I have been reading about the outstanding accuracy and wonderfully smooth action of the Sako75. I have decided that my next rifle will be either the Sako or a Kimber 8400. I finally got a Sako in my hands at a gun shop this week and worked the action, expecting an orgasmic experience based on what I read and heard from others. Well...it wasnt as smooth as either of my Brownings or my Weatherby Mark V. Is the accuracy of the Sako as overrated as the supposedly butter smooth action? (I handled 3 Sakos and all were alike so I didnt get a bad apple)
Whats the deal? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" />

The ones that I personally fired were quite accurate.In fact all sako and tikka rifles must fire a 5 shot 1" group at 100 yards before leaving the factory.Neither your weatherby or brownings are required to meet that accuracy standard.

I was a big browning fan myself until one day my friend had to let me shoot his sako 75 300 win. After that I sold my abolt II 06, my 270 bar, and my medallion 300 win. I got a deluxe 75 that has shoot consistently. Before buying the 75 i did look at others also. yesterday, it was 109 degrees outside, i had to relieve some stress so off to the range around noon. Over 10 shots i fired only cool time was reloading the thing. At 100 yards it was where I like it to be. Unbelievable consistency. I also brought my tikka ss lite in 270 short and that thing did the same trick. they are both on the heavy side even for the tikka. They could have easily shake some ounces of the tikka by using a pencil thin barrel or something. I'm no rifle expert but thats just my thought. I was asking the same question about the bolt myself but I found out after awhile that the more you use the slicker it gets. I got my uncle hooked on sako also! He just bought a finnlight in a .300 win and a deluxe in 270 short is on his wish list. I'm looking for a SS 75 with a wood stock. Man those are one sweet looking rifle and if I can't find one than I will settle for a finnlight.

No, not at all. I like the older ones better, but the 75 is a nice rifle.

My two Sako 75's have been very accurate. The bolts are not "butter smooth" for sure, but they certainly aren't rough either. Personally though, there are other aspects to a rifle that are of more concern to me than how smooth the bolt operates. That's not to say I don't appreciate a smooth bolt, I do, but it's just not tops on my list of requirements.

I sold a Browning A-Bolt to buy my first 75. I've been much happier with the Sako as it fits me a lot better and to my eyes is a better looking rifle. I just never could get comfortable holding the Browning. I also prefer the mechanical aspects of the Sako's action to those of the Browning. For example, I prefer the Sako's blade ejector to the Browning's plunger type. And if push came to shove I'd have to say the 75's trigger is better.

I've never owned a Weatherby, so I can't make any comparisons with one of those.

My personal opinion is that they need a little cycling of the bolt to break them in. Once broken in, they are like slicing butter with a hot knife. I don't know yet if material (stainless vs. blued steel) has any bearing on how slick cycling they will ultimately be. I have a deluxe, a Finnlight, and a standard stainless/synthetic - and my well broken-in deluxe I will put up against anyone's rifle for slick cycling (just to prove the point, I put my deluxe up against a Colt-Sauer in a blindfolded test, and the C-S is known for being extremely smooth. My deluxe won the contest). The stainless models are not as smooth, yet, but they are newer and haven't seen as much use as the deluxe has. They certainly get better with age and use.

NOooooo.Because they shoot.

Thanks for the input guys. I dont want to sound like I'm throwing off on Sako, but they aint cheap and before I write the check I want all the info I can get. Note to Stubblejumper: My Brownings and Weatherby may not have been required to shoot 5 into an inch before they left the factory but with some tweaking and load development they got there. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
I wonder if Sako would tell me what load they use to get that 5 into an inch before the gun leaves. I'd sure like to know.

Most bolt rifles will shoot 5 shots into 1" with some tweaking and load development.The purpose of the accuracy standard is to make sure that your Sako or Tikka rifle with do this with no tweaking required.My own two mark V weatherby rifles would not consistantly put 3 rounds inside of an inch at 100 yards,although both would keep 3 rounds in 1-1/2".The majority(but not all) of my 700s would shoot 1" groups at 100 yards right from the factory.All would do so with some tweaking and proper handloads.

