lapper

I JUST WON A SAKO TRG-S 30-378 . CAN ANY BODY GIVE ME INFORMATION ON THIS GUN AND CALIBER. IS IT A GUN I SHOULD HOLD ON TO, OR SHOULD I TRY TO SELL IT? WHAT KIND OF GAME WOULD IT BE GOOD FOR ? THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT.

stubblejumper

I have fired one trg-s in 30-378.Recoil is severe,ammunition is very expensive and barrel life is very short in comparison to most other cartridges.This cartridge is definitely not suitable for the average hunter.It's intended usage is for long range shooters with well above average shooting skills.

Roskoe

The rifle is a complete and total pile of junk. I will give you $200 for it . . . . money order OK? :&gt

RedAllison

roflmao @ Roskoe, he's only looking out for you lapp.

I have had a TRG-S in Lazzeroni's Warbird since 99 and it quickly became my FAVORITE rifle. Sure its got recoil, the blast is deafening and its like using a hammer for a flyswatter... but whats wrong with that? I have yet to kill anything to dead with it! If you won the thing then it didn't cost you anything so you are already ahead of the game. Also, they aren't available anymore as Sako quit building the TRG-S. They only build hopped up tactical rifles now in the TRG series that retail for over $3k [:@]

Ammo wise I would strongly recommend you reload them or seek help from one of the various custom loaders available on the net. To maximize a rifle like this you need tweaked ammo anyway. You have the Formula 1 of big game rifles so you can't expect it to show you all it has if you only put regular unleaded into it.

I don't shoot my Sako from stands deep inside the woods where I know I will have close shots (under 250yds). But I don't like the notion of hunting strictly with one gun in the first place. I think technology is a wonderful thing so why not use some of it with your new long range piece? With the proper setup and some practice you now have an EXTREMELY easy deer rifle to use out too 600yds. Powerwise its much more capable, but I'm talking "real world and ease of use" terms. Sure you can shoot a 300Win that far, but you are gonna have MUCH more wind drift and bullet drop to dope out before you shoot. If you really get the itch and the bug bites you you know have a 1k+ yard toy to take too the range.

As for care for the new thunderstick. Be patient, clean it properly and DONT heat it up, you can expect the rifles accuracy to improve after appx 2-3 boxes of ammo is run through it. Shoot it very slowly at the range to allow for proper barrel cooling and you will be surprised how long the barrel will last. You can get 1500 rounds out of that gun EASILY if you take the right precautions. Now be honest, how long will it take the average deer hunter to go through that many shots? You possibly could hand it down too your son. And so what, lets say you went crazy and shot the barrel out within the next decade or two. A new barrel is only a few hundred dollars and what other type of toy do you have that will give you that much enjoyment for a decade or more and only cost you a couple hundred for the use?

Enjoy,
RA

rick_reno

Sell it.

bigcountry

Recoil harsh (And I like recoil)
Ammo outrageous

If you a guy that don't mind low barrel life, and likes something really out there, keep it.
If you got a trip where long distance is the norm, up in alaska, or even elk, keep it. I mean the price was right.
If you are a guy that likes to hunt, and shoot only occassionally, I suggest something trading it before you put one round down the barrel.

Superpig

You have won an excellent firearm. The rife has an overall lenght of 47.25" and weighs 8.125#. As any Sako it's a finely finished and fitted rifle. Since they are no longer being made a new one that is unfired will probably appreciate in value. When they were made new a local shop carried them for a little over $1,000.00. I'm unsure of what they will bring today as they aren't manufactured anymore. The TRG-S is probably more gun than most can handle because of the 30-378 caliber. Muzzle blast and recoil are severe. The 30-378 is really a reloaders cartridge. Weatherby ammo is available but the only box I've seen lately retailed for $74.99 & I belive they were 180 gr. Nosler Partitions. The velocities that this round develops require the use of controlled expansion bullets and certainly not a Ballistic Tip unless you are shooting past 350 yards. An acauintance at the gun range has a 30-378 in a weatherby Accu-Mark with a muzzlebrake. I've shot the rifle and with a brake it's manageable. However, if you're not wearing ear plugs and muffs over the plugs then you will ring your ears. I generally don't have time to install plugs and muffs before I shoot the rifle in the field. I've also shot the rifle without the brake with 200 gr. Nosler partition handloads that chronied 3200 fps and I wouldn't recommend it. I hit the targer but after two shots I wanted no more of it. So, if you aren't into long range shooting and don't often travel west after elk, mulies, & long distance pronghorn I think I would sale it and buy a rifle in a caliber that I know I can handle. Or use the money from the sale to invest in new hunting gear or some awesome optics for a rifle you already have. As stated by others if you don't reload the cost of ammo is out of sight. Unless you are pretty wealthy you won't be able to afford enough ammo to become proficient with the rifle to use it at the ranges it was made for.

driftrider

That's an outstanding rifle, for certain! But in my opinion the cartridge it's chambered for is questionable unless you are a specialized long range target shooter. First of all, is you don't reload plan on dropping in the range of $65-100 a box for ammo, if you can get it where you live. If you reload it isn't as bad, but brass is still expensive (and I can't imagine it'd last long, either), and it burns insane amounts of powder on the order of 100-120 grains/shot. It's also just gotta eat barrels like Rosie O'Donnel eats Oreos, and the recoil even with a brake would be stout, and worse yet is the extreme muzzle blast when that 110 grains of gas blasts out the muzzlebrake at 65kPSI. I'd strongly recommend both ear plus and muffs. I've lost enough of my high frequency hearing to know that you don't want to.

If you don't mind all those negative factors, can afford to shoot it and rebarrel it as needed, then it's a great gun for you. If you'd rather have something a bit more practical, you could always sell it for a quick $1000-1200 and buy yourself a nice Sako 75 in a more reasonable cartridge.

Mike

RedAllison

"Barrel eater"??? Now really, what in the world is that? I remember the days before the short mag craze, thats back when the typical gunowner had no clue what "powder efficiency" was. Now because they read about it in the hoopla advertising and saw where some gun writer harped on it over and over, now every nimrod chooses the phrase "powder effeciency" to dismiss anything that burns more powder than a plain jain old 30/06. BTW how much is a pound of powder? Considering all the other things that we pay big money for while hunting, ammo/powder costs is NOT even a blip on the radar screen. Who cares how much powder it burns? We aren't talking about feeding the 16"ers on the Missouri!!! Go ahead, blast all you want, they'll make more...

I seriously doubt had he won a Ferrari that you guys would be encouraging him to sell it!
RA

stubblejumper

Most people would not be able to afford the insurance for a ferrari let alone the maintenace costs.If he was in that situation,I surely would encourage him to sell it.