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Block Letter "N" on L579 Barrel

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

Ok, so here are a couple that I checked.

3 - sporter bofors guns with the N and they also had that other N looking mark as well.
1 - mannlicher bofors gun with the N and the other N looking mark
1- sporter bofors gun without the N but had the other N looking mark

These were all .243's. One thing I also noted was that the other N looking mark also has variations. And on one of the guns, it is upside down compared to the rest.

And, in reference to the N mark, there seems to be a slight variation in size. This might be due to how hard it was stamped????

I forgot to check the serial numbers....sorry

These slight variations are making my small brain hurt. ;)
 
Hey StoneCreek.

L579 and L57 deluxe, one in L579 Mannlicher and one L579 sporter.....all in .243 and all had 'N' stamping. I can't remember which one had the large font 'N', but will check if I have time and if I can remember...(I'm not at home now).

thanks,
DeerGoose
 
Yes...that is my indication!:D
My son, he does evrything I can do, better. He enjoys outdoing me..I snag up a mannlicher, he comes up with one in better shape for less $. I find an old sporter with nice figure, he'll come up with Tiger stripes. It took a while to get him hooked, he liked mine, especially the triggers. He picked up a 700 remingbluhbluh, in 308, synthetic, stainless...black and soul-less. I snooted up my nose at it as I proudly laid my Forester Deluxe, also in 308, on my sandbags made from old cut off bluejean legs...grinning at him with wink. He flopped his ugly black gun down on his Bullsbag and we settled in at 100 yds. Three shot groups, my handloads for mine, he had Federal Power Shoks...both shooting 150g's. I shot...he shot. Again...My second shot barely touched the first. The hole from his first shot enlarged a bit....I did some thai chi...I meditated...I drew down on that bull as best I could..cloverleaf just over .500"...He fired his last shot....I lost.
He shot a .379", the first group shot from his new, ugly, black gun. I've never heard the end of it. But, I love the story each time he tells it.~Bloo
 
I've checked several of my early Sakos....damn if I can find one.

Shame on StoneCreek for starting this madness !!!!:)

DeerGoose
 
Bloo- I sure am sorry to add to the confusion but I have a L579 in .244 with two extra stamps . In line with the barrel and below the cal. stamp on the top of the barrel is a stamp that is similar to a cattle brand. It is as follows. An N with a half curve on the bottom of the first vertical line to form a J. A horizontal bar across the top of the second vertical line of the N to form a T with a short pointed diagonal hash mark from the left end of that bar that is in line with the diagonal center line of the N. As I said it is similar to a brand in which three letters are joined together to form a brand which says JNT. Also beneath this is another stamp which is AF. Please don't ask for pictures. My computer will not condense pictures enough to post. Sorry. Sakojim.
 
I have 4, all started off as 243's, 2 heavy's and 2 sporters. I have all the original barrels and none have the mysterious N stamped on the barrel. One of the heavies has a A stamped on the opposite side of the barrel, basically 180* from the caliber designation.
 
I have an L 579 sporter serial# 41xxx with the "N". It also has the lighter colored stock with no checkering, although the outline of where the checkering should be is there.
 
Checked two of my .243 L579's today, 17***, 18***.
Both have the 'N' on the barrels below the inspectors stamp, same inspector. Both are the Aussie short cocking piece examples exhibiting the 'M' on the receivers, multi grooved barrels also. And both have 'UN' stamped just forward of the Made in Finland stamp on the receiver below the stock line.
 
I want to thank you all for participating in this. Though we may not have gained a lot of ground, it is interesting to see what we found.

The findings...could still be a result of confusion, it seems that everyone is looking at there .243's and L 579's. It has been found on that configuration many times over and again. The last post shows a couple more stampings and letters that are "out of the norm" as far as the inspector stamps go for the most.

My main interest here is to find the odd "N" stamp on a L 46 or L 461, a L61R or ANY CALIBER SAKO BESIDES 243 WIN.
We have over 5000 members ... surely someone can come up one...?~Bloo
 
Just been reading this topic for a few days, anyhow it got the better of me - just checked my L461 s/n 770xx, rebarreled to .17/222 (calibre is also getting some air time on anther thread!) to the right of the s/n the letter " M " is stamped, the rifle is the Aussie bolt collar etc.. L46 made mention of that - so the "M" stands for "Matti" as the inspector? Is that the case?
It would be great if someone that actually worked at the Sako plant in that era or there abouts could actually define what was the reasoning and requirements for these marks??
Great to hear all the responses from the guys on the forum, a wealth of knowledge from a cross section from around the world, and what is binding us all together is our yearning to know more about our admiration for a Quality firearm.
- - - - Jay
 
Wombat, after reading more of what people have found with there rifles, we still have little idea as to the N or M stamp. At this stage it does not seem related to the inspectors.
L-46
 
Thanks to all for contributing on this thread. There is still some confusion between the inspector mark (a stylized blending of two letters in semi-cursive form) and the block letter "N" found beneath the inspector mark.

The markings on the Aussie Sakos are quite interesting, also. We know that Sako built particular models for the European market (those usually had features like open sights not included on rifles destine for the American market), but it also seems that Sako made, for whatever reasons, models with special features for the Australian market. I don't suppose we'll ever unwind all of the Sako mysteries, but it's fun to try.
 
With the new access to factory records, I simply must open this thread back up. Has there been any sign of the block letter 'N' on any factory records of the .243 Winchester chambered Foresters? Or does the 'N' just exist on steel and not paper? Perhaps a customer demanded the 'N' in order to feel special? I'm directing this one more or less at you, Stone, because you were always a wealth of knowledge prior to the records so I'm figuring now you just might be the Oracle! :D
 
16b410: I don't have an "N"-marked Sako to inquire about. Maybe someone who has a barrel with the block letter "N" might request level two or level three info on it and report to us if there is anything special in the records. I was just now re-reading all of the posts in this thread and no one ever came up with any kind of valid theory on just what the block "N" on the barrel represents.
 
Continuing an old thread here. Have I understood correctly: the block "N" has only be found on Sako L57 and Sako L579 in .243 Winchester? I asked from Sakos recently retired head of ammunition production and also from a gunsmith of Sako but they had no idea. I'm doing my best to get the answer. Are these N-barrels found only in the US or also other countries?
 
Borgbacken: Any information you can come up with to shed light on this subject will be appreciated!

Also, when talking to some of the people connected with Sako you might see if anyone can tell you anything about the "Presentation" Finnbear in this thread: http://sakocollectors.com/forum/thr...e-factory-presentation-model.9376/#post-48379

Other than the speculation about its being a gift to a retiring Sako employee, no one has been able to find any concrete information on it.
 
My l57 243 has a N on the left side of the action, nothing on the barrel. There is a P, surrounded by a oval. My new to me, riihimaki 222, has a sorta fancy N, on the left side of the barrel, and it also appears on the action. I didnt look at my l61r
 
Your L57 has a non-Sako barrel. The "fancy N" you see on the action is the inspector's mark, not the block letter "N" which is the subject of the thread.

Here is a photo of the letter "N" in question. It will be located on the barrel beneath the inspector's mark.

View attachment 6928
 
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