Article and photos orginally posted on gunsandammo.com

Contract Contender: Sako TRG M10 Review by Tom Beckstrand • February 21, 2012  

The first look at Sako's contender for the SOCOM Precision Sniper Rifle contract.

The Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR) program began in 2007 when SOCOM realized that it needed something capable of shooting beyond the capabilities of the M24. Our snipers didn’t have a precision instrument with enough ballistic horsepower to reach ridgeline-to-ridgeline in Afghanistan, so the search began.

One of the strongest contenders for the PSR contract is the Sako TRG M10. I recently got some personal time with two examples at the Clark Country Shooting Range near Las Vegas and was thoroughly impressed.

The PSR solicitation calls for a multiple-caliber rifle that allows the shooter to change between .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua Magnum. The TRG M10’s action can be configured for either short or long throws by setting the amount of bolt travel allowed. When shooting .308, for example, the operator can limit the bolt travel to just what’s needed in order to get the shorter cartridge into—and out of—the chamber. This is accomplished by rotating the bolt release lever 180 degrees. If you’ve ever worked with the M24, you’ve probably come away frustrated at the time-consuming movement involved in working such a long action. A quick second shot can be important to a sniper.

Like the TRG-series that went before it, the M10 bolt has three lugs, a mammoth Sako extractor (that’s actually wider than the one on the TRG 42), dual ejectors and a 60-degree bolt throw throw . Each caliber has its own barrel, bolt and magazines, and each component in the caliber sets are marked accordingly. The .338 components feature three tactile rings on the barrel and bolt and three circles on the rubberized pad of the magazine. The .300 Win. Mag. is indicated by two rings on each part, and the .308 is marked by a single ring. Sako decided to go with separate bolts for each caliber, fearing that an interchangeable bolt head could be too fragile.

The magazines for each caliber all have the same external dimensions, but the .308 and .300 Win. Mag. feature an integral block at the rear of the magazine to fit the same funneled magazine well. Magazine capacity for the .308 is currently 11 rounds, .300 Win. Mag. is seven rounds and the .338 Lapua magazine offers eight rounds.

The trigger is user-adjustable between 2.2 and 4.4 pounds. Adjustments can be made in the field by means of a Torx wrench found in the rifle’s onboard tool kit under the fore-end. The shooter is also afforded the opportunity to change the sear adjustment so that the trigger can be set for single- or two-stage use. The rifle I fired had an extremely crisp, four-pound trigger.

Like the TRG series before it, the TRG M10’s barrels are hammer-forged. However, unlike the TRG barrels that were manufactured from chrome-moly steel, the M10 uses stainless steel.

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