Remington VSSF II or Sako 75 Laminated Varmint Stainless??

[hunt127588]

I'm looking at either a Remington VSSF II or a Sako 75 Varmint Laminated Stainless in .223. I realize that theb Sako will be > $400 more. However, can you guys offer some pros and cons against each? This gun will be used for target shooting and some occassional coyote/varmint hunting. Some of the questions I have are:

1) Which is more accurate? What kind of groupings can I expect from each?
2) Remington VSSF II has a 1-12 twist while Sako is a 1-8 twist. Should there be concern with this? I will be mostly shooting 55gr. bullets.
3) Is Sako still having the exploding stainless issues?
4) Is a 26" barrel really needed for a .223 (VSSF II)?
5) How is the fit and overall quality of each? Anyone seen a new VSSF II? How does it compare over the original VSSF?
6) Any suggestions on scope recommendations?

Any other information appreciated.

[hardly]

I have a VSSF in 22-250 and the VSSF II seems to have a little different stock, other than that I don't know.  Anyway, my VSSF is an excellant gun.  We target shoot from 200 to 500 yards and it does a great job with 50 gr. Hornady's.  I have nothing bad to say about the VSSF.  But, unless you just want a Sako, I would take a hard look at Tikka.   I just got a Tikka Varmint in .223 and it is a shooter.  It easily does three shot 100 yard groups that you can cover with a dime and that's using the cheap Winchester 45 gr stuff.  Cheaper than the VSSF, Sako 24" barrel, 1:8 twist and an excellant trigger.  Go with the Tikka and spend the money you save on your optics.

[hunt127588]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that optics will be Leupold VX-III 4.5-14x40 (matte) with the varmint rreticle.

[Zachary]

I have a VSSF in .308 and it's an excellent gun.  That said, the Sako is a better quality rifle.  Is the Sako worth an extra $400?  Only you can answer that question.  As for me, I have both Remingtons and Sakos and prefer to buy Sakos.

As for the Sako/Tikka barrel explosions, the problem only affected a very small percentage of rifles, and to my knowledge is no longer a problem as the company apparently corrected the metal ratios in the stainless steel.

Which gun is more accurate?  Tough to say as loads in one gun may be more accurate in the other.  Let's just say that both are accurate, with the Sako being better built.

As for optics, I think that the Elite 4200 4x-16x-40mm (or 50mm) is tough to beat - both in quality and price!  I have purchased two of these scopes from Jon at The Optic Zone (one of our sponsors) and I couldn't be happier.

Zachary

[The Sodbuster]

I've never owned a Sako, so I can't say much about them, but with respect to deciding between the two: they're both quality rifles and with different loads I expect both would shoot well.  If both are in stock where you shop, try them out for fit.  How is the length of pull?  Does it have a straight or Monte-Carlo stock?  Roll over cheekpiece?  Wood or synthetic?  These are matters of personal preference and not something other shooters can objectively advise or quantify.  

As far as twist rate goes, the Sako's 1:8 twist will stabilize heavier bullets over 65 grains.  If you'll just be shooting 55 grainers, 1:12 is fine.