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

I agree completely. Quick field shots are easy for me with the Finnlight stock especially. Quick snap up and the reticle is pretty close to where it needs to be. Comes up natural.

Thanks very much for the informative replies.

My previous posting of the 1-10 list was not to hate on the Sako 85 but to give a recap of the cons that had been offered to date.
So I have been looking at this $1199 Sako 85 6.5x55 on EuroOptic for the last six months or so… What I desire is an accurate, reliable, synthetic stocked rifle that runs like a dream right out of the box; a rifle that shoots factory ammo so well I will have a really tough time developing a handload that can do better. A rifle that needs no tweaking out of the box. Other than mounting a scope and installing a sling I don’t want to have to do anything to the rifle for it to outperform my walnut stocked Ruger M77s and walnut M700 CDL. I have no intention of restocking it or replacing bottom metal. I will save those things for my M700.
But I hate the thought of paying $1200 for a rifle that ain't a home run out of the box.

Sounds like you ought to look at a Tikka.

Mount a scope, affix a sling, grab a box of ammo and sight it in. Atleast in my experience, thats all that needs done.

For a quality heirloom piece that is reliable and not fussy, get a Pre-64 M70, prices on these are have not risen in the last 10 years and are inline with current sako cost.

I just took delivery of a Sauer model 100 today. Mine is in .222, but they offer both the 6.5x55 and 6.5 Creedmore. Uses Rem 700 or Wthby MkV bases. I'm impressed with it. Shooting it tomorrow if possible. $618 at GunProCorporation. Check them out. Looks like Creedmore is in stock.

https://www.gunprodeals.com/products/bolt-action-sauer-100-810496020662

While I can't speak to others' experiences, I have had zero problems with my 85 Finnlight in 6.5x55. The Finnlight is identical to the Black Synthetic offered by Euro Optic other than the color.

Mine is accurate as well as easy to both shoot and carry. For me the stock is well done, and fits great. The grippy material is especially handy when hiking up and down the mountains in the rain (which is almost always the case during hunting season here). For me, it would not be worth it to replace the Finnlight stock at all (and I have rifles with McMillan, Rimrock, and ULA stocks, so have experience with those).

I also shoot 85's in 9.3x62 and 243, and those have also been accurate and trouble free out of the box.

There was also a thread on here where Phil Shoemaker said he recommended Sako rifles to potential clients coming to Alaska for his guided bear hunts.

$1199 is a great price for the Black Synthetic. Based on my experience, it would be a solid choice in 6.5x55.

The first time the ejection doesn't work properly on an important hunt, you will regret the day you bought it.

There are many, many accounts of such, and yes you can find videos all over UTube demonstrating such.

Let's see these videos all over the internet showing the many, many accounts demonstrating defective 85s that cannot eject a case.

There may be one guy showing the case tink the scope on the way out, but I'm not seeing this alleged volume of Sako 85 rifles that do not eject the case. There must be at least a bazillion Sako 85s around the world, so where are these many, many pissed off owners posting videos all over the internet of all these rifles that cannot eject.

I'll start off with "shooting clays".

They either clear or they don't. It's not something that will start happening out of nowhere on an important hunt. I've owned 6 85's of various action lengths. The ejection angle is consistent but higher than some other rifles.

I suggest looking at a Sako 75 or a Steyr.

The Steyr Pro Hunter is my fallback at the moment. Nowhere near as attractive looking a rifle as the Sako, but again, excellence in all respects right out of the box is what I seek.

Gary, I am not a stock crawler, but can benefit with low rings. I have medium height Talley lightweights on my M700 CDL. When standing and shouldering the rifle, when I form the cheekweld i have to adjust my head down a bit to obtain a good sight picture thru the 3-9x40 Conquest. The butt rides high on the shoulder, with about the top half inch of the pad not making contact. I need to order some low Talleys and experiment.

More money but a Cooper Excalibur($1600-$1800) might also be worth looking into if the non bolt locking safety isn't a deal breaker.

I am of the personal opinion that these repeated and overstated claims do not reflect the correct functioning of the 85.

I see three different things taking place in these discussions:

First, being some having objection based upon bias. Which, is fine and dandy, but it is no different than bias toward one's wife and a particular tie.

Second, being a difference in technique. Some will mostly mount the rifle to their cheek, and not their shoulder, similar to mounting an upland gun. In this manner, for an averaged sized shooter, the Sako has favorable ergos. Likely best highlighted while swinging and mounting the gun on driven game. The Sako stock on the rifle in this discussion, using this technique, has my line of sight just a tad over 1.6" above the bore. Optilock Ringmounts place the center of my scope at 1.64" above the bore, and the fit is near as good as if it were custom. With my eyes closed, I can cheek the rifle, then open my eyes and be centered on the scope tube.

