Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Please talk me out of the Sako 85

Just purchased a Sako 85 Kodiak and a T3 from eurooptic. They are running sales on T3's right now, probably to make room for the new T3x's.

Anyways, I'm happy with both purchases...without much load development, they both shoot less than an inch at 100.

The kodiak (.375 H&H) is about the perfect weight (9.5 lbs with full mag and 2-7x scope), and is very smooth and quiet cycling rounds. My only gripe is that it needs a better recoil pad, which I'll update with a decelerator eventually.

The tikka (.243) reminds me of any of the big brand cheap rifles that are being sold these days, until you work the action...very smooth. I really like the all plastic single stack magazine, feeds really well and is also very quiet and easy to load. Bought this gun primarily as a truck gun for shooting woodchucks at long range and eventually speed goat hunting.

Will be purchasing a few more Sako 85's, next on the list is a black synthetic (1099.99 at eurooptic) and probably one of the brown bear models.

They are not going to concern themselves with those who wish to push the scope lower than factory designs (BS by the way.They don't even have a "factory design"), for personal reasons to execute variations of stock crawl. For those, they give a refund, which is well beyond what other manufacturers will readily offer.

Customer By Web Form
09/03/2014 06:14 PM
Found out about the chronic ejection problems of the long action 85 after I had purchased one. Sure enough mine is affected. Sized and trimmed brass ejects straight up into the scope and bounces back down onto the follower. Some manage to rattle around and fall out. Sako Finnlight 30-06, LC69 full length sized & trimmed brass. Rifle is unfired. From what I've been able to read on the subject this issue seems to be related to extractor spring pressure, or the lack of. This isn't a new problem. I have researched enough to know there are a substantial number of rifles and owners affected going back pretty much to the 85 inception. None are happy and some are VERY unhappy. FYI I have read multiple reports of service center repairs that did not resolve the problem. The only successful repairs I am aware of were by owners replacing the coil spriing with a stronger version allowing the extractor to override ejector pressure and pull the cartridge case to the side for normal function. Please do not tell me you have never heard of this. So my question is have you yet come up with a fix? If it is a simple parts swap I'll be more than happy to do it myself or have my local gunsmith do it. I would prefer to keep it local if possible. I appreciate your forthcoming response.

Question Reference #140903-000009
Product Level 1: Rifles and Carbines
Product Level 2: Sako 85
Category Level 1: Consumer
Date Created: 09/03/2014 06:14 PM
Last Updated: 09/05/2014 03:41 PM
Status: Solved

Thank you for contacting Beretta Customer Support.

Beretta's Service Position on this issue is shown below:

"Occasionally, we receive customer complaints regarding Sako 85 rifles ejecting spent cases that either strike the scope or strike the scope turret and fall back inside the action of the rifle. This situation is predominately caused by both the scope mounts and type of scope (particularly scopes with extended turrets) installed on the rifle. A secondary consideration is how rigorously the bolt is operated by the user.

Beretta will not consider rifles that exhibit the condition above to be a warranty issue. Provided that the rifle fully extracts and ejects the spent casing, the rifle will be considered functional and serviceable. Sako cannot anticipate every possible scope mounting configuration when designing their rifles. Since the selection and installation of the scope and mounts are determined by the owner, it is the owner’s responsibility to ensure that the system will not interfere with the operation of the rifle."

Regarding your specific inquiry, there is no "fix" for this condition as the ejector is not adjustable in this rifle. The comments that you have read regarding "extractor spring pressure" are not valid. The spring pressure does not affect the ejection trajectory of the casing. The bottom line is if the rifle extracts and ejects the casing, it is considered functional.
Finally, in spite of the Internet chatter, a review of the service history for the Sako 85 rifle over the past 24 months indicates that a fraction of a percent of the rifles sold are returned for service for this issue.
Our suggestion would be to experiment with different scope mounts and/or type of scope to determine what will work best on your rifle.

Best regards,

Beretta Customer Support

Since 2006, you have made only 2 posts reference anything Sako.

1st, was one post to give a glowing report on a Kodiak.



2nd, the post today?????

Again, I will take your 2 posts with a grain of salt. I have run, the Kodiak, in both chamberings, 338 and 375. Granted, I cleaned, inspected, and lubed the rifles before use, but both ran very well, scoped, and unscoped. I no longer have them, because I favor my current 9.3x62, for liveliness in handling.

Since 2006, you have made only 2 posts reference anything Sako.

1st, was one post to give a glowing report on a Kodiak.



2nd, the post today?????

Again, I will take your 2 posts with a grain of salt. I have run, the Kodiak, in both chamberings, 338 and 375. Granted, I cleaned, inspected, and lubed the rifles before use, but both ran very well, scoped, and unscoped. I no longer have them, because I favor my current 9.3x62, for liveliness in handling.

