Sako L461 - or is it?

[LittleMissThumper]

Hi all,

I have been offered to purchase several rifles, one of which clearly is a Sako. I have only seen images of the rifles and received some papers listing the calibers of the different rifles available. However, there is no connection between the paperwork and the images and the seller doesn't really understand my questions (he is 78 and has very poor hearing). Even worse, his license papers are so old they don't list the models of the rifles.

The rifle I am interested in is this one, since a .222 Remington is listed in the papers. Could this be a L461?


I have owned an A2 Hunter in .308 Win a couple of years ago and this looks very similar.

 

[deersako]

Could be an L461 or an AI, it will be stamped alongside the serial number on the action.
A look at the bolt may also disclose the designated model , though some late model L461's had the A series shrouded bolts also.

 

[LittleMissThumper]

Right, thanks a lot. I guess if the bolt had been included in the photo it would have been a little easier. But it cannot be an L579 (next size up), I hope?

 

[GreyFox]

For the right price, who cares? The guy is 78 and selling "several rifles". Here, in the States, I think just about any of us would buy them for the right price then sell off what we decided not to keep, or use them, or trade them for what we really desire. Not sure how gun laws are where you are, but I'd certainly buy them then decide what I want to keep.

Original question: deersako nailed it, so, for the right price, I'd buy it then read what's written on the side of the action!!

These rifles are not in a location where you can get a physical inspection?

 

[stonecreek]

The checkering pattern on the stock looks like that of an L-series rifle from the late 1970's.

 

[LittleMissThumper]

Unfortunately the rifles are located in the other end of the country. They were advertised incorrectly, that's the only reason they were still available when I called. The paperwork for a rifle can take anything from a week to months (!) since the police are understaffed, but I'm hoping it's just a few weeks.

For the price I am willing to gamble so I purchased it for abou 180 USD.

Thank you for all your help. Hopefully this can be a fun project rifle for me and one that I can use for predator hunting (fox, badger) and stationary geese.

 

[stonecreek]

The parts alone are worth much more than 1,500 SEK, so you did great. Let us know more about it when you take possession.

 

[LittleMissThumper]

It arrived the other night. Very good condition for its age. A 4x no-name scope was mounted in peculiar mounts that I need to replace to fit a modern scope, because the bolt handle catches the scope. The barrel does not have the common micro rifling, but as this is an 1972-1973 model (and purchased new on August 20th 1973 by the seller) perhaps Sako had stopped selling micro rifled barrels by that time?

 

[stonecreek]

I doubt there were any "multi-groove" Sako barrels after the mid to late 1960's.

Looks like it will make you a very good shooter. You should be able to find some original Sako ringmounts fairly economically somewhere in or near Sweden.

 

[paulsonconstruction]

As Stonecreek says the "multi-groove" barrels Sako made ended long before your rifle was made. My experience is they are not common, at least here in the US, but quite the opposite. Of all the Sakos I have handled, I have never personally examined a "multi-groove" Sako barrel. Would be interesting to know just how many & when they were made.

 

[LittleMissThumper]

The multi-groove or micro rifled barrels appear to be a lot more common here. In fact, I'd say that 50% or more of the Vixens I have seen have these barrels. They often - but not always - have the Bofors stamp on the barrel.

It might have something to do with Bofors being Swedish I guess - perhaps they sold better with the Swedish steel barrels here? A marketing decision made to appeal to national pride, I would guess.

 

[stonecreek]

Sako started stamping all of its barrels with "Bofors Steel" about 1957 or so and this continued until sometime in 1968 when the Bofors company objected to trademark infringement and required Sako to stop. So, yes, most of the multi-groove barrels are from that dozen or so years that Sako used the Bofors stamp; however, many conventional (six or eight groove) barrels were also stamped "Bofors". I'm only aware of the multi-groove barrels being in .224" and .308" diameters and haven't come across other sizes, although there could certainly be some out there.

I only own one Sako multi-groove (cal. .222) and it shoots extremely well, but not necessarily any better than the conventional barrels.

By the way, "Microgroove" rifling is (was) a trademark of the Marlin company and referred to their 16-groove barrels with very shallow rifling. We try to use the term "multi-groove" when referring to Sakos in order not to confuse the two. It is confusing enough that Marlin used Sako L46 actions to build over 5,000 Model 322 and 422 Marlins in caliber .222, both with "Microgroove" barrels.

 

[LittleMissThumper]

Thank you for that helpful information, stonecreek!