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Availability of L579 Parts?

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

Jaywalker

Member
I've had my L579 Forester about a year now and I really like it. If I'd been smart I'd have bought it in 1971 instead of a procession of lesser rifles that soon went down the road to someone else. I'm tempted to buy a few more to cover all my rifle needs.

Still, I do see one thing that worries me - some folks are posting online here looking for parts for a particular rifle. I don't need any right now, but I did check with Numrich and a few other places for basic replacements, such as firing pins, extractors, ejectors, and associated springs, and all have been "out of stock."

Are parts not readily available, or are they available and expensive so people are looking for alternatives?
 
Try Midwest Gun Works, they have some L579 parts available. Original parts are harder and harder to come by. When you find them it’s best to grab them unless it’s insane regarding cost. Ebay also occasionally can be a resource as well. You just have to search on a regular basis, cause stuff comes and goes. Extractor kits, firing pins, springs and screws typically can be located fairly regularly. The club members can also be very helpful. Some have put away small inventories, and will swap or sell at reasonable costs.

I bought a complete shooter L579 rifle very reasonable and put it away for a rainy day. I don’t expect major problems but you never know. Good luck.
 
There was a ton of parts for a variety of Sako rifles including the L461 and L579 on Ebay a few weeks ago. All were snapped up almost immediately and for some pretty outrageous prices. Most will never see the light of day because they have been stashed in collectors 'just in case' larder.

rick
 
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The bad news is that parts for Sakos made prior to Beretta's ownership of the company are very hard to find. The good news is that Sakos are extremely well-made and rarely require replacement parts.

The parts that seem most frequently needed are not "working" parts at all -- they are sight hoods, sight blades, rear sights, and recoil pads. The lack of any of these (at least originals) won't keep your Sako from shooting. Other parts that are occasionally needed are bolt guide retaining rings, and for some reason bolt stops or ejectors. I don't know of a Sako firing pin ever breaking, but sometimes they are abused or perhaps someone attempts to modify one, leading to the need of a replacement. Of course, magazine springs and followers can be lost, but substitutes can be found or fashioned successfully.

Sako stocks do often get broken, but rarely due to mishaps in the field. It is mostly caused by gorillas with forklifts running amok at UPS.

Don't get me wrong -- I'd love to see better parts availability for older Sakos, but fortunately, they rarely need much.
 
The bad news is that parts for Sakos made prior to Beretta's ownership of the company are very hard to find. The good news is that Sakos are extremely well-made and rarely require replacement parts.

The parts that seem most frequently needed are not "working" parts at all -- they are sight hoods, sight blades, rear sights, and recoil pads. The lack of any of these (at least originals) won't keep your Sako from shooting. Other parts that are occasionally needed are bolt guide retaining rings, and for some reason bolt stops or ejectors. I don't know of a Sako firing pin ever breaking, but sometimes they are abused or perhaps someone attempts to modify one, leading to the need of a replacement. Of course, magazine springs and followers can be lost, but substitutes can be found or fashioned successfully.

Sako stocks do often get broken, but rarely due to mishaps in the field. It is mostly caused by gorillas with forklifts running amok at UPS.

Don't get me wrong -- I'd love to see better parts availability for older Sakos, but fortunately, they rarely need much.
All great points Stone.

I’ve never understood why Beretta/Sako have not continued to provide support regarding its vintage rifles, or why they haven’t contracted to other manufacturers for parts. I realize some manufacturers parts can be smithed to work, or some can be fabricated, but these rifles are still in service world wide .

Oh well, I guess it’s just a reality. I know vintage gun parts from nearly all brands eventually dry up.

It’s funny though, you can still buy almost all the needed parts to restore a 50’s outboard motor.

I can think of tons of company’s who continue to provide some level of support for their products , then again, I can also think of tons of company’s who don’t.
 
All great points Stone.

I’ve never understood why Beretta/Sako have not continued to provide support regarding its vintage rifles, or why they haven’t contracted to other manufacturers for parts. I realize some manufacturers parts can be smithed to work, or some can be fabricated, but these rifles are still in service world wide .

Oh well, I guess it’s just a reality. I know vintage gun parts from nearly all brands eventually dry up.

It’s funny though, you can still buy almost all the needed parts to restore a 50’s outboard motor.

