Stoeger Information needed on Sako 338 win mag

[Turkeyhunter]

I’m a new member from NY. I have had a Sako in my gun safe for over 20 years. I picked it up as part of a collection. It is chambered in 338 win mag and it is in pristine shape. I was told it may have had only 5 rounds put thru it.
It has beautiful wood. Serial number is AV601751. Made in Finland. Imported by Stoeger. Ported barrel.
I am trying to find out more about it. Year of manufacture? Model L61? Approximate value?
Any help will be greatly appreciated

 

[marlin92]

Congrats on a beautiful gun. You have a Sako AV Deluxe. Value is hurt slightly by the barrel porting.
Likely some where near 1200 give or take. There is a factory records service tab at the top of the page that may allow you to order information on build/ship date.

 

[bigcountry4me]

Very nice looking Sako Deluxe rifle. AV (or A5) is an arguably improved version of an L61R. Slightly longer tang and the bolt has a shroud, rather than the older open style. The manufacturer date is probably between 85 87 ish…Nice Sako vintage Ringmounts and topped with a Leupold. Nice package.

Unfortunately the ported barrel detracts from the collector market somewhat. Actual value is subjective and would be based on what a potential buyer and you would agree on. I’d suggest looking at online resources to benchmark an approximate value. Hope this helps.

 

[Turkeyhunter]

Congrats on a beautiful gun. You have a Sako AV Deluxe. Value is hurt slightly by the barrel porting.
Likely some where near 1200 give or take. There is a factory records service tab at the top of the page that may allow you to order information on build/ship date.

Thank you for the info.

 

[Turkeyhunter]

Very nice looking Sako Deluxe rifle. AV (or A5) is an arguably improved version of an L61R. Slightly longer tang and the bolt has a shroud, rather than the older open style. The manufacturer date is probably between 85 87 ish…Nice Sako vintage Ringmounts and topped with a Leupold. Nice package.

Unfortunately the ported barrel detracts from the collector market somewhat. Actual value is subjective and would be based on what a potential buyer and you would agree on. I’d suggest looking at online resources to benchmark an approximate value. Hope this helps.

Thank you

 

[gowyo]

Beauty! Show us a picture of the bbl. The rings and vari X II add about 350. If you sold the Scope alone, it would probably sell for 300, if it isn't marked from rings. Rings @125-150. Prices are going up on everything. Especially guns and ammo, add in @6-7% inflation. As for the rifle, it does depend on quality/ style of porting, but yes, it usually hurts value. 2 years ago, I might agree @1200. Now, I would think 1500-1700ish w/ scope isn't too high. A new model 85 will be over 2500, similarly equipped.

 

[marlin92]

Selling a gun plus a scope and rings should 90% of the time be done seperately to obtain highest value. The value I gave was for the rifle as requested.

 

[stonecreek]

There is a factory records service tab at the top of the page that may allow you to order information on build/ship date.

We have no records on the Sako AV.

 

[marlin92]

Thanks Stone wasn't sure

 

[Turkeyhunter]

Beauty! Show us a picture of the bbl. The rings and vari X II add about 350. If you sold the Scope alone, it would probably sell for 300, if it isn't marked from rings. Rings @125-150. Prices are going up on everything. Especially guns and ammo, add in @6-7% inflation. As for the rifle, it does depend on quality/ style of porting, but yes, it usually hurts value. 2 years ago, I might agree @1200. Now, I would think 1500-1700ish w/ scope isn't too high. A new model 85 will be over 2500, similarly equipped.

.

Beauty! Show us a picture of the bbl. The rings and vari X II add about 350. If you sold the Scope alone, it would probably sell for 300, if it isn't marked from rings. Rings @125-150. Prices are going up on everything. Especially guns and ammo, add in @6-7% inflation. As for the rifle, it does depend on quality/ style of porting, but yes, it usually hurts value. 2 years ago, I might agree @1200. Now, I would think 1500-1700ish w/ scope isn't too high. A new model 85 will be over 2500, similarly equipped.

here are the pictures of the porting (4 holes) and of the barrel. To me this firearm is a work of art. The only time I would take it out was to show my Hunter Ed classes or friends. Never intended to use it here in N.Y. Like I said pristine woodwork and barrel

 

[bigcountry4me]

.

View attachment 25068 View attachment 25068
here are the pictures of the porting (4 holes) and of the barrel. To me this firearm is a work of art. The only time I would take it out was to show my Hunter Ed classes or friends. Never intended to use it here in N.Y. Like I said pristine woodwork and barrel

This is known as Magna-Port. The company has been in business for many years.

 

[northernlights]

Just my opinion... I highly recommend Mag-na-porting rifle barrels in shoulder bruising calibers such as .338 Win Mag with very fast, hard hitting recoil (also significant muzzle lift) as opposed perhaps to the 375 H&H Mag which has a slower, more of a hard "push"felt recoil. Of course, felt recoil is affected to some degree by the shape of a rifle's stock and the weight of the rifle, but there's no getting around the fact that a .338 WM has a shoulder bruising recoil for most people. Mag-na-porting effectively tames both felt recoil and muzzle lift in the .338 WM making it a much more desirable hunting cartridge not one to shy away from. I hunted in AK for many years almost exclusively with a Mag-na-ported Sako .338 Win Mag and just can't recommend Mag-na-porting enough for a Sako hunting rifle in that caliber. Does Mag-na-porting affect accuracy? My Sako Mag-na-ported .338 consistently put 3 shots under a quarter year after year after year after year. (That being said, I prefer the pre-64 and later "Classic" action of the Winchester Model 70 over the Sako L61R action in .338 WM for a hunting rifle.)

