Need Sako actions history explained

[Zak Smith]

I stepped in to a gun store I browse every few months today. They had a good selection of SAKO rifles, from probably 1950 to the present day.

I saw at least three distinct action types, ignoring action length.

The first had a bolt with a boxy rear, with a very industrial looking safety on the RHS, which was flipped "up" to disengage the safety.

The second was the action I see on contemporary model 75's.

The third had a 60 degree bolt throw and a very short bolt knob. It had M995 on the side of the receiver.

Can somebody give me a brief summary of the history of Sako actions?

The short-throw bolt was real nice. Which models was (is?) this on, and how can I identify them?

thanks
Zak

 

[Gewehr98]

Zak, don't forget...

Tikka sold some of their rifles under the Sako name brand, so you'll see quite a variety of actions under the overall Sako moniker.

I've always had a Jones for the Tikka Model 595 Master Sporter (now called the Tikka Target Rifle), and came really close to buying one, but bought a Remington 700 PSS instead. Everybody I know who bought the Sako/Tikka 595 loves them dearly for their accuracy and performance. I just wish I had bought one before they basically dried up.



The three-lug Sako rifles are the ones with the short bolt lift. The Sako/Tikka Model 595 above is a two-lug rifle with the slab-sided receiver.

This guy put a 8-32x44 scope on his:

http://webhome.idirect.com/~trini/rifle2.html

 

[JohnBT]

"...history of Sako actions..."

Nope, not me, not in any detail.

The first thing that comes to mind are the old Sakos with Bofors steel barrels. The older-is-better bunch is usually referred to as pre-Garcia guns because things changed when Garcia began importing Sakos into the U.S. around 1972 IIRC.

That pretty much exhausts my knowledge. I bought a Stoeger-imported Finnfire about the time Beretta bought Sako(2000) and some folks have said that the Stoeger-marked guns are somewhat better than the Beretta-marked guns.

There's a pattern here somewhere.

As near as I can tell even the so-called worst of the Sakos are excellent rifles.

John

 

[Art Eatman]

I'm no historian ablut the Sako (Maybeso try Harley's forum) but the earliest versions were quite Mauserish in appearance.

They came up with the "Bofors Steel" and the L579 sometime in teh 1960s, I guess. My .243 Forester carbine is about a 1970, pre-Garcia and from before the big fire at the Sako factory.

The deal about pre-Garcia has to do with fit and finish. Mine is almost as slick as a Krag. If you chamber a round and sling the rifle with the bolt handle up, a few steps and the bolt is fully open and the shell is on the ground. I don't know about later rifles and accuracy, but mine has always given me five-shot groups of 5/8 to 3/4 MOA.

Art

 

[HankL]

From Bolt Action Rifles by Frank de Hass.
The L-46 was introduced to the American market in late 1949 it was described as a miniature Mauser. This would be your boxy action.

The L-461 evolved from the L-46 around 1963. This is the contemporary action.

As you said, the actions came in different lengths with different numbering.

The book that I have was last revised in 1984. No mention is made of the
M-995 so I suppose that it came along later. My TRG-S was built using the
M-995 action.

HTH