Thread: Advise re Finnlight

Hi Guys

I currently have a Sako 75 in 243. Lots I love about it, fits me really well and shoots better than me. Stock is a bit worn, normal scratches but rubber inserts in good shape. On the downside it is a tad on the heavy side for carting round, but its weight helps me shoot it well.

Sooooooo...I popped into H and F and tried a Finnlight. Lots to like, felt good, pointed well, its a sako! Weight seemed a lot less than the 75. LOP seemed a bit shorter than the 75, palm swell not as prominent either.

Before my 75 I owned a Remington Model 7 in 7mm08. I liked the weight but I did not like its accuray, also it did not fit me as well as the 75.

I have never shot with a can, thinking the extra weight on a Finnlight wont kill me, and may help with accuracy. If i decide to change I am thinking 308.

I am going to try them side by side to see if that helps clarify my thinking, thought I would ask here and see if any body had any thoughts? Anything I should be thinking about?

Cheers

Dino

270wsm might be the way to go. What kind of supressor are you thinking? some really can effect POI and accuracy. I saw a 6 inch shift down plus a 40% reduction in group size at 100m (my good mates trip to the range yesterday)

[QUOTE=. I saw a 6 inch shift down plus a 40% reduction in group size at 100m (my good mates trip to the range yesterday)[/QUOTE]

Sorry guys noob question here, is the 6 inch change in POI due to velocity loss, that seems a big change.

I am not worried about LR, but would like to be effective out to 300m.

It's due to an off centre suppressor, a heavy suppressor, or a sprung over barrel suppressor

Thanks Tussock

Was also thinking the extra weight and being muzzle fwd would assist with freehand shots. I hunt the bush a bit so fast on target and then steady for shot is what I am hoping for.

Dino

A suppressor may negatively effect group size if it's badly made and/or installed.

I don't believe that a heavier barrel actually makes it easier to shoot offhand. That's 'conventional wisdom' that goes contrary to logic. Every wobble of the muzzle will have more force than a lighter barrel and be harder to stop. Harder to start wobbling from completely stationary, but it's not possible to hold a rifle completely stationary. Off a rest heavy easier to shoot, yes. Offhand, I don't believe it. Maybe I'll do a test with my heavy barreled rifle and my light one. Or add weights to the muzzle of the same rifle and shoot a selection of groups to test.

A BALANCED rifle that fits is more important than weight for offhand or improvised rest shooting.
If you dont shorten the barrel you will actually get a gain in velocity with a suppressor.
Lower impact is more due to the weight hanging of the end of the barrel.( which is irrelevant if you plan to shoot with it on)
308 or anything else 6mm and above will do everything you want it to.
If you plan to bush hunt the finlight with suppressor on I would be chopping at least 2 inch of the 20" barrel

The perceived length of pull somehow depends on the balance. A friend has a finnlite, which is in every dimension identical to my 85 but has a shorter, fluted barrel. His one feels shorter in the pull. I think it's something to do with where I hold the foreend.

If the finnlite stock is the old model with the "detachable" cheekpiece with grooves around, forget it. Water gets in if you use it for a walking stick in a river. If its the new soft touch with continuous molded cheekpiece that, should be better.

I'm in the conventional wisdom camp of the long barrel being easier to shoot offhand. That's my experience with a very shortened .22. An explanation is that barrel movement depends on angular acceleration, which is determined by the perturbing force (mostly from your left hand, errors in trying to bring the sights back on line, or wind buffeting) divided by the angular moment of inertia (the mass of each inch of the rifle x the distance from the center of rotation ie the butt). The moment of inertia is more for a long slender barrel with a weight on the end, while a short fat barrel is just hard to hold up. If the rifle is very heavy overall, you need to use larger muscle fibers to lift it and these contract intermittently causing a tremor, which could be relatively greater with a heavier weight. For light weight, fine work you have more numbers of small fibres, which can be controlled more smoothly. Try holding a 10 kg weight at arms length compared to a ballpoint pen. In the end, Gimp is right to suggest trying it out and shooting a few targets. Shooting for score might be more sensitive than group size. In the bush, a short barrel wins out over long despite any minor loss of offhand stability.

Originally Posted by gimp

It's due to an off centre suppressor, a heavy suppressor, or a sprung over barrel suppressor

Hit the nail on the head there Gimp

Cheers guys

Tried them side by side today and decided to keep the 75. Fit and balance are great that's why I like it so much, just have to put up with the weight(9 13/16 lbs, no ammo or sling!)

Cheers

Dino

Ask Ginga. He just put one on his 243 Sako 75 (McMillan EDGE Tech). 7 and a bit pound all up IIRC

He likes it.

A lot.

Thats quite light James, my 85 7mm08 Finnlight ST is exactly 3 kg all up with scope etc. So that 75 would be really nice to use.

Have been thinking about a McMillan or a senator, anyone have an update on how senator are coming with a 75 stock replacement?

By going to a light weight stock am worried that the balance I have now will change to more weight forward, any comments from folks that have done this would be good, hard to drop 1k on a stock if you not sure how it will pan out.

If anyone has replaced stock with light weight version have you also shortened barrel to compensate? My limited logic/knowledge tells me this could be a backup plan if I need to rebalance the rifle, could also ditch another few grams...lol

Cheers

Dino

Go to Senators stocks facebook page ,they have photo's of the sako 85 stock and there S1 Tac stock ,he is working on the sako 75 stock it will take some time ..

My McMillan Sako 75/EDGE is the best $685 I've spent.