Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Sako 85 ejection failure

I'm going to do a one-and-done post here in an attempt to describe the cause of the malfunction based on considerable tinkering with the rifle I had. All long action 85s do not exhibit this problem and I realize that, but very many do. I'm not going to argue or debate with anyone, just going to share the knowledge of why this happens.

The ejection malfunction is a product of two pieces of hardware in the bolt/action, their positions and relationship with one another. Having the ejector at the 6 o'clock position of the bolt face is the primary design fault responsible for these failures to eject cases and/or rounds. Bad engineering period. Designers intentionally designed the ejector to strike the bottom of the case head causing the case mouth to go straight up toward the scope. They then tried to override this action with a fairly small extractor just barely past 9 o'clock. Instead of the extractor guiding the case out of the action as with other rifles, it instead must jerk the case around a corner to get it out of the port.

When the bolt is moved to the rear the extractor does it's job and pulls the cartridge case along. The extractor hook at this point has full contact with the case rim. When the ejector hits the case head at the 6 o'clock point up goes the case mouth. With the case now angling upward the bottom of the case rim moves outward from the bolt face causing the extractor to spring outward as well. As a result the only contact the extractor now has with the case rim is with the bottom point of the extractor hook. When the case mouth contacts the scope it can go no further up. But the ejector is still pushing the bottom of the case head. Something has to give. What gives is the single point of contact the extractor has with the case rim. With additional pressure from the ejector, the case head squirts straight down off the bolt face and out from under the extractor. Failure to eject.

The spring upgrade (heavier) being used with some success apparently allows the single point of contact the extractor has with the rim to hang on long enough for the case to leave the port. I'll be surprised if this actually keeps the case from contacting the scope tube or turret. As I've said before, every time this action ejects a case it almost didn't. Another possible ointment for this wound may be a shorter ejector so contact with the case head is later in the bolt stroke. That would also decrease the upward movement of the case mouth. But that's Beretta's problem not mine. Over and out.