A different technique, used by many, is to mount the rifle into the shoulder. With this technique you must then do something with your head to obtain a spot or cheek weld. With this technique you crane the neck and stock crawl to bring your head down to the stock. This can easily lower your line of sight over the bore in comparison to the cheek technique. If this is you, and your aftermarket mount combinations are done so to match this stock crawl, then the Sako 85 will not be friendly towards you, as the end results will be the mounts and scope can crowd the port.

Third, being mechanical. I am of the opinion that if you are not crowding the port, and you experience the case ejecting straight up, through the grip of the claw extractor, out the top; then, the extractor must not have a proper grasp of the fired case, as it is being overpowered by the ejector. As already proven, and already noted, a number of things could weaken its hold on the case. Otherwise, the case should pop up, within the clearance against the bolt face, high enough to clear the lip of the port, and then it follows the path of least resistance, to be flipped toward the extractor at its position on the bolt face.

Never cleaning the long term shipping/storage coatings from these components, can gum the free movement of the claw, as can a machining burr, or metallic debris from cartridges. I have seen this throw off the ejection, with simply degreasing and cleaning the parts being the cure.

Having a weak spring can reduce hold from the claw. I have seen a fresh spring be the cure. In addition to replacement Sako length springs, oversized springs are also available.

Having a worn or damaged claw can also reduce its hold on the case. I have seen a worn/damaged claw be replaced to be the cure.

Lastly, cheap, worn, and/or out of spec cases can reduce the hold of the claw. Like any other mag box firearm, good ammo and good magazine, are crucial to good performance.

Outside of this, I have never seen an 85, that would eject straight up through the claw, ever. Not in person, and not in any video. There have been several, here, who claimed to have such 85s, which they claimed did this consistently, but, they always have refused to make a video of this in action. And when someone inspected the rifle, it could not be duplicated. The only issues found, were always with attempts to fit aftermarket components to further lower the scope, to fit an owner who preferred to stock crawl. Even then, the rifle would eject, but would dink the scope. At that point, full refunds were given.

I want to stay below $1350 or so for the rifle.

[Expensive firearms: went there with high end 1911s ($2K+) and decided reliable Colts ~ $1K were all I really wanted or needed. I have similar feelings towards rifles.]

Gary, your mechanical description above makes sense. Having never owned a Sako, or shouldered one, I can look at this unemotionally. It strikes me that the intrinsic engineering fundamentals of the Sako 85 design lead to some potential faults, which must be remedied as you describe. If all is in spec, the rifle runs like a raped ape. If out of spec, it appears that Beretta won't fix the problem, but a knowledgeable gunsmith can.

I certainly would not be brass-dinging the scope with a Steyr Pro Hunter... lol

Yikes, the Pro Hunter is a full pound heavier...

Okay, but understand the fit of one stock, likely would be different than the fit of another stock design.

I doubt many fit their rifles anymore. Likely, most just adapt to the dimensions out the box. When fitting, a good method to nail down scope mount height, is with a sighting tube. There is a tiny hole, through the center of the tube. You must be centered on this tube, to see thru. You cheek the rifle, and set the tube where needed to match your natural line of sight. You then match your mounts, to place the optics at that height.

I have a Steyr 270WSM SS prohunter. I added the STeyr Rubber Recoil pad(25$) and removed one stock extension and it recoils like a BB gun. Using factory ammo 130 grain Winchester and Federal ballistic tips it is a hammer. The trigger is one of the best I have squeezed in a long long time.

I personally have never owned a production rifle, 700, 550, 527, 98, 84, 70, 77, 7, etc., that did not require work, in time and money, to have that rifle working to my satisfaction. I have, however, had numerous Sako rifles, in numerous chambering, that worked to my satisfaction, straight out the box. So when all is said, some are more of a project in the box than others. In the end, they will all cost about the same in time and money.

Where my love for Sako ends, is the point where it does not fit and work out the box. If requiring major alterations, and Frankenstein mounts to fit and work, then it loses its "out the box" value. But if it fits and works out the box, it is of great value, worthy of a look, as it will hang with custom rifles costing several times as much. That is why I like the Sako. The dimensions they chose must have come from my identical twin. But, my fit may be different than your fit.

If all you want or need is a reliable rifle, then, get a Ruger, use their ringmounts, and top it off with a fixed power LEU scope. It will not be refined, it will not carry exceptionally well, but it would be tough and reliable. Even if it did not muster moa groups, you could fill truck beds full of game.

If you want refined, exceptional carry, moa accuracy, in a "non-Tikka/A7 type budget gun", then you'll need to invest more, in something like a Sako out the box, or a CZ, M70, 84, etc., as a project in a box. If wanting custom, then expect to at least double this added investment.