Sako is an excellent rifle company from Finland. Their lower-end rifles are made by their Tikka Brand. Sako no longer makes the A7, but it is a great rifle. It has a lightweight composite stock and a stainless threaded barrel. It weighs just 3 kg (roughly 6.61 pounds) with a 620mm barrel (roughly 24.40 inches) in a magnum caliber. The 300 Winchester Magnum is the same size as the 7mm Remington Magnum. The rifle has a removal box magazine that holds 3 rounds. The magazine has special lips that allow you to load it while it is in the rifle which is a really handy feature. I take advantage of this a lot. The rifle is very ergonomic and easy to handle. The bolt is super smooth and easy to throw when you need to cycle the rifle.

The rifle shoots really well. I have found that it really shoots Hornady 162 ELD-X bullets well. I have shot several deer with the rifle with wonderful results. I took a large mature mule deer during the 2019 rifle season with a single offhand shot that went right through his heart at around 80 yards. I have also shot the rifle out to 500 yards several times and been able to hit 10-inch steel plates. While zeroing the rifle I was getting .48-inch 3 shot groups at 100 yards.

There are three big downsides to the rifle. First, they are no longer manufactured which makes them fairly hard to find, but they are awesome if you can find one. Second, extra magazines are really expensive. I find see them new on various websites for $80+ each. I keep hoping to find them cheaper, but I haven’t had any luck in five years of looking for one. The third downside is that the rifle has quite a bit of recoil due to its light weight. The barrel is not threaded so getting a break put on would be major gunsmithing job. I have not needed a break, but I think it could be a great addition to the rifle.

Overall, I would recommend this rifle to anyone looking for a lightweight magnum hunting rifle. It out-performs my shooting abilities. It has handled all of the tests I have put it through. It will be elk hunting with me this fall, and I really looking forward to putting it through that test. I am confident it is up to the task.

-Tim Berges, Fall Obsession Pro Staff