Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Sako L61R

have had mine since the mid-60's, a L61R and - well machined and the wood is exceptional and the irons are very good. The bolt runs like it is on butter and shoots better than most CRF's including mine. It is chambered in the .338 Win Mag flavor - been a damn fine moose and grizz gun for me for over 40 yrs and no problems like Savage99 mentioned-he just had some lemons and there are lemons out there.

One or two bad apples spoil the whole bunch? not hardly. By the way the Sako extractor has never failed me either-whats not to like?

If that old Sako is so useless Savage99, why don't you send it to some needy soul that could use an action? It could surely be turned into a worthwhile non dg rifle.

Of course the Sako 61 is not 'useless', come on. Its just not preferable thats all. I made an uninformed choice long ago and now I know better.

Remember that guide on Admiralty Island that was almost killed by a brown bear? That was a Sako that he was using and it double fed and jammed up his rifle.

"He worked the bolt to chamber a second round but "short-stroked it," jamming the rifle. "Damn," he said as the bear barrelled forward, knocking him down.

"Now I'm on my back kicking this bear in the head, trying to get him off me. He's biting my left foot, giving me a compound fracture, crunching the bones in my left leg. I'm trying to get my gun to work."

Sako jams, bear gets guide.

No mention of Sako in that article.

g

muleshoe,



I am a disposal site for the worthless Sako L61R actions, but I can take whole rifles as well. I am certified in the removal process, and completely discreet. Contact me on how and where to ship those unwanted Sakos, and I will remove them.

I've got well over a dozen Sako rifles.Never had a single problem with any of them,and several have been hunted hard.

WB.

Wow, I'am embarrassed I told you guys I own one.

I'm not.
Only a fool would diss a L61R.

Another article said it was a Sako but it could have been any other push feed action. At least the ones like the Remington that have plunger and not blade ejectors will eject a case or even a loaded round for that matter easier than a blade ejector. Thus when the case is gone a double feed is not possible.

Thats if you want a plunger ejector.

After reading this again I think next time he will full cycle the action. It reads like Hunter error and not the action.

No doubt hunter error..

On my first elk hunting trip. we rode in on a small herd of elk. No round allowed in the chamber when in the scabbard on the horse. We IDed a leagel bull, my buddy shorted stroked his 300 weatherby, I fullcycled my l61r sako. his gun went click, my gun went bang. The end result was guys taking pictures of me with my first bull.

Pat

I had a griz come screaming off a moose kill.Running at me he was killed 13 paces away.One shot in the forehead.And yes it cycled a second round pretty fast.

As for Savage 99 the more I read his stuff the more I think he's been missing his special needs bus.

"As for Savage 99 the more I read his stuff the more I think he's been missing his special needs bus."

Yeah. He makes a case for CR feed that has a blade ejector. But then that is bad on a push feed like the Sako and you are better off with a Rem 700 and it's plunger. Of course for the cartridge on a 700 to be under the extractor in the first place, so the plunger would chuck it out,you would have to chamber the round or the short stroke still leave a loose cartridge.

The L-series were the best Sakos made, much better than anything produced since their demise....That said they were not control feed, and that was the only minus I could see, they were smooth as silk and made a nice custom rifle..My old L-461, 6x45, is one of my favorite deer and varmint rifles, it weighs 5 lbs even, is trim and slim and shoots little tiny 5 shot groups..I have a couple of 10 shot group on my wall that micked under .300 with a 18 inch fwt barrel...It has a beautiful full fiddle red hued stock and I wouldn't take Ft. Knox for it...well maybe Ft. Knox..

AS I only own more "modern"(75's) sakos , please explain to me why the L61R is so much better as I've never even shot a L61R. Not trying to be a smart-apple, just trying to learn.

7STW I hunt the west yellowstone area, so there is no shortage of grizzies. I bumped into one, a big one. We had a 100 yard standoff before he did a 180 and tookoff. That was a very tense moment. I cant imagine what it would be like to have one go for me. hunting griz country is serious stuff.

The idea of a control round bolt action is to control the round so as to reduce the chances of operator error.

The chances of a jam are more likely with a push feed action.

Its not about using it right but instead of trying to make the bolt action fool proof or panic proof.

[quote
Yeah. He makes a case for CR feed that has a blade ejector. But then that is bad on a push feed like the Sako and you are better off with a Rem 700 and it's plunger. Of course for the cartridge on a 700 to be under the extractor in the first place, so the plunger would chuck it out,you would have to chamber the round or the short stroke still leave a loose cartridge.
[/quote]

Try to understand. Yes both the L61R Sako and Remington 700 are push feeds. One needs to push on the case head for the extractor to snap over with each of these actions.

Once the case is extracted a second round can be picked up by almost any action with rounds that are just a little short for the magazine. The bottom of the bolt will pick up the round out of the magazine and feed it and the round still under the extractor.

However an action with a plunger ejector will expel the round under the extractor first.

Now do you understand what I meant?

To get back on task buy the 61 you will not be disaponited, look and see if it has a Borfor barrel these are some of the best. DK