You know I am a big time exception to the Sako rule.

The rule generally says that they are very accurate. I've owned several over the years and not one of them perked for me.

Tikka's now that is another manner. Those lil rifles have big time rocked for me and for those I sold them to (I used to work in retail guns a bit).

So, don't go off of what I say and or my experiences as they aint very positive with Sako.

I love the name and I love their smooth bolt but darn I can't make em rock.

Guess I'll have to go and pick up my new T3...grins


Mark D

I don't think you can go too far wrong either way. I've got several of both and all have shot from good to excellent. I think that my Sako's might have a very slight accuracy advantage but that might be skewed due to the fact that it's easier to shoot a heavier rifle like a std. Sako.
Both will smooth up quite a bit if you will work the bolt back and forth a few hundred times while holding a slight binding pressure both up and down. This especially helps the Kimbers.
If you can shoot both and then decide but in the end just buy the one that fits you best and enjoy it...........................DJ

>>The purpose of the accuracy standard is to make sure that your Sako or Tikka rifle with do this with no tweaking required.<<

But Stubblejumper, that sounds like they are saying that the Sako will leave the factory ready to put 5 into an inch with any decent load you choose. If thats what they are claiming, and their rifles can do it, my mind is made up, its Sako for sure.

I can't tell you how they choose the load,but they obviously could not afford the time that most handloaders would spend in finding a load for each rifle.I am guessing that they simply keep a few pet loads on hand for each chambering and try one after another until the accuracy standard is reached.

FWIW my .300 WSM Greywolf shoots factory Federal Accubond, Fusion and TSX (all 180 grain) around an inch at 100 yards. As DJ and Live Oak stated, cycling the bolt smoothes an already pretty slick action up a bit. I really like the trigger as it breaks crisply and is easy as hell to adjust. Simply drop the magazine out, stick the provided allen wrench in a little hole and turn. I bought a Sako because I don't reload(yet) and am not much of a gunsmith. I wanted something I wouldn't have to fiddle with to shoot. I am happy with it. Sam

lodgepole:

Haven't had a Kimber, but I have a 75, and I like it, so far. A Finnlight, with about 100 rounds through it. The bolt has a slightly gritty feel, which I'm putting down to the stainless alloy, rightly or wrongly, but I'm in hopes it will smooth up. It's certainly smooth enough, as it is.

As far as the "outstanding accuracy" is concerned, I shoot a 0.5 MOA handicap (because I have a poor benchrest technique). With the handicap, it will shoot under an inch at 100 yards all day long.

The trigger was excellent right out of the box. For the price, I'd recommend the 75.

Orgasmic experiences are going to start at around $7,500, I reckon. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

- TJM

Well I been reducing my rifle collection down to two rifles, One is a M-70 in 300 Winchester Short and the other a Sako 75 in 338. Guess what I could live very well for the rest of my hunting life with the 75. As for the Sako accuracy, when I sighted it in, 250 gr Nosler Partition, the first two shots when about 1.9 inch spread either side of the 12 O'clock line on a sigting in target and just about 1 inch high. The next three when right in the middle and you could cover those three shots with a dime. And ever since, it shot that load to the same spot and the groups averaged a nickel in size over the years. I had the gun since they first came out in 1996 or so. Feeding and extraction is excellent. I maybe selling the 300 WSM I have not decided on it yet.

Over-rated, I don't think so. I just got my 4th model 75..(300wsm finnlight, .270 hunter, 30'06 ss/syn and the newest another finnlight in .270) These guns fit me well and shoot better than I can. I tried liking the montana but with the blind mag(I like detachable mags) and higher bolt lift, not to mention much more muzzle jump(300wsm) I sold my montana rather quickly. For me there is no better production gun out there than the sako. I'm done looking else-where, for me the finns got it figured out.The only change is to put a same pattern mcmillan edge on which brings the weight down almost another pound. Expensive , yes, worth it, you bet! Get one soon they are out of production, some good prices can be had.

