Sako L461

[SCJ429]

Start a petition Tassie to get the SSAA to ask Brendan Atkinson to do some load development with that same Sako and see what groups he can get. It might show us the true potential of that barrel. No disrespect to Con's shooting ability.

[GQshayne]

Tough job CK, go down to the range and shoot off a couple of hundred rounds out of a new Sako. The thing I didn't like about your article is that the accuracy table group size was in mm. Nobody over 18 knows if a 20mm group is good or bad. You did say in the article that 1MOA was 28mm, you had enough room to put MOA into the table. Other than that I enjoyed your write up.

Well, there you go. I prefer exactly the opposite. I think in this day and age everything should be metric. Perhaps with imperial measurements in brackets for you old fogies. I am only 48, so metric suits me fine.

I must admit to agreeing with other comments on the Sako. I was a little surprised that accuracy was not better with supplied ammunition. Certainly it fulfils its purpose as Solarpak suggests, however many of its competitors will do the same at a lesser price point, and be just as accurate if not more so. Perhaps given the time actual ownership permits, more suitable factory ammo could be found, or of course handloads developed.

[SCJ429]

All the data we get is from the US, all my calipers are Imperial. It would be very annoying if powder and bullet weights were in grams and not grains.

I shot 24mm at 300 using a 6.3 gram bullet using 2.4 grams of 2208.

[TassieTiger]

Start a petition Tassie to get the SSAA to ask Brendan Atkinson to do some load development with that same Sako and see what groups he can get. It might show us the true potential of that barrel. No disrespect to Con's shooting ability.

I’m kind of glad to read results like Con published - i cannot imagine sako or supplier would be thrilled with anything less that clover leaf, this kind of proves he’s publishing the truth / reality - I hope. (Unless of course he owns a few shares elsewhere lol) - joke!!!!
Of course a sports rifle doesn’t have to shoot Moa for its intended design, but faced with a choice between one that does and one that does not - regardless of the ammunition utilised - who is choosing the lesser? Then there’s perception - if XX can shoot that model rifle sub Moa, at 100, then at least I know that it’s possible...but

I’d imagine that all SSAA contributors are at least better than average marksman (no offence to Marksman lol) so how many readers see the sako (or kimber for that matter) article and think s**t...$4k and a marksman = 1.5/2.0 Moa so withittle ol me shooting would be 2.5-3 Moa...?

[Hunter257]

okay so have now bought the sako
will have to see how it shoots this weekend when I get some time to take it down the range

[bigfellascott]

okay so have now bought the sako
will have to see how it shoots this weekend when I get some time to take it down the range

Good luck with it mate, I hope she's a keeper and you put a bore scope down the pipe, if she's a good bore it should be a good little rifle alright.

P.S. don't forget to report back on how she goes ok.

[SCJ429]

okay so have now bought the sako
will have to see how it shoots this weekend when I get some time to take it down the range

What caliber did you get it in? Do you reload?

[solarpak]

Gentlemen,

referring to any range test i do i will always report the findings as i get them with factory ammunition - and usually 4-5 different off-the-shelf brands.
Ozzie Reviews only fires a single shot group through his test rifles (of each ammo brand) and makes an assumption with that single group (no disrespect to the guy too).

Sure thing, handholds will give much better groups - and Brendan Atkinson always used to run a few handholds when he tested for the SSAA. Other reviewers do the same - but as i dont handlload i cant report on that aspect of it.

Sure - as reviewers we can "sugar coat" things and say the higher the price of the rifle the better groups it will shoot - that may be case or not. My perspective for someone looking to buy a rifle that i review for the SSAA is to test it out at 100 metres and shoot a few 3-shot groups with normal hunting and match ammo - and let the numbers speak for themselves. We are lucky that almost all rifles made these days are of very high quality and will shoot very well - its just a matter of finding a load that you are happy with for your intended use - and stick with it.

Now i always use metric - working in the scientific field - mm, cm, metres etc.... Yes inches and yards are widely used as are other imperial units but for consistency i always report in metric.

CK

[solarpak]

While the iron is still hot.....one of my first centerfires was a stainless Howa M1500 in 223. i just walked into my local dealer and picked up the first ammo i saw - winchester white box 55 gr SP's in 50 rounds per box.
That rifle shot 5-shot groups under half MOA all day - and i certainly wasn't a benchrest shoot back then ( and aint one now some 20 years later!!!)

Its just luck that that rifle liked that factory load........

I am a firm believer that handholds will always wring the best out of any rifle and maybe one day i will enter the hand loading fold.......

CK

[solarpak]

okay so have now bought the sako
will have to see how it shoots this weekend when I get some time to take it down the range

Hunter,
i have owned several sakos in my time and all have been excellent rifles - top notch workmanship and pride of ownership.

Actually a good mate asked me the other day - "what is the best hunting rifle on the market" - probably just to stir me - i replied - ' the next one you will be buying!!"

