Rigby Highland Stalker vs Sako 85 Deluxe

Which would you choose and why?


In plains game calibers (308, 30-06, 7mm, 300wm, 7mm etc)


And what caliber is the best for most African plains game in your opinions?


I know people say 375 as you can play around with the grains but it'd be great to hear some different opinions.


My uncle swears by the 30-06, others by the 7mm


How about you all?

1. The Highland v 85 Deluxe, I would pick the 85 Deluxe. The highland has no cheek piece and they will not sell you one with one, I asked.

2. I think the 30.06 has a very slight advantage with heavier grain bullets then the 308, but the range you will be shooting in Africa it will not make a difference. My last hunt was in Europe and I was surprised about how many of the PH/Guides used the 30.06. When I was in RSA hunting, the outfitter said that for Eland you needed at least a 300WinMag, I don't know if that's really true or not but that was his requirement. I had a 375 so not a problem for me, but was not interested in an Eland anyway. I think the 300 WinMag argument is over blown. I talked with many outfitters in Montana about an Elk hunt and everyone one of them said you need a 300 WinMag to hunt Elk with. My outfitter that I hunted Elk in New Mexico said my 308 would be enough and it was. My 300 WinMag is still new in box.

They are both great rifles. I am a 30-06 fan. For many years, I felt I needed a 300 win mag for the "what if..." scenario. However, looking at my hunting notes, I didn't see anything I had killed with a 300 win mag that a 30-06 wouldn't have worked as well in a lighter rifle with less blast and recoil. So, I went back to the 30-06. I have a Rigby Highland Stalker in 30-06 and it is the finest and most accurate 30-06 I have ever owned.

Safe hunting

Sako for me but i would choose the 85/90 Bavarian over the Deluxe. Never been to Africa, I favour the 270 win and I personally would not hesitate to use it on most game expect the dangerous game. If you wanted something different 7x64.

You can always rebarell the 270 win into a 280 AI if you do not like it.

SFRanger7GP said:

For many years, I felt I needed a 300 win mag for the "what if..." scenario. However, looking at my hunting notes, I didn't see anything I had killed with a 300 win mag that a 30-06 wouldn't have worked as well in a lighter rifle with less blast and recoil. So, I went back to the 30-06.

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this is how I ended up married to my 308's again...

when I sat down and looked at all of the "advantages" that the other calibers I owned/tried/used over the years offered, and what game I had taken, etc..etc.. I found that none really offered much of an advantage at all at the distances I typically shoot, the game animals I typically pursue, etc..etc..

I still have plenty of other choices in the safe.. but 99 out of 100 times, no matter if I am hunting in the US or Africa or anywhere else, the 308 is what gets pulled out and used.. (which is essentially the 30-06's ballistic cousin shooting up to 180gr pills)..

I’m a SAKO 85 fan. I have one and had great success with it, in .375 H&H. That said, I love 7MM REM MAG for just about everything. I’ve shot a lot of PG (From Warthog to Eland) with 7RM in an A-Bolt and would love to find a nice LH SAKO in 7RM.

For many people, (not all), there is distinct advantage to shooting a non-magnum vs magnum caliber rifle. I’m not recoil sensitive, so it doesn’t matter to me. I also don’t do a lot of bench shooting. But, if magnum calibers cause you to flinch or put too much focus on recoil, stay away from magnums…

I would probably choose the Sako 85, for the cheek piece and the ebony forend tip but as a brand I would prefer Rigby...if they could be ordered with cheeck piece and ebony forend tip.

No question - Highland Stalker! I looked at both. Both are well made. Highland Stalker fits me better, balances better and "feels" better. Not a question in my mind.
Matt Roberts has an as new Highland Stalker in .30-06 priced very low that I am drooling over.
Please don't buy it as I am trying to scrap up cash......

You can see it here - https://www.mnrcustom.com/product-page/306-rigby-highland-stalker

sbhunter said:

Which would you choose and why?


In plains game calibers (308, 30-06, 7mm, 300wm, 7mm etc)


And what caliber is the best for most African plains game in your opinions?


I know people say 375 as you can play around with the grains but it'd be great to hear some different opinions.


My uncle swears by the 30-06, others by the 7mm


How about you all?

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Highland stalker or sako 85 deluxe?
Under condition of same price, i would definitely look first to direction of rigby. But I will need to compare how it handles with me, and to compare all the features each rifle gives. So, I cannot say.
Sako 85 is fully modern bolt action rifle, I own one, and it leaves nothing to be desired.

Now about calibers.
All calibers you mentioned are usable for plains game. But my choice for plains game (non DG) specialized caliber, would be 300 win mag, 9.3x62, 338 win mag, or something in that level.
It will give you better punch on animal on difficult angles, and some plains game animals are either tough, or with very big body mass. Giraffe, Zebra, Eland, kudu, oryx, blue wildebeest, etc...
There is no such thing as overkill in Africa.

If I was paying that much for a rifle I’d want something versatile and more useable than a big magnum or something smaller. For this reason I’d go 30-06. Use it at home and in africa, and pretty much any country you want.

Oh, I’d go the Rigby also, more charm than the Sako.

