I like to take each of my Sakos hunting (as they richly deserve), so this weekend I selected my GO Wholesale Sako AV .280 Remington to be the lucky one to accompany on the hunt. I load it with a now-obsolete bullet, but one which performs in an outstanding manner, a Nosler Solid Base (lead tipped) 7mm 150 grain. Velocity is a bit over 3,000 fps and accuracy is excellent. The GO .280, one of 500 of a special run, has a 24.4 inch barrel rather than the 23 inch barrel found on most AV .280's, which of course helps the velocity a bit.
Just like the last hog I took from this same blind about four weeks ago, this one came from across the cotton field angling my direction. I could see that it was likely headed for a corn feeder around 175 yards from me, so I waited patiently as I tracked it with my binocular. As it got closer to the feeder I traded the bino for the rifle and scope, but watched in disappointment as it veered slightly and disappeared behind a sand berm instead of coming to the feeder. However, in just a moment it climbed atop the berm to survey the open field between it and the feeder. The big "Russian-looking" hog stood about 260 yards away, but I had a good rest and not wanting to chance it disappearing again, I sent one of those Noslers over to greet it.
At the impact of the shot I heard it let out a squeal, then take off in a hard run back across the field it came from. I quickly jacked another shell in the chamber and threw one after the fast-moving pig, but it kicked up dust well behind it. Although the distance and the speed of the hog was making another shot something of a Hail Mary, on the next round I held further ahead and a bit higher -- whop!, and the piggy skids to a stop.
I got down from my blind, hiked to it, and when I checked it out and found it to be a rather menacing-looking boar which showed very little domestic parentage. Then I used the laser rangefinder to range back to the blind: Four Hundred yards even! Talk about a Hail Mary! Luck had more to do with it than skill, but still, shooting a Sako makes for some shooting "luck" that many other rifles seem to lack.
Just like the last hog I took from this same blind about four weeks ago, this one came from across the cotton field angling my direction. I could see that it was likely headed for a corn feeder around 175 yards from me, so I waited patiently as I tracked it with my binocular. As it got closer to the feeder I traded the bino for the rifle and scope, but watched in disappointment as it veered slightly and disappeared behind a sand berm instead of coming to the feeder. However, in just a moment it climbed atop the berm to survey the open field between it and the feeder. The big "Russian-looking" hog stood about 260 yards away, but I had a good rest and not wanting to chance it disappearing again, I sent one of those Noslers over to greet it.
At the impact of the shot I heard it let out a squeal, then take off in a hard run back across the field it came from. I quickly jacked another shell in the chamber and threw one after the fast-moving pig, but it kicked up dust well behind it. Although the distance and the speed of the hog was making another shot something of a Hail Mary, on the next round I held further ahead and a bit higher -- whop!, and the piggy skids to a stop.
I got down from my blind, hiked to it, and when I checked it out and found it to be a rather menacing-looking boar which showed very little domestic parentage. Then I used the laser rangefinder to range back to the blind: Four Hundred yards even! Talk about a Hail Mary! Luck had more to do with it than skill, but still, shooting a Sako makes for some shooting "luck" that many other rifles seem to lack.