Sako 85 jeffery

[boldo 42]

G'day fellas
I've gone and relapsed and ordered a sako 85 in 500 jeffery to add to the list , anyone else own one of these and if so have you had any dramas with it. Look forward to any responds.

Cheers

 

[CAustin]

Congrats sir! I look forward to hearing about taking that one to the range!

 

[boldo 42]

Photos and results will be forthcoming. I couldn't find too much wrong with them before i ordered and i won't be using a scope but it's always good to defer to people who have been there ahead of you.

 

[matt85]

ive looked at that rifle a few times and like the idea.

my first warning is that the rifle will be very light for this cartridge! according to the Sako website it only weighs 4.5kg or 9.9 pounds which is solidly a pound too light for a full house 500 jeffery load (570gr at 2300fps). if you only load 570gr at 2100fps it will be manageable but still not comfortable.

-matt

 

[boldo 42]

ive looked at that rifle a few times and like the idea.

my first warning is that the rifle will be very light for this cartridge! according to the Sako website it only weighs 4.5kg or 9.9 pounds which is solidly a pound too light for a full house 500 jeffery load (570gr at 2300fps). if you only load 570gr at 2100fps it will be manageable but still not comfortable.

-matt

A mate of mine just took a decent water buffalo in the territory with a 505 gibbs using 600 grn woodleighs , he reckons the 525 grn would have been quite sufficent . I was only planning on running the std 535 grn...... just like the old days.

 

[cpr0312]

Congrats on the purchase, Sako makes a nice gun! Hope you can take a buffalo and report back to us!

 

[matt85]

i would recommend the 570gr at 2100fps over the 535gr at 2300fps. in my own 505 Gibbs i prefer using heavier bullets for increased performance at lower velocities. currently my best shooting load is a 600gr Peregrine at 2250fps which is manageable from my 11 pound 4 ounce rifle. in the past ive used 570gr bullet at 2300fps which i used on a cape buffalo last September.

the issue with the lighter 525/535gr bullets is they need the higher velocity to work properly. if you slow the lighter bullets down you will run the risk of poor penetration should you hit a large bone with an expanding bullet. the standard .510" 570gr bullet is really the ideal bullet for the 500 Jeffery.

im hoping @colorado will chime in soon with some good info on the 500 Jeffery.

-matt

 

[Red Leg]

I have the Arctos variant in '06 and 9.3x62. Both are wonderful rifles, and supremely accurate. Am in BC now with the 9.3 chasing black bear. These two are essentially the same rifle. The 9.3 is an 8lb rifle, pushing 9 and a bit with ammo and scope. Stock design is excellent, so perceived recoil is a non-issue on the 9.3. Suspect you'll know something happened when you touch off that .500. ;-). Wonderful actual hunting rifle. Congrats.

 

[boldo 42]

i would recommend the 570gr at 2100fps over the 535gr at 2300fps. in my own 505 Gibbs i prefer using heavier bullets for increased performance at lower velocities. currently my best shooting load is a 600gr Peregrine at 2250fps which is manageable from my 11 pound 4 ounce rifle. in the past ive used 570gr bullet at 2300fps which i used on a cape buffalo last September.

the issue with the lighter 525/535gr bullets is they need the higher velocity to work properly. if you slow the lighter bullets down you will run the risk of poor penetration should you hit a large bone with an expanding bullet. the standard .510" 570gr bullet is really the ideal bullet for the 500 Jeffery.

im hoping @colorado will chime in soon with some good info on the 500 Jeffery.

-matt

Thanks for the input , fortunatly i have some 570 grn woodies left over from the a-square , i just wasn't sure how it'll go for COL with the larger pills.

 

[bassasdaindia]

ive looked at that rifle a few times and like the idea.

my first warning is that the rifle will be very light for this cartridge! according to the Sako website it only weighs 4.5kg or 9.9 pounds which is solidly a pound too light for a full house 500 jeffery load (570gr at 2300fps). if you only load 570gr at 2100fps it will be manageable but still not comfortable.

-matt

agree with @matt85 , Sako's are light rifles , I would look at making it heavier to make it more comfortable to fire , however take it to the range and try it first , it may be to your liking .

