Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Sako 85 Finnlight Owners.......

I had a M75 in 25/06 which I wasn't happy with. It didn't shoot as well as every one else said they did. I was told the barrel had been changed out on it so whether it was a poor job or not I don't know.

Replaced it with a M85 Finnlight in 30-06 (factory new). Superb rifle, excellent accuracy, nice handling, etc. If I was to complain about anything it would be about not being able to get certain calibers with 24" barrels. If you want something that works without the need to tweak this is the one IMO.

Jim

I had a 75 & although it was a good rifle, the 85 is a much better rifle for a walking meat gatherer IMO

Son's 270 WSM 75 Finnlight and javelina. Every bit as accurate as my 85 300 Winnie..

I saw one like that the other day down at my LGS. I
I really like the pronounced palmswell & inserts on those 75's. Extremely well made rifles!

The 85 has a mich simpler (cheaper) safety, it only blocks the trigger and bolt handle, while on the 75 it also blocks the firingpin. Recoillug is a lot sturdier on the 75:s.
The whole action on the 85 is lighter, but also made in a more costefficient way.
I forgot the magrelease, that is better with the 85:s.

Overall, MY opinion is that the 75 is a lot better.

Opinions vary..

JG, the thing I don't like about the 85(mine is a WSM) is how wide the stock is in the mid-section. Most of the time when hunting I have the rifle in my hand and the 85 sorta carries like a 2x4.
The A7 on the other hand(no pun intended) feels like my little Kimber 84 when I pick it up. Slim and light, easy to carry all day.
Of course that is all subjective and you might like the 85 better than an A7.

The 85 is more fun to shoot, A7 more fun to hunt. A7 does have bottom 'plastic' though which is why I would get an 84L if starting from scratch.





As for cartridges we both know anything from a 25-06 through 300 mag is gonna work fine.

Thanks fellas. I appreciate the opinions. Sam, nice pic for comparison. One of my hunting buds from Louisiana showed up in TX deer camp this year with an A7 in 7mag. I liked it, and it shoots lights out. Plastic doesn't bother me....I have a couple of Tikkas and they're tough as nails.

I thought the 85 still blocked the firingpin , as does the A7

Are you 100% sure asti?

Sam, how about your A7 & 85?

PS- Not being a smartass just trying to piece these actions together

I also see no difference in safety/trigger design between 75/85.

I prefer the slimmer lighter feel of the 85. 85 also gets style points for a sleeker fluted bolt shroud. lol

I have owned several of both and like the 85 better stock and all, I never warmed up to the white looking metal on the bottom of the 75 Finnlight (whats up with that fugly chit?).............Hb

I have disassembled a bolt to make sure. At first I thought it had the same features as on the 75, but two Finnish guys told me otherwise. When I took it apart and measured, I saw that they were correct, the safety pin that goes up in the bolt and also blocks the same, still doesnt block the firingpin.

VAHillbilly:
I agree with you on the metal, it doesnt look good...

I'm surprised I thought for sure it blocked the firingpin. O well & on that note, I like the 75 a little more than I did

For me the 75 is too dang heavy to carry, heavier than most rifles.

I went with the 85 and also have an A7 as well, I think the A7 is a very accurate platform, but so is the 85.

99.99% of all Sakos are very accurate, so are the Tikkas.
Only one of my Sakos(out of six 75:s, two 85:s, two AV, three Forester/L579:s, two Vixens and one A2...) have shot like crap, it was a .223 Remington. Bought it used and the barrel was probably shot out.
I have only had three Tikkas, but they have all been great shooters. The Finns know how to make accurate and still fairly cheap rifles.

It does get dirty easily but cleans easily enough also. Grip areas soft and tacky...like the monte carlo... like the 75.

I noticed Cabelas shooting mini catalogue recieved yesterday featuring a Finnbear...nice looking rifle. Wood/blue with a raised cheekpiece, bear inlaid pistol grip, looked like a brown or red recoil pad, and rosewood foreend...7.4 lbs

I've owned lots of Sako's. The best ones are the old ones, hands down. I owned a 75 in stainless synthetic 25/06. Had to file off the pressure point on the front of the plastic stock to get it to shoot, but when I figured that out, it shot great. It was a bit heavy but I loved it. Bought an 85 s/s in a 338 Federal and the cartridge was...wow! Hated the cheap stock. Did I mention I HATED the cheap stock? So did my buddies. It was embarrassing to have your buddies look at your Sako and go, "Uh, nice rifle." when you know they hate the stock. Shot 185 Barnes X bullets great first season and the caliber killed GREAT. Second season accuracy went to 2 1/2" and could not figure it out, drove me nuts trying to clean and tweek it to shoot. Leupold scope, copper cleaned, blah blah blah. I paid just $750 for the 85 Finnlite NEW, and it still wasn't worth it, to me. Sold that pig. Berreta didn't do Sako any favors. Still shoot a Sako Vixen rechambered to 221 Fireball, and had a Sako 22-250 for decades and both are epic rifles. Sako's coasting on their reputation right now, in my strong opinion.

I really dislike the recoil lug setup on the 85 and the fact that it needs an insert to work as designed. I remember when McMillan was tooling up for making stocks for the 85 and it took time to get the design figured out....CHEESY DESIGN:





As for the weight of the 75s, I have never noticed this as an issue with the synthetic stock models. My 75 SS is much lighter than the Remington ADL I hunted with previously.

SamO and other A7 guys....what scope mounting system you guys using?

I hate the white metal as well. Mine got dirty very easily. I sent it off and had it CCd in battle ship grey. Still too light, but doesnt seem to hold dirt as bad.

JG, Talley LW's(Leu 6x42).