TRG-22/42

dylanthomas

Hi lads and ladies,

A friend of mine is interested in one of these. He's not sure whether to go down the 300 mag route or 308. Does anyone have any experience with either of these good or bad. Also any information of who would possibly have either in stock if at all would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Cass

Ardee sports are the main importers of Sako into the country. If you cannot find a dealer with one in stock ring them and ask if they have some in stock or how long it would take to bring one in.

I used the .308 for target work and could not fault it. Was too heavy for hunting but this was never really going to be an option for me with this rifle. The array/variety of bullets for .308 is great, plus target specific rounds can be got easily and cheaply for the .308.

I have never owned a .300 WM but i know if you compete in competition with it you would be up against 6mm, 7mm, 8mm, 6.5x.284 rifles that are desined purely for target work and would probably shoot the pants of a TRG regardless of calibre.

If i had to choose i would go for the .308 as bullets are more readily available and as the calibre is common and alot of lads shoot the TRG in .308 you will have alot of shooters to bounce ideas off, trade info with.

dylanthomas

Thanks for the reply ezridax. I shoot a 308 myself (just hunting) and gave him some of the low down on that. Another friend of mine shoots a 300 so i guess that's probably where the interest in that came about.

Interesting to note your observations on the 300 though. Is it not a popular calibre for target work?

Also I would know very little about the target shooting world but I would be interested to know what it's limitations are,as my forementioned friends 300 seems to be an extremely accurate rifle (well to me anyway).

Cass

Hey dylan,

My observations about the .300 are just observations. The round is popular for hunting and target work alike. The .308 is a more popular round worldwide, so manufacturers are more likely to mass produce bullets and gear directed towards this calibre. Not to say the .300 is bad, i wouldn't comment on something i know little about from a practical end.

I thought of going 6.5x284 myself some months ago, but when i heard of the limitations of bullets here and the cost of importing ammo, barrels etc i thought this is a road i don't want to go down. I enjoy my target work but the .308 gives me the freedom to compete seriously but also shoot away for the sport of it. The .300 (if i'm not mistaken) is the same as the 6.5x284/7mm. It is outside the .308 calibre range for FTR shooting so would be lumped into the F-class and to compete against custom rifles, with custom barrels/ammo and more importantly 30" barrels the TRG would be at a loss.

For hunting purposes the TRG in .300 or .308 would be almost the same. Both are well capable of quick/humane killing at long or short distances. The variety of hunting ammo would also be the same. The draw back would be the weight of the rifle. With scope and bipod you are looking at 14lb+. Kinda heavy when a lighter more hunter styled rifle would do the same job in either calibre (.300 or .308).

I would hope someone with a .300 target rifle will come along and give more info on bullets, gear, rifles, costs, etc.

dylanthomas

Ah ha so its basically down to barrel length rather than a problem with the cartridge plus belonging in a different class. So can the TRG in 308 cut it at a reasonable level of target shooting or will it suffer alsodue to its barrel length.

Thanks for your time answering these questions by the way ezridax.

Cass

I used the TRG 22 in .308 and won the comps i entered. At 600 to 800 yds the rifle will hold its own and shoot excellently. The thing i later discovered and the reason i changed (among others) was i wanted a pure target rifle (as in suitable for target work only) that would not cost alot but left me with the essentials for target shooting and the options for customising at a later date. Similar topics were covered in this thread http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055826603 .

All short barrel rifles will suffer at longer distances. They will shoot the distance without question, but will require extra work to attain the consistancy and repeatable results a rifle with a 30" barrel can achieve at half the work load. (if that makes sense)

The calibres are so alike that there is little to seperate them but as the .308 is more popular (worldwide) a more varied ammo pool is available and the thing to target shooting (for me) is enjoyment/fun with little to no hassle and the .308 provides this.

To give you another view. I use HPS target ammo imnported from the UK. They are without question the best ammo available. As .308 is so popular i can order hundreds of rounds for less than half the price of similar rounds here. When i asked about the 6.5x55 rounds i was told they needed my rifle to do batch testing, then the bullets would cost more as the brass for then is not as common to come by. This may or may not be the case with the .300 but when you know for a fact that .308 is readily available why put yourself through the (possible) grief.

Plus as i mentioned before i know 4-6 lads using the Sako in .308 and when i started using the TRG i could turn to these lads for information about bullet choice, bullet drop, technique, etc. 99% was applicable to me as 3 of them had the same scopes. Its the same now with my Savage. A few lads are using them so i turn to them for pointers and help when needed. I only know of one lad using a .300 for target work but he has a custom stock (ACIS i think) and 30" barrel. Well able for the shooting but not allowed into FTR shooting (.308 or .223 only) and may not be up to the standard of the F-Class lads so ineffect he would be "in limbo" .

Hartman

The waiting time for one of these new will be at least a couple of months unless Ardee had back orders in but I was told they hadn't. You could import one from the UK if you had a dealer willing to do it.

There was a 2nd hand one in Stakelums a while back, Black TRG22

Hezz700

I seen one in Atlantic shooting and fishing a few weeks back, chambered in .338 lapua. it might be worth giving Sean a bell.

BELOWaverageIQ

Hezz700 wrote: »

I seen one in Atlantic shooting and fishing a few weeks back, chambered in .338 lapua. it might be worth giving Sean a bell.

That .338 is still there, I think it's the owners own gun so wether it's for sale or not I don't know.
I think I seen one up in Jim Griffins in Rahan in .308
A custom .308 build is another rout you could consider, that's what I did for not tooooooo much extra €€€ over the Sako

freddieot

Worth considering that the 338, unlike the 308 and 300mag, is a restricted calibre. Also, ammo won't be cheap - not that any of it is anyway unfortunately..

Cass

BELOWaverageIQ wrote: »

........A custom .308 build is another rout you could consider, that's what I did for not tooooooo much extra €€€ over the Sako

+1

This would be a good option. Put it another way. The Sako TRG is roughly €3,500, a decent scope (N-force/S&B/Swaro) running at €1800, rings, mounts, bipod, picatinny rail and you are looking at little to no change out of €6,000. (These are all new prices)

For that money you could definitely go the custom route and design a rifle to suit your every need/whim. Food for thought.

BELOWaverageIQ

Remington 700 action in .308
bluebrinted bolt
30" 5 grove walther barrell with a 1:12 twist
Accuracy International stage 1.5 stock
Jewel trigger
one piece N.F. 20* mount
8-32x56 NXS
and bobs your uncle....

sharky0922

BELOWaverageIQ wrote: »

Remington 700 action in .308
bluebrinted bolt
30" 5 grove walther barrell with a 1:12 twist
Accuracy International stage 1.5 stock
Jewel trigger
one piece N.F. 20* mount
8-32x56 NXS
and bobs your uncle....

actually i was thinking about changing trigger, any idea where i can get one?
ireland/europe?

BELOWaverageIQ

sharky0922 wrote: »

actually i was thinking about changing trigger, any idea where i can get one?
ireland/europe?

John Greene
southern rifle and optics
kilmacow
county Kilkenny
(051) 881 943