buy a new sako 85 ?

[bigrich]

hey guys , i'm thinking about taking the plunge and buying a new rifle. i normally buy some second hand thing in fairly good condition, and cause i'm OCD i end up rebarrelling and spending more money on said second hand rifle .rather than go through all that i'm thinking about taking the plunge and getting a new sako 85 in 270 win . run 100-150 rounds through it to wear in the barrel and work out the handload recipe . job done . no paper punching hunting rifle

having said that i have my eye on a L61 270 in good nick but has mild throat erosion very, very smooth action

any experiences or opinions on sako 85's ?

i'm torn between walnut/blue and stainless/laminate . opinions ?


thanks in advance, cheers

[Wm.Traynor]

No recent experience bigrich but I'm sorry to have sold mine.

[bigrich]

No recent experience bigrich but I'm sorry to have sold mine.

what did you have , and what opinions on it/them ?

i've been a model 70 fan for a while , i have three . but at the moment i've got the sh!ts with my CRF rifle . my earlier 70's made push feeds function flawlessly with any projectile but my CRF is feed tempremental about cartridge/projectile length and the barrels a bit ho-hum . rather than spend money rebarreling my CRF mod 70 i'm thinking about moving it on and jumping to sako . i think CRF can be more problematic (except mauser 98"s ) and is overrated for sporting rifles in this country

[SCJ429]

Sako 85 usually shoot very well, they have a complicated recoil lug and those tapered scope mounts. I have never seen one that wouldn't shoot. The two at my place are pretty awesome.

But like you I like the idea of getting an older rifle and stick a new barrel on it. Most of my rifles are more than 20 years old, and some a lot older than that.

[AZZA'S HJ47]

Great rifles hard to go past i love my 243 never had a issue with it great stock slick action and shoots beautifully. What more can one ask for in a rifle.

[Wm.Traynor]

What a coincidence! I have ended up with a M70 in 30/06 after dallying with a Titanium Remington in 308.
But I Digress.
The 75 had a synthetic stock which could be taken off and washed after it was used as a crutch in an NT swamp. It was obvious that the barrel was not centred in the fore end channel but that was rectified, the action bedded and the rifle test fired at 300 yards. I recall writing in a Hunting Club report that the three shot group was "closer to an inch and a half than it was to two". To put it another way, with a group like that, I wasn't going to get fussy about measurements It was a very smooth rifle to cycle and could be held on the shoulder with ease, while emptying the magazine at a mob of pigs. It held five rounds and extras could be stuffed in through the generous ejection port if necessary when in a hurry, otherwise you could detach the mag and fill it at leisure.
Funny you are dissatisfied with your CRF, M70. Mine is too, BTW. It is as slick as can be, to cock with the forefinger, flick back the bolt likewise and slam home the bolt with the thumb. H O W E V E R, I have never tried it with a loaded mag, as one does when hunting and I have never hunted with it. In 2015 I was assailed by a multitude of ailments and have been pretty useless ever since, so this rifle has never been really tested, now that I come to think on it And thank you for reminding me I have only tried starting loads with two varieties of 168 grain bullets and they fed ok. The last 3 shotter went under 1 moa. Oh, BTW, I had to bed this one too.
The Sako was a lovely gun but like all things, you pays your money and you takes your chances.
Good Luck mate

[bigrich]

Sako 85 usually shoot very well, they have a complicated recoil lug and those tapered scope mounts. I have never seen one that wouldn't shoot. The two at my place are pretty awesome.

But like you I like the idea of getting an older rifle and stick a new barrel on it. Most of my rifles are more than 20 years old, and some a lot older than that.

i'm actually seriously thinking about sticking with the older L61 (1974 build) ,and rebarreling it down the track it has a little throat erosion, but it might still shoot okay. maybee i've already put money on it , and it comes with optilock mounts and a vari x 2 loopy in 2-7x33 gloss scope in really good nick .
after a few beers i've been thinking about all the stuffing around ( HOW MANY MONTHS WAITING FOR A REBARREL JOB THESE DAYS ? ), and weighing up buying new

from what i've been reading/researching , the early sako's are a high qaulity sought after firearm . i've come across a few online posts about qaulity control/ejection issues on the new models though .found a old post by skinna (stix) , about his 22-250 flicking cases off the scope

i think someone on here had issues with a bought new sako (GDB ?)