 

[colorado]

Welcome to the 500 Jeffery club! I'm about to try out some new reloads (570g A-Frames at 2150 fps), down from my 570g TSX load at 2300 fps. I hear the original 535g loads were quite enough for anything you want to hunt. Congrats!

 

[boldo 42]

Welcome to the 500 Jeffery club! I'm about to try out some new reloads (570g A-Frames at 2150 fps), down from my 570g TSX load at 2300 fps. I hear the original 535g loads were quite enough for anything you want to hunt. Congrats!

Morning all , i'll be trying the 570's if it all fits ok , but i'll definatly be trying the 535's.......i'm a bit nostalgic.

 

[boldo 42]

I have the Arctos variant in '06 and 9.3x62. Both are wonderful rifles, and supremely accurate. Am in BC now with the 9.3 chasing black bear. These two are essentially the same rifle. The 9.3 is an 8lb rifle, pushing 9 and a bit with ammo and scope. Stock design is excellent, so perceived recoil is a non-issue on the 9.3. Suspect you'll know something happened when you touch off that .500. ;-). Wonderful actual hunting rifle. Congrats.

G'day Redleg
I have heard there has been some ejection issues with 85s and scopes , while i'm not planning on putting a scope on the jeffery i'm interested to know if there is an issue.

Cheers.

 

[matt85]

something I forgot to mention, the heavier bullet at slower speeds has a more pleasant recoil impulse then the lighter bullet at higher speeds.

ive been playing with reducing my speeds in my 505 Gibbs and found the 600gr bullets at 2060fps to match up to my iron sights much better and are extremely easy to shoot. losing the 190fps took all of the bite out of the recoil and left it as just a big push. 600gr .505" is heavy enough for caliber that it will still be more then effective enough at 2060fps.

-matt

 

[stug]

If it has the laminated stock keep an eye on it as I have seen and heard of several that start to crack around the recoil lug area. The cracks are along the laminations. Not sure if it was a bad batch or widespread.

 

[colorado]

something I forgot to mention, the heavier bullet at slower speeds has a more pleasant recoil impulse then the lighter bullet at higher speeds.

ive been playing with reducing my speeds in my 505 Gibbs and found the 600gr bullets at 2060fps to match up to my iron sights much better and are extremely easy to shoot. losing the 190fps took all of the bite out of the recoil and left it as just a big push. 600gr .505" is heavy enough for caliber that it will still be more then effective enough at 2060fps.

-matt

I know it's crazy how just a little off of max loads reduces the felt recoil a bunch. My recoil calculator says it isn't so, but my shoulder tells me different. My max load for my 500 Jeffery was a 570g TSX at 2510 fps and it was a bear. It's significantly easier to shoot (no sweat at all offhand) at 2300 fps. I'm thinking my new reloads of a 570g A-Frames at 2150 fps will turn my rifle into a pussycat

 

[wesheltonj]

While I don't have a SAKO 85 in 500 Jeffery, I do in 375. I have found that it I add an neoprene slip on recoil pad its manageable for multiple shots. I love SAKO rifles, but I that a lot of load for a light gun, just saying.

 

[boldo 42]

While I don't have a SAKO 85 in 500 Jeffery, I do in 375. I have found that it I add an neoprene slip on recoil pad its manageable for multiple shots. I love SAKO rifles, but I that a lot of load for a light gun, just saying.

Know what you are talking about , same mate who took the water buff has a kodiak 375h&h , fast pointing but sharp when you let one rip.

 

[boldo 42]

If it has the laminated stock keep an eye on it as I have seen and heard of several that start to crack around the recoil lug area. The cracks are along the laminations. Not sure if it was a bad batch or widespread.

Will be checking bedding before taking it out.

 

[matt85]

I'm thinking my new reloads of a 570g A-Frames at 2150 fps will turn my rifle into a pussycat

you could slow it down even more then that and it would still be effective. keep in mind most 500 NE rifles only get around 2100fps with a 570gr bullet and NO ONE questions the power of the 500 NE cartridge. Norma even marks its 500 NE ammunition as doing 2100fps with a 570gr Woodleigh soft/solid.

@boldo 42 you can always add weight to the stock. ive done it myself with other rifles and as long as your careful its not hard to do.

-matt