October 28, 2015
By David Fortier
VIDEO
While Sako's TRG 22 was a fantastic sniper rifle when it was first introduced, it is very much a product of the 1990s. Times change and desires evolve.
In the 21st century, Sako developed a new rifle specifically as a contender for the US Special Operations Command Precision Sniper Rifle program. This program was intended to replace all current bolt-action sniper rifles in use by US Special Operations snipers with a single design.
Many lessons learned in combat went into this new program. The company's entry was a new model designated the Sako TRG M10 Sniper Weapon System. Unveiled in October 2011, the TRG M10 is a user configurable multi-caliber modular system.
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Sako TRG M10 is a fresh design and uses a new receiver. At its heart is its ability to easily change from .308 Winchester to .300 Winchester Magnum or .338 Lapua Magnum.
Caliber changes are easy to do, and there is no need for conventional workshop tools. All necessary tools for changing the configuration are included in the rifle, the bolt being the primary tool. Other small tools are stowed in the lower receiver.
The bolt features three bolt lugs to maximize surface area with the barrel extension, and it features a 60 degree rotation. An oversized extractor is fitted to aid reliability as well as dual ejectors.
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Plus, by flipping the bolt release, you can swap from a short-action length to a magnum-action length. Bolts, barrels and magazines all feature visible and tactile caliber designators to avoid any confusion. The magazines feature identical external dimensions but feature spacers in .308 Win and .300 Win Mag.
The two-stage trigger is adjustable between 2-4 pounds. Plus, it can be adjusted using a torx wrench stowed on the rifle. The design has been tested with more than 5 million cycles without a malfunction. Lock time is among the fastest in the world at under 1.3 milliseconds.
TRG 22, the new Sako TRG M10 is a modern chassis design. Gone is the target style stock of the previous generation. A full-length MIL STD 1913 rail runs the top of the rifle. This facilitates easy mounting of day and night optics, one in front of the other. A rail system surrounds the barrel and allows a variety of accessories to be easily mounted. A fully adjustable side-folding stock is standard. This can be adjusted without tools for length of pull, cheekrest height and butt pad elevation. Plus the pistolgrip features replaceable back straps.
Originally developed for professional use, the company released the Sako TRG M10 to the commercial market this year. A well-made rifle which is capable of superb accuracy, I very much enjoyed my time behind it. I had a chance to fire it on a known distance range out to 800 yards both during the day and at night. I found the stock comfortable, magazines inserted easily and locked securely into place.
The bolt operated smoothly and rounds fed easily into the chamber. The trigger is excellent and recoil is mild making it a very comfortable rifle to shoot. Extraction and ejection is sure and the bolt is very fast to operate.
A very interesting design which is fun to shoot due to its surgical accuracy, I very much look forward to having a chance to further test this impressive Finnish sniper rifle.
Keep an eye out for an in-depth review in the future.