NorthernLights

 

[bigcountry4me]

Just my opinion... I highly recommend Mag-na-porting rifle barrels in shoulder bruising calibers such as .338 Win Mag with very fast, hard hitting recoil (also significant muzzle lift) as opposed perhaps to the 375 H&H Mag which has a slower, more of a hard "push"felt recoil. Of course, felt recoil is affected to some degree by the shape of a rifle's stock and the weight of the rifle, but there's no getting around the fact that a .338 WM has a shoulder bruising recoil for most people. Mag-na-porting effectively tames both felt recoil and muzzle lift in the .338 WM making it a much more desirable hunting cartridge not one to shy away from. I hunted in AK for many years almost exclusively with a Mag-na-ported Sako .338 Win Mag and just can't recommend Mag-na-porting enough for a Sako hunting rifle in that caliber. Does Mag-na-porting affect accuracy? My Sako Mag-na-ported .338 consistently put 3 shots under a quarter year after year after year after year. (That being said, I prefer the pre-64 and later "Classic" action of the Winchester Model 70 over the Sako L61R action in .338 WM for a hunting rifle.)

NorthernLights

You actually spelled it right. No question of the effectiveness of their tried and true method. I had a 629 revolver done many years ago as was suggested by my Alaskan fishing friends. A real tamer on an N frame. Haven’t done a rifle but can certainly see the benefit. Have seen a few examples of hairline cracks between the ports over the years, mostly on cartridges which report harshly.

 

[bigcountry4me]

Here is why.

 

[stonecreek]

I'm not sure that porting a barrel actually reduces recoil, but the increase in muzzle blast certainly makes you forget all about the recoil, so recoil is no longer an issue with a ported rifle. Also, owners of ported rifles believe that they live longer. That may not actually be the case, but like reading a Russian novel, shooting a ported barrel makes your life seem much longer.

 

[bigcountry4me]

I'm not sure that porting a barrel actually reduces recoil, but the increase in muzzle blast certainly makes you forget all about the recoil, so recoil is no longer an issue with a ported rifle. Also, owners of ported rifles believe that they live longer. That may not actually be the case, but like reading a Russian novel, shooting a ported barrel makes your life seem much longer.

You nay be right, I will say it does in fact reduce muzzle rise on my revolver. It also clears everyone out left and right as a result of the burning powder and percussion. I typically warn my friends, but not the black rifle crowd at the range….

 

[slm9s]

Great elk rifle right there!

 

[northernlights]

I'm not sure that porting a barrel actually reduces recoil, but the increase in muzzle blast certainly makes you forget all about the recoil, so recoil is no longer an issue with a ported rifle. Also, owners of ported rifles believe that they live longer. That may not actually be the case, but like reading a Russian novel, shooting a ported barrel makes your life seem much longer.

Whoa...incoming, incoming...! Mag-na-porting is one of those topics where "circling the wagons" in skepticism always seems to surface. I very rarely would do this with you, Stone...I know when it is not a good idea to bet the farm, so to speak...but I will put my nearly 25 years shooting and big game hunting in Alaska with a Sako .338 Win Mag (both before and after Mag-na-porting) on the table with a mint Bofors marked Sako against your "not sure" and one of your rifles. Pretty sure I'd be going home with a fine new rifle! Just sayin'....

I do not recommend Mag-na-porting every rifle and certainly not in every caliber, but I know for a fact that Mag-na-porting is highly effective in reducing real felt recoil and muzzle rise in an otherwise shoulder bruising .338 Win Mag Sako.

So, gather around cowboys and onlookers. My stakes are on the table. Stone?

The other fact here is I'm having a little fun with someone I highly respect!

NorthernLights

 

[stonecreek]

Taken in good fun, Northern!

I don't really question that muzzle compensators (whether screw-on or machined into the barrel) do reduce recoil and muzzle rise. What I question is whether the increased muzzle blast is too high a price to pay for the reduced recoil.

I've noticed time and again that kids and other beginning shooters are much more sensitive to the muzzle blast than they are to the recoil. In fact, it seems that they conflate muzzle blast with recoil and "think" they've been kicked much harder than they have due to the relative violence of the muzzle blast. The habit of flinching seems much more correlated with muzzle blast than with recoil.

Recoil when shooting a large caliber from the bench can be very punishing. But in the field, especially when shooting offhand and concentrating on the animal that you are shooting at, most people don't notice the recoil at all.

However, to each his own, and I don't begrudge anyone using a muzzle compensator on their own rifle if they find it advantageous -- just don't expect me to sit along side you when you touch one off. And don't be surprised if you decide to sell or trade a rifle with a compensated muzzle that a large portion of the potential buyers simply won't consider it at any price.

 

[wombat]

Hi all,
Interesting post, n great info from the feed back. I got a left field question,
Not sure how far back the ports go??
I recently saw an AV in 375HnH that had been Magna ported, just did not pay enough attention!?
Would shortening the barrel n a recrown detract the value more? Than leaving it
Ported??
But if you were hunting with (as intended?) n you were scoping a trophy Elk, you would not notice the noise.
And if shortened you would not notice the recoil!
Jay