What Sako Caliber is Least in Demand?

[stonecreek]

We all know about the premium that scarce Sako calibers like .218 Bee or .300 H&H bring. But I'm looking for opinions on which caliber is the least valued? By this, I don't mean useful, because many common calibers are great hunting rounds -- the .30-06 for example -- but there are so many of them that they cause no excitement among Sako enthusiasts simply because they are fairly easily found and "everybody has one". Of course, a Sako in the most common of calibers may be NIB and have gorgeous wood, which will cause it to bring a big premium, but I'm speaking in terms of the value (or lack thereof) that the chambering alone creates.

So, which round is it that is least likely to bring a premium simply due to its chambering? I have my opinion, but I'll keep it to myself until others have had an opportunity to comment.

 

[paulsonconstruction]

L61R- 7mm Remington Magnum
L579- 243 Winchester
L461- Don't think it matters as other factors would easily override caliber
L46- 222 Remington, even though it's my personal favorite

 

[bigcountry4me]

L61R- 7mm Remington Magnum
L579- 243 Winchester

Ditto….

 

[stonecreek]

L461- Don't think it matters as other factors would easily override caliber

Seems to me that the .223 is hard to find in the L461 and is most in demand; the .222 Rem Mag is somewhat scarce but has more of a niche demand, so it is second; the .222 Rem is most common so it probably brings less than the other two. Now, if Sako had only chambered the L461 in .221 Fireball . . .

 

[ricksengines]

O'Brien did!

rick

 

[icebear]

The .243, by a mile. Sako sold a kazillion of them when the caliber was popular, and now the supply of used .243's far exceeds the demand. An L579 in .308 or .22-250 will easily bring $200 more than a .243 in equal condition, and the difference might be bigger. My advice to anybody buying a .243 Sako is to be sure you want it, because you'll have a hell of a time getting rid of it. (Note - says the guy who just bought an L57 in .243. But I really did want it. Nice wood, near mint condition and probably unfired, and my first group after zeroing the scope was 3/8". So I'm not going to try to sell it any time soon.)

Next I'd say the 7mm Remington Magnum. You see an awful lot of these on Gunbroker, and most close with no bids. My theory is that a lot of owners are seduced by the "Magnum" cachet, and get disillusioned when they find out that it kills from both ends and it's really a specialty round - its sole advantage over a .270 is a flatter trajectory at long to very long range. My first Sako was a 7 Mag. Its accuracy was mediocre and felt recoil was a sharp, nasty whack rather than the slower push of a .300 H&H. It's a great caliber for pronghorns or elk at 300+ yards, but that's about it, at least from my point of view.

 

[Rocky]

7mm magnum the least favorite.

243 and the 30-06 are very common but those are two that I don't have in a Deluxe. Reason for that is that I figured that they are very common easy to find for when I want to fill that spot in my collection. But maybe I waited to long. A short time ago the was a really nice 243 Deluxe, Bofors, really nice wood, it sold for $1800.
I didn't end up with it.

 

[Spaher]

.243 followed by the 7mm Rem Mag.
I have never owned a Sako .243, but might one day just to close out the mannlicher group.

 

[misako50]

7mm magnum the least favorite.

243 and the 30-06 are very common but those are two that I don't have in a Deluxe. Reason for that is that I figured that they are very common easy to find for when I want to fill that spot in my collection. But maybe I waited to long. A short time ago the was a really nice 243 Deluxe, Bofors, really nice wood, it sold for $1800.
I didn't end up with it.

I have seen a great many auctions lately where the rifle didn't seem like it was a consideration. The wood was.

 

[kevinlg]

The O'brien Rifle Co did not build a 221FB..........only three variations of the 17 caliber.

 

[stonecreek]

I'm going to side with those who picked the 7mm Rem Mag as low on the totem pole in terms of caliber demand. Yes, it is true that Sako made a huge quantity of them, probably more of them than the .30-06 in the heyday years of the 7mm Rem Mag. Although animals shot with that round tend to fall just like with any other, it seems neither fish nor fowl to me, having more size and power than needed for deer-class game and a little less going for it than the .30's for elk-class game.

I also agree that there are relative boatloads of Sako .243's out there -- but in certain areas like Texas it is still a very popular combination round for deer and coyotes -- and also for young shooters -- so it sells fairly well. However, as Icebear observes, an L579 .308 will bring more -- and should due to there being so many fewer of them made by Sako.

Great discussion. I look forward to more!

So which is in more demand in an L61R/AIII/AV/L691 or M75: .270 or .30-06?

 

[bigcountry4me]

So which is in more demand in an L61R/AIII/AV/L691 or M75: .270 or .30-06?

My opinion -.270, and here’s my order.
1. L61R Bofors, because of the obvious.
2. AV Hunter because of the stock design.
3. 75 bolt design etc.
4. AIII the high comb is kinda detracting.

 

[sakojim]

Question by stonecreek:
We all know about the premium that scarce Sako calibers like .218 Bee or .300 H&H bring. But I'm looking for opinions on which caliber is the least valued? By this, I don't mean useful, because many common calibers are great hunting rounds -- the .30-06 for example -- but there are so many of them that they cause no excitement among Sako enthusiasts simply because they are fairly easily found and "everybody has one". Of course, a Sako in the most common of calibers may be NIB and have gorgeous wood, which will cause it to bring a big premium, but I'm speaking in terms of the value (or lack thereof) that the chambering alone creates.

