Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Sako Forester 308: Anything to watch for?

Tonight at 7:00 (Mountain time) I'll be meeting a guy to buy (if it looks like it is in good shape; he says it is) his Forester. I handled one 20 years ago, but have never shot one before. (Or any Sako.)

I know they have a great reputation for quality and accuracy, and I just read what Wikipedia says about them, but is there anything I should be looking for that stands out as a recurring problem? (It comes with mounts, don't know what kind.)

I don't need this at all, but for $350 I thought it would be a good deal and cool to own. If I like it a lot, I might just try and sell my 308 Montana, since I don't need two 308s. That way I'd have $450 in my pocket, but I'd probable just keep them both (if it shoots), and tell my wife I'll give it to one of the kids when they get older!

if it is in good condition that is a steal for the rifle
dont know of anything to watch for as they are great rifles
heck if the rings are genuine early model rings they are worth 50.00 or more

good luck
gene

I have a couple. They have a three position safety that has a detent ball. My .243 safety is not very positive and you can't really feel the center position. I have had it apart a few times and have gotten the trigger pretty nice (my .308 Forester has a great trigger). The .243 also has the hardest bolt lift of any gun I've ever seen. Shoots good though. Good luck.

Bring some tools and pop the metal out of the stock to check for rust, etc. Other than that if it's clean, drop the loot on the table and run...You just stole that rifle for $350.00

Good luck and don't be dissapointed if it doesn't shoot well.

I'll cover you on the $350,if you don't like it.
contact me by PM,if interested in a sale...

Someone needs to tattoo "Sako Rocks" on Pat's a$$!

I had a 243 for a brief while..

Look for cracks in the stock where the bolt cut out is and also the area where the small red indicator for safety position is located. This is where my 243 Forester is cracked and seems it is not that uncommon on that model. At that price I would pay the man and drive off before he comes to his senses "cracks and all".

McMillan makes a nice replacement stock if original is not huntable.

I'm back with it.

There is a rub mark on the barrel where it looks like it may have ridden in a gun rack. There are some scratches in the bluing, but nothing deep. There are some stratches and dings in the wood, but nothing too bad. I pulled it out of the stock. No rust. The trigger is at three pounds. The bore looks good. (Once I got the spider webs out!).

I cycled several rounds through it. (SSTs, Seirra HPBT, Horn. BTSP) Everything feed and ejected fine.

It says L579 on it on the left side of the receiver. On the left of the barrel, it says "Forester" and m"Made in Finland." On the top of the barrel it says "SAKO" and "Cal 308." The barrel is about 22.25 inches. The serial number is 1108XX.

I don't think I'll get rid of the Kimber. With the sling and the Banner scope in the Weaver rings and bases it came with, it goes eight pounds even. It balances well, though. I thought with that raised cheek piece it would be okay for me to get behind the scope, but it is still too low. It has sights on it, and I get a perfect weld for those. (I have that problem with about every rifle I've ever had or shot. The Montana has a really high comb that I like better, but is still a little high. Maybe the Talley ectra lows wil help.) If I keep this Forester (I'll see how it shoots for me.), I'll need to find a way to get my head higher, without hurting the value of the gun.

The rifle came with a cheap scope in Weaver rings on Weaver hases. (#66 front and 67 rear.) I took them off to check for rust. I'm embarrassed to say this, but that was a big mistake. The rear base had two shims under it. The popped out when I tapped the base off. I just spent twenty minutes trying to get it back together, and I can't get it yet.

Both the shims have holes in the center for the Weaver screw to go through. It looks like they would slide inside the Weaver base, then on top of the dove-tail on the rifle. But they won't go.

I have no idea how to do it. (You'd think it would be simple, it's not.) Yes, I know I just should have left it alone, but I wanted to check it our. If I keep it, I thought I'd put the blue Loctite under the base to make it more solid and keep water out.

The rifle has dove-tails on the receiver. The Weaver base slides onto it from the rear. I can't get the shims back inside the base, and if I did, they would just push out if I could get it back on the rifle. It looks like the shims are to keep the base screw from bottoming out. I tried it without the shims. Even with the screw from the Weaver base all the way tight, bottomed) I can still tap the Weaver base back off the rifle. (Without the shims.)

