Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Sako L579 Lowest scope rings/bases??

So I'm trying to put back together the Sako L579 .308 I inherited from my dad and I'm trying to find some rings/bases that are on the low side.

I'm not much of a Sako expert and can't seem to figure out what might work best? I have a set of Optilock bases & low rings but I'm not really happy with the height or the look, pretty chunky IMHO.

Anyway, if anyone could let me know what my options are I sure would appreciate it. Would a set of Redfield bases and Leupold rings maybe work?
Thanks!

Round top or dovetail receiver?

Leupold ringmounts for Sako. Here is my L579 in them. The scope is a 3X9X36 Diavari and I think these are medium ringmounts.

Believe its the dovetail - see below picture if that helps. Are they any rings that attach to this action that are sort of like the Weaver or Picatinny? I'll be putting a FXII 6x36 on it so would like it low as possible.

RH, that sure is a beautiful rifle, my dad carried that rifle close to 40 years so its seen a few miles. But I doubt he put more than 250-300 rounds through it, he was a shoot it once to see if on target kind of guy and then went hunting. But he sure managed to take a bunch of stuff with it.

Weaver made slip-on bases similar to the slip-on Redfields shown in the pics. But instead of a hole for a twist-on dovetail front ring and dual opposed screws, windage adjustable, rear base, the Weaver bases are slotted for attaching standard Weaver style top mounts. Weaver #67 is the rear base for Vixen, Forester, and Finnbear. Weaver #65 is the front base for Forester and Finnbear.

Me, I would find original classic Sako ringmounts. They show up on Ebay occasionally.

Leupold ringmounts are OK but the rear ringmount lacks a recoil lug that fits into the slot at the rear of the rear dovetail.

All rings/bases will be different height with different manufacturers. Sako rings will be the lowest of all in their various configurations as they are one piece and don't mate a ring with a separate base. Leupold will be higher than Sako rings as they are just made higher for each classification because that is just how they decide to make them.


The first 2 are Leupold Extra high with a 50mm objective and 44 mm objective with Sako high rings



This is Opti-loc meduium rings..



The next 2 pictures are the same rifle, with Conetrol low rings and a Zeiss 36mm objective...





The next 2 are medium Redfield rings/bases with a 50mm objective, Sako high rings with a 50mm objective...



These last three Are Sako high rings with 50mm, Sako medium rings with 44mm objectives...

Thanks for the info - I will have to be on the lookout then for some proper Sako stuff.

Shrapnel to the rescue!! Thanks for the great pictures that is most helpful. I sure do like the Conetrol set-up, might need to check into those.

Optilock makes a ringmount too.It only comes in low here it is with a 3X9X40 Zeiss conquest. It's a little heavier made than the Leupold ringmounts and has the polymer inserts. All the ringmounts mount directly to the rail. The leupolds don't have recoil lug,the optilocks do.

I prefer the ringmounts (vintage, Leupold, Optilock). There's a nice comprehensive sako scope mount thread on the Sako Collector's site. http://www.sakocollectors.com/forum/threads/sako-scope-mounts-pictorial.9888/

The Leupold low Sako mounts work well with a Leupold 2.5-8x36 or 6x36 and the lowest I've found.

You know when you get to shooting that fine Sako you will probably sell all those nice custom rifles you have.....

Dink

Like MCT3, I've found the Leupold low Sako mounts work well. They're the lowest I've found for the Sako for scopes like the Leupold 2-7x33 and 2.5-8x36.

I prefer them to Optilocks as they're lighter and I've never had any trouble with them moving. The Sako tapered dovetail prevents forward movement so the recoil stop isn't needed.

My Sako Black Bear .308 with VX2 2-7x33.

I have the old Sako mounts on my L579;if I were buying new mounts for one they would be S&K polished:

Yes,I think the Leupold mounts are great for light scopes,however I would caution using them on very heavy over 20 ounce scopes. Because they have no recoil lug all the force of recoil is taken by the side screws.While that wedge shaped dove tail helps prevent forward movement of the scope under recoil ,it does try to drive apart the mount. All that force is held by the side tightening screws.

I think it is plenty strong for light scopes on most rifles, but I don't trust it for heavy scopes on heavy recoiling rifles. I have seen them fail under those conditions.

You might be right. That rifle sure feels good in the hand, and it makes me think about all the great times I had with my dad which makes it priceless!
Thanks everyone, some super information and I should be able to find something that will do the trick.

I agree with those theoretical concerns. But I've used the Leupold's for years on a Sako 308 and 30-06 with no issues. Granted mild to medium recoil cartridges and the scopes are 13-16oz. I'd be interested in learning about your Leupold ringmount failures. What heavy scope (20+ oz's) and heavy recoiling rifle were you shooting? Thanks.

That sounds entirely possible. I've only used them on Sako .270's, 7mm/08's and .308's. The optilocks ring mounts are certainly well made and the plastic insert saves having to lap rings. My only issue with them is their weight on a light rifle. Of course, it wouldn't make sense to put a heavy scope on a light mountain type rifle anyway.

Leupold Sako ringmounts are dang stout. I would suspect any failure would most likely be due to a operator mounting error. My reservation of the Leupold ringmount is that without a recoil lug, return to zero would be problematic without some other form of indexing.

I used a pair or Leupold medium ringmounts on a .375HH AV without any stability issues. Shot a pile of heavy loads because the Linda Lovelace throat likes only the 300gr RN loaded as long as the magazine would allow. Followed the Leupold scope mounting instructions and position the front ring near the center of the front dovetail and and the rear ringmount as close to center as proper scope position would allow. Granted, the Leupold 6x36 scope I used weighed only 10 oz.

I've not experienced any failures. I have researched Sako mounts for years and have run across a few failures posted with pictures, but they were always very heavy scopes on magnum rifles.