New Sako 90

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New Sako 90

Post by Aussiehunter91 » 16 May 2023, 9:55 pm

Hey gang,

Just wanting to know your thoughts on the sako 90’s

https://www.berettaaustralia.com.au/sako-90/
Sako 85 hunter stainless 30-06 Swarovski Z8i 2.3-18x 56
Beretta silver pigeon 686 12g sporter
Savage mkll .22lr leupold vx1 3-9x40
Remington 7615 Bushnell TRS-25
Adler straight pull B220 12g
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by S O K A R » 16 May 2023, 10:43 pm

Give me an 85 anyday of the week....
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by CRF » 17 May 2023, 11:45 am

Whats that mean for the peanuts trying to get $3000 for A2 and 75 models second hand I wonder?
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by JohnV » 17 May 2023, 10:12 pm

Give me an L579 or an A11 or 75 every day of life . Beretta is slowly destroying Sako's
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by Die Judicii » 17 May 2023, 10:35 pm

JohnV wrote:Give me an L579 or an A11 or 75 every day of life . Beretta is slowly destroying Sako's


Yep, Agreed.
When the 85's arrived I couldn't believe the loose and rattly fit of their bolts compared to the silky smooth 75 models.
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by CRF » 18 May 2023, 8:55 am

I much preferred my 85 bavarian over my 75 S/S, however in the end I sold them both. I've never hidden the fact that I view them as great guns, but way overpriced. My only sako today is a stainless A7. Light, shoots well and because it's not an expensive gun I've never shied away from giving it a beating.

I do like the action of Sako's, but my brothers Black Bear 9.3 does jam a bit. Cost me the only chance I've ever had on a genuine 30" sambar once, still try not to think about it years on!
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by JohnV » 18 May 2023, 4:28 pm

Die Judicii wrote:
JohnV wrote:Give me an L579 or an A11 or 75 every day of life . Beretta is slowly destroying Sako's


Yep, Agreed.
When the 85's arrived I couldn't believe the loose and rattly fit of their bolts compared to the silky smooth 75 models.
Yeah the 75 is a good rifle .
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by SCJ429 » 18 May 2023, 6:42 pm

CRF wrote:I much preferred my 85 bavarian over my 75 S/S, however in the end I sold them both. I've never hidden the fact that I view them as great guns, but way overpriced. My only sako today is a stainless A7. Light, shoots well and because it's not an expensive gun I've never shied away from giving it a beating.

I do like the action of Sako's, but my brothers Black Bear 9.3 does jam a bit. Cost me the only chance I've ever had on a genuine 30" sambar once, still try not to think about it years on!

It jams a bit? What causes that? The ammo you are using? I have a Kodiac 375 and it feeds really well for a big case. Much better than my Weatherby MK5 and it feeds flawlessly.
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by Wapiti » 06 Jun 2023, 6:12 pm

Love the 90's and the machined in weaver style slots instead of the old tapered groves where you needed Sako-specific mounts.
And the triggers, wow.
Thank goodness they didn't go all weird and modular with their premium rifles. Tri-lug and small diameter bolts, one-piece stocks, beautiful walnut if you want one, bedding improvements and the gorgeous SS double-stack mags, with steel drop-floorplates if you wish.
And I ADORE my 85's, but I see improvements for the better here.
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by Billo » 06 Jun 2023, 7:27 pm

only ever owned early series L579 so not really a Sako lover however I handled the new Sako 90 in stainless and walnut and its a very very nice bit of kit.

Pointed well and the trigger was bloody top notvh. I'd rate it superior to both the 75 & 85 series
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by bigrich » 06 Jun 2023, 8:23 pm

i had a custom L61R in 30-06 . it was too nice . tikkas in B&C stocks are a much more practicle and durable rifle for me . a new sako is just more than i'll spend . i've owned 85 series sako's , got rid of them due to the ejection fault .L461's are great , well made bit of gear . but a little too small and dainty for a big boofhead like me . SA rem 700 is a much better fit for me
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by Wapiti » 07 Jun 2023, 8:23 am

A mechanical ejector is just that... different from a plunger ejector.
The 85's have a mechanical one, whereby the case is drawn back and hits the ejector at the end of the bolts travel. Pull it back slowly, or without any urgency, and the case will sit in the action and you can pluck it out.
Great for the range shooters out there.
Yet, like a Mauser action, the ejection force is dependent on the force of rearward bolt travel, pull the Sako bolt back for a fast reload and the empty is ejected. It's not a fault, it's the result of the design.
Compare it to a new Howa SS 243 ute bush basher I've been playing with lately, when running it in and testing some loads, no matter how slow the bolt is drawn back, the moment the shell clears the action opening (upon which it is pushing hard against due to the spring pressure of the plunger ejector), it flies out into the grass, and I've lost a few. Some people expect that should be the same for all firearm designs.

