Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Best rifle- Sako AV or Ruger African??

I have a Sako AV 375, nice rifle very accurate - does have a shilen 23 inch barrel. Ring mounts will be expensive but other than that a great gun. It would be my choice over a Ruger but I do not care for the Ruger stock.

When you add the price of Sako scope mounts the Ruger starts to make more sense.

I've owned two Ruger Africans, two Alaskans, and one Sako Safari grade 375. I felt that ...if the [bleep] hit the fan...I was better off with the Ruger Alaskans. I hate their stocks, but they are tough, CRF, a lot less money, and reliable...and come with mounts.

The Sako Safari was a beautiful rifle, and I hated to part with it.

Phil speaketh the truth, especially the reliability part. I own a 375R African and an AV Deluxe in 375H&H, right handed.
Bought the AV NIB in '85. Shot the snot out of it working up loads, off hand practice, even used it on PA ground hogs. Took it to Botswana in '90 and killed several metric tons of critters with it.

Came home and 2 months later at the range, the action locked up like a vault. Unbeknownst to me there's a tiny leaf spring under the bolt guide rib that has a tendency to go belly up. I'm just lucky it chose to die when it didn't matter.

Replaced the spring and everything's fine, so far. But every time I look at that rifle I wonder when it's going to break next.

Would I ever sell that Sako? Hell no, too much sentimental value.
But next time I go to Africa, the Ruger African will be along.

My $.02.

Pete

Had the same event occur at the range with my AV Sako .375HH. Earlier Sakos don't have the guide rib retained by a tiny flat spring. Guide ribs use to be drilled and pinned. Next time the Sako goes to the gunsmith, that will be something I'll have him do.

Phil, what stock are you using on that 375 Alaskan?

Thanks:)

Can you expound on this? How is it done?

I have vague memories of a Handloader article by Wootters about this very subject but can't find it.

Pete

Gremlins lurk.......given the serious work for which a 375 is intended, I'd take the Ruger every time.

Ruger, not even close.

jorge: +1

Have you owned many Sako's jorge?

Sako offers that five shots into an inch guarantee - because - they can! Ruger doesn't - cause they can't.

I think comparing a Sako to a Ruger - is like comparing a BMW to a Ford.

I owned ONE, a very expensive and inaccurate Sako Safari in 375. The accuracy guarantee is something you paper punchers love and besides the two Rugers I own, a 416 Rigby and a 338, are both half MOA shooters. The Ruger is specifically designed for African DG hunting, down to the finish, bomb-proof V sight and of course CRF which the Sako is not. Like I said, not even close. jorge

Oh my. I had a 375 Sako Finnbear and the bolt locked up shooting factory ammo. The barrel had to be remove to allow the bolt to be opened and repairs mad

Personla I like the CZ the best and yes both my CZ and Ruger are in 416 Rigby

The best way I can describe the pinned guide rib may not be very helpful unless you have access to Frank de Haas's 'Bolt Action Rifles' (revised ed)or another exploded diagram. On page 207 there is an exploded view of the L-46 Vixen Sako action. A study of the picture shows a retaining pin (#25-56), that fits in a pin hole in the guide rib, just behind the narrow part of the slot that that the guide rib collar (#24-55)fits into. The pin is put in place after the guide rib is assembled on the bolt and positively prevents the guide rib from sliding forward.

Pinning was a far more secure assembly method but Sako went to the clover leaf spring retainer. It was just plain folly, especially for the Safari class rifles.

For the gunsmith, or even a moderately talented bubba, the job is simply to drill a pin hole vertically through the guide rib and install a pin. 10 minutes of a gunsmith's time if that. For the AV action, where the bolt has two guide rib bolt collars, 15 minutes. However, I imagine that pinning only one bolt collar would be sufficient.

Alternatively, it may be (im)possible to hunt down a NOS guide rib that was made to be pinned.

Humorous to hear that point being made by a Wby slut.

Yes I am an unabashed Weatherby slut and have no issues with PFs (unless it's a Remington of course) but all my dedicated DG rifles are CRF(my preference) and oh yeah on double.

How many quality heavy duty pickups has BMW ever made?

Back to rifles ,now..

Who's the major gunmaker that produced bolt action rifles that BLEW UP in the last ten years due to material and quality flaws?

It sure was not RUGER... I think they were from Finland.

The 5 shots in 1 inch Sako thing is pretty much marketing horsemanure. Lots of Sakos around that barely do that for 3 shots out of the box, let alone 5. Besides, such a "guarantee" is WORTHLESS if not backed by the weasels at Beretta -USA..

If ANYONE who buys a Ruger at half the cost of a Sako m85 cannot find out a way to take a fraction of their $500+++ savings and get the barrel floated and action bedded on their Ruger, they are simply too stupid to own a rifle.

In 30+ years of owning BOTH Rugers and Sakos I have NEVER seen a Ruger m77(of any vintage)that properly bedded and fed good ammo would not meet or exceed Sako's little "guarantee".

You tell 'em! Just look at the group this $600 Ruger 30-06 shot straight out the box. Hundred Yard 10-shot string with no cool down between shots. Bone stock and the darn rifle weighs only 6-pounds to boot!!

Wait a minute, my bad, that's a $600 Sako, not a Ruger............disregard.

You need to be sure and save that image for posterity. Since rare events should be cherished..

That group above is about like tonight's Lunar Eclipse- not the norm.

If every Sako a7 actually shot that well out of the box, they would not have had to close 'em out at under $600 last year.

Hell Gary, I've seen Ruger MK Varmints that would shoot under 3/10" at 100 with factory ammo. It does not make them the rule.

The fact still remains that bedded the same and fed good ammo, over a pretty large sample I have never seen a Ruger that could not hang with any Sako.

I'm glad your pleased with your bolt actioned "Glock"- Sako A7, but I'll trade having to do a bedding job on a walnut and steel Ruger, in exchange for Sako a7 that is mostly made of cheap plastic. Nothing like paying $80 for a Sako a7 magazine that is made no better than one from a Ruger 10/22.

Also, not very impressed that the Finns cannot even engineer a synthetic stock that does not tear out at the front sling swivel when used with a bipod.

I am a big Ruger fan:) The majority of the production rifles I'ved ever owned were Rugers.

Just pointing out that the little Sako is crazy accurate out the box. I've got two and both back up that guarantee twice over with room to spare. Not to say a Ruger has bad accuracy, just saying the Sako really does have the juice to back up the marketing "horsemanure" claim. They are outright phenominal in that department. But, we all know there is more to a sound hunting rifle than bench accuracy alone.

p.s., I'm also familiar with the story behind that bipod:)

Best:)

Well like I said, never seen any real proof all the Sakos shot like yours. Not the $600 A7s and not a $1,500 m85.Also, guarantees have to be backed by the importer and Beretta's track record sucks in that regard.

The only Sako out of eight so far that I've owned that lived up to the billing was an early 1990s Varmint A1 in 17 rem.

It would shoot about 3/10" day in and day out with Remington yellow box 25g HP loads. Every other Sako I had shot no better than a Ruger with a half hour free float, skim bedding job. I wish that were not so, because I spent a lot of coin on Sakos during that time and always liked their metalwork..

How many A 7s do you own? I recall seeing you post about a .243 and a 30-06? Actually, if I was to try out a Sako product again, a stainless A7 would be the way I would go.