Greetings from Jay Mann

[Jaymann]

Hello All,
my name is Jay. I am new to the forum and shooting sports.

I
recently purchased an Sako 85 M finnlight 30.06. i use low optilock rings and the scope is Sawrovski Z6i 1.7-10X42.

I use Sako superhammerhead 180 and 150gr bullets and i get .5 inch group at 50 yards and 3 inch group at 100 yards.

I am here to get some help with chosing the best ammunition for better accuracy. so any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks !!
Jay

 

[David_S]

Hi Jay, welcome to SCC. Nice rifle and scope. There are some very knowledgeable members here but most are more interested in the older classic Sakos than in the newer models so you may not get a lot of response to your queries.

I have two 85 Finnlights (both with Swarovskis) and a 75 Finnlight and find them well suited to my hunting which involves a lot of walking and climbing. However I found the Finnlights not the easiest to shoot at first because of their light weight - they tend to be a bit frisky! And I suspect your 30-06 may be the same.

Certainly your rifle/scope combination should group better than 3" at 100 yds (and I admire your honesty in admitting a 3" group). But something is not right with a 0.5" group at 50yds and 3" at 100yds. Other things being equal you would expect that 0.5" at 50yds to be 1" at 100yds.

Sako give a 5 shot 1" group guarantee with the 85s but don't say what ammo they used! But a 3-shot 1"group is a reasonable expectation for these rifles.

At the risk of stating the obvious three main factors affect accuracy - the rifle, the ammo and the shooter. Here are some basic things to consider,

The rifle: Check the action and scope screws for tightness, check the barrel is free-floating. Clean the barrel thoroughly with Boretech or similar. These finnlights heat up quickly so allow the barrel to cool between groups. To reduce felt recoil you can fit a thicker recoil pad or even a brake, though brakes can be a bit controversial. Adjust the trigger to a sensible light, but safe, weight.

The ammo Best accuracy for any rifle is usually obtained with handloads. With factory ammo you just have to "suck it and see" though a good starting point is what others are using in identical rifles. But what works in one may not work in yours.

The shooter: This is probably the key factor. If you have not had much experience shooting try and find an experienced shot who can guide you before you develop bad habits. If you can't find anyone to help, read a good book (I have recommended one in another post.) With the Finnlights here are some things I have found helpful. Shoot over sandbags (not a gunsled), use a sling and hold the fore-end firmly (if you use the "crossed arm" technique finnlights will jump all over the place), maintain a good consistent cheek weld, minimize movement and position changes between the shots of a group etc.

If you are not sure whether it is you, the load or your rifle, have someone else shoot your rifle, and if you have the opportunity to fire a known accurate rifle grab it and see if you can achieve similar accuracy.

The great thing about shooting is that there is always something new to learn, always room for improvement, and just when you think you have it nailed you relax and your groups blow out or you miss that sitter! - David

 

[Jaymann]

thank you so much David !!