Comparatively, I have a British made Mauser actioned rifle, supposedly a design and calibre that makes it the best "dangerous game rifle", apparently say the experts, yet it's ejection force and the way it works is exactly the same as the Sakos, albeit the design is a little different. But the principle is deliberately designed the same. The ones in my safe anyway. It's not a fault, but something that is mechanically different and something that with experience is appreciated, accepted, yet not maligned.
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by bigrich » 07 Jun 2023, 10:47 am

Wapiti wrote:Yet, like a Mauser action, the ejection force is dependent on the force of rearward bolt travel, pull the Sako bolt back for a fast reload and the empty is ejected. It's not a fault,


The fault with the 85 sako is when ejected rigorously, the case flicks up on a steep angle and hits the scope turret. A lot of people don’t even realise this is happening till I’ve pointed out the wear and brass on their scope turret. Bought a new sako 85 in 270 that did this and I couldn’t mount my 2.5-8 loopy because the case would land back in the action. With my 9.3x62 the solution was to turn the leupold scope 90 degrees to the left so it had no obstruction to ejection. This is well documented online and my local smith knows all about it too . The earlier L61 was fine with a Mauser style blade ejector. Which is why the 90 series sako has a new ejection system to fix the 85 series stuff up . It’s much more prevalent with long actions in the 85’s
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by Wapiti » 08 Jun 2023, 7:15 am

Appreciate the explanation here mate,
With respect to the '85's having this anomaly, my wife and I have a 308 each as hunting rifles, and we use a 223 Varmint for smaller ferals night time spotlighting.
My best mate has a beautiful walnut stocked long actioned 300WM '85 that when we have hunted together he uses a lot, I use a 300RUM so we have a bit of a magnum fetish too. So, 3 different action lengths of '85.
I wonder about this, as in our rifles, there is nothing to this and has never happened and I can't see how it can? Just to explain, I went out and just had a play just now with ours and empty cases from reloads we've made, put back through, eject out the side... looking from the rear, I reckon the angle up and out is about 1.30 o'clock. Right out the middle of the available opening.
In case it may be an individual scope issue with big turrets, or something else, in our case the 308's have 25mm tube VX3 3.5-10x40's on them, with Leupold one piece "Ringmounts", with the scope objectives just clearing the barrels. The 223 has a VX3 4.5-14x50 with Optilock mounts, again as low as I can get this oversized scope.
The 300WM has a VX5 HD on it in Leupold ringmounts, which to me is a pretty big scope too.

No saying some scope/rifle combinations don't have some empty brass clearance issues, and I have heard this on forums but never actually heard it from the persons that actually own the rifles, so can't see for myself.
I even tried the semi-controlled round feed feature of the '85's, where the case slides under the extractor as the case is completely under it (just before you would start turning the bolt handle down, then pulled back the bolts. No difference.

My wife has an ejection drama when first using the 223 at night when we were clearing some newly 6 foot high feral fenced paddocks, because she wasn't pulling the bolt back hard enough (I had said to try and keep the empties, bad idea). The cases weren't hitting the ejector hard enough to flick them out, so they sat on the top of the next cartridge as she tried to chamber it.
She was used to a Rem 700 Police rifle she used usually, it has a spring powered ejector so forgave that sluggish bolt habit...once she saw it for herself she figured out what she was doing.