My assessment was realistic, fair, and unbiased. In the case of my 85 Varmint 223 8 twist, the mag limits COAL to 2.28". I'm not about to get into an internet pissing contest over whether or not I'm justified in wanting a mag accommodating 2.50+" COAL and more than two aftermarket stock options for a heavy barreled 8 twist 223. Further, denying that scope mounting options are extremely limited is delusional. Finally, you might want to revisit your understanding of the positioning of a front optilock ring on the tapered dovetail.




GaryVA,
You've almost done a fantastic job detailing constraints inherent in the Sako 85 design.

The point is, you're not limited to one main tube length.

04/24/12 - I would like to hear from Sako 85 owners that have had ejection problems (case hitting bottom of scope) with their rifles. Especially those that have been sent back to Beretta or one of their outsourced authorized repair dealers.

04/25/12 - Thanks for listening to me vent guys, gonna have some breakfast, then take on Beretta.

04/25/12 - Heard back from Beretta today. Their fix was to slide scope fore and aft until "right position" for ejection is found. What I found is this fix only makes it hit my scope with the very edge of the case mouth, or it hits my scope with the shoulder of the case. Let Beretta know this afternoon that this did not solve problem, and that I wanted gun fixed right, another gun, or my money refunded.

05/03/12 - Shipped my 85 Sako Finnlight to Beretta USA in Md. this morning. Yesterday I was actually able to talk to a former jarhead like myself, which made me feel somewhat more optimistic.

05/16/12 - Got a call from Beretta USA this morning. Very nice young lady informed me that I would be receiving a check for the price I paid for my 85 Finnlight ST .270 Win. Can't ask for more than that.

Everyone have a great day!

G2

Folks,
As I posted earlier, my Sako 85 in 30-06 was having problems ejecting empty brass. Not only it hits the botton of the scope (mostly the right turret), but sometimes when extracting the extractor slipped on brass rim and left the brass on top of the magazine, freely.

I took one of the springs and compared with the Sako original spring and noticed that the Gre Tan springs are much longer... may be 3 turns of spring longer.
Also, they seemed much more stronger.

I tried to install the Gre Tan spring but it is a little longer and even compressing it, there will be about hair of the extractor pin that will not go inside the pin hole to allow the original Sako extractor to fit its place. I cut only one turn to allow it to fit completely inside its hole on the bolt.

Now, it was very easy to just snap everything inside the bolt.
First thing I noticed is that the extractor now has much more pressure against the side of the bolt, that is a good thing.
But the final test is really how it would work ejecting new and used empty brass...


And all I can say is that I was amazed at HOW WELL it works!!!
Every single of the more than 100 empty brass (new, full lenghted resized, fired etc) I put through my Sako 85, ejected 100%!!!

Some of the brass still hit the botton of the scope, but it flyes away from the action! This was not happening before the new spring!

Most of the brass was really ejected, like it had a plunger ejector.
I can move the bolt slow or fast and everything works 100%. Not a single brass (I tried loaded rounds too and it worked perfect) was left inside the action, over the magazine. All of them was spitted out of the action!

Now, I have a 100% functional and beautifull Sako 85 Classic in 30-06 !!!
Kampfeld made some custom touches, so it is a real nice rifle that now works 100%.

I am very happy and spent only about U$10,00 to fix something that Beretta SHOULD had done years ago.


Here it is:




And with a McMillan Classic stock I ordered from McMillan, for places where put its beautifull walnut stock is not recomended (someplaces here where the european warthog - sus scrofa - hides...):



Here the parts I used:


As you can see on the photo above, the Brownells part number for the spring kit is # 309-000-009.

I think that, for the price of the Gre Tan Extended Spring Kit, it is worth to try and see if it works on your rifles too. I hope it works for you!

LRCampos.

Not sure I follow, but there is a short base, a long base, an extended base, a quick release base, and then the straight up mount. There are five ring heights, with the Ringmounts being the fifth. The front mount will clamp anywhere upon the front bridge dovetail, and the rear mount rests on the rear bridge at the limiter pin. But, if you are not addressing iron sights, and have no need for the limiter pin, it can be removed, and you can then clamp the rear mount any place you desire on that dovetail.

Not sure many actually fit mounts anymore, as it sounds, here, that most just put the parts together like plumbing. But, if you hand fit the parts, and make corrections for scope adjustment, the Optilocks are easily shimmed at the ring insert and/or ring-base union, or the clamp can be machined. The mounts can then be removed and replaced without losing that fit.

If this is not enough for you, then a rail could be installed. The above Optilocks are also available with a rail base. You are not limited to the position of fixed holes in a receiver.

Also, not sure who first used the concept of a delrin "ball bearing" ring insert, Burris, Sako, or someone else...but the pivoting, self centering insert is genius.