I have all 3; Abolt, Weatherby Mark V & Sako Finnlite. IMHO...my Weatherby does not match up to the Sako in many areas including out of the box accuracy. I'm not one for fussing around to make something I just bought work. I made the choice of going with the Weatherby instead of another Sako...a mistake I will soon correct. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I liked the older ones where the recoil lug was integral with the action. Because of that it was steel obviously.

I bedded a test rifle when the r"evised Tikka based version" came out and do not like the design, nor the alloy detachable recoil lug, nor the round base design it fits upon.

Having said that, the rifle I tested was in 7mm Remington and shot to the extremely high standard Sako have always performed to.

I also liked the newer designed Sako mounts with the plastic inserts. Although they look like a cheap and nasty compromise, to eliminate the need for lapping, the fact is, they worked very well and for the average consumer, I rated the rifle accordingly.

It is a good reliable product that shoots with the best of them.

AGW

I had one and it was an MOA shooter for me. I dont like the synthetic stock they use, for the price, you should get fiberglass or kevlar- something better than injection molded plastic. I have an older fiberclass now with a mcmillan stock that I like btter although I did like the palm swell...

Hello Lodgepole,

I think the Sako 75 is a very good rifle. I have 5 of the 75 stainless synthetics, ( not the Finnlites) and I am really impressed with them. In my experience accuracy is as good, if not better than most.

I'm sure sometimes you could find one that will not live up to the accuracy that you would hope for, as with anything else.

I personally don't care for the Stainless Finnlites, For some reason they just feel as if the quality is not there compared to the Standard 75 or the 75 Stainless Synthetic.

The Sako 75 action is not as smooth as say a Sauer 90--202 or the very smooth Colt Sauer, But very few actions are. But the action seems to get better the more you use it.

The regular Sako 75 is a tad on the heavy side, But it is a very well made rifle that should make an owner Proud.

Bottom line, As for as being overated, I personally do not think so, simply because I am a proud owner of 5 of them.

Best Regards,
T57

yes they are overrated for the money, if you like boring push feed rifles, why not get a remmy with a custom tube for the same money. However the most overrated rifle IMO is the weatherby

The older Sako, pre garcia, or garcia imports are some of the finest rifles ever made, bar none. Fit and finish unsurpassed. Berreta owns Sako now. That says it all. I only shop for those models from 20 to 40 years ago.
GeoW

Yea that's a great idea, you would then have a rifle with a trigger that will freeze up when it gets wet, a marginal safety, a bolt handle that if it doesn't fall off will peen over at the secondary extraction cam, a ejector that will fill with brass and jam, a small extractor that can pull the rim off a case, and a cheezy cheap floorplate but hey it will have a custom barrel that might shoot as well as the Sako factory barrels are guaranteed to....................DJ

DJ - you must have incredibly bad luck with Remingtons to have had all the problems you mention. Remingtons have been my favourite brand for 30 or 40 years and I haven't had one of the problems you mention. Not saying there can't be problems but just that I have never experienced any of those you mentioned.
On the other hand I just acquired a M75 Sako in 25-06 a few months ago and have been underwhelmed with its performance. Having read so much on the campfire about how good(?) the TSX's are I even tried them. Best groups seem to be about 1.25 inches. Oh, and by the way, they impact about 6 inches higher than an identical load using Hornady bullets of the same weight. Maybe I just haven't found the right combination yet but they certainly are not the tack holers most seem to think.
One other Sako I had in the past was one of the varmint models in .22 PPC which I found to be very temperamental. I will continue to play with the 25-06 but so far am not greatly impressed. This is the first gun I have owned in this caliber so am unsure as to how well it should work.

"Over-rated" is a strong term and would imply that the product does not live up to its outline specification and thereby, price tag. If you will, a Ferrari could be classed as over-rated - a "must buy" for the filthy rich, although its practical use is severely limited. A Porsche 911, on the other hand, is undoubtedly expensive, but fulfills its technical promise, providing exemplary service, rain or shine. In my mind, the Sako 75 is just that; the Porsche 911 of rifles.