Anyway, long winded post here, just thought it relevant to throw in some actual experience with the rifles that is different from other designs, and that the issue you describe certainly isn't present to us. Certainly aren't trying to discredit any other opinion or person.
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by bigrich » 08 Jun 2023, 8:12 am

Wapiti wrote:Appreciate the explanation here mate,
With respect to the '85's having this anomaly, my wife and I have a 308 each as hunting rifles, and we use a 223 Varmint for smaller ferals night time spotlighting.
My best mate has a beautiful walnut stocked long actioned 300WM '85 that when we have hunted together he uses a lot, I use a 300RUM so we have a bit of a magnum fetish too. So, 3 different action lengths of '85.
I wonder about this, as in our rifles, there is nothing to this and has never happened and I can't see how it can? Just to explain, I went out and just had a play just now with ours and empty cases from reloads we've made, put back through, eject out the side... looking from the rear, I reckon the angle up and out is about 1.30 o'clock. Right out the middle of the available opening.
In case it may be an individual scope issue with big turrets, or something else, in our case the 308's have 25mm tube VX3 3.5-10x40's on them, with Leupold one piece "Ringmounts", with the scope objectives just clearing the barrels. The 223 has a VX3 4.5-14x50 with Optilock mounts, again as low as I can get this oversized scope.
The 300WM has a VX5 HD on it in Leupold ringmounts, which to me is a pretty big scope too.

No saying some scope/rifle combinations don't have some empty brass clearance issues, and I have heard this on forums but never actually heard it from the persons that actually own the rifles, so can't see for myself.
I even tried the semi-controlled round feed feature of the '85's, where the case slides under the extractor as the case is completely under it (just before you would start turning the bolt handle down, then pulled back the bolts. No difference.

My wife has an ejection drama when first using the 223 at night when we were clearing some newly 6 foot high feral fenced paddocks, because she wasn't pulling the bolt back hard enough (I had said to try and keep the empties, bad idea). The cases weren't hitting the ejector hard enough to flick them out, so they sat on the top of the next cartridge as she tried to chamber it.
She was used to a Rem 700 Police rifle she used usually, it has a spring powered ejector so forgave that sluggish bolt habit...once she saw it for herself she figured out what she was doing.

Anyway, long winded post here, just thought it relevant to throw in some actual experience with the rifles that is different from other designs, and that the issue you describe certainly isn't present to us. Certainly aren't trying to discredit any other opinion or person.


appreciate your opinion and input mate . the sako issue is when they went to the three lug bolt they had to move the mechanical ejector from a 3 o'clock bolt face position to a 6 0'clock one . changes the ejection angle to being much steeper . the other thing they did when berreta took over was standardising the extractor clearance . how tight the cartridge rim to extractor holding it to the bolt face varies a few thou with different case rim thickness between calibers . 30-06 cases sitting loose on the bolt as opposed to 308 based cases having thicker rims and sitting tighter, for a more positive ejection . i researched this with smiths as well before making the decisions to sell my 85's . having said that my 85 grizzly in 9.3x62 never missed a beat once i turned my scope 90 degrees to the left .
berreta's solution was to advise medium to high scope mounts to counter this problem . i like good cheek weld and used low rings with optilock bases . i don't like to impersonate a giraffe when shooting :) if you watch the ozziereviews on sako 85 223 hunter on youtube, watch the bit at the start with him firing and ejecting cases. they come out at a very high angle . 45-60 degrees has been reported on the net . looks close to that i reckon . you'll notice they supplied the rifle to him with high scope rings also. my old two lug L61 30-06 never had a problem with extra low optilocks .flicked cases straight out the side . just sayin.... ;)
i've owned a lot of different rifles and calibers and loaded for them all . oddball calibers ,different actions ,with different quirks , but the 85 has a design flaw on long caliber cases .despite being a extremely well made, accurate rifle, the ejection issue soured me on sako's. last time i spoke to my smith he had a 223 85 in his shop for ejection issues . if you and your wife have sako 85's that function well , savour them .

the 90 series sako has a redesgned extraction/ejection system for a reason ;) a lot of the time cases are hitting scope turrets but flying clear . have a look on the bottom of scope turret for missing paint and/or brass on the turret . just saying ....... :thumbsup:
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Re: New Sako 90

Post by Tassiebloke » 13 Oct 2023, 12:35 pm

Aussiehunter91 wrote:Hey gang,

Just wanting to know your thoughts on the sako 90’s

https://www.berettaaustralia.com.au/sako-90/


looking at their website, they don't seem to offer a version in the venerable old 30-06. what a disappointment.
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