• 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

New Sako owner from California

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

270 jimbo

Member
Hi I just picked up my first Sako rifle A series long action AIII model. From what I read I guess it may have been imported by Garcia in the late 1970's- mid 80's. This is my first Sako rifle and always wanted a Sako after reading Frank Da Hass book on Bolt Action rifle Actions. Unfortunately it is only the barreled action and no scope either so have some shopping to do
 

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Welcome Jimbo,

That is a great looking rig you have there. Finding a stock might be difficult. I think the stock design for the A3 differed some what from the L61 R. Does your rifle have Finbear engraved on the barrel? There are some very switched on people regarding the long action Sako's in our Club. I have small and medium size action Sako rifles, so I am not very familiar with the long actions. By the way what calibre is your Sako? Are are your Optilock scope mounts 1inch or 30mm? More photo's If you can.

Very happy to pipe you aboard.

Blackjack AKA Mike The Limey
 
Blackjack

Thank you for the reply. From what we can tell it is a .270 Winchester and we picked it up from a recent auction. Here is the picture taken at the auction with the tag as the auctioner put 270? We have found it will cycle 270 ammo but will have a gunsmith verify the caliber. No Finnbear on the barrel, in fact no markings so appears to be a custom barrel (maker and caliber unknown) . Left side of receiver and magazine stamped AIII and serial number 532xxx so high number. From what I read here and in De Haas book I wish it was a L61R the initial long Sako action but it's definitely the middle generation of L61R, but still a cool action. Ya from what I see finding a original wood stock will be a challenge as I do not want to put a custom stock on it, but hey that's half the fun, searching for stuff to complete a project. The rings are the high posts, with 1 inch inserts (correction polymer scope cushions) Not sure of the diameter yet as from what I read on this site it could be either 25 or 30mm. With rings that high I'll probably look for a stock with a roll over or high cheek rest. I'll post more pics as I get them.
 

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Those rings are absurdly high, so instead of finding a stock to fit the rings why not change the rings/mounts to fit the stock & scope you will be using? All kinds of ring/base combos & other one piece ringmounts, like Sako & Leupold, to choose from that will give you any height needed. Just food for thought. The AIII is exactly the same as the L61R with the addition of the bolt shroud on the rear of the bolt, which IMHO makes it superior to the older L61R stamped actions. Sako referred to the AIII & later AV stamped actions internally as L61R's throughout their production. I see stocks show up for sale on occasion. You just have to be persistent in searching & act swiftly when you find one. Good Luck!
 
Those rings are absurdly high, so instead of finding a stock to fit the rings why not change the rings/mounts to fit the stock & scope you will be using? All kinds of ring/base combos & other one piece ringmounts, like Sako & Leupold, to choose from that will give you any height needed. Just food for thought. The AIII is exactly the same as the L61R with the addition of the bolt shroud on the rear of the bolt, which IMHO makes it superior to the older L61R stamped actions. Sako referred to the AIII & later AV stamped actions internally as L61R's throughout their production. I see stocks show up for sale on occasion. You just have to be persistent in searching & act swiftly when you find one. Good Luck!

That sounds like sound advice. I thought those rings are too high myself and will definitely keep an eye out for medium height Leupolds. Thank you for the info about the L61R vs A series and sounds like what I have is a good one. I'll stay on top what find out about the caliber and barrel and let everyone know.

Thank you again
 
A stock for either an L61R or an A-III will fit. An A-V stock will also fit, but it will have about a quarter-inch gap behind the tang for the longer tang (only difference) of the A-V. People often use the A-V stocks for A-III's and simply fill the tang gap with bedding compound or wood putty stained to match the wood (or other stock material).
 
Your scope objective bell diameter will determine what height you need from your mounting system for the bell to not touch the barrel. What is "Low", Medium" or "High" will vary by manufacturer, so measuring what you need before buying is a more prudent method. If your rifle is stamped 270 CAL & it is a factory barrel it is a 270 Winchester, as Sako chambered for no other round with a .270 bore. The only caveat would be if someone rechambered it & didn't denote that by restamping the barrel accordingly. You are wise to confirm as I've seen some crazy things done to rifles.
 
A stock for either an L61R or an A-III will fit. An A-V stock will also fit, but it will have about a quarter-inch gap behind the tang for the longer tang (only difference) of the A-V. People often use the A-V stocks for A-III's and simply fill the tang gap with bedding compound or wood putty stained to match the wood (or other stock material).
Ok that's good to know about the AV stocks. Maybe fill in the tang gap with Brownells acraglass or shellac sticks too, but color matched?
 
Your scope objective bell diameter will determine what height you need from your mounting system for the bell to not touch the barrel. What is "Low", Medium" or "High" will vary by manufacturer, so measuring what you need before buying is a more prudent method. If your rifle is stamped 270 CAL & it is a factory barrel it is a 270 Winchester, as Sako chambered for no other round with a .270 bore. The only caveat would be if someone rechambered it & didn't denote that by restamping the barrel accordingly. You are wise to confirm as I've seen some crazy things done to rifles.

Thanks and unfortunately the barrel is not stamped with cal so definitely not a Sako factory barrel. Once I have the gunsmith confirm I will have the barrel stamped with the correct caliber destination.
 
