Sako and Bofors AK's

Anyone know if these get imported? I read the Sako is the best AK made, period, and that the either the Bofors or the Sako is available as a commercial product. They look a little different, but in a good way. They look like well built rifles and I'd like one of 'em (or both).

No, Sako makes or made an AK variant starting in 1991. It WAS based on the Valmet though, that is what Janes says. "The Sako M90 is the successor to the Valmet M62/M76 series of Finnish service rifles, Sako having absorbed Valmet in the late 1980's." It goes on about the build and parts, then says "It is probably the best Kalashnikov clone ever made."

When it comes to Janes Defense, I kind of have to go by what they say. My dad was a weapons engineer during the "Star Wars Initiative" (and don't believe what they say about it being a sham --not all of it was). Anyway, Janes is what the weapons industry uses to catalog weapons and they are usually pretty good, they aren't your usual gun rag they are an industry journal.

And sorry, on the Bofors, it says it is an FNC variant (which I am also interested in, any advice here?). They are both very nice looking rifles that I'd like to try.

As far as AK's go, I'm not a big AK fan, I'm an AR guy. I would like a very nice AK though, I used to have an SLR95, but now that I've been exposed to this Sako, I really would prefer that. It certainly doesn't look like your average AK.

jehu, those weapons were in Janes too (well, pretty much everything is in Janes that has been bought by a nation and put in service). Nice collection by the way, very nice indeed. I like modern foreign arms, I just about have enough AR's and my cup runneth over with Glocks. Problem I have is that most of these "quality" Valmet, Galil, etc., rifles got imported by junk dealers who did poor work, poor QC, and had no problem using junk parts in a "new" rifle, right? Or are there good ones? Or do you have to build it yourself using parts?

Anyone know where to find these? At decent prices? Where'd you get yours, and does that Galil have the bottle opener built into the forend? (Seriously, I heard Israel did this so soldiers on guard didn't have to take one hand off the weapon to open drinks!)

col_tapiocca said:

Buy a swiss made AK, we call it SIG 550 or Assault rifle 90

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I AM interested in the Sig. They have a lot around here for good prices, but I've never really tried one. 551 or 552, I'm not real familiar with them. That is an AK clone? Really? I can't tell from looking at the picture, the Sako only vaguely resembles an AK.

Those Sigs, are they any good for setting up as designated marksman rifles?

Averageman said:

I AM interested in the Sig. They have a lot around here for good prices, but I've never really tried one. 551 or 552, I'm not real familiar with them.

Please do not confuse the Sig 551 or 552 with the Sig USA guns. You will be bitterly disappointed.

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Okay, so what is the difference? From the pictures I have they look the same, but like I said I'm not all that familiar with them. Is it really an AK variant? Besides select fire, what makes them different from Swiss military rifles? Tell me more.

I found a few, a very few, places that deal in Sako parts. One I guess is a guy that has keys to the Valmet and Sako parts bins at Sako in Finland!? So the stuff is out there. I guess you can use the late Valmet receiver and build a Sako clone, the receiver does look different on the Sako but not by too much. If everything else were Sako and it had, say, a custom cut rifle barrel and AAC Blackout mount, that might be fine, a very fine rifle. And quiet, which of course, equals more fun.