In 1985 I was able to pick up a 30-06 SAKO A3 (Finnbear) rifle at a local gunstore. It did not have any importer markings so it was likely brought back from Europe by a service man. There is a military base nearby.
Even though that was one of my first good rifles, it still is an excellent choice. The iron sights on the rifle are simple, sturdy and of excellent design. It is the only commercial rifle that I have ever seen with a nice square post on the front, instead of some tiny round pinprick. And the rear is a nice square rear. Almost Bomar in appearance.
I love the flatbottomed forend. It is easy to orient, even when wearing gloves.
The bolt moves butter smooth in its track and has minimal wobble. Checkering is deep and precise. Everything lines up, everything works. Perfect wood to metal fit, and yet, the rifle is very understated, very business like; just meat and potatoes. Overall the rifle shows a minimalist approach with outstanding workmanship.
I was able to adjust the trigger easily to a crisp 3.5 pounds. I think hair triggers on hunting rifles are dangerous. When I am cold, I can stick my fingers in my eyes and all I can feel is hurt eyes. I am not sticking those popsicles near a hair trigger!
I scoped the thing and shot it in a Highpower Silhouette match. Won one with it, hitting barely 50% of the targets! Those were the good old days.
But more importantly, this out of the box rifle was fully capable of competing accuracy wise with match built rifles. That says something about the quality of these things.
I recently took the scope off and put on one of those SAKO rear aperture sights. Doing this really dropped the weight of the rifle. And made if very handy, about the same class as a lever 30-30, but with much more effective round. Without a scope bell in the way, with snappy bolt manipulation, I can really make that brass fly. There is something to be said about a handy highpower rifle, and there something to be said about practicing bolt manipulation from the shoulder.
Overall, the Finns put a lot of thought into the design and manufacture of their SAKO’s.
