Q: I’ve just purchased a Sako Finnlight in .270 Winchester topped with a Nightforce 2.5-10×42 scope. What is your opinion of this outfit? Can you recommend some handloads for the three deer species I hunt – hog, fallow and sambar? I was hoping to use just one load for the lot, but realistically would probably need a heavier bullet for sambar. I also own a .300 Win. Mag. for my sit-and-wait kind of sambar hunting, but as this rifle is too heavy to carry around the mountains, I bought the Finnlight. Not having owned a .270 before, and the Sako being a light gun, would the recoil be excessive? I so, would it be worth having a muzzle brake fitted?
Dean Ingram.
A: The Sako Finnlight is a good quality hunting rifle and the 2.5-10×42 Nightforce NXS compact scoope is a good match and well in keeping with its portability. Choosing the .270 Winchester for a deer rifle is never a mistake; it is just as good as it ever was – flat-shooting, hard-hitting and mild to shoot even in a light outfit like yours. You can use just one load for everything from hog deer to sambar. I recommend the Barnes 130gn TSX BT and 53gn of AR2209 for about 3050fps.That’s a good load and not maximum. The 130gn Barnes has plenty of penetration for the largest stag. The recoil shouldn’t be excessive (about 17 ft/lb) for anyone who does much shooting. I recommend against having a muzzle brake fitted to your gun as it would be damaging to your hearing unless you wear earmuffs, and who wants to wear muffs when hunting? A better alternative would be to fit a softer, kick-absorbing recoil pad like the Limb Saver.
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