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

Sorry Dink. I apparently need to work on my reading comprehension. I completely missed "I own".

In my general experience, pre '72 (pre Garcia) era L461 Vixens as a class seem to be the most desirable. However, rarity, caliber, and certain specific models across the various years may be exceptions to the general rule. The first models introduced without the recoil lug machined into the action were the S491 (short), M591 (medium), and L691 (long) actions introduced in...1991.

Finnwolfs....

I'm down to an L461 in .223 and an AII in 308.
Both are well made, scaled to the cartridge, function perfectly, accurate and I find them a great fit.
Wouldn't trade either for a newer model in a fit.

I have a Sako 375 H&H on the FN Mauser action. A previous owner cut the barrel to 21" and I believe that it has been restocked. It is very light, handy, and accurate.

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

I have AI in 223 & 6MMPPC, AIII in 30'06 & AV in 270. Below is a AIII 1st generation classic in 30'06 which I think is the most desirable SAKO

Beautiful Classic, you don't see many of those around. You should snag this .223 and collect the whole set.



http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=378500537

Scott

That is nice.

I had a classic in .30-06 like above, most accurate rifle I've ever owned.

You could do a lot worse than collecting those.

Which Sako's are the most sought after?

Well it's the aluminum lugged, Tikka T3 Lite of course!

Kitch - other then caliber your VIXEN is a dead ringer for mine in .223 Remington circa early 70's. Even your scope reminds me of the older Weaver 10X AO it was wearing. BTW - did you have a issue with the original finish going "gummy" on you? This happened to both my SAKO's and they needed to be refinished.
Homesteader.

Woodshed,

Your right. I have never owned or touched a Sako.

Dink

Dink, I wasn't calling you out in particular. You are dead wrong on the recoil lug change though, detachable recoil lugs came into vogue with the S491/M591/L691 actions. So there is that...

Scott

I have owned a bunch of Sakos . Many were bought in hopes of turning a profit when the daughters were in college. I did shoot a few. I do not recall an inaccurate one. One of my regrets is that I did not nail one of the small action .223s while they were still readily available and affordable.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful rifles I ever owned was a Stoger DeLux Forester in ..243. I also had a Safari in .338WM that I attempted to hunt with. Looked great, shot great, but it was way too heavy to carry. Must have gone about ten pounds all up. I decided the reason it was called Safari was that one needed a gun bearer to carry it.

The Garcia guns were good. They tried to keep the cost down with a lesser degree of polish on the metal on the standard models. No fall off on huntability, just looks. I never cared for the higher Monte Carlo models. I have my eye on an L61 as I write. I'm also trying to justify the price of a small action .223.

BTW, the early ones were on Mauser actions. One of my friends found me one week doing some college field work, and wanted me to come hunt on the weekend. I had the clothes, but the rifle was 200 miles round trip away. He said come hunt, he had an extra rifle. It was a .270 Sako on a Mauser action. Made the closest deer kill of my career. Something spooked a buck and he almost ran over me in an improvised stand hidden, with tree tops from a recent harvest of mature hardwoods. Maybe a 25' shot.

Jack

Nope-still looks as good as it did when it left the factory. That scope is a Leopold M8 16x and clear as a bell.

THNKKS, I just put it on my watch list..

De nada. Always more than willing to help a brother shell out hard earned coin on another nice rifle. Wish I had the scratch...

Scott

You are correct.

I figured with all the scuttle butt about the 85's recoil lug that is what I thought the OP was referring to.

While the recoil lug is detachable it was still attached to the receiver until the 85.

Dink

Fair enough. I haven't owned an 85 but have drooled over several. Too rich for my blood I'm afraid.

Scott

I've only owned a couple of Sakos. This one is in .25-06 and has been around a lot. I bought it in a gunshop in Los Angeles (when there were still gunshops in LA). I had the action glassed and the bolt engine-turned awhile back. Only thing I wish it had was a full 24" barrel. The factory 22.5" barrel shoots the 100 grain Barnes TTSX into one hole, so I guess I can't complain too much.
Bob