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Sako L46 Hornet 5.6x36R

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

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beachloan

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Hello and thank you all in advance for any insight you might be able to give me. I just pulled this old Sako out and I have a couple of concerns. Can anybody confirm or deny if this rifle has been re-barreled? From reading some of the posts I know that Sako would sometimes mark their barrel with 5.6x36R but it was mainly a European designation. Secondly, there is no rear sites and last but not least the bluing on the barrel is a slightly different shade than the receiver.

Thank you again for any help you might be able to give!
 

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Looks original to me. I would have expected a ramp rear site however. Maybe it was de soldered and the barrel reblued at some stage. The pistol grip cehecking and no forend checkering are consistent with rifles that were generally exported out of Finland into surrounding European countries. Any chance of a posting photo of the checkering on the front site ramp. This will help tell if it's original.
It would also be worth getting a record check on a rifle like this through SCC.

Nice find!!
 
Thank you for taking the time to look, I have included some different shots of the front site ramp. Please let me know if there is anything else you would like to see.
 

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Looks like a nice original early Hornet to me !! Congrats ! The site hood is for a Remington model 700 BDL, that's the only thing that I see that's off.

thanks for sharing !
DeerGoose
 
The small "step" just in front of the chamber is not typical with factory Sako barrels, but yours is a very early one made at a time when Sako was "mixing and matching" features and there was not strict consistency in every component. The front sight ramp certainly looks factory, and since everything else appears original I concur with others that it is a factory Hornet barrel.

The LH safety with the turned-up tip is rather scarce and found only on very early L46's. Most L46's with LH safeties exported to the U.S. had the tip turned down to better clear a scope's ocular bell.

It isn't uncommon for the bluing to be a slightly different shade on the receiver and barrel. They are made of different steels which take the blue differently and fade differently over time.
 
That front site checkering pattern is correct for that period. The barrel profile and step is also what was found on all these early domestic rifles as well. The bluing on these early rifles were much lighter than on the export rifles that later went to the US and its blued as you would expect. So only thing that does seem out of the ordinary is no rear ramp site. It may have been removed or may have left the factory like that. Well worth paying the money and getting the factory records run on that rifle in my opinion. Certainly not very many of them around.
Great find for sure.
 
Hello Beachloan,

My Sako L46. 6,3 X 33 R { .25 - 20 Win. } has the same ramp front sight as your Sako L46 5.6 X 36 R. with the coarse chequering. My front sight hood is different and is angled sharply at the rear. I know that the hood on my rifle is original and yours is not, and my rifle has the correct rear sight soldered to the barrel. This L46. 6,3 X 33 R No. 4933 came out of production in Riihimaki Finland on the 1st October 1949. This rifle also has the left hand safety. My rifle has an Artic Birch Stock where as your rifle stock is Walnut which makes It a later rifle. I don't know when Sako stopped using Artic Birch, but I'm sure a SCC member will chime in to verify.

Regards Blackjack AKA Mike The Limey
 
Hi Beach, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the pics that you posted. The little Hornet is really great. A super rifle and very rare from our perspective.

Thanks Again.

rick
 
Thank you all for help you have given me on this and I'm glad you enjoy seeing the pictures.

Just to summarize, Everything looks original (except the front hood site), this rifle was originally intended for the European market but somehow made it to the US, the lack of a rear site may or may not be original, based off of the SN this rifle was made in '49 and I should get a record check. I have no clue how to do a record check so if anybody can chime in I would appreciate it.

I guess while we are at it I have a couple of other questions about factory parts, in particular the mag and butt plate. I question the mag because it does not have the caliber stamp and I have no clue if this is the correct butt plate for this time frame.
 

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Good Morning Sako Lovers,

Beachloan, the magazine for my L46 6,3 X 33 R does not have the calibre stamping on it, just plain like yours. My rifle does not have the step in the barrel but the profile is the same with the calibre stamping on the left hand side like yours.

Hello Steve & Paul,

Do you blokes know when Sako switched from Artic Birch to Walnut/ or was this a gradual process?

Blackjack
 
Beachloan, If you look at you butt plate you will see in very small letters OY. The later Sako butt plates only had Sako. I do not think any Sako butt plates had AB after the word Sako. The very early Sako L46's in 7 X 33 calibre had Oy Sako Ab stamped on the left hand side of the receiver.

Blackjack
 
blackjack said:
Do you blokes know when Sako switched from Artic Birch to Walnut/ or was this a gradual process?
Click to expand...
Sako produced rifles with both birch and walnut stocks for several years contemporaneously. If I have my history straight, the walnut was originally requested by Jan Winter and was at first used only for rifles built specifically for export to the U.S. Those for "domestic" (or European) distribution continued to be stocked in birch. I don't know when the last birch stocks were made, but I'm guessing they continued into the mid-1950's -- but that's a only a guess.
 
Thank you all for the the education you have given me about this Sako. I have just paid for the factory records and will be eagerly awaiting the results. If you have not deciphered my name, I own a pawn shop and plan to list this gunbroker once I receive the records, unfortunately I do not shoot .22 Hornet although this rifle has piqued my interest (although I not quite sure this is a shooter). In your opinion what would be a "fair" reserve price?
 
Look on Guns International. There is one there and it has been there for months. Price is too high to attract a serious buyer.

rick
 
Put it on Gunbroker without a reserve and it will bring a fair price -- and a good one. You can start this one at a penny and it will bring the same money as if you started it much higher because it is an item that lots of Sako enthusiasts would like to own. Just make sure that your photos are good ones, your description is accurate, and by all means mention the information you get from the factory records.

Non-reserve items attract much more active bidding in that serious bidders like to know that if they are the top bidder they get the item. At the same time, serious bidders are hesitant to bid on any reserve item since if their bid tops the reserve lots of other bidders may come out of the woodworks once they see that the item can actually be bought. Placing a reserve on an item gains you nothing. Simply start it at the lowest price you can afford to take and that way you'll either get that price or more, or you'll retain the item. Using a reserve is just plain dumb and provides the seller with no benefit (unless they really don't want to sell the item at all and are just playing with the market, in which case serious bidders have no interest in fooling with them.)
 
Here it is almost 3 years later and I am finally going to list this Sako on Gunbroker. How is the market currently?
 
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