Montana X2 or Sako Finnlight
 

Same caliber (6.5x55) but I think the Montana is a few ounces heavier. Looking for a pack all day rifle, max 250 m shooting, will be topped with a Zeiss scope. Hoping for minimal weight - maximum performance. Any personal likes or dislikes?

A little unrelated but...

More money but cooper has the timberline coming out in a month... or so.. supposed to be about 6.5 or 6.75lbs.

Model 52 with their own carbon fiber stock basically....

Also for light you could look at the barret fieldcraft in 6.5x55.

I'm waiting to see these before I buy a new rifle.

I own a Finnlight and like it. Never handled a Montana X2 but looked at it online. From what I am reading I like the Montana's stock a lot better. The Finnlight feels sort of rubbery, Tupperware-ish, and I can find no info on it. If it was really top grade they would tell you. Features I DO like on the Finnlight over the Montana are the removable magazine, and it's lightness. Montana three position safety versus Finnlight's two position with extra bolt release pretty much ends up the same. The Finnlight's safety is pretty easy to operate swiftly and quietly. Finnlight action is silky smooth. Montana is less expensive. I'd just handle them both. I don't think you can go wrong with either.

Love my finnlight, shoots great, and easy to carry

I'll chime in here. I've never owned a Montana X2 but I have owned a couple Sako Finnlites and a Kimber Montana, which looks a lot like the Montana X2.

The Finnlite is a nice rifle, top notch fit and finish, smooth bolt and fairly accurate. The stock design sucks and I don't like the plastic. They seem finicky when developing an accurate load.

The Kimber Montana is a really nice rifle imo. Controlled round feed, 3 position safety, accurate, and one of the best stocks on the market in both design and material. The cons I found were too light of contour on the barrel. If I was shooting groups with letting it cool between shots it would always group the first 2 shots in one hole then throw the third off a bit. Not really a big deal if you make the first two shots count, or if your shooting a 400yds or less. The second con I found was when it was new the feed rails had sharp edges from factory machining. A little bit of filing with a diamond edge file and it was smooth as butter.

Personally I can't justify the premium paid for the Sako. I like the Cooper but I've only owned the Cooper Jackson so I can't speak for the Edge.

If it were me I'd probably get a Kimber or the Montana, maybe even the Barrett Fieldcraft, and if you wanted to spend a little more the Cooper. I'm just not into the Finnlite anymore.

Montana Rifle Co has a big problem with their rifles being heavier than advertised. Lots of threads on 24 hr Campfire about this. They are solid rifles, but they ARE NOT LIGHTWEIGHT:)

FYI- Barret Feildcraft is $2400-$2500 at Wolverine Supplies. I think they have a 270 win in stock.


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The Kimber Montana and the X2 are nothing alike.

The Sako is a starting point
 

I've had an AV in 6.5x55 for several years; so have some idea of the Sako quality. But it is too heavy for want I have in mind which lead me to the finnlight. Seems like there are options - but a light handling rifle is number one on the list, with the caliber of choice. Alternative thought - rework existing Sako; recontour the barrel and drop it into a Brown Precision stock. Any smiths out there that can do the metalwork, bead blast and blue? I can do my own bedding and finish.

I have two Finnlights and I love em, 7RM and 260 rem. The 6.5x55 comes in a long action fyi, the 260 comes in a short. You can get a 260 in Canada but you have to special order it, mine took 9 months, buts it's awesome and really light, about 6 lbs but it also has a 20" barrel if that turns you off.


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Lightweight
 

Finnlights are nice guns. Kimber Montana's, imo, and I have owned em both, are nicer guns largely due to the stock.

Montana X2 is not a lightweight option, so take that out of the equation.

Finnlight has removeable mag, Kimber Montana does not.

I feel that the Kimber Hunter and Tikka T3x both offer much, much better value in a relatively lightweight hunting rifle than a Finnlight. Triggers are equally good on both, both have removeable mags, both are lightweight, both have the exact same accuracy guarantee, and both are roughly half the price. If I am missing something, please let me know, but I am giving you good advice (at least I think so):)

Two different rifles
 

I have owned a finnlight in 6.5x55

Pros:

Silky smooth action
Relatively lightweight
Very "ergo", easy to carry and shoulder

Cons:

Issue ejecting spend rounds using low or extra low opitlocks (hit the scope tube and fall back in)
Rubbery stock as someone mentioned
Expensive for what you get (as pervious poster mentioned, a tikka would most likely suffice for half the price)

I currently own an X2 in 280ai

Pros:

Love the stock
3 position safety
Hinged floor plate
Decent fit and finish
Heavier but I find easier to shoot
Ejects spent rounds with gusto
Can use extra low talley's with no issues

Cons:

Heavier
Action rougher than the sako
If paired with a heavier scope could be a bit of nuisance to pack around all day

I'm a Sako fan, so it gets my vote.

IU missed out on a Sako 75ss 6.5x55 last year. Its one that I would add to my safe for sure. Be a great rifle for one of my boys as they get older, that way they don't have to fight over the Sako 75ss 243.

I own both a Finnlight (7-08) and a Kimber Montana (.280AI).

I handload for both, and although I only have had these rifles for a couple of months and a couple years respectively, I have owned them long enough to get to know both pretty well. Here are a few priorities for me, with my impression of each rifle.

Accuracy: Sako was shooting sub MOA with little effort hand loading. Kimber seems to be stuck at 1.5MOA despite many powder/bullet combos that I've tried.
Seating depth for the Kimber was limited by the ejection port, so I have to seat bullets far from the lands to have a loaded cartridge extract. So this may be a limiting factor in accuracy. The Sako's mag allows me to get to within 0.015" of the lands with most bullets. Close enough for me.

Stock: Sako is rubbery and kind of weird. I do like the palm swell and overall stock forend contour more on the Sako. For materials I much prefer the Kimber. So Sako gets the edge on stock design but Kimber for material.

Barrel: Kimber is very thin contour and heats up quickly. 3 shots and then let it cool. Sako takes a few more shots to heat up.

Trigger: Both excellent. I really like the feel of the wide trigger blade on the Kimber.

Loading/Ejecting: Sako is smooth as butter. Kimber is quirky and may need some out of the box work. Like the detachable magazine in the Sako. The blind mag of the Kimber is perfect for multi day mountain hunts, but kind of annoying if used as a deer rifle.

Handling: Both balance well, although the exceptional light weight of the Kimber takes some getting used to. Throw a bipod on the front and the Kimber feels insanely front heavy. The Sako handles a bipod better.

Weight: Kimber I would call ultralight, and Sako I'd call lightweight. Depends on what you're looking for.

Overall: The Kimber Montana is like the girls we want to date in college. Sexy, sleek, and mysterious in a good kind of way at first. But ultimately ends up being quirky, clingy and sort of tiresome.
The Sako is more like the woman I married. Smart, beautiful, and straight up.
Now that the Sako has a load worked up, it's gonna be the one that gets chosen.


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Montana or Sako
 

For smoothness the Sako has it BUT both fit me very differently so go with the 'best fit'. Both will handle the 130 and 140 grain handloads very accurately.

enjoy

The Kimber Montana is not the Montana X2. Completely different company.

What sns2 said. Grab a Tikka T3 in a 6.5x55, and if you want to pimp it out, throw a wildcat stock on it. It will very likely shoot as good as any of them, and maybe even better. It will give you a moderately light weight with good hang factor.

Lol.... just let them go, it's more fun.