of the sling stud and counter clock (from memory) the sling stud right out. I put a lot of pressure forward on the bipod and haven’t had a problem so I don’t expect you will. ?
Yeah, when I load the bipod then the barrel is freefloated properly. Will test it this weekend hopefully!
I was actually referring to the stress applied to the bipod adaptor without an issue of the adaptor coming away from the forearm. I suppose its possible that the forward pressure could pull the forearm away from the barrel but a different stock or opening up the existing barrel channel is probably the better bet amigo? For me, following the advice of some of the fellas here on the site, watching a few videos of a certain somebody with the way they shoot (Lowlight) and a pile of dry fire practice I’m improving. Turns out that fixing my dumb ass behind the rifle was just as important as fixing the rifle?
