Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Sako 75

I know someone selling a Sako 75 for $950. It's a stainless synthetic model and appears to be in excellent condition. I handled it and it felt nice and the action ran smoothly. He's not the original owner and hasn't shot it much, but he says it's been very accurate for him.

On gunbroker the 75's tend to go for more money. Do you think this would be a fair price? I know that I'm not giving you much info to work with.

I had been thinking Tikka as a rifle for deer, bear, and elk in the Southwest, but the idea of having a Sako appeals to me - I guess at least part of me is an elitist. The interesting thing is that I find more Sako complaints online than Tikka complaints - mostly weird ejection issues. For someone like me who isn't afraid of plastic parts but would like to own a nice rifle that will last a long time, is a Tikka the better choice? It is lighter and cheaper, although the stainless version isn't that much cheaper.

Before I got into pre 64 M70's I had a couple sako 75's, they are a well made rifle and mine shot great. I will say that I replaced the stocks with MCM's and that was a worth while improvement.

I've had a 75 (30-06) for quite a few years. I picked up a McMillan stock for foul weather, but can put original wood stock back on easily... if so desired. It's very well made and shoots wonderfully. Zero feed or ejection issues. My dislikes are the weight (a tad heavy) and the safety (I prefer a 3 position, wing type safety). The price you mentioned is pretty good, but I have seen them go for less. I'd get it over a Tikka any day though.

Some cartridges in the 85's do have ejection issues I'm not sure if the 75's have the same issues. Sako should be embarrassed they allow the problem to continue on an otherwise high quality rifle. The good news is its usually an easy fix by switching to a stiffer extractor spring.

I have a Sako 75 Stainless in .260. I bought it new in 2007 on closeout for $950. It is the go to gun for me for deer hunting. It is as accurate as any of my custom rifles. Being that it is a short action, I have never had any ejection issues. I'm using the Optilock mounts and they have served me well. I've also NEVER had an issue with the mag release allowing the mag to come out in the field.

I also own Tikka models. Both have super smooth bolts and I can't say one brand is more accurate than the other as they use the same barrel tooling. One thing I embrace on the Sako that the Tikka doesn't have is the ability to top load while the magazine is inserted in the gun. I also like the fact that mag capacity is 5 in the Sako while the Tikka holds 3. Feeding and extraction is effortless on both. The sako bolt is a 70 degree throw if I remember correctly which is shorter then the Tikka.

All in all, you'll have to decide if it's worth $950 to you. I'd pay it again for mine and twice on Sunday. I like my Tikkas just the same. Either way, you'll notice a difference when you immediately pick up a Sako compared to a Remington/Winchester/Ruger/etc.

I've had no ejection issues with the half dozen '75's I've owned. For that matter, none with the Riihimaki, L461, S491, L579, L61R, A1, A2,A3, AV, M995, or 85 Sakos that I have owned. Guess it's better to be lucky than good.


$950 is a fair price, better if the rifle comes with bases, rings, and even more if it has decent scope.

You will be able to enjoy it, and because it's a synthetic, you can hunt in any kind of weather or terrain.

Another thing, certain brands of stuff seems to have an intrinic value. 5 or 10 years from now you probably will be able to sell that Sako for close to what you have in it, if not more. And if you've had years of enjoyment from the gun and lose 50 or 100 bucks, I'd say that's cheap entertainment.

However it is not a steal. $650 would be a steal. If you purchased it off the net you might have to pay sales tax and transfer fees. Buying from a friend saves you that.

Just sayin.

GWB

Thanks for the info, everyone. The rifle in question is a 30-06 - are long actions more likely to suffer from these ejection issues? I'm thinking I'll just bring some snap caps when the time comes to buy the rifle if I decide to buy it.

My luck has swung the other way I've had issues with a couple 85's in WSM chamberings. Changing out the spring did the trick for me.

The biggest appeal to me about the 75 rifle I'm considering is that it's stainless. There are some great deals out there right now on blued 85's, but to me stainless might be worth getting an older, used rifle. There are also good deals on stainless A7 rifles for a little bit less than the 75 I'm looking at, although for all my research I am having a hard time figuring out the differences between the A7 and the 75/85 rifles besides more plastic parts and a magazine that people hate on the A7. I don't know if one is smoother, stonger, or more reliable than the other.

I've never bought a used rifle - I know it's not like a used car, where usually older just means worse. Would it be worth it to spring for a newer rifle, even if it's not stainless or not as high end? I'm hoping to stay under $1000 on this purchase.

Buy it you will never regret it they are great guns. I bought my first Sako Finnlight this past year have always wanted one but never want to spend that much on one. All I can say is that was a mistake it cost me more money in the long run buying lots of rifles looking for the one and now I have it. I just love this rifle I would not have had to spend all the money I did on rifles if I would have bought one a long time ago. The cost is worth the price of admission. Widow

For what it's worth, I'd snap it up without thinking. In my opinion, the Sako 75 is the epitome of the factory rifle. It all went downhill from there once the bean counters at Beretta got involved with the 85 and Tikka T3.

The Action IV (.30-06 length) is chunky but that's the only slight negative. The Action V (Magnum length) is heavier still and possibly not what you'd want to lug around all day. I think it's at its best in the Action III (.308 length) of which I have two.

Good luck.

Tim

Hopefully you will not be offended by what I'm going to say. It is said to illustrate a point, nothing more.

I went broke in 1985. A friend of mine was a used car dealer. We made a deal. I would go to the late night auto auctions with him and then go drink coffee into the dawning hours of the morning. I turn he would let me buy cars off his "P" number. Only problem was that I had to have them paid for before the auction draft hit the bank, usually witihin in 24 hours. I probably bought and sold 200 cars and trucks during an 18 month period until I could get back on my feet. We had a mutual acquaintance that went to as many auctions as I did. This was 1985. Roy still has not bought a car at auction 34 years later. He suffers from the paralysis of analysis and fear that he might make the wrong decision and lose a buck.

Its $950, unless you get it cheaper. Its not your life savings or your kid's future.

Buy the rife, shoot it, eject some brass. If you don't like it, sell it here or on GunBroker and be richer for the experience.

TAANSTAAFL

ya!


GWB

You should not have an ejection problem with the 75. Go ahead and buy the rifle.

The 75 is a much better action, compared to the 85.

If Sako would just have kept the recoil lug of the A series, it would be the ultimate Push Feed action..

It is hard to beat a Sako, I like the L-61’s