at the very least it's a topic for EG

[bigrich]

What a coincidence! I have ended up with a M70 in 30/06 after dallying with a Titanium Remington in 308.
But I Digress.
The 75 had a synthetic stock which could be taken off and washed after it was used as a crutch in an NT swamp. It was obvious that the barrel was not centred in the fore end channel but that was rectified, the action bedded and the rifle test fired at 300 yards. I recall writing in a Hunting Club report that the three shot group was "closer to an inch and a half than it was to two". To put it another way, with a group like that, I wasn't going to get fussy about measurements It was a very smooth rifle to cycle and could be held on the shoulder with ease, while emptying the magazine at a mob of pigs. It held five rounds and extras could be stuffed in through the generous ejection port if necessary when in a hurry, otherwise you could detach the mag and fill it at leisure.
Funny you are dissatisfied with your CRF, M70. Mine is too, BTW. It is as slick as can be, to cock with the forefinger, flick back the bolt likewise and slam home the bolt with the thumb. H O W E V E R, I have never tried it with a loaded mag, as one does when hunting and I have never hunted with it. In 2015 I was assailed by a multitude of ailments and have been pretty useless ever since, so this rifle has never been really tested, now that I come to think on it And thank you for reminding me I have only tried starting loads with two varieties of 168 grain bullets and they fed ok. The last 3 shotter went under 1 moa. Oh, BTW, I had to bed this one too.
The Sako was a lovely gun but like all things, you pays your money and you takes your chances.
Good Luck mate

yeah mate , my crf supergrade is a fine slick rifle , but it has a habit of playing up at the worst times . it's been really accurate with a fine trigger , but my other push feeds are more accurate and just as slick .222 that makes bug holes and my 358 cuts a vertical slot at 100 through a 1.5-5x20 loopy scope ! i was heading towards badge loyalty with winchester , but a bit of variety in the safe makes things interesting. i recently picked up a nice 1917 eddystone in 30-06 that's been nicely sporterised by churchill of london .probably sometime in the 50's-60's by the look of it . another project......

[Grandadbushy]

G'day bigrich yeah you're right i did have trouble with my mod 85 it was the stock which was a laminated one, after a few weeks of having it the clear started coming off and after 2yrs it hardly had any on it at all, as far as the action and barrel goes it was outstanding and shot exceptional , i've shot one barrel out and replaced the action and barrel as a unit and only keeping the stock because i'd completely refurbished it and wasn't going to risk another faulty stock, as for the lamination i've had no problems with separation of layers or anything else for that matter but the Roughtech 7mm is a different thing altogether , faulty stock, magazine problems, like it won't pick the first bullet up into the action , loose mag then other small things ''But'' it shoots and well to a constant .5 to .6 @ 100yds eventually i will get a new stock built or fitted but for now i'll stick to shooting single shot with it, i don't think the mag problem can be fixed, it's just a bad design. mate i've sworn never to buy another sako because the quality control isn't there any more for the prices they're asking, but the mechanical side of them you pretty much can't fault ''shooting wise'' but when you buy a rifle for that money then have to pay another $500 to $1000 to get a decent stock then it's cheaper to rebarrel an older rifle when possible in my books but each to their own

[bigrich]

Thanks for the feedback GDB . Sounds like a horror story and not something I’d expect from sako.
As much as it’s a PITA dealing with gunsmiths rebarreling a older model is starting to sound like the way to go

[Bello]

Hi Bigrich
Most of my flock are Sako 85
I have timber stock ones, laminated ones, synthetic ones, grey laminate
Some are varmint profile (Heavier) , some are Finnlights (Lighter) , carbonlight (My lightest rifle).
All different calibres. They have preformed well for me.
All very accurate and smooth.
One thing to note here is, when left in the safe alone, they tend to breed
I tell my wife its not me buying more and more rifles it the cold nights which is doing it
Hope this helps

[Skinna]

Someone say my name(s)...