Neither…
If you can stretch the budget slightly, look at the Mauser M98.

In terms of cartridge… 30-06 hands down!

Both are top notch rifles, but (for purely whimsical reasons) my personal choice would have to be the John Rigby & Co. Highland Stalker due to the age old Mauser 98 actions which I'm a real sucker for.

Caliber would have to be 9.3x62mm Mauser, sighted in for RWS TUG 293Gr soft points.

By the way, the Highland Stalker isn't offered in 7x57mm Mauser. It's offered in .275 Rigby.

The .275 Rigby rifle bolt will not close over 7x57mm Mauser cartridges with the longer bullets above 160Gr weight (unless a competent gunsmith increases the Free Bore which will permit the operator to employ up to 177Gr bullets with impunity).

I have successfully (over the years) taken all the African plains game up to the size of eland with one shot kills from both the 7x57mm Mauser (employing 175Gr bullets) and .30-06 Springfield (employing 220Gr bullets). But shot placement becomes extremely critical on the big boys like eland & kudu when any caliber lighter than .338 Winchester Magnum is employed.

One small observation: Both the John Rigby & Co. Highland Stalker and the Sako Model 85 rifles chambered in .30-06 Springfield have 1:11 twist rates. These are optimized for bullet weights up to 180Gr but not 200Gr or 220Gr. This is not really a handicap for most younger hunters these days, since they mostly prefer 180Gr bullets in the .30-06 Springfield. But my personal preference is for the 220Gr bullet (esp. for Kudu, waterbuck & eland).

HH…
I have a 1/11 twist 30-06, and It’s stabilised everything from 150gr Sierra GK to 240gr Woodleigh bullets. It absolutely loves 165-200gr projectiles.

FlyGuy said:

HH…
I have a 1/11 twist 30-06, and It’s stabilised everything from 150gr Sierra GK to 240gr Woodleigh bullets. It absolutely loves 165-200gr projectiles.

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Flyguy, this is the best news which you could have given me ! I was always under the impression that the 1:10 twist rate is needed for 220Gr bullets.

Hunter-Habib said:

Both are top notch rifles, but (for purely whimsical reasons) my personal choice would have to be the John Rigby & Co. Highland Stalker due to the age old Mauser 98 actions which I'm a real sucker for.

Caliber would have to be 9.3x62mm Mauser, sighted in for RWS TUG 293Gr soft points.

By the way, the Highland Stalker isn't offered in 7x57mm Mauser. It's offered in .275 Rigby.
View attachment 645186
The .275 Rigby rifle bolt will not close over 7x57mm Mauser cartridges with the longer bullets above 160Gr weight (unless a competent gunsmith increases the Free Bore which will permit the operator to employ up to 177Gr bullets with impunity).

I have successfully (over the years) taken all the African plains game up to the size of eland with one shot kills from both the 7x57mm Mauser (employing 175Gr bullets) and .30-06 Springfield (employing 220Gr bullets). But shot placement becomes extremely critical on the big boys like eland & kudu when any caliber lighter than .338 Winchester Magnum is employed.

One small observation: Both the John Rigby & Co. Highland Stalker and the Sako Model 85 rifles chambered in .30-06 Springfield have 1:11 twist rates. These are optimized for bullet weights up to 180Gr but not 200Gr or 220Gr. This is not really a handicap for most younger hunters these days, since they mostly prefer 180Gr bullets in the .30-06 Springfield. But my personal preference is for the 220Gr bullet (esp. for Kudu, waterbuck & eland).

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My Rigby Highland Stalker loves heavy bullets and it throws the Remington 220 factory as well as my 200 and 220 reloads MOA and less.

Safe shooting

I would choose a 30 cal for plainsgame, either 30-06 or 300WM.
As for the Sako 85 v’s Highland Stalker I have never used a Highland Stalker. I did own a lovely Sako 85 Classic in 375h&h, damned thing would drop empty shells back in the action. Doesn’t anyone have issues with theirs?

Mark R said:

I would choose a 30 cal for plainsgame, either 30-06 or 300WM.
As for the Sako 85 v’s Highland Stalker I have never used a Highland Stalker. I did own a lovely Sako 85 Classic in 375h&h, damned thing would drop empty shells back in the action. Doesn’t anyone have issues with theirs?

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Some 85's had issues, in the new 90 it is fixed as extractors are placed correctly this time around

In Australia you can buy 3 Sako 85 Deluxes for the price of 1 Rigby HS, so I don't see it as a valid comparison. Rigby is control feed, Sako is push feed. Rigby will hold its value, Sako is a very nice commercial rifle that will depreciate.
Both are available in 9.3X62 which is a classic cartridge for Africa.

Mark R said:

I would choose a 30 cal for plainsgame, either 30-06 or 300WM.
As for the Sako 85 v’s Highland Stalker I have never used a Highland Stalker. I did own a lovely Sako 85 Classic in 375h&h, damned thing would drop empty shells back in the action. Doesn’t anyone have issues with theirs?

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I have the 85 L in .375 H&H (Left Hand) I use a NF scope. Never had an issue with it… Not once.