Sako TRG-S M995 in 6.5 Swede took a fallow deer for me at 170 yards seated sling supported this weekend. I was helping to cull a herd on a friend's farm. Heart shot animal with 140gr SST ran about 20 yards before tipping over.
The bullet entered breaking the shoulder, pulverized the heart, and exited the other side. The 6.5 Swede is known for high sectional density so entry and exit are common even though the round has very moderate recoil. It is closest in performance to a .260 Rem or 6.5 Creedmoor. I had never chest shot an animal with this size round before so it was interesting to see the performance. Overall, it did the job without much fanfare or meat damage.
The TRG-S is a TRG-42 with an open top receiver and Sako dovetail mount for the scope. The bolt in the TRG-S is an identical long action bolt to my TRG-42. The bolts in fact swap in each and function normally with the triggers. The only difference is the TRG-S has a smoother running chrome bolt where the TRG-42 has a coating that isn't quite as smooth, but resists rust. Both are smooth of course.
The TRG-S magazine is just a shortened TRG-42 magazine with the magazine retention hole on the opposite side (front vs. rear like on the TRG-42). It has a plastic bottom plate as well which carries comfortably as a balance point.
The trigger is excellent and has many part similarities to the standard TRG-42 trigger (probably more like Tikka which it may swap with), but is not two stage. It has a clean break and no over-travel and is the best I've used on a hunting rifle. The safety has the TRG style bolt locking and firing pin block and is quiet to disengage when on a hunt so you won't spook anything.
The iron sights on this rifle are not common in the states that I've seen. This one is located in New Zealand.
Bare rifle weight is about 7lbs 13ozs. in this caliber. With the Zeiss HD5 scope with locking turrets shown it is a bit over 9lbs. A little heavy for a mountain rifle, but very stable and accurate for field conditions. The rifle has a Mountain Shooter Sling attached to it. This is an excellent sling for fast looping up and makes the rifle extremely stable.
The rifle is very accurate. With hand loads it is 0.5MOA (I don't use match but hunting bullets so maybe it could be improved). The last time I helped cull a fallow on this farm a 200+ yard headshot was used seated with a sling without drama. The rifle points well and is a joy to shoot.
I don't use bipods on my hunting rifles, but one could be attached. The stock is comfortable with a nice comb and smooth texture. There is slight flex in the fore end, but nothing out of the ordinary for a rifle of this weight.
The TRG-S is as accurate as the bigger brothers in my experience and probably just as rugged in terms of action reliability and performance. I will be hunting with this rifle more going forward because it is everything my bigger TRGs are but just a lighter weight.
Below are some photos comparing the TRG-S and TRG-42 bolt, magazines, magazine fit, magazine length for 6.5 swede (talk about loading long!) and a full view of Black Beauty herself.
