Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Sako 85 is discontinued...

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! I have been looking for one of those for YEARS! Never even got a hint of one!

You mean Beretta should since they drive Sakos sales introductions.

This. Oh and it does look like crap

The Italians want to build ugly rifles and promote clothing that literally no AMERICAN hunter would wear in the field. Quite frankly they don’t give a damn about America and what guns/clothing they want. There are rifles they sell in Europe that I’d live to see here. Instead we get an ugly azz switch barrel that is as ugly as the Benelli Lupo or any other rifle in similar category. I had a buddy that worked with Beretta USA for years and he told me that a long time.

It had beautiful wood. Ordered it from Eurooptic. Took 8 months to get here from Finland. And being the dumbass I apparently am, I sold it.

I just confirmed in a TC with Beretta: the Sako 85 line is no longer in production. I also talked to JB at Accu-flite. Apparently in December, 2021` Sako made a deal with Finland and also Sweden (or was it Switzerland?) to manufacture assault rifles for both countries to assist in the defense of their 800-mile border with Russia. The production demands of that contract is apparently what necessitated Sako's decision to stop producing the Model 85. Another casualty of Russia invading Ukraine it seems.

I would like to offer my services to help you owners of the lowly A- series guns transition to these new wunderguns. Send pics/ deets of your AI's, AII's, AIV's(safari grade) and AV's to me, I'll gladly evaluate them and reply with a market adjusted offer. This goes for Rings, ringmounts too.

Seems plain to me that this isn’t intended to compete in the US market. It’s Euro all the way, and they’ll probably love it over there. Sako has a very successful American product (Tikka) and I’m guessing the market share for nicer wood stocked pretty rifles is smaller than ever these days.

Seems that way. Switch-barrel rifles have never taken off here. Sauer has the 202/404 line and they have their adherents, but it's a pretty small following. What makes Sakos desirable (for me anyway) is the panache of old European design and craftsmanship. It's about the only push-feed that isn't a Remington clone. The steel is first-rate and I like all the sculpting of the metal (flats milled on the side of the actions, sculpted bolt shroud, serrated flats on the top of the action and on the shroud), three-lug bolt, Sako extractor and the wood stocks. Sako has (had?) a knack for designing cool stuff and executing the manufacturing at a high level. Also, having numerous action sizes was appealing I've always loved the baby Sakos. Bought and sold more Riihimaki L46s, L461s, 75s and 85s than I care to remember. I do have a Sako 85 Carbon light in .223 Remington and I am keeping that one. It has a 20 oz carbon fiber stock and Sako uses a manufacturing technique different from everyone else to make it.

oh well

Lol.


Have either of you looked at a new rifle rack in a store lately???


All ugly.

Maybe they’ll bring back the 75.

According to their website they are offering more Sako 85’s than ever before.

Rumor has it that the Sako 100 will be available only as a Beretta Gallery gun aka big $$$. In the same context, they will likely be introducing the Sako 95 at the 2023 NRA show. Thev95 supposedly has a redesigned bolt and eliminates the ejection issues that plagued the 85. (Beretta finally admitting that the 85 had ejection issues, imagine that!)

LOL…fair point.🙄