Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Sako 85 ejection failure

Because the Sako extractor is located higher and is smaller, i can imagine that no Sako 85 is likely to catch the rim before the cartridge falls into the chamber in the scenario Gramps describes. I would point out though that the objective of the game is to get to cartridge to go into the chamber! The reason for the full-length extractor on the mauser design was to provide the tension required to hold the cartridge, and that is going to be harder to do with a Sako-type extractor. But the Sako design clearly generally does a pretty good job.

The Sako is not going to catch the rim as fast as the much wider mauser-style extractor - in the Sako the round will have to move higher across the bolt face before meeting the extractor. I have described before as "CRF enough". It is a compromise, due to Sako retaining the three lug design of the 75.

The question is, are there benefits with retaining the three lug design and are they sufficient to justify the compromise. For me, that is a very easy question to answer. Of course it is. The three lug design negates the "mauser wobble" and results in a much smoother action than any mauser, and has much less tendency to bind than any mauser design. It also reduces bolt lift. The compromise is a winner for me.