Originally Posted by GaryVA
Sounds like your bad feelings toward Beretta may be skewing your reasoning a bit on the Sako 85 when comparing it to other CRF bolt guns in function.

In terms of CRF, be it a 98, 70, 77 or the 85; all of them mechanically hold the top round into the mag box and all of them require the bolt face to push the round forward into the ramp to clear free from the mag box. The round must travel a distance forward to go up and out of the mag box. Once free of the mag box, it is under the claw extractor, be it a full length extractor or be it a Sako extractor. A magnum action with a magnum chambering will have more forward travel to clear the box than a short action with small chambering. Some combinations have a steeper climb than others, but the concept is the same on all.

I've experienced 85s in 338, 375 and now 9.3x62. All functioned correctly out the box with the last being near perfection. At no time does the round leave the mag box in front of the claw extractor. When chambering, the round is riding in the mag box against the bolt face just below and going behind the claw extractor until it clears the mag box, and then it is against the bolt face captured by the claw extractor. Same as my 98s, same as my 70s, and same as my 77s. The difference with the Sako claw is that it does not require pinching or being mechanically undercut to ride over a round dropped directly into the chamber.

Nothing wrong with a push feed, but that is a different animal as the round is in front of the extractor when it comes out the box, and it is under spring pressure to eject once it clears the port opening. Two different animals.

Some of the biggest offenders I've experienced, when it came to production rifles that reliably fed off the assembly line, were full length extractor Mauser variants which required skilled adjustments and removal of material to obtain proper functioning. Some required a complete change in geometry of the mag box. When it comes to the production 85, my experience has been most positive. As I've already noted, my most recent 85 came out the box as the single most reliable feeding production rifle I've ever experienced. Every 98, 70, and 77 required varying degrees of skilled adjustment to come anywhere near the reliability of this later bone stock Sako.

I am of the personal opinion that your rifle does not reflect the correct functioning of the 85. No different than how any given Mauser in need of feed work doesn't reflect the correct functioning of the 98. As to your bias toward a push feed 75, that is fine and dandy. But this is no different than you having a bias toward your wife and a particular tie while I have a bias toward my wife and a different tie.

I do hope someone is able to sort out the issue with your rifle. However, I'm still of the opinion that if you are not crowding the port and the round is ejecting straight out the top, then the extractor must not have a proper grasp of the fired case as it is being overpowered by the ejector. I could see a number of things that could weaken its hold on the case. Otherwise, the case should pop up high enough to clear the lip of the port and be flipped toward the extractor at its position on the bolt face. Keep us posted.

Good Luck smile
GaryVA I thought that the 85 was a true CRF until a fellow camper pointed something out to me. I just ask that you please try the following: Put a live or dummy round in your magazine, push round down in mag so that bolt can go forward and lock, put muzzle of rifle on floor so that rifle is in verticle position, with rifle in this verticle position raise bolt and pull all the way to the rear, slowly push bolt forward, at about half way forward your round will fall into chamber without the extractor ever getting a hold on it. If you try this same procedure with a model 70 Winchester that has pre64 type CRF the round will not fall into chamber. This is because the extractor on the model 70 engages the round just as it begins to push it out of the magazine and holds it through the loading, firing, extraction until ejection. The 85 extractor does not engage the round until it is much further forward in the loading cycle. I tried this several times with my 85 and two Win 70 CRF's I have, and it was true every time. Like I stated earlier, I had not noticed this myself, until another camper told me about it. I am NOT SAYING ONE IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER, just pointing out the difference.

Have a good day,
G2