If any of you with this rifle have the same shims, how do I get them back in? I don't want to just start trying to force it. The base screw is so little and fine, I don't want to try to take shorten it.

If you want to call me names and insult me and my mechanical ability, go ahead, I deserve it.

But, since I just got this beautiful rifle for $350, I'm not going to feel to bad!

Oh, I almost forgot. Higbean, you said yours have three position safeties. This has a two position. Is there a trick to lock the bolt? I HATE rifles that I can't lock the bolt on.

That is not a Sako if it has a safety as described...

As far as the shims go, Sako dovetails aren't designed to be shimmed, they are a tapered, reverse dovetail that will actually set the bases firmer with recoil. Who knows what kind of a person put shims in there in the first place. Don't attempt to put them back, just use the bases as they were made.

Weaver bases and rings are not handsome, but they do work well. If you want a cleaner look there are Leupold, Burris and Conetrol rings and bases that will really dress up the look, but they still won't work any better than Weaver.

When the bases are driven on the Sako action with a good brass hammer, you won't need set screws. Early Burris type bases had set screws, the later ones don't due to the recoil effect on the bases.

Enjoy the gun, you got a bargain and I will bet it does shoot and shoot very well.

What shrapnel said! One of the beauties of the Sako L579 is the reverse dovetail mount system that wedges the bases tighter during recoil. I went with "Leupold Sako Ringmounts" in low height. Most 3x9x40 scopes will work but a 3x9x42 might be a problem with the Leupold "lows".

My Kahles AH 3x9x42 objective touched the barrel when positioned for proper eye relief using the lows. My Zeiss Conquest 3x9x40 cleared just fine.

My safety does not have as positive a click as I like but it does lock the bolt in the safe mode.

A L579 barreled action alone in good shape is worth more than what you paid, "feel good about that deal".

Shrapnel,

I have two of these rifles and both have the stock trigger. There is a detent ball that engages the three safety positions. Been a while since I looked at it, but I'm sure that is how it works.

http://www.sako.fi/pdf/manuals/Forester.pdf

Throw away the cheap bases and scope, the L579 / AII in 308 deserves better. I have a 2.5-8 Leupold in original Sako mounts on my 308 and it is about as good as it gets in a factory rifle.

Highbean,

The Sako doesn't have a 3 position safety. It is engaged and the bolt is locked, or it is unengaged and the bolt will then lift.

Shrapnel

Guys, thanks for the help.

Shrapnel, I put the scope back on without the shims. It feels tight, I'm just worried that they were there for a reason!

If I keep it I'll definitely put a better scope on it. First, I need to see how it shoots.

Higbean, I read that pdf you attached. It says that the bolt will be locked in the safe position. Mine doesn't. They must have changed mine.

I just checked my Forester and it is a two position safety, locks the bolt on safe with no middle position. My rifle is a five digit serial number so it is one of the older rifles. I don't know if Sako changed the safety on later models, I have never heard of three postions on a Forester.

My Browning Safari .243 (Sako Med Action) has a three position safety.

I own two Forresters and, frankly, I don't recall the need for shims. The Forester has dovetails machined into the receiver and will only accept rings designed for it. But then, someone just might have adapted something else to work on your rifle.
I've used Redfield and Leupold (as I recall) rings. No need for shims. Before locking in a scope, make sure both rings are in the same plane by holding a straight edge along both bottom halves of the rings. That one ring is shimmed and the other isn't calls for a bit of caution. My advice, discard the Weaver rings and buy something else.

I agree with the other posters. The bolt lift tends to be hard but the price you paid is a steal.

Guy I used to deer hunt with had a couple of us over to check out his gun collection. He opened the safe and started pulling out pre-64 70s and Browning Safari Grades. I didn't know much about the pre-64s or Brownings at the time, I went there to try and buy one of his pre-64s as they were the talk of the deer club I was in at the time.

After looking the Model 70s and Brownings over I couldn't figure out why the Model 70 was more popular than the Browning. I have owned four pre-64s and zero Browning Safaris, the Safari sure seemed like a very well made rifle. Why didn't they have the appeal of the Model 70? Maybe they did in other parts of the country, anyone know?