• 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

Sako L691 purchase

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

Good looking rifle. Did you build it?
I just refinished it. Browned the barrel, stained the stock with Fiebing's medium brown leather dye, applied my homemade oil finish, added antiqued brass ramrod & sling swivels. Put a Marble Bullseye rear sight & a white bead XS front on it. Found the sling on Amazon. It's a Navy Arms "Buffalo Hunter" from the early 1970's. It's not a repro of any gun that ever existed, but it is based on the Zouave Civil War musket. Val Forgett, founder of Navy Arms, had Antonio Zolli make them to his spec. He then took it to Africa, along with the "Hawken Hunter" to hunt the Big Five & other African game. Forgett used 180 grains of BP & a 600 Gr Minie for the big stuff. I found that 100 grains of BP under a .570" patched round ball will terminate anything I need to hit with great authority. Had a complete pass through, lengthwise, on a 300+ lb Hog last year. It was like a lightning bolt hit him. Amazing how those big chunks of lead just keep going & going.
BTW, after stripping the stock, I believe it is quartersawn Sycamore, which gives it a wonderful speckled texture not fully visible in the photo. Not sure I could ever bring myself to sell this rifle.
 
More pics please,
You do awesome work!!! the stain really contrasts the brass fittings & the sling is the finishing touch. A full pass thru on a hog is quite an accomplishment with black powder. My rifle sounds like a centerfire, CRACK!! not a boom as loaded.
All the best!! B/T
 

Attachments

  • hawkens 227.JPG
    hawkens 227.JPG
    311.6 KB · Views: 10
More pics please,
You do awesome work!!! the stain really contrasts the brass fittings & the sling is the finishing touch. A full pass thru on a hog is quite an accomplishment with black powder. My rifle sounds like a centerfire, CRACK!! not a boom as loaded.
All the best!! B/T
These are all the pics I have. It's about 8 lbs, very balanced, & easy to carry. Used old school browning solution, about 8 applications over a 4 day period. Lots of carding, then the final oil bath. Tedious, but the results speak for themselves. Wood was a gift from nature. I just brought it to light. Glad to share with a fellow front stuffer!
BuffHunt1.jpg BuffHunt3.jpg BuffHunt4.jpg
 
Last edited:
I'm not familiar with 9.3/.375 Flanged. Might it be a 9.3x74R case necked up to .375, to meet the minimum-caliber requirements of some African countries?
No, it's my own designed wildcat. I had the rifle originally chambered in 9.3x74. Rooting around in Ken Howell's "Custom Cartridge" book I noticed the similarity between the x74R and the .375 Flanged magnum. It was off to the races. Getting reamers for chamber and dies, having custom dies made and finding a source of 375 flanged brass was not difficult but time consuming. I had a very, very good gunsmith locally that brought it all together. In the end, I have a modern cartridge that has the power of the .375 H&H in rimmed form and a rifle to copy my favorite single shot oldie. It's my elk buster...
P3070019 - Copy.JPG P3070020 - Copy.JPG P4200004.JPG P4210008.JPG PC280001.JPG
 
So, my guess was exactly backwards! It's a .375 Flanged necked down to 9.3mm, not a 9.3 necked up to .375. Neat idea, and excellent execution. Similar in concept to the old .35 Griffin & Howe, which was the belted .375 necked down to .35 caliber. And that High Wall is one beautiful rifle.

And while we are on the subject of 9.3mm rifles, I share your preference for a rimmed cartridge in a break-action or falling-block rifle. I've always sort of wanted a 9.3x74R Valmet double, and last month I got lucky. Found an engraved 2-barrel set with rifle and shotgun barrels at a local show, complete with an extra stock and forend to go with the shotgun barrels. Here are a couple of photos:
Double Rifle w:Leupold.JPG Lion 1a.jpg

And here's a link to my post when I got the double, with detailed photos including both sets of wood and the rest of the engraving.
https://sakocollectors.com/forum/threads/gun-show-find-valmet-412-engraved-set.17479/#post-101451
 
So, my guess was exactly backwards! It's a .375 Flanged necked down to 9.3mm, not a 9.3 necked up to .375. Neat idea, and excellent execution. Similar in concept to the old .35 Griffin & Howe, which was the belted .375 necked down to .35 caliber. And that High Wall is one beautiful rifle.

And while we are on the subject of 9.3mm rifles, I share your preference for a rimmed cartridge in a break-action or falling-block rifle. I've always sort of wanted a 9.3x74R Valmet double, and last month I got lucky. Found an engraved 2-barrel set with rifle and shotgun barrels at a local show, complete with an extra stock and forend to go with the shotgun barrels. Here are a couple of photos:
View attachment 27906 View attachment 27907

And here's a link to my post when I got the double, with detailed photos including both sets of wood and the rest of the engraving.
https://sakocollectors.com/forum/threads/gun-show-find-valmet-412-engraved-set.17479/#post-101451
oo-oo, that's pretty sweet! And nice wood on a Valmet seems a bit of good luck as they are normally pretty plain, though I've never seen a deluxe version like yours. I can send you a reamer to make a 9.3/.375!! LOL!!
 
oo-oo, that's pretty sweet! And nice wood on a Valmet seems a bit of good luck as they are normally pretty plain, though I've never seen a deluxe version like yours. I can send you a reamer to make a 9.3/.375!! LOL!!
I'll pass on the reamer, thanks. I got 7 boxes of ammo with the gun, plus a set of dies. :D Speaking of reamers, I have one for 8x57R/360 if you ever find yourself in need. Had it made after I traded for a German combination gun that turned out to have an out-of-spec chamber. Previous owner didn't know anything except it was 8mm and the chamber was unmarked. Had to cast it, then find brass and dies.

Did you check out the pictures on the link? The rifle has nice enough wood, but the wood that goes with the shotgun barrels is much better.
 
Did you check out the pictures on the link? The rifle has nice enough wood, but the wood that goes with the shotgun barrels is much better.
I did! I always look as much at the wood as the rest when shopping.
 
I always look as much at the wood as the rest when shopping.
Then you'll like the L46 I just bought on Gunbroker. I'll post photos when it arrives; look for it maybe next weekend. And if you're into wood, here's a custom Sako I've had for 20 years or so.
Audette 5a.jpg
 
No, it's my own designed wildcat. I had the rifle originally chambered in 9.3x74. Rooting around in Ken Howell's "Custom Cartridge" book I noticed the similarity between the x74R and the .375 Flanged magnum. It was off to the races. Getting reamers for chamber and dies, having custom dies made and finding a source of 375 flanged brass was not difficult but time consuming. I had a very, very good gunsmith locally that brought it all together. In the end, I have a modern cartridge that has the power of the .375 H&H in rimmed form and a rifle to copy my favorite single shot oldie. It's my elk buster...
View attachment 27901 View attachment 27902 View attachment 27903 View attachment 27904 View attachment 27905
Here's one for you that's sort of opposite to your wildcat - a Gunbroker listing for a Valmet double that's been rechambered from .375 Winchester to .375 H&H Flanged. An interesting item, to say the least. Also includes a set of 12 gauge barrels. He wants $5K for the set, which seems a bit high as it's only a standard grade.
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/946157902

pix718728076.jpg
 

Latest posts

Back
Top