G'day BRich
Mate i would say get one...!!
I have 2 & am glad i got them.
Yes my 22-250 throws the cases out too vertical & they hit the windage turret of the scope, but i understand thats not overly common (just my luck), but it is fixable anyway...its still off the road until i have time to undertake my first attempt at neck turning as the cases for it have donuts...
So that one is a blued walnut--looks the part with a nice striped wavy grain in a good piece of timber, but i dont like the blued barrel on it as it fowls with carbon pretty bad & takes a bit to clean--the stainless barrels are certainly easier to clean-well every one i have is easy to clean, but they are all Sako barrels (Sako/Tikka)

The other one i have is even smaller in a VLS in 204.
Yes i like my little bullets...
Just starting to get used to this one--its been going off the boil here n there--last i sighted in at the range it put 2 shots in the same hole--beautiful..!!--then the next was at 300yds & it/I gut shot a bunny...i was gobsmacked--no wind & over the bonnet with a heavy bag & rear bag going for a head shot i shouldnt have missed like that...!!
But ive just discovered on the weekend its the action screw tension...
So it appears the screws loosen, but im not doing them up too tight--ill have to find the right tension that they stay tight without over-doing them.
So that rifle is great--shoots 39SBK's well enough for head shots at 300, & puts 32 BT's often in the same hole.
This one (204) has the set trigger--its magic i tell ya...got it at bargain price before price rise couple years ago...!!...i regret not getting the set trigger on the 22-250 after using i, but the normal trigger is still great...!!.

I never used to like the look of stainless barrels, but they grow on you & i like them now... so If i could afford another one, id get a Stainless Walnut--one with a nice piece of timber & easy cleaning.

The action/bolt workings isnt as smooth as the Tikka, but they are still nice.
Some nice features on them & they look pretty too...!! Also the top feed 5 shot mag--i love it just for over the bonnet sniping so it would be great for hunting... !!

Id say get one, i doubt you'll be disappointed, & i can see more price rises coming once this new world of masks we live in settles down ...but you & your long action tendencies always do the opposite of what i say, so looks like ill be seeing a post on how your L61 shoots...
But ill say this--some throat erosion to me would be a concern unless you can personally vouch for the previous owner--if its been shot with decent strings of rounds might be one thing, but if its been meticulously looked after & suffering good erosion only after being mostly single fired & allowed to cool, you may not have much life left--the owner may have seen the increase in group size & moved it on for that reason to get considerably more coin for its action value.
Always a punt even on a new one i guess, but at least with a new Sako you'll be looked after as in my experience they do take pride in the customers experience & the product quality.

[Bello]

Hi skinna
Most of my Sako rifles have the set trigger. I love them.
My kids don’t use it. They just use the normal setting on the triggers.
I bought a Sako finnlight in the 22-250, nice light accurate rifle, of corse with the set trigger

[Grandadbushy]

Yeah bigrich sort of horror story but mainly caused by gunshop not giving a F---- and not communicating with sako to remedy the problem so don't not buy a new 85 because i've had a few problems , surely they can't all be bad as the action and barrel parts are second to none, if i was to buy another sako i'd buy the action and barrel then have it fitted to the stock i wanted before it left the shop, a tad expensive but a rifle for a lifetime , as the boys have said they haven't had problems with their rifles so that's a good sign and another thing, if you're doing up an old rifle and the cards don't fall right then it could also be an expensive choice so go with what ya heart tells you mate and get what makes you feel good and what you want, the rest will sort it self out

[bigrich]

well fellas, i went back and had another look at the old L61R Finnbear , and it's in better condition than i recalled . barrel isn't as bad as i thought either , should shoot okay for a hunter. but i don't think i've ever held as well built a rifle as this thing . actually , i don't think a better built rifle exists
i probably will rebarrel at some point, but i can't let this one slip past . further research indicates it was probably built around 1971

i will own a newer sako one day , but i also have my eye on a tikka m55 deluxe 222........oh dear . here i go again

[JimTom]

Mate I only have the one Sako, and it’s a A7 rough tech pro so basically the entry level rifle. Although all my other rifles are accurate, the Sako is just next level. By far my favourite rifle, and not the most expensive. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy an 85 mate, however I haven’t had the project rifle build experience as you have so prob a bit hard for me to compare.

