Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Sako Carbonlight

http://www.sako.fi/rifles/sako-85/85-carbonlight

I've been under a rock lately and just discovered Sako's latest flyweight offering. Looks like a nice enough rifle, to be sure, but I don't see the market for it. The Carbonlight appears to be a Finnlight dropped into a carbon fiber stock with a $1,250 premium attached. Maybe the folks at Sako have figured something out that I'm missing?

5.29 lbs before paint. I'm interested.

Maybe not, I just saw a price of $2848.00...

If it were $2k or below, I'd be all over it, but at nearly $3k, I think I'd rather spend my money with a gunsmith who builds light rifles here in the US.

At $2,850?

I believe that is a 20" barrel.

Naw, I'll wait until they are closed out at $1200

I'm with you on that. Just don't let me miss it!

Same as the Finnlight, right?

$2850.00?.......Holy hell Batman!!......That is laughable!........They can keep it.................Hb

If their stock is so light that there's that big of a difference between it and an Edge, it won't be long until someone copy's it and sells it for $700 instead of the $1200 That Beretta is asking.

Anyone know what a Finnlight (preferably an S to keep things equal) in a Mickey Edge tips the scales at?

Finnlight synthetic stock is around 28 ounces

A factory Sako Finnlight stock would probably weigh within about 3 ounces of the Edge. You'd likely not save much if any weight. Probably the only advantage an Edge stock would have would be if the factory Sako profile is an ill fit to your needed dimensions and a replacement Edge profile made a better fit. The reverse could also be true as for some the stock Sako makes for a better fit and the soft touch makes for better field performance vs a painted surface. It appears this later aerospace techno stock is markedly lighter being the S Finnlight is 2.8kg vs the Carbonlight is 2.4kg, which is about a 14 ounce difference.

later

If you were a techno ultra lightweight mountain hunter guy who liked Sako rifles, the Carbonlight makes more sense than a Finnlight with a replacement Edge stock. If you get a custom drop in Edge with shipping and all turn key for around $700, you'll end up paying around $250 per ounce in weight reduction, if you even get that much weight savings, as it may turn out near an even wash as you need to bed the Sako recoil lug into the Edge. On the other hand, apply that $700 toward the extra $1250 cost of the Carbonlight and see a marked weight reduction at a cost of only $89 per ounce in weight reduction. Far greater value in dollars spent if the goal is to reduce the weight of your beloved Finnlight by near a pound for extreme mountain hunting.

Someone not caring for Sako rifles would be of no bearing in that equation. Of course the above math is based on retail pricing and many have options for better pricing.

Best

I wonder if Sako did anything else to the Carbonlight, or if all of the weight difference is attributed to the stock. The Finnlight stock seems to run about 30 oz, so that would put the Carbonlight stock at roughly 16 oz if it is the sole difference.

Try $4729 local dollars here in Australia!

At $2850 I would just add another $700 and buy a NULA. That would be a cheap price to deal with Mr. Forbes rather than Beretta in the event of a problem.

the S Finnlight is actually 2.64kg, not 2.8kg as listed, at least when chambered in .260

All of the noted Sako rifles above tend to come out the box lighter than the listed book weight, the Carbonlight would likely be no exception to this trend of Sako overestimating their Finnlight weights. My last Sako, the Black Bear, fell well under its factory listed weight as well.

Regardless, by the time you bond the action lug into an Edge, it will likely run somewhere within about 3-oz of the factory Sako version. The Carbonlight stock is markedly lighter, but I am unsure if Sako tweaks other dimensional details of the rifle in addition to bring down the overall weight.

For a M action, I'd expect the Edge to run around 27-oz with lug, and the soft touch to run around 30-oz. An S action should be a tad lighter on that scale. Something else to consider, though the Edge benchrest technology stocks are light and stiff, they are not particularly strong. This technology is designed like an egg shell and works wonderfully if kept within its strength limitations. It would be interesting to see some form of independent testing, but I would not be surprised if the standard Sako designed soft touch stock was proven to be tougher and more durable. Any difference in stiffness would likely be moot being the factory stock has proven itself more than ample for superb accuracy. Not sure how this later aerospace Carbonlight stock would fall within this balance of stiffness and strength compared with the other two stocks, but the Carbonlight does not appear like it would be fragile for its applications.

As noted previously, the techno lightweight mountain hunter who is a Sako fan and counts every ounce within his gear is likely the person who would look hard at this rifle. A Sako fan would likely stick with a Sako, especially now that a Sako techno lightweight mountain rifle is a viable option netting a marked weight reduction.

Best

[quote=R_H_Clark]
I hate to agree with you twice in one thread, but your making it hard to avoid...

One advantage to the aftermarket stocks is the ability to specify and custom LOP. The new Sako stock would be more appealing if they had incorporated some removable spacer plates to adjust LOP.