So after reading it it helped me (at least) to narrow down what I wanted and why. I opted for a Sako Quad because apart from the quality I liked the idea of 4 calibers in one package, THEN the announcement and all the hype surrounding the 17WSM hit the news, after a bit of research on it, trajectories, price of ammo etc it really appealed to me also and helped create doubt in what I really wanted, that all all the talk about Lithgow making rifles again didn't help either.
Sako, first saw a Sako when I lived in Tassie, it was a mates father who had left it to his son, I don't remember what model just that his father had bought it with him when he emigrated to Tassie from Finland over 25 yrs ago. It was old but felt smooth as silk to operate and looked not long out of a shop it was in such good condition. It is still in one piece but is now deactivated for all time after you know what happened in Tassie and my mate rather then see it destroyed opted for keeping it as a reminder.
Lithgow, An Australian company and like the thought of owning an Aussie product, it appears from what I have read that they took into account what a lot of shooters said at the shows the prototype was displayed, of course how, and how well it's made will still be up to the bean counters to get max profit out of it but when it hits the shelves even though it's tupperware should be a good option.
17WSM, a mate in the US bought one and thought it had potential, after some extractor issues after it had been sent back for repair his LGS finally gave him his money back. We had even discussed that he would buy me one with me paying for it, he would then sell it second hand for $99.00 to get under the limit they have over there and have his LGS sent it to my LGS with the receipt for $99.00 for customs reasons. But after his problems I decided to give it a miss, plus we both weren't sure how legal that would have been anyway.
So three options and still no rifle
Well the Sako got me thinking, 4 barrels, 22lr 22WMRF, 17 HMR & 17 Mach 2, haven't seen or read much about the Mk2 but gee the round looks small. Too much time not owning a rifle gave me too much time to think.The 17 WSM round appears to be similar in size to the 22 WMRF but about 4 mm longer and produces approx 5000 ft lbs more pressure, could I get the Sako 17 mk 2 barrel re-chambered to suit the new round? Would the barrel be strong enough for the extra pressure? Would the round fit through the feed opening at the bottom? What about a magazine? All these questions to put to a gunsmith. Safety was the only non-negotiable option I had, the rest could be done as anything can be done. As the ammo is so far away from hitting the shelves it gave a long lead time to attempt this. So in the interim I started looking further into distance and trajectory and hitting power which lead me to the 223 remington rifles, viewed a number of youtube videos both on shooting and reloading and hunting and have decided that this will be my first rifle, suitable for bunnies and wild dogs in the area. Depending on twist rate I can punch out the following weights
in projectiles and can reload them, something I can't do with rimfire.
Barrel Twist Rate 1:14" 1:12" 1:9" 1:8" 1:7" or 1:6.5"
Max Bullet Weight 55gr FB 65gr FB 73gr BT 80gr BT 90gr BT VLD
So the pennies are being put away for a Sako 85 VARMINT LAMINATED STAINLESS in 223, that will be my first rifle, as for the 22lr decision well that will be the Lithgow when it gets released I reckon I've got my bases covered with the 223 for what is available in my immediate area with the 22 as a plinker come rabbit/dog guns when in short range.
Sorry for the long post but that's just the way I am
