New member from Texas

[seacam]

Hello all! Was directed to this site as being touted as the most knowledgeable Sako information place in the world. Hope to learn a thing to two about a rifle I bought as a Sako. Time will tell.

 

[Spaher]

Well, what Sako are you referencing? Model, caliber & its intended use or is there any doubt that it’s a Sako?
Shouldn’t take much time to figure it out.
You will find many knowledgeable individuals that will offer their opinions, humor may be anticipated and thin skins will be hardened.
Welcome.

 

[seacam]

That is my whole conundrum. Barrel is marked Sako, action has no markings.

 

[icebear]

your rifle appears to be a late production FN-Sako High Power with a custom stock and a nice thick recoil pad to cushion the recoil of the .375. In the 1950's, Sako built rifles on commercial Mauser actions acquired from Fabrique Nationale Herstal in Belgium. The markings on your barrel are the same as on the two such rifles in my collection. The two-leaf express sight is typical of FN-Sako rifles in magnum calibers. The High Power was replaced in the Sako lineup by the L61R Finnbear. There may be markings below the wood line identifying the action as FN.

Here's one of mine. As with your gun, the action is unmarked.


Here are two FN-Sako rifles. The lower rifle is a .30-06 in its original stock; the upper is a custom gun in .300 H&H. Note that the sight on the .300 is the same as on your .375. Neither rifle has any visible markings on the action.

 

[seacam]

I did have a new pad placed on it due to the original being dry rotted and hard as a rock. I also found that the sling attachments were not 1” either.

 

[douglastwo]

......I also found that the sling attachments were not 1” either.

Narrow sling loops are common on early Sakos. Many of my early rifles have the narrow loops. This photo shows the 1" and the 7/8" sling loops. The 1" is on the left. The 1" loop actually measures a little more than 1 - 1/8" inside width. And the 7/8" measures 15/16" inside width.

 

[icebear]

The Euro-style sling loops suggest that the stock may be original, not a custom as I first guessed. As D2 notes, narrower sling loops are typical of early Sakos and European rifles in general, suggesting that the narrower sling loops are original to the gun. While the vast majority of FN-Sako rifles have Monte Carlo stocks like the one on my .30-06 pictured above, I believe some may have been built with straight-comb stocks. The design and checkering of the stock on Seacam's rifle do resemble closely the L46 rifles that were produced at the same time as the FN-Sakos. The resemblance is obvious, but I can't be sure. The L46 stock seems to have more drop, but that could be a function of the camera angle. More photos would help. Another question that would help clarify matters: Do you recall whether the recoil pad that was removed was marked Sako or not? The FN-Sakos mostly had hard buttplates but the magnums might have had factory-installed pads. The .375 is a fairly scarce item.

 

[seacam]

It did have a Sako marked butt pad on it. I looked long and hard for a Sako replacement and opted for the softer after market one. It helps quite a bit with the recoil off the bench when sighting in. Standing, shooting at an animal it is very mild.

 

[icebear]

I think that confirms that your FN-Sako has a fairly rare classic-style stock rather than the more common Monte Carlo style. Hopefully you did not have to cut the stock to fit the new pad.

 

[seacam]

No cutting was done. Took it to Tumbleweeds’s Custom Rifles and had the pad fit to the rifle. I wasn’t going to let someone mess up what I thought was a good rifle and am now starting to believe it’s a great rifle.

 

[seacam]

What pictures could I post up that will help?

 

[icebear]

What pictures could I post up that will help?

I'd like to see full side views from both sides, taken at right angles. That gives a true picture of the shape of the stock and the proportions of the gun. Off-angle shots distort proportions. It's helpful if the image is oriented horizontally. If the original is a vertical, it's easy enough to rotate it 90 degrees in your computer's photo-editing app. Also a picture of the bottom of the gun would be nice. If it's like the L46, the checkering pattern on the forend wraps around and the two sides almost meet in the center.

 

[seacam]

How about these?

 

[icebear]

Definitely a factory stock. I prefer that style to the more common Monte Carlo, but FN-Sako rifles with the classic style stock are hard to find. I've seen very few.

By the way, is that stock refinished? Condition looks too good to be 70 years old, but if it was put away in somebody's safe, it could be original. Also there doesn't seem to be any yellowing of the finish, which typically happens on those guns.

 

[seacam]

To the best of my knowledge it is untouched except for the new butt pad. I bought it from a gentleman that had quite the collection of firearms and was moving out of the country and couldn’t take them with him. It has been in my safe for a couple of years now.

 

[icebear]

Sounds like you got lucky and found a pristine example of a relatively rare variation. How does it shoot?

 

[seacam]

It is MOA off the bench as long as you hold on to it. I did take a nice Nilgai bull with it a few months ago.

 

[seacam]

Here my Nilgai is. Shot him at about 100 yards. Found the bullet in the off shoulder.

 

[icebear]

It is MOA off the bench as long as you hold on to it. I did take a nice Nilgai bull with it a few months ago.

Sounds like the rifle is a winner all around. Nice find, and a nice Nilgai to go with it.

 

[seacam]

Thanks for all the replies. You guys are awesome.