[bigrich]

Mate I only have the one Sako, and it’s a A7 rough tech pro so basically the entry level rifle. Although all my other rifles are accurate, the Sako is just next level. By far my favourite rifle, and not the most expensive. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy an 85 mate, however I haven’t had the project rifle build experience as you have so prob a bit hard for me to compare.

i have owned a A7 308 with the synthetic stock in stainless . extremely smooth and accurate , but didn't like 150 gn projectiles . it was light and used to beat me up a bit if shooting lots . although very practicle, and hard wearing , stainless synthetic rifles don't have "soul " like blued walnut does for me . correction , a lot of early sakos use "artic birch" timber

[JimTom]

Mate I do have to agree with you there. I went through a phase where I had mostly stainless synthetic however have a few more traditional appearance blued timber rifles now. I am struggling for the right word to use so I will just run with yours and say they have more soul.

[Oldbloke]

Tikka?

[bigrich]

Tikka?

hey OB, hope you and yours are having a enjoyable xmas . i've missed the meaning of your tikka reference . can you please elaborate ?

[Oldbloke]

Sorry BR. Thought it was obvious. They come out same factory as Sako. Bit cheaper too, perhaps worth considering.

[bigrich]

Sorry BR. Thought it was obvious. They come out same factory as Sako. Bit cheaper too, perhaps worth considering.

good point OB , if i go new rifle tikka's are a good thing . i would have to replace the plastic trigger gaurd with a metal one but . yeah i know i'm OCD .....

i'm gunna run with the 61R Finnbear in 270 but i'm sure it's handbuilt by scandanavian elves , it's such a magical, slick bit of craftsmanship

[Oldbloke]

Ah, I missed that post. Good luck with the sako. They are nice.
I'd be too scared to use it for fear of scratching it. Lol.

Hope u had a great Xmas. And have a good new years.

Let's hope 21 is better than 20.

[bigrich]

Ah, I missed that post. Good luck with the sako. They are nice.
I'd be too scared to use it for fear of scratching it. Lol.

Hope u had a great Xmas. And have a good new years.

Let's hope 21 is better than 20.

thanks OB, a happy next year to you too mate

[pedro4977]

I was looking at a new 85 in .300 win, over 3 grand without a scope. Happened on a slightly used 75 hunter walnut stainless for 1.9g in same caliber and glad I did. It is a thing of beauty and shoots well under the inch, had a couple at .3 moa for three shots with hand loads. It is a thing of beauty, up there with my L461 in .222 rem mag. Sako do make good s**t, wouldn’t hesitate to buy one new, but have a look on abused guns, sometimes a beauty will pop up. Can be a gamble though. Good luck with your decision, it’s definitely a tough one!

[bigrich]

hey fellas, a update on the sako situation . i ended up with the 270win 1972 sako L61 finnbear . lovely old rifle. tweaked trigger , shoots .8" at 100 with 150sst's and RE22

BUT, the bug is starting to bite , rebarrel, timney trigger .... nope. STOP

as i already have a few classic "toys" , blued timber xtr winnies in 222, 243 and 358 , i'm thinking a more durable , take anywhere, anytime,in any weather for anything rifle is in order . rather than putting money into the old finnbear , i'm thinking a brand new stainless laminate sako 85 in 270 would be the bomb . run in the barrel, develop a load . done .

opinions ?

[AZZA'S HJ47]

Sounds like a great idea. Dont have to justify that decision on here nobody in their right mind would say that buying a sako 85 is a bad idea great rifles one that you won't regret.

[bigrich]

Sounds like a great idea. Dont have to justify that decision on here nobody in their right mind would say that buying a sako 85 is a bad idea great rifles one that you won't regret.

oh, i know no one on here would say it's a BAD idea azza

it's more for me , the justification thing i can impulse buy , and sometimes regret it later . i grew up quite poor , so justifying "sako" money for guns is something i've got to be comfortable with

i think given my caliber "spread" this would be a smart move , it should see me to old age

[AZZA'S HJ47]

I was recently playing with the idea of a sako 85 in 223 for plinking/hunting purposes I cheaped out and went the tikka option. For a scrub gun always trade up to the 85 when funds permits. (Renting two houses kinda killed the funds)

Don't know if you have a 85 in any calibre but will surely be a rifle that will be the goods.

[bigrich]

I was recently playing with the idea of a sako 85 in 223 for plinking/hunting purposes I cheaped out and went the tikka option. For a scrub gun always trade up to the 85 when funds permits. (Renting two houses kinda killed the funds)

Don't know if you have a 85 in any calibre but will surely be a rifle that will be the goods.

There’s a sako 223 on ssaa at a good price azza. You should buy it ....