As i mentioned before - its just comes down to what you can afford and like .....and if that makes you happy - then thats all that matters . In this day and age, being happy doing what we love in shooting and hunting is what matters, hey?

CK

[SCJ429]

Now i always use metric - working in the scientific field - mm, cm, metres etc.... Yes inches and yards are widely used as are other imperial units but for consistency i always report in metric.

CK

It was just a suggestion CK, if you used MOA a bunch of guys like me would understand your data better without you compromising on your metric only standards. It is not possible to only use metric only in life. Time and angles are not expressed that way. One second is 1/3600 and one minute is 1/60th.

Just out of interest, when you were working in a scientific field when did you use centimetres as units of measure? Did you also use decimetres?

[SCJ429]

It is very difficult to report on shooting and remain metric when you are reviewing a .308 of an inch caliber which has a 1:10 inches twist barrel which is shooting 165 grain Barnes bullet.

[bigrich]

It is very difficult to report on shooting and remain metric when you are reviewing a .308 of an inch caliber which has a 1:10 inches twist barrel which is shooting 165 grain Barnes bullet.

Quite correct. The biggest arms maker on the planet, America, still uses the imperial system of measurement. Myself, with a background in old cars, am very familiar with imperial measurements in locally produced pre 1980’s cars, as even though the metric system was introduced in ‘66, all nuts, bolts and parts like pistons and bearings are listed in imperial sizes. On the early Holden commodore the engine transmission uses imperial nuts and bolts, everything to do with the body is metric. Australia is a bit of a crossroads in world trade at times, and I think the imperial system will be with us for a while yet

[Hunter257]

okay so have now bought the sako
will have to see how it shoots this weekend when I get some time to take it down the range

Good luck with it mate, I hope she's a keeper and you put a bore scope down the pipe, if she's a good bore it should be a good little rifle alright.

P.S. don't forget to report back on how she goes ok.

Already had the gun scoped before buying it. Got it from my local gun shop so if its a lemon I can get an instant refund.
The bore looks very crisp and the wooden stock is virtually unmarked.
and taking it to the range to zero tomorrow so will report back

[Hunter257]

okay so have now bought the sako
will have to see how it shoots this weekend when I get some time to take it down the range

What caliber did you get it in? Do you reload?

.222, already have a tikka in .222 and love shooting the calibre. When this one came up was a bit of a no brainer
and no I don't reload. I own a business with a warehouse/factory in Brisbane so once every couple of months I drive up for board meetings. Means I get to put in an ammo order from the LGS and pick it up. Currently spending less than 60c per shot on factory ammo and @$1 per shot on factory 6.5CR.

[Hunter257]

okay so have now bought the sako
will have to see how it shoots this weekend when I get some time to take it down the range

Hunter,
i have owned several sakos in my time and all have been excellent rifles - top notch workmanship and pride of ownership.

Actually a good mate asked me the other day - "what is the best hunting rifle on the market" - probably just to stir me - i replied - ' the next one you will be buying!!"

As i mentioned before - its just comes down to what you can afford and like .....and if that makes you happy - then thats all that matters . In this day and age, being happy doing what we love in shooting and hunting is what matters, hey?

CK

well this is my first Sako and loving it already. the quality is definitely there in volumes. Surprised to find in .222 it holds 7 in the internal mag plus one up the spout.

[bigfellascott]

okay so have now bought the sako
will have to see how it shoots this weekend when I get some time to take it down the range

Good luck with it mate, I hope she's a keeper and you put a bore scope down the pipe, if she's a good bore it should be a good little rifle alright.

P.S. don't forget to report back on how she goes ok.

Already had the gun scoped before buying it. Got it from my local gun shop so if its a lemon I can get an instant refund.
The bore looks very crisp and the wooden stock is virtually unmarked.
and taking it to the range to zero tomorrow so will report back

Sounds good mate, now to see if she shoots ok. let us know how she goes when you get a chance.

[marksman]

It is very difficult to report on shooting and remain metric when you are reviewing a .308 of an inch caliber which has a 1:10 inches twist barrel which is shooting 165 grain Barnes bullet.

I agree with this, its hard when scope data received is usually in imperial yet ranges are in metric
I like to keep it in imperial or what ever the scope is moa or milrad

[solarpak]

Hi folks,
thanks for all the comments - all appreciated and valid - and will be taken on board. Metric and Imperial both have their place and i may look to report group size in both - but as always editors have the final say (i am only freelance!!!)
Cheers
CK

[solarpak]

Now i always use metric - working in the scientific field - mm, cm, metres etc.... Yes inches and yards are widely used as are other imperial units but for consistency i always report in metric.

CK

It was just a suggestion CK, if you used MOA a bunch of guys like me would understand your data better without you compromising on your metric only standards. It is not possible to only use metric only in life. Time and angles are not expressed that way. One second is 1/3600 and one minute is 1/60th.