So, which round is it that is least likely to bring a premium simply due to its chambering? I have my opinion, but I'll keep it to myself until others have had an opportunity to comment.
__________________________________________________________________________________

My two cents worth:
In my humble opinion- the least valued caliber question cannot be answered except from the individual perception of the owner. Depending on the needs of collectors of rare models or calibers the broad spectrum of choices would be so varied that no one caliber would fill the bill for least valued. As far as utility for hunting, there is no such thing as a least valued caliber because any caliber would fit the needs of someone some where on this planet as shown by the varied popularity of the members of the website. At the present time the shortage of ammo in our country is definitely causing some calibers to be nearly obsolete unless the owner has a stash of brass and powder for reloading. So, in my humble opinion the answer to this question is dependent on the ever changing conditions of availability (or cost) of ammo in any given area. Sakojim.

 

[misako50]

My opinion -.270, and here’s my order.
1. L61R Bofors, because of the obvious.
2. AV Hunter because of the stock design.
3. 75 bolt design etc.
4. AIII the high comb is kinda detracting.

I always wondered about that high comb business and came to the conclusion (possibly erroneous) that Sako was sick and tired of looking at their rifles with the Scope mounted 2 inches too high and decided to help those folks out with an "eye socket weld" instead of " cheek weld. Only thing that made sense to me."

 

[Bucktote]

Hi fellow Sako shooters,
Well I am a fan of the .243. Not that I am qualified to be well versed in rifle caliber performance, but for me & where I hunt & shoot the lowly .243 fills the bill! Early on when I first started to hunt deer I did loose one deer by trying a neck shot while 50 feet up a Georgia pine, My fault, shot high while too close & stunned the deer. He survived. That caliber while being small has taken many deer with high shoulder shots. It is pleasant to shoot, very accurate, & with the right bullet weight & velocity, has been nothing but great for me! I would not say it is my chosen rifle at distances greater that 250 yds. but that is well beyond my normal targets ranges. I also have an AV in 30/06 & have taken large hogs & a Red Stag in Argentina, so while these rifles are not at the apex of a collectors choice they do what I need when the time comes, if I do my part! I also have a Winchester model 71 in .348 & shoot it only when I have the urge to cry. I keep it only because it was my Dad's, & he used it when he hunted in Maine for moose & bears.
We all can agree I think, when you find a rifle & a load that you can shoot well & comfortably and with confidence, It's like a marriage made in heaven. Just my 2 cents!!

 

[bigcountry4me]

Sako was sick and tired of looking at their rifles with the Scope mounted 2 inches too high

You may be on to something here….

Well I am a fan of the .243.

As am I, and I have three L579 Bofors standard rifles.

All were purchased for about $550.-$600. each, give or take. And all are in great shape. One is mine, two are slated for grandkids. My wife shoots an 85 Finnlite in .243 as well. The round is versatile, easy to shoot and load for. I was able to find ammo fairly easily during the shortage.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your opinion) the commonality of both (.243 and 7MM Rem Mag) have dictated price, at least in my experience. Take care.

 

[Jeffy1]

Least in demand is the 7 mag.
Next, 243. 243s will sell if priced right, but 7 mags are dogs looking for a home.
Other dogs are 300 win mag and 338.
A Lot of 375s for sale.

 

[stonecreek]

Okay, let's try a "ratings" game. Let's say that we're talking about an early A-series standard grade rifle, the one with the configuration similar to the L-series, but prior to the adoption of the Hunter stock. I picked this model because there is no particular collector interest in it, so the caliber is about the only influence which makes one AV more valuable than another. We'll also assume that we're speaking of used rifles of equal 95% condition.

Let's also say that in the long action that the relative value the caliber influence on the market value for the .30-06 is an arbitrary 100, 100 being a neutral influence. A score of less than 100 indicates that the caliber brings less than a .30-06 and a score of more than 100 indicates that a caliber brings more than a .30-06. So, rank the AV calibers based on that:

.30-06 = 100
.25-06 = ?
.270 = ?
.280 = ?
7x57 = ?
7x64 = ?
7mm Rem =?
.300 Win = ?
.300 Wby = ?
.338 win = ?
.375 H = ?
.416 Rem = ?

(Hope I remembered all of the chamberings during this era)

Regardless of whether it matches mine, your opinion is appreciated and respected. No "right" or "wrong" answers. Without some difference of opinion markets would never move.

 

[bigcountry4me]

.30-06 = 100
.25-06 = 160
.270 = 110
.280 = 170
7x57 = 250
7x64 = 140
7MM RM = 80
.300 WM = 110
.300 WBY = 120
.338 WM = 110
.375 H&H = 130
.416 RM = 150

 

[icebear]

(Hope I remembered all of the chamberings during this era)

6.5x55 Swedish. Rare, but they exist. I have an AV Classic in that caliber.

With regard to the scale of 100, do you mean this to be proportional to dollar value, or just an arbitrary numerical rating based on what we perceive as desirable?