Curious about Sako safari offerings

Beck said:

You can argue all day over whether the 85's are control round feed. They may not have a three position safety, but they do have a bolt release which will allow you to work the bolt while the safety is engaged.

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They have a bolt release ahead of the safety so you can operate the bolt while the safety is engaged.

Beck said:

+1 - I love mine as well, luckily mine does not have the ejection issues.

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I really like my Sako 85. It’s a 270 WSM. Feeds great.

Beck said:

You can argue all day over whether the 85's are control round feed. They may not have a three position safety, but they do have a bolt release which will allow you to work the bolt while the safety is engaged.

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I was not aware that any Sako rifles were considered CRF. Tell me more?

Do any of the Sako bolts pick and hold a cartridge as a Mauser or modified Mauser type action?

ftrovato said:

I was not aware that any Sako rifles were considered CRF. Tell me more?

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Sako 85. Not sure for new sako 90.

Bolt head grabs the casing rim, and leads the cartridge to the chamber.
You can have the bolt out of rifle, and it will hold the cartridge in horizontal position.
Ejection, to eject the chambered cartridge you do not need to close and lock the bolt, like you need on push feed rifle. Ejection can be done only by simple working the bolt by forward and back cycle, without locking.

So, is it CRF or not depends on your definition of what CRF is.
But operation wise it can do anything that M98 bolt can, except sako 85 does not have long extractor claw.

mark-hunter said:

Sako 85. Not sure for new sako 90.

Bolt head grabs the casing rim, and leads the cartridge to the chamber.
You can have the bolt out of rifle, and it will hold the cartridge in horizontal position.
Ejection, to eject the chambered cartridge you do not need to close and lock the bolt, like you need on push feed rifle. Ejection can be done only by simple working the bolt by forward and back cycle, without locking.

So, is it CRF or not depends on your definition of what CRF is.
But operation wise it can do anything that M98 bolt can, except sako 85 does not have long extractor claw.

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I've owned several of these rifles over the years (all made pre 1990). I always assumed they were push feed.

I'll have to try this out.

Thanks for the clarification.

PerH said:

Sako Safari of the earlier models , or the «75-85» Safaris you’ve seen ?

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Yes, and I have a couple AV's in 375 that are excellent.

ftrovato said:

I was not aware that any Sako rifles were considered CRF. Tell me more?

Do any of the Sako bolts pick and hold a cartridge as a Mauser or modified Mauser type action?

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Beck said:

Would love to see which rifle you're looking at, sounds like a model 85

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This one has a $5,000 CDN asking price. Only photo provided.

I would certainly ask for more photos, and from a modern day camera. That pic looks like it was from a 70's Era picture album.

Hedge774 said:

I would certainly ask for more photos, and from a modern day camera. That pic looks like it was from a 70's Era picture album.

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Many things in Canada are like a 70's era photo album. Only shame of it being, it's 1970's. I'd prefer 1870's.

I'm not looking to buy. Just looking to expand my knowledge.

woodsrunner said:

Many things in Canada are like a 70's era photo album. Only shame of it being, it's 1970's. I'd prefer 1870's.

I'm not looking to buy. Just looking to expand my knowledge.

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Copy that, My Friend. One of my best friends is from Calgary. They say the same thing. Hahaha!

woodsrunner said:

This one has a $5,000 CDN asking price. Only photo provided. View attachment 794613

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I think that's a 90 - fuck that, you can buy one brand new from eurooptic for much less. If it was an 85 brown bear that would be a different story

I have the new Sako Model 90 Bavarian -- love it -- nice wood , single set trigger and a mag that hold 4 and can be loaded in the gun or out very smoothly. My 375 hand loads were ringing steel at 450 yard the other day. Action is super smooth

I can not speak to the "Safari Calibers" specifically but I do have my share of experience with Sako rifles none of which is negative! I currently possess 2, an 85 finnlite in 270win and A7 roughtech in 7mm rem mag. The 270 is phenomenally accurate and the 85 is by far my favorite action I have handled to date. It is very smooth and the detachable metal box mag that is capable of being loaded through the action should be in every rifle. The A7 was my graduation present from my father and was my go to rifle for nearly 10 years until the barrel called it quits, round count was significantly north of 1000 and several hundred ran competition style. I am in the process of having it redone into a 7prc to keep using it.

They are priced like high end rifles because they are built like high end rifles. There is not much you can do to a Sako out of the box to make it a better rifle. The same could not be said for the Ruger and Winchester rifles I have owned along with many other common name brand rifles. The price is also highly dictated by the supply. Sako is not a common household name for hunters in North America. Rifles are not found at every sporting goods store and even harder to find in say your safari cartridges. Trying to find on in a "European" cartridge like the 6.5x55 or the 9.3x62 here in North America is even more of an ask and the prices can get outrageous for these.

