• 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

The First L61R's Ever Shipped

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

stonecreek

SCC Secretary
SCC Board Member
When I bought a nice L61R .30-06 a few years ago I thought that its four digit number, #17XX, might be first year of production. It's low number was a nice bonus, but I mainly bought it because it was in very nice condition, the price was right, and I'm particularly attracted to the slimmer barrel and stock contours of the older Sakos.

I just got my Letter of Authentication on it and find that not only is it first year of production, but it was one of 10 rifles in the VERY FIRST shipment of L61R's in June of 1961. I'm blown away! Never expected such.

Every fall I ponder over which of my Sakos to take deer hunting. The letter from the Sako Collectors Club just made up my mind!
 
SC, I have to ask. Is it a Standard or Deluxe, and if deluxe, what's on the floorplate, one of the rare engraving or the typical sakolope. Either way, you have a desirable one.
 
Just a standard. It will be interesting to find when the first Deluxes were shipped, however.
 
If you find out when the first deluxes were shipped before I do, please share the info with me. If I find out first, I will share with you. And as you guys might have guessed from my posts, I'm pretty much hung up on collecting the pre72 deluxes, but I do have 1 standard 264 that I couldn't resist buying 20 years ago because of it's pristine condition, and 1 mannlicher L57 244 because of rarity.
 
So would that also include a Hunter model L61R ser# 1788 in a 26" .264 in that first shipment?
No, the information I received shows that all ten of the first shipment rifles were in .30-06. But it would be interesting to know when your #1788 was inspected and shipped.
 
I was reading your information about early L61R rifle shipments. I have an L61R 30-06 with serial number 888. I got it from my father years ago and intend to pass it on to my daughter when I go to my deer blind in the sky> I might add that with 180 Grain Nosler Ballistic tips, it is the most accurate hunting rifle I have. BTW my father bought the rifle in Cincinnati at an outfit called Swallens for 129.00
 
BTW my father bought the rifle in Cincinnati at an outfit called Swallens for 129.00

My very first Sako was a .264 purchased from Gibson's Discount Center in Abilene, Texas for $139. Of course, they allowed me $20 trade-in for my sporterized Lee-Enfield! I had paid $27.50 for the Lee-Enfield a year before, so I figured that $7.50 rent for a year was a pretty good deal.

BTW, I still have the .264 with its original 3-9 Leupold on it.
 
I have a couple of 264's with the 26 inch barrels. Serial numbers 455 and 2868. I like them very much.
 

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