Quote:
Originally Posted by Stinky Coyote
my top picks for a mountain packable rifle in that price range was the sako a7 stainless and the x-bolt stainless stalker, the x-bolt feels a tad more solid but being a previous t3 owner and knowing more about what i was going to get with the a7 i went that way....had i more browning experience etc. i probably would have gone with the x-bolt....it was that close for me...
with the x-bolt and the extra wsm round in the magazine over the tikka/sako, i was very impressed with the x-bolt, first browning i really liked a lot
and if 25-06 is your caliber then i believe they add a couple inches to the barrel length vs the regular standard calibers which is great (i think kimber montana does this also for that caliber)....but the sako/tikka doesn't....something to consider if thats your caliber
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My only complaint about the X-Bolt is that there seems to be a bit of quality control issue with the actions. Some are as smooth as silk and others seem to bind throughout the stroke. I shot one in .325 WSM that was so easy to short stroke when ejecting the spent case that it wasn't funny. All the others I shot seemed fine but I have heard others complain about this as well.
I have to agree that the A7 is pretty hard to beat for an off-the-shelf sheep rifle but that Kimber 84 wins for weight. I just wish it came in a few more calibres but nothing wrong with 7mm08 I guess. I've got an 8400 and it comes in a full pound heavier. I can't see the longer action making that much difference. The T3 and X-Bolt are definitely considerations for lightweight rifles as well as the Remington Ti but man they are expensive.