I bought a Sako 75 Hunter in .30-06 earlier this year, which cost me a Miroku shotgun and my remaining kidney. The decision was taken after several months of research, looking at CZ, Winchester, Ruger, Remington and Tikka in the mid-range to Sauer, Blaser and Steyr at the top end. All rifles had their merits and disadvantages; technically, quality-wise and ergonomically. However, the Sako seemed to offer the best engineered product, in terms of material, finish and design. It was by no means the prettiest (not that makes an iota's difference to me) or the best finished, as those accolades went to the Blaser. However, the Blaser's collet system still gives me concerns as to long-term reliability and I speak as a toolmaker. Yet, the Sako had certain features that, to my eyes at least, made it a proper "shooting machine" - floating barrel, detachable magazine, tapered dovetail and recoil lug for the proprietary 'scope mounts, steel trigger guard, target crown etc.

Was it perfect? Not entirely. I had to fettle some highspots in the barrel channel and replace the trigger unit, as the blade was binding on the pivot pin, creating drag. Rather than piddle about, it was despatched to the service centre and returned FOC within two days, set at 2 1/2lb. Does it shoot? Christ, yes! Once the load was balanced, this thing will cloverleaf at 100 metres. Was it worth the money? On balance, absolutely. Over-rated? Hardly, it does exactly what is says on the tin and you can't say fairer than that...

Regards,

Jacobite

1OntarioJim - I also own a Sako 75 SS/Syn in 25-06. It is a pleasure to shoot and worth every penny.

As every rifle I've ever owned has shown, they have their load likes and dislikes, be they customs, low or high end rifles. Sako's are no different, nor should you expect them to be. Money spent on a more expensive firearm isn't soley based on accuracy, even though I place it at or near the top of the list. Form and function also play a huge part in decisions made while purchasing firearms. Sako holds it's own in that regard, in my opinion.

I wanted very much to use the 120 NP's in mine. My particular Sako didn't like those as the best I could do was 1 1/4 @ 100 yds. I tried the, then new, 110 gr. Accubonds and they shot 3/4 in. groups and smaller....consistantly. I like the idea of 110 grs. and am just happy that they shot so well. The TSX would also be a strong consideration today.

Your 25 will shoot most offerings in a reasonable group. For some, that's enough. But it will shoot other loads very well.....just takes time and effort to either find or develop "that load".

Give the 110's a look, perhaps with a bit of RL22......good luck.

I had a few of both. GET THE SAKO!!!


My personal best. .675" at 300 yards. Same load did .292" at 100 yards
300 RUM SAKO 75 Stainless Synthetic (stock rifle)
200 grain Accubond retumbo and 3175fps.




Its twin a SAKO 75 SS in 7mm RUM will put 3 shots at 1/2" and 4 shots under .68" no problem at 100 yards. This is with 160 gr accubonds at 3205 fps with Retumbo.

My friend bought an as new Hunter Stainless 75 without the lock in 300win. Shot very well with factory stuff and handloads. More like a 5 shots in an inch at 100m rather than just 3 shots. But the recoil was a bit much for my friend and he traded it on a 308 Rem PSS (he regrets not keeping it now). man what a disappointment the PSS was, after we had heard all about the accuracy of the Rem 700 action and especially this model. Barrel fouled like crazy and accuracy was more like 3-4 MOA.

We we got it gunsmithed & found that only 1 lug was contacting and only about 25% at that. There was also a problem in that one of the mount screws was contacting the bolt enough to scratch it (Leupold mounts). Anyway it now shoots OK(MOA with handload 5 shots) - but my point is generally Sako's don't need anything to shoot good, not even a trigger job.

Having said that given the choice I prefer the older 2 lug Sakos to the 75 just like Aussie. I also don't like the detachable mag (although it is probably one of the best of that type as you can still load from the top). Don't like the detachable lug either although it seems to make no difference on accuracy. My old 2 lug L691 has this feature & still shoots beautifully.

If you want an accurate rifle out of the box with no "customising" to do then no the Sako is not overrated.

Regards
JohnT