Just out of interest, when you were working in a scientific field when did you use centimetres as units of measure? Did you also use decimetres?

SCJ
mate totally agree with your comments mate - all; good ! I too use the MOA reference - many folk think of 1 MOA being an inch at 100 yards (91-metres ) - or 28mm at 100m .........

Maybe we should say - three shots inside a 20c piece at 100metres???? That would be easier too visualise. But angular measurement in minute of angle is certainly valid and relevant

At work, being mainly chemistry based - its mainly metric (milligram, microgram, nanogram, and a raft of other chemistry units and formulae !!


Thanks for the feedback - much appreciated.
CK

[GQshayne]

I must say that I have previously always considered that a good review must include some handloads. However, there is no doubt that many people will only use factory ammo, so this data is valid to many people. Perhaps, given that those of us that handload are able to use a plethora of components, factory loads are even more relevant.

I am surprised to read that you do not reload Solarpak. Hard to go back to factory stuff once you start. I reckon many of us would load .22LR if we could!

[Hunter257]

Sounds good mate, now to see if she shoots ok. let us know how she goes when you get a chance.

Well took it to the range and even on a very windy day with factory ammo it still shoots MOA
100m, PPU Factory .222

[SCJ429]

Nice work, the conditions were less than ideal that is for sure. Wind gust up to 50 mph here.

[solarpak]

I must say that I have previously always considered that a good review must include some handloads. However, there is no doubt that many people will only use factory ammo, so this data is valid to many people. Perhaps, given that those of us that handload are able to use a plethora of components, factory loads are even more relevant.

I am surprised to read that you do not reload Solarpak. Hard to go back to factory stuff once you start. I reckon many of us would load .22LR if we could!

Shayne,
Actually i have a good hunting buddy who had handlaoded some specialised 22-250 and 308 hunting ammo for me (tailored to a particular rifle ) and having said that i have just got a RCBS reloading kit (new) for which i will use in the future - once my supply of factory loads diminished.

Including a pet hand-load in a review could be on the cards in the future - having said that most importers and distributors prefer that review rifles are shot with factory ammunition from a legal viewpoint - the minute a handload is used in a review rifle it would pose problems if something untoward may happen.The same thing is seen with Conservation & Wildlife Management culls - if you use hand-loaded ammunition you need to sign some sort of indemnity waiver . Its a long story!!

CK

[bigfellascott]

Looks like a keeper mate, with some handloads she will be better again.

[TassieTiger]

Looks like a keeper mate, with some handloads she will be better again.

Or it might just frustrate the shed out of you lol.
When I bought my sauer, I put some Remington Core-Lokt down the tube and was stunned at how well it shot. It’s taken me months to get a handload to replicate those results...but I’m there now thank F.

[Hunter257]

Looks like a keeper mate, with some handloads she will be better again.

Or it might just frustrate the shed out of you lol.
When I bought my sauer, I put some Remington Core-Lokt down the tube and was stunned at how well it shot. It’s taken me months to get a handload to replicate those results...but I’m there now thank F.

At the price I'm paying for PPU will be using these for a long time yet
currently get 100x PPU factory loads for $50 so 50c per bang

and yes very pleased with it so far

[bigfellascott]

Looks like a keeper mate, with some handloads she will be better again.

Or it might just frustrate the shed out of you lol.
When I bought my sauer, I put some Remington Core-Lokt down the tube and was stunned at how well it shot. It’s taken me months to get a handload to replicate those results...but I’m there now thank F.

So true, been there lived that one alright.

[bigfellascott]

Looks like a keeper mate, with some handloads she will be better again.

Or it might just frustrate the shed out of you lol.
When I bought my sauer, I put some Remington Core-Lokt down the tube and was stunned at how well it shot. It’s taken me months to get a handload to replicate those results...but I’m there now thank F.

At the price I'm paying for PPU will be using these for a long time yet
currently get 100x PPU factory loads for $50 so 50c per bang

and yes very pleased with it so far

Yeah hard to justify going to all the effort if it shoots the factory stuff good enough, might as well keep using em at that price and keep the brass for reloading down the track if you want to go that way.

[Hunter257]

Looks like a keeper mate, with some handloads she will be better again.

Or it might just frustrate the shed out of you lol.
When I bought my sauer, I put some Remington Core-Lokt down the tube and was stunned at how well it shot. It’s taken me months to get a handload to replicate those results...but I’m there now thank F.

At the price I'm paying for PPU will be using these for a long time yet
currently get 100x PPU factory loads for $50 so 50c per bang

and yes very pleased with it so far

Yeah hard to justify going to all the effort if it shoots the factory stuff good enough, might as well keep using em at that price and keep the brass for reloading down the track if you want to go that way.

that's the plan, saving my brass and watching for some cheap dies to use in a mates press