Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Which Sakos are the most sought after? And why?

Wow, lots of misinformation in this thread. Too many Sako "experts" that have never owned or held one I guess. I'll offer my uneducated but experienced opinion. I wont comment on the commercial Mauser style Sako rifles as I have never seen one in the flesh. Every rifle from the L46 "Riihimaki" to the A series were essentially the same with small refinements and improvements along the way. The actions were sized according to caliber. Most noticeable additions are the new style fully adjustable triggers and the angular bolt shrouds. I have owned several of each and can tell you in my experience the quality is very consistent. The major changes came in 1991 with the S/M/L series, removable recoil lug, standardized action size, different bolt work, ugly cookie cutter style stock work, etc. The 75 & 85 series moved even farther away to offer stainless actions and plastic stocks. The major gripe I have heard with the Garcia era guns was quality of bluing and polish was lacking, otherwise great guns. I think any gun made by Sako between, say, 1950 & 1990 would be a great hunting tool and a worthy heirloom to pass down to the next generation of hunter. I personally like the Stoeger era A series rifles, affordable, accurate, and a beauty to behold.



As far as the original question in the thread topic, I would say a pre-Garcia L46 Deluxe in a rare caliber like 22 Hornet or .218 Bee would be the most desirable. The Deluxes tend to go for twice what a standard rifle sells for and the odd calibers always bring a premium.

Scott