Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing The results are in - Sako Long action 85 ejection issue - spring replacement

So I have 2 each Sako 85 Long Actions.

One is a 30-06, the other a 9.3x62 (semi-custom).
I put in spent brass (ten pieces) and ejected in each rifle to see how often if any they ejected straight up into the scope.

The 30-06 did eject at around 85 degrees twice, but the rest ejected at around 75 degrees. This wasn't so much of an issue because the lip of the neck brass was hitting the round part of the scope so it simply bounced out.
The 9.3x62 on the other hand ejected 2 at 90 degrees, and 2 at 85 degrees, the rest came out around 75 degrees. This is more of a problem for the 9.3x62 because the turret block of the scope is where the lip of the neck brass is making contact and it's flat so brass can rebound back into the open action.

I removed the springs and examined the extractors.

The O6 spring was stronger than the 9.3x62 spring.
I also found the 06 extractor groove was nice and sharp and clean, the 9.3 had a brass shaving in it with some junk.
I tried putting in the "Gre-Tan" Sako Replacement Springs to find they bottomed out when trying to re-install the extractor due to them being longer and not compressing enough to clear.
I experimented a bit and found out you can cut off .75 coils and get the bolt back together, and functioning. The extractor "grab" is significantly increased from the factory spring feel..

Long story short both are ejecting at 70-75 degrees now...
I'm kind of astonished, I didn't think it would be that consistent.

So lesson's learned - make darn sure you inspect your extractor claw for any shavings. And replace your stock spring with a stronger one. I do think that if your extractor is warn, or rounded that this wouldn't work as good...

The fix cost about a dollar!! not including postage.


Anyway - that's my experience.
Best Regards,
Spot

Did not know that Gretan would make a spring for a Sako and why exactly has Beretta not fixed this issue? Beretta is single handedly ruin a fine rifle manufacturer with their plucking arrogance .

I agree a hundred percent, Berreta product management leadership is apparently incompetent.

The C-levels (CEO, CFO, ...) at the company are apparently good with finances, but they should have let Sako exec's in place and it appears they didn't.

Now to be completely fair, Sako engineering gave us the soft scooe ring screws for way, way too long before they fixed that issue with the new torx screws. So the old crew wasn't perfect.

However this time the lack of responsiveness reminds me of the ferry ship wreck -meaning it could have be handled fairly easily provided the decision makers have both a backbone, and a bit of intelligence. At the end of the day if you put a "yes man" in charge of a product line - you apparently want to milk the product for revenue.

That is a dumb thing to do with the high end of the product line! Somebody better get there chit together or they will quietly be put in a less important role when the C levels see the sales drop off, and the next high end product not make projected sales.

GreTan did not make the spring longer for the Sako. The spring in question is part of a kit that GreTan sells to upgrade/convert the Rem 700 bolt with the Sako extractor. Having drilled the spring/plunger hole a little too deep himself during a conversion or two, GreTan decided to include a longer (and heavier) spring to compensate for this potential error. Just so happens that he also sells the springs separately, and with a little shortening they can be made to fit and fix an actual Sako 85 bolt and correct the problem of ejection many have experienced.

As Spot said, the cost is about a dollar ($1) for the spring.

Thanks for the correction.

Look for the remington Sako extractor conversion kit...

Those are the springs, a few coils longer, and a stiffer spring.

This makes the extractor hold the rim much harder when the ejector kicks the brass out.

Thank you!

Just ordered a couple of the longer springs from Greg Tannel. Will update after installed.

Spot, I'm just going through this issue now. Seeing this post was an enormous relief, knowing there is a fix, so thank you! I have a question though: the lengthened / stronger spring increases the tension placed laterally on the case rim (at least that's my understanding of it). Does anything need to be done to fix the gap between the extractor claw and the bolt face? It was brought up in other places on the forum (by the guy who hammered the extractor to shorten it) that the thickness of the case's rim is another problem, which I've noticed with my Hornady 7mm Rem Mag brass. There's a significant gap between the case rim and the extractor when the case is flush with the bolt face. Would shortening my extractor or machining a new one be necessary as well, or would either solution fix the problem? Is my understanding of the purpose of the spring correct?


Horseman, did ordering the spring solve the problem for you?

- Flanders

I have read a lot about the issue. Had a Sako 85 in 270 Win. No issues at all with ejecting. Perhaps I got lucky.

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Good on Spotshooter to dope out the problem. He should send his fix to Sako and a receipt for services rendered! This is a management and GC failure.

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