• Hey All! Lately there has been more and more scammers on the forum board. They register and replies to members requests for guns and/or parts or other things. The reply contains a gmail or hotmail address or similar ”anonymous” email addresses which they want you to reply to. DO NOT ANSWER ANY STRANGE MESSAGES! They often state something like this: ”Hello! Saw your post about purchasing a stock for a Safari. KnuckleheadBob has one. Email him at: [email protected]” If you receive any strange messages: Check the status of whoever message you. If they have no posts and signed up the same day or very recently, stay away. Same goes for other members they might refer to. Check them too and if they are long standing members, PM them and ask if the message is legit. Most likely it’s not. Then use the report function in each message or post so I can kick them out! Beware of anything that might seem fishy! And again, for all of you who registered your personal name as username, please contact me so I can change it to a more anonymous username. You’d be surprised of how much one can find out about a person from just a username on a forum such ad our! All the best! And be safe! Jim

H&R L579 Travesties

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

stonecreek

SCC Secretary
SCC Board Member
Sometimes you've just got to wonder. I bought an H&R-Sako in .308 on an L579 round top action a few weeks ago and just got around to visiting my dealer to pick it up this last Saturday. Its bore and cosmetics were fine, so I was pleased.

This morning I set about mounting a scope on it, which should have been a snap since it came with Redfield rings in place. Imagine my surprise when I found that the bases were of two different heights (the rear one much taller like on a Mauser), and the rings were also of two different heights to attempt to compensate!

I didn't even bother with seeing how close the double mismatch might come to being level as I don't put up with such atrocities (especially on a Sako!) So I began stripping the bases off -- literally since the idiot who mounted them was so proud of his work that he had welded the screws in place with locktight. The screw heads were hex, so you'd think that you could apply plenty of torque to them with a tight-fitting wrench without them stripping -- wrong! I was finally able to drive an oversized torx bit into them and work them loose. The good thing about the whole mount was that it fit perfectly in my trashcan.

Now to find some proper bases. I searched through my spare parts and finally found a Weaver base which fit the front. I then found a Weaver base of matching height, but the holes were too far apart for the rears, which are only a half-inch apart. Wanting to move forward with the project, I carefully measured and center-punched a mark for a new hole, then drilled it with the proper size small bit. Following that, I made a pretty decent countersink for the screw head on the top side of the base with a larger drill bit. Fortunately, the aluminum of the Weaver bases is easy to drill and I got a perfect fit. Found some proper mounting screws and snugged the bases on and used some pretty decent old Weaver rings to mount a Leupold 2.5-8X nice and low over the receiver.

Just as I finished up with the scope I noticed that the trigger was LOOSE! Lord help me, what was the previous owner thinking? I took the metal out of the stock (finding the actions screws about fingernail tight) and tightened the trigger mounting screw. All looks fine and works fine, but the trigger pull is barely sixteen ounces. Now that's nice on a bench gun, but a tad wispy on a hunting rifle. Someone must have shortened the trigger spring since the adjusting screw was turned fairly far in. However a couple of turns clockwise got the pull up to a glassy 1.75 pounds, which is safe enough for an experienced shooter.

So I reassemble and look everything over. Hmmm . . . that firing pin adjustment screw sure looks unusually deep inside the housing. Better take the bolt out and uncock it to check the firing pin protrusion. HOLY COW!
DSC00828 (1024x768).jpg
It looked like Pinocchio's nose sticking out of the bolt face. I went to loosen the firing pin adjuster set screw and found it already loose. Adjusted the firing pin for a normal protrusion, then tightened down on the set screw.

Well, I think I've found all of the problems and I'm finally on my way to clean the barrel and check it for function and accuracy at the bench. Keep your fingers crossed for me and I'll report when the results are in.
 
Well, everything worked as it should and the little Mannlicher grouped in the 1.25 MOA area at 200 yards with some generic loads I'm using in another .308. Just a bit of tuning should get it well within minute-of-whitetail out to the 250 yards or so that I might use it.

I just can't believe that someone worked as hard as they apparently did to screw up so many different parts of it (scope mounts, trigger, firing pin, etc.) However, no permanent damage was done and it is a very nice looking little package that only took me a couple of hours at the work bench to rectify.

But did you ever see such a maladjusted firing pin????
 
Now I have not been around firearms as long as some on here, but I have never seen or heard of anywhere near that much firing pin protrusion before. If you hadn't posted a photo it would be hard to believe.

Good to hear that the problems could be rectified and the rifle shoots, and shoots well.

Marcus
 
Stone,
You sure are fortunate to have such an extensive supply/collection of Weaver mounts and rings!! :):)
 
Stone,
You sure are fortunate to have such an extensive supply/collection of Weaver mounts and rings!! :):)
Weaver rings and bases are kinda like pennies -- you toss them in a drawer because of their marginal value and over the years you eventually collect a big pile of them.
 
Thank goodness you have the presence of mind to give a used rifle a thorough inspection & examination before firing. That picture of the bolt face with "harpoon" like firing pin was scary! Pierced primers are not fun! Good reminder to all of us. Been working & tinkering with guns for nearly 40 years & still am amazed at what I see people do to a firearm!!!
 
stone , last year I found the firing pin protrusion a little on the long side on my L61R 30o6 that I know was set properly the last time I checked it. I also found the set screw a little loose which had been tightened upon the previous check. I have come to the conclusion that if the set screw loosens the cocking force can rotate the cocking piece position on the firing pin and over time can increase the pin protrusion. Good reason to check the pin protrusion and set screw tightness regularly don't you think. Jim
 
About the firing pin lock screw..........

After setting a proper firing pin protrusion, I fill the lock screw recess with clear fingernail polish.

Hope this helps.
 
About the firing pin lock screw..........

After setting a proper firing pin protrusion, I fill the lock screw recess with clear fingernail polish.

Hope this helps.
Good idea. I also do this with the trigger overtravel adjustment screw which otherwise has no locking mechanism.

I used to be kinda embarrassed to go into Walgreen's and buy fingernail polish, but with the changing times no one bats an eye.:cool:
 
Stone,

Yep.......same thing, with the overtravel screw.

I'm too cowardly......as I beg my wife to make the purchase, while on one of our few trips to ChinaMart.
 
Good post, I immediately checked all mine. The measurement I found listed for the pin protrusion was .055". Mine all hovered very close to that figure.
 
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