Browning, Tikka or Sako in .338 Win Mag??

I am finally getting down to business about buying a .338 win mag. I am defintely choosing a stainless synthetic instead of wood for this rifle. I am trying to decide between a Browning A-Bolt, Tikka or Sako. Cost is not really a factor, I am just trying to decide which would be more accuracte in a .338. I currently have a Browning A-Bolt in 7mm which has great accuracy. Also, I noticed the Tikka is quite light in this calibre.......less than 7 pounds in fact, which I assume could result in a significant kick from the .338. Then there is the Sako. I looked at one of the new Sako 85's the other day and am not sure if I like the new look?? Besides, the store didn't have the Sako 85's in .338 win mag yet....and no Sako 75's left.

In all honesty, I would prefer to go with the Browning, since I am so familiar with it already, but since the .338 win mag is not known for the pinpoint accuracy of say a .270 WSM, I was thinking the Sako or Tikka may give me the advantage from an accuracy standpoint.

Another thought that went through my head was, go with the Browning, and if the accuracy isn't quite there, spend a few hundred bucks at the gunsmith for fine tuning. The price may end up being the same, but I get the rifle I'm comfortable with.

Thanks in Advance.

Any of the 3 guns will be equally as accurate as the other if you find the bullet that the gun likes and shoot it confidently. I'd personally choose the one that you like the most and the one you're most comfortable with. If I was buying a 338, I'd be buying a Win Model 70 personally.....

I agree with Trev. And I have a 338 in model 70 Win. I had a ruger in 338 but there was just something about it that I didn't like so I traded it for the model 70 and haven't looked back.

2 votes for the Model 70 Win......hmmmm......never actually considered that one. What is about this rifle that you guys like so much?

Huntnut: what kind of groupings are you getting?

The one thing I like about the Model 70 is the beauty action....controlled round feed and very slick. They are solid performers and hard to beat.

The Kimber would be my second choice, as they are amazing firearms from what I've handled.

Its all personal preference really, but dont worry much about a certain rifle being 'accurate' out of the box as any rifle can be made to shoot and the right load can be found most times quite easily...

Jonesy
I get 3/4 inch groups with my 225 accubond handloads. The gun is 100% stock except for adjusting the trigger pull. Like Rackmaster said the actions are great.

I have 3 .338 in the gun cabinet, two are model 70s and the third is a Encore Pro Hunter. All very accurate and reliable. You can't go wrong with these guns.

Ya, ive heard and read lots on the caliber. Never shot it. To my understanding, prob one of the best all around western big game calibers. Plan to build one custom rig, and even in light of the new supermag craze, I think it would be a nice fit for me.

tikka tikka tikka

Its been one of the cartridges that I've though about building for a long time now.....I think its a great elk/bear/moose gun....just gotta fill the cabinet with one sometime!

I would choose the sako if cost is not a factor.If accuracy is a concern,all sako rifles must shoot a 5 shot 1" group at 100 yards before being sold.

tikka

I just bought a T3 light in 338 and had a camo T3 stainless stock put on it, leupold 3x9 ultra light scope, Tally rings/bases, and a muzzle break.






It sure shoots nice and carries light.

That Tikka is a beauty.

Browning rifles, Remington shotguns, Cooey 22's. Can't beat'em. Since you're partial to Browning, I'd stick with that. I've had a couple other breeds of rifles over the years, always ended up trading them off on a browning; the browning's just seem to "fit" better.

if it werent for the browning magazine system i would recomend the browning but i despise the mag. other than the mag. they are fairly good rifles

That flip down plate/clip on the a-bolts is definitely kind of an odd thing.
The BLR's have a straight clip. 4 shells, 3 on mags. and larger calibers.

if it werent for the browning magazine system i would recomend the browning but i despise the mag.

I also find the a-bolt mag system to be slow and overly complicated compared to other detachable mag systems.

thats why i bought the tikka, i found a brand new a-bolt varmint thingy at wholesale in edmonton and had to drive to bashaw to get a gun that had the features i wanted

My first pick is definately the Sako m75 SS or Grey Wolf model, then would be the Tikka T3 in the LS model. I think the Tikka T# in the SS lite model would be a real hard kicking rifle. I know a few people that bought that model and traded it of for the LS model for a bit heavier stock.

Sako and Tikka rifles are great shooters.
I own a few of both, and sure do love them. If $$$ not a question, go Sako, you will not regret it.

The 338 is great but depending on how you handle recoil I would look at a heavier than a lightweight rifle in that caliber. I am getting rid of my Tikka Whitetail Hunter in 338 due to it being too nasty to me off the bench. My 300 RUM in a Sako which is about a pound and a half heavier is not nearly as bad.

Look here to compare recoil:
www.accuratereloading.com/recoil.html

All I own is Browning . Never had any problems. I love the Bolt system. I for one think that the hinge for plate is quite simple to use.

Browning Simply the Best, Out shooting the rest!


Pin

Pintail - I too have never had an issue with the floor plate on the Browning. Nice thing is it can never fall out on the ground.

I agree with most comments the Tikka is too light for the .338. So, it is between Sako 85 and Browning. Still doing my research.

Thanks for all the comments.

I have a .338 in the Remington XCR. Love the gun! Shoots 250gr Nosler partitions @ 2753fps (chrony) into 1".
I tried 210 Noslers,210 Swift,225 Accubond and I could not get a load to shoot under 1-3/4". The gun I have seems to like the heavier bullets.
Had great luck with Hornady 250gr interlock and Nosler Partions 250gr right off the get go.

As for recoil, Simms Vibration Lab. makes a recoil pad that will fit on the Tikka rifles. This is the same as the R3 that is on the Remington rifles. This pad reduces recoil to up to 30%! It's true, I own one for every gun I have including 2 muzzleloaders!

$35-40 bucks will get you one of these. It's worth a try, you'll take a @#%$ kicking trading off a gun these days.

By the way, Remington makes one hell of a gun in the XCR. Fits great, shoots accurate and is very reliable.

I shot my buddies 338 Tikka on a moose hunt last fall and it was the hardest punch i have taken since that grade 6 bully tried to render me unconscious and steal my lunch money.:lol :lol :lol