• 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

Of Bees and Hornets Redux - Riihimaki 22 Hornet ANIB

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

ricksengines

Sako-addicted
Hi all. So I got lucky and managed to glom onto a beautiful Riihimaki in .22 Hornet. I'm posting a bunch of pics but as far as I can tell the rifle is correct in every respect down to the sling swivels. Only a few handling marks in the wood and a very light rub on the barrel about six inches before the muzzle. I kind of think that was from being a safe queen for many, many years. It came with a set of medium Sako rings. They don't look like any of the screws were ever turned. PM me if you want to know what I paid at auction (I would be jumping up and down but the new knee won't let me do anything like that for a while).

Feedback is as always very much appreciated.

Here are the pics. Enjoy!!

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Well, there she is. Some how I came up with a real beauty to compliment my other Hornet and my Bee. I'm still looking for a 7x33 and a 25-20. Kicking my self for not bidding to win the 7x33 that came up on Proxibid about a year ago.

Feedback always welcome and appreciated.

rick
 
That's a late one with the Monte Carlo stock. Those are even scarcer than the early ones. Congratulations!
 
Hi Stone

Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking that the stock looked a lot like a Model 72 version. Is that possible?

rick
 
Hi Everyone, Can't beat SakoSource Records Program for their quick response and information on Sako Rifles that they have in the records database. Here is what they said about my new little Hornet....

" Sako Model L46 serial number 43656 is in .22 Hornet and was inspected 22 February 1960. It was booked for shipping to Firearms International (Washington, D.C.) on 24 February 1960 as one of 20 similar rifles in caliber .22 Hornet, shipping lot #3137. "

If you recall the work that StoneCreek did to develop the number of Bees', Hornets' and 25-20s' that were produced here is what he published ……..

.218 Bee --- .22 Hornet
1949: 43 --- 176
1950: 153 --- 209
1951: 59 --- 438
1952: 60 --- 208
1953: 51 --- 152
1954: 11 --- 197
1955: 12 --- 194
1956: 11 --- 204
1957: 16 --- 160
1958: 2 --- 84
1959: 61 --- 85
1960: 1 --- 37

Totals: .218 Bee = 480 --- .22 Hornet = 2144 ---- (.25-20 total = 775)

So my little Hornet was part of the last batch of 37 Rifles that Sako produced and shipped out.

That probably explains why it has the fancy looking Model 72 stock on it. A rare bird indeed.

Thanks Stone for the hard work and thanks again to SakoSource for the information including the scans of the records. Well worth the $20.

rick
 
Sounds like you've got one of the last of the L46 Hornets there, Rick. It is also a good example of an L46 Hornet with the "long" magazine -- the same length (externally) as the .222. Earlier ones -- and I'm not sure of the year of the changeover -- used a shorter magazine like those in the current thread on aftermarket Hornet magazines.
 
Yep Stone I think you are correct! Probably one of the very last. I got lucky on the auction, stayed focused and brought the little guy home. Happy to share with everyone.

rick
 
Rick !!!

I've got one out of that last batch too ! Your rifle's twin brother ! Here's what the records service revealed:
"L46 standard sporter in .22Hornet, #43399: Inspected on 10/22/59, shipped on 2/24/60 and was one of twenty (20) .22Hornet rifles in that shipment to Firearms International."

I had posted this info a while back in the 'records service' forum thread.

DeerGoose
 
Hi Goose

Please post a pic of the little guy here for all to enjoy. I think it will provide a great compliment to the thread. Folks will be able to see pics of both rifles in the same thread. This may also ferret out other Hornets from the same batch assuming that they are still out there and unmolested.

rick
 
Rick: The late L46's (not sure starting at what date) had the Monte Carlo stocks like yours. They also had a forged and machined bottom metal trigger guard-magazine well instead of stamped sheet metal. AND the Bofors Steel mark on the barrel. I'm sure you can find transitional models with some of these features but not all since we know that Sako continued to use up its "old" parts even after it began producing new ones.
 
As many of these rifles as I have, I am still lost in the changes and when they were made. I have an early 218 Bee and it is number 6256 with the wing safety, yet it has nice Walnut wood on it and many later guns have the bland light colored stocks. I was able to get a Hornet, number 39056 and a 222, 30863 and they are like triplets with nice walnut stocks. The lighter stocks never appealed to me and I was delighted to get these 3 that match, yet they vary throughout the whole range of serial numbers.

The Hornet does have the milled trigger guard while the others are the earlier type, which does make sense...

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The Hornet does have the milled trigger guard while the others are the earlier type, which does make sense...
Kirk, your Hornet is a 1958 model while your .222 is a 1956 model. So, the changeover to the milled bottom metal appears to have been adopted sometime between those years. And, while your 1958 Hornet has the milled bottom metal, it does NOT have the Monte Carlo stock, so it represents one of those "transitional" models. If I'm seeing the photo clearly, it also is lacking the "Bofors Steel" mark on the barrel. It's an interesting mixture of older and newer features, and a great example of what makes deciphering Sakos so challenging and entertaining -- second only to the joy of actually shooting them.
 
Kirk, your Hornet is a 1958 model while your .222 is a 1956 model. So, the changeover to the milled bottom metal appears to have been adopted sometime between those years. And, while your 1958 Hornet has the milled bottom metal, it does NOT have the Monte Carlo stock, so it represents one of those "transitional" models. If I'm seeing the photo clearly, it also is lacking the "Bofors Steel" mark on the barrel. It's an interesting mixture of older and newer features, and a great example of what makes deciphering Sakos so challenging and entertaining -- second only to the joy of actually shooting them.

I don’t even try to follow their production policies or lack there of. All I know is that the Sako rifles from those early Sako mfg days until the early 1980's are the guns I prefer. I do have a couple of 75 deluxes that don't have the detachable magazine or the ugly bolt and they are good guns as well, but I am interested in the pre-Garcia and Garcia guns mostly...
 
Sounds like you've got one of the last of the L46 Hornets there, Rick.
Rick's serial is later than the one that I have. We should pull the thread on this one a little more to see if he's got the last one made. And "Bofors" marked ! Did they make any Hornets in the second run of L46s in the late '60s ? This topic has really got me thinking. SAKO coolness !!
Hi Goose

Please post a pic of the little guy here for all to enjoy.
You bet, Rick ! Here's the one that I have, it's in great shape !

DeerGoose
 

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Hi Goose

Thanks for the pics. Beautiful rifle you have there.

You know I was thinking that I just might have gotten the last one. That would be really neat if it turns out that I do. Let's keep digging to see if anything more turns up.

rick
 
I looked at the shipping manifest that SakoSource sent to me as part of my documentation request. My little Sako Hornet was not the last one produced and sent out the door but it was pretty close. There were only about four other rifles ahead of mine on the shipment of 20 rifles to Firearms International. When I get a chance I'll post the other numbers. Perhaps one or more will surface.

rick
 
As promised, here are the numbers from my records page. There could be more...…

Mine is 43656. (2-20-60). Then there are 43659 (2-20-60), 43661 (2-24-60), 43667 ( 2-16-59). That is all I have. Of the last two it is unclear if 61 or 67 made it in the shipment of 20. I can't read the last digit in the leger.

rick
 
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