Hello Jimbo. I hope that you will enjoy your Sako and the info that you will gain from the SCC website. The previous info given is great. I would like to offer a couple of humble suggestions if I may. It sounds as though you have a custom unmarked barrel on a Sako AIII action with Optiloc mounts and high rings. The rings are tradable items for lower ones as needed. First suggestion is that you have a gunsmith do a chamber casting to verify the caliber for certain. Secondly I would suggest that you verify the barrel contour will near match a Sako stock before buying a stock. It may be more convenient and less expensive to buy a used Sako .270 barrel (usually less than $100) on eBay that will properly fit a matching Sako stock (usually $350 and up) rather than to modify an expensive stock fore arm to fit the existing barrel if the contour might be a problem. Just a couple of suggestions that would result in a better end product and would also increase the value of the rifle. If on the other hand you only want a good shooter you might buy a cheap composite stock and modify to fit what you have and enjoy the results. Sakojim.
 
Hello Jimbo. I hope that you will enjoy your Sako and the info that you will gain from the SCC website. The previous info given is great. I would like to offer a couple of humble suggestions if I may. It sounds as though you have a custom unmarked barrel on a Sako AIII action with Optiloc mounts and high rings. The rings are tradable items for lower ones as needed. First suggestion is that you have a gunsmith do a chamber casting to verify the caliber for certain. Secondly I would suggest that you verify the barrel contour will near match a Sako stock before buying a stock. It may be more convenient and less expensive to buy a used Sako .270 barrel (usually less than $100) on eBay that will properly fit a matching Sako stock (usually $350 and up) rather than to modify an expensive stock fore arm to fit the existing barrel if the contour might be a problem. Just a couple of suggestions that would result in a better end product and would also increase the value of the rifle. If on the other hand you only want a good shooter you might buy a cheap composite stock and modify to fit what you have and enjoy the results. Sakojim.

Sakojim
Well said and excellent suggestions. I was thinking the same thing after I discovered I have non-factory barrel. Casting the barrel chamber sounds like the safest approach but will keep on eye out for Sako 270 barrels as ultimately I would like get this rifle back to Factory period correct with original stock and barrel. Thanks
 
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"I discovered I have a non-factory barrel" says it all. Your desire to get the rifle back to "Factory period" is commendable, but unfortunately not "economical". You will end up spending MUCH more ( and I mean WAY much more) than what you could get an original factory Sako rifle for. You have a great action & a barrel of unknown chambering & condition. Even if you find a Sako stock for it you will still have a aftermarket barrel on a Sako action which has limited value. Finding a used Sako barrel will be extremely difficult & it's quality suspect, as why is it not on a rifle if it is any good? Hodgepodge rifles are an economic deadend. Your best bet is to try to cost effectively build a custom rifle off the barreled action or the action itself to something that you want & will enjoy using & can afford & not try to "recreate" a Sako rifle. There is no way you can "increase the value" of what you have above what it will cost you to do. ALL custom rifles cost more than what you can ever expect to sell them for & unless you do it right you will have an inferior product than a factory original. Your action is worth $400 to $500. You might be better off selling it & putting that money towards a factory original that you can buy for less than $1000. The route you are contemplating will cost you much more. Just speaking from experience.
 
Yes good advice about keeping the barrel. Will shoot it and see how it does. If fairly straight shooter it should be a keeper. And the bluing match is pretty close too. Here is an overall picture of the whole action with the custom barrel for you guys to have a look!
 

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I have been following this thread and paulsconstruction speaks for me also. Be careful with your money on this one. There are plenty of really good deals on Sako long actions out there. Heck, you could have a pre-'68 .270 in excellent original condition for under--maybe hundreds under $1000.

My limited experience is that most of these situations just don't add up. Gunsmithing work is costly and not always money well spent.

If it was me, I'd strongly consider a fiberglass stock from Boyds or the like. Or, just sell it off and start fresh. Since it's your first Sako, I'd hate to see a negative experience. There's no need for pain and disappointment here.

As an aside, I was talking to a gentleman who was running a table at a show recently. He proudly showed me a new Sako long action, in the box. He paid $500 for it. Okay, I thought. But, where did that get you? The guy paid at least what it's worth. Where's he going to go from here? What's he going to have when he's done?
 
Guys

Thank you for all the advice, it has been both instrumental and helpful steering my project as this is my first Sako project. I originally would have loved to bring this back to factory standard but that looks economically over my budget with the barrel being non-original. I studied the barrel carefully and I am
fairly confident this looks to be a Douglas contour 2 barrel. The chamfering around the crown does not look good and may need to have a gunsmith recrown. I have a stock on its way and after checking fit I may need to remove some wood in the barrel channel. After I have a gunsmith verify caliber and headspace I'll see how she shoots with the stock. If prints on paper and consistly groups I may leave it alone. If it prints inconsistent holes I think bedding and new crowning are in order. If it all works out I'll just keep that barrel on there. If it all works out I may sell this one and trade up for a factory original as been suggested. I'll cross that bridge when I get there!
Again very happy to have been accepted to be on this site and looking to keep all of you posted on the progress of this rifle in another section of this forms that is better for that dialogue.
Jimbo
 
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