Funny how gun values go...i bought a .375 Kodiak few years ago for around 1500€ in Finland when shops cleared out 85s before new 90 model. And there were a few 85 Bavarian models in 9.3x62 on sale for years in my local shop for 1100€, seriously could not undersand how they dont sell for that price. Now it seems they are finally gone or maybe shipped to somewhere else to sell.

And generally all gun stuff is very expensive here.

Let me put it this way. I have a CZ-550 in .458 lott at the gunsmith right now getting it into a configuration I like for a safari, the work includes:

-Shortening the barrel from 25" to 22"
-Installing a 3-position safety
-Installing a new recoil pad
-Smoothing out the action
-Installing a barrel band sling swivel
-Cerakoting
-Glass bedding for Accuracy
-Installing a Laminate stock

I have a Sako Kodiak in .375 H&H, a .450 Rigby Sako Brown Bear, and a .416 Rigby in Sako Brown Bear with which I have killed dozens of animals, including members of the Big 5. All three of these guns needed some work as well, the list includes:

-Installing a new recoil pad
-...



You tell me.

Disclaimer(s):
-I have a 9.3x66mm that had ejection issues, but I had this fixed by installing a new extractor pin.
-I will probably have the floor plates on the .450 & .416 Rigby inspected after another member posted a photo of his failing.

Beck said:

Let me put it this way. I have a CZ-550 in .458 lott at the gunsmith right now getting it into a configuration I like for a safari, the work includes:

-Shortening the barrel from 25" to 22"
-Installing a 3-position safety
-Installing a new recoil pad
-Smoothing out the action
-Installing a barrel band sling swivel
-Cerakoting
-Glass bedding for Accuracy
-Installing a Laminate stock

I have a Sako Kodiak in .375 H&H, a .450 Rigby Sako Brown Bear, and a .416 Rigby in Sako Brown Bear with which I have killed dozens of animals, including members of the Big 5. All three of these guns needed some work as well, the list includes:

-Installing a new recoil pad
-...



You tell me.

Disclaimer(s):
-I have a 9.3x66mm that had ejection issues, but I had this fixed by installing a new extractor pin.
-I will probably have the floor plates on the .450 & .416 Rigby inspected after another member posted a photo of his failing.

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Yes, indeed. CZ's are more like a kit-gun in the case where they will be subjected to serious demands - they just happen to be sold with the parts put together. You buy a superb platform, not a finished rifle. Mine went through a list much like yours with the addition of having the stock significantly trimmed down to classic English lines, and it wasn't as bad as some of their stocks, which are nothing short of gargantuan. I think i paid around a thousand bucks for mine new and to replace it as it is now would cost 5K bare minimum, when you add the styling stuff and refinishing, probably considerably over that. Which is fine with me, i knew this would be necessary. You have to pay for a professional grade gun. It sounds to me from the folks here that that's what these Sako's are out of the box.

woodsrunner said:

Yes, indeed. CZ's are more like a kit-gun in the case where they will be subjected to serious demands - they just happen to be sold with the parts put together. You buy a superb platform, not a finished rifle. Mine went through a list much like yours with the addition of having the stock significantly trimmed down to classic English lines, and it wasn't as bad as some of their stocks, which are nothing short of gargantuan. I think i paid around a thousand bucks for mine new and to replace it as it is now would cost 5K bare minimum, when you add the styling stuff and refinishing, probably considerably over that. Which is fine with me, i knew this would be necessary. You have to pay for a professional grade gun. It sounds to me from the folks here that that's what these Sako's are out of the box.

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Correct, and don't get me wrong I love my CZ's - I have a .404 Jeff, .416 Rigby, .458 Lott, and .505 Gibbs. The Gibbs is the "Safari Classics" Model, and it doesn't need much work - just a shorter barrel, a new safety, and smoothing out the action

Beck said:

Correct, and don't get me wrong I love my CZ's - I have a .404 Jeff, .416 Rigby, .458 Lott, and .505 Gibbs. The Gibbs is the "Safari Classics" Model, and it doesn't need much work - just a shorter barrel, a new safety, and smoothing out the action

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Great arsenal! And for sure, you do the work and you've got something world class, as we all know on here I suspect.

If I can get them to cycle as smoothly and shoot as accurately as the Sakos - I would then consider them nicer rifles due to the true Mauser controlled round feed action. At that point what really separates them from a Rigby?

woodsrunner said:

Great arsenal! And for sure, you do the work and you've got something world class, as we all know on here I suspect.

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