By: Warren Gray

Copyright © 2024

“The new Sako TRG M10 is a modern, chassis design…This facilitates easy mounting

of day and night optics…A rail system surrounds the barrel…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 pistol grip features replaceable back straps. Originally developed for professional use…A well-made rifle which is capable of

superb accuracy.”

— David Fortier, for Firearms News, October 28, 2015.

In October 2011, Sako, Limited, of Riihimäki, Finland, introduced their TRG M10 Sniper Weapon System, a fully configurable, multi-caliber, modular design that differed completely from their previous, TRG-42 sniper rifles, originally marketed only for military and law enforcement agencies. It can switch between .308 Winchester (7.62x51mm NATO), .300 Winchester Magnum, and .338 Lapua Magnum chamberings by changing the bolts, magazines, forends, and barrels, as required for field operations. However, it is also available in 6.5mm Creedmoor, .260 Remington, .300 Norma Magnum, and .338 Norma Magnum.

The TRG M10 is a manually-operated, bolt-action (the large bolt knob is synthetic, to reduce weight), purpose-built sniper rifle, with a folding stock, a free-floating, cold-hammer-forged, chrome-moly-lined, heavy barrel, and a two-stage, fully-adjustable trigger mechanism that can be set between 2.2 and 5.5 pounds of pull, and adjusted for length, horizontal, and vertical pitch. Even the side-folding, Field Drab (brown) or Armor (gray)-colored, polyurethane stock is fully adjustable for length of pull and cheek-piece height and pitch, and features Picatinny rails for mounting various optics and accessories.

This very special, $11,800 (.338 LM version) sniper rifle system is currently used by military and police forces in Albania, Australia (2nd Commando Regiment), Canada (as the new, C21 sniper rifle, since 2022), Estonia (army and special forces), Finland (army), the Netherlands (police counterterrorism unit), Poland (army), Slovenia (police counterterrorism unit), South Korea (UDT/SEAL teams), Sweden (special forces), and the USA (NYPD Emergency Service Unit, or ESU). NYPD-ESU also employs the Colt M4 Commando carbine with 11.5-inch barrel, and the Glock-17 or -19 Gen. 4 handgun.

SAKO TRG M10 in 7.62x51mm NATO, in use with NYPD ESU. Photo: Defence-industry.eu

TRG M10 barrel lengths range from 16.1 inches for one version in 7.62x51mm NATO, to 27.2 inches for the longest version in .338 Lapua Magnum, but 20.1-inch carbine models in most calibers are also available. Hefty muzzle brakes are offered, and all models may be fitted with quick-detachable suppressors. Double-stack, detachable, steel-and-polymer box magazines hold 11 rounds of 7.62x51mm, seven rounds of .300 Winchester Magnum, or eight rounds of .338 Lapua Magnum.

Most TRG rifles are supplied with Zeiss or Schmidt und Bender PM II telescopic scopes. The Finnish Army uses Zeiss 3-12x56mm Diavari VM/V T* 30 mm scopes with eye-safe, laser filters mounted. TRG M10 accessories include auxiliary, tritium iron sights for emergency use, extra Picatinny rails, two types of muzzle brakes/flash hiders, muzzle thread protector, suppressor, and various slings and swivels. Stocks may also be custom ordered in several styles of digital camouflage, and stainless-steel barrels are offered as an option. Since 2013, softer, improved recoil pads are fitted to reduce felt recoil.

In the most-popular, .338 Lapua Magnum military version, the TRG M10 features either a 20.1-inch or 27.2-inch barrel, and has an accuracy of one MOA (.291 mil), whereas the less-powerful, 7.62x51mm NATO model has an accuracy of 2/3 MOA (.194 mil), which equates to 15 inches or less at 1,500 meters (.93-mile) for the .338 LM version.

The Sako TRG M10 is the latest evolution in the classic TRG sniper rifle line, carrying on a national tradition of sniper excellence since Finnish Sergeant Simo Häyhä, age 34, known as the “White Death,” became the world’s greatest sniper in the 1939-to-1940 Winter War against the Soviet Union, officially credited with 505  confirmed kills, and 37 unconfirmed kills, against Russian soldiers (including 25 in a single day on December 21, 1939), in less than 105 days, with a bolt-action, Sako M/28-30 rifle (259+ confirmed kills) in 7.62x53mmR (plus approximately 246 kills using a Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun in 9x19mm), mostly without the use of a rifle scope! So, Sako is understandably quite proud of their long heritage of building precision sniper rifles.

Here, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Author with Barrett M82A1 sniper rifle, 1993. Photo by author

Warren Gray is a retired, U.S. Air Force intelligence officer with experience in joint special operations and counterterrorism. He served in Europe and the Middle East, earned Air Force and Navy parachutist wings, four college degrees, and was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Intelligence Operations Specialist Course, and the USAF Combat Targeting School. He is currently a published author, historian, and hunter.