I can think of tons of company’s who continue to provide some level of support for their products , then again, I can also think of tons of company’s who don’t.
It is odd, given that it would be a revenue stream. Still, buying "donor rifles" does tend to keep vintage rifle prices up and is a boost to current rifle sales. The answer is probably something simple, like Sako just doesn't want to store and track all that. Disappointing, though.
 
Here is my two cents worth on the subject of producing parts for firearms that are out of production.

So lets look at this from a business perspective. There would be a very large number of parts and the manufacturer would have to tool up to make it worth while to produce each one. The parts would have to be maintained in an inventory and as with anything else some parts would sell faster than others. Bottom line is that it just isn't cost effective to produce the parts given the cost. Then there is what the company would have to charge for them to cover all of the costs associated with production, storage and inventory. From a corporate perspective it just isn't a cost effective proposition given the number of sales that would dribble in.

rick
 
Here is my two cents worth on the subject of producing parts for firearms that are out of production.

So lets look at this from a business perspective. There would be a very large number of parts and the manufacturer would have to tool up to make it worth while to produce each one. The parts would have to be maintained in an inventory and as with anything else some parts would sell faster than others. Bottom line is that it just isn't cost effective to produce the parts given the cost. Then there is what the company would have to charge for them to cover all of the costs associated with production, storage and inventory. From a corporate perspective it just isn't a cost effective proposition given the number of sales that would dribble in.

rick
Probably very true, but it's an argument for buying nothing but American firearms, whose models change like glaciers move - lotsa parts always.
 
Here is my two cents worth on the subject of producing parts for firearms that are out of production.

So lets look at this from a business perspective. There would be a very large number of parts and the manufacturer would have to tool up to make it worth while to produce each one. The parts would have to be maintained in an inventory and as with anything else some parts would sell faster than others. Bottom line is that it just isn't cost effective to produce the parts given the cost. Then there is what the company would have to charge for them to cover all of the costs associated with production, storage and inventory. From a corporate perspective it just isn't a cost effective proposition given the number of sales that would dribble in.

rick
Rick,

You make many valid points for sure.

I know I’m beating a dead horse, but Beretta/Sako themselves could very easily produce parts which are common and known to fail occasionally. Helping to keep these vintage rifles up and running would be a good business decision by having happy vintage rifle owners, and perhaps create a new customer base. Sako simply would not be heavily invested by making parts alongside 85 and TRG parts.

They have all their specs. for each and every part ever conceived regarding L, A, TRGS, and 75 series rifles. Programming a CNC is an afternoons work for a qualified tech. As much as I love the engineering which went into these fine rifles- the company seems very tone deaf because this is a widely known complaint.

I agree with your assessment regarding a secondary company trying to profit from simple parts and inventory. Nobody would be successful regarding such an endeavor.

I fully realize what’s been stated above will never occur, but I thought I’d give my two cents as well. Take care.
 
sight hoods, sight blades, rear sights, and recoil pads.
….and sling swivels. I used to be able to find those from time to time, but not of late (the last few years). I admit that I haven't been looking that hard for a while, but it seems that the parts supply has just dried up entirely. Good luck finding what you're looking for ! Keep at it and stuff will turn up.

DeerGoose
 
A few years ago on eBay a guy sold all of the parts scavenged from a Deluxe L61R. It had apparently had been confiscated from a bad-deed-doer and was "de-milled" by cutting the receiver in half cross-wise with a chop saw. So, the seller offered the stock, all of the parts off of the receiver like the bolt, trigger, bolt stop assembly, magazine box, follower, etc., and barrel still attached to the remnants of the receiver -- each part in a separate auction. I added up all of the "sold" prices and found that they exceeded the typical market price of an intact Deluxe L61R at the time!

It would obviously be a crying shame for Sakos to start going to chop shops like a car stolen off of the street, but it does illustrate what the demand for parts and their scarcity has done to their prices.
 
Keep this in mind. When I enquired about having some bullets produced that were discontinued the minimum number was 10,000 units. If you apply this to parts production and lower it by 1/2, 5,000 parts would need to be produced to justify the retooling and production costs, inventory costs etc.. From a business perspective you have to ask the question, how long is it going to take to sell them. For old out of date firearms the probability of even breaking even on the cost associated with making, stocking and selling even one particular part is probably slim to none. Bottom line is that it just is not cost effective to produce and maintain an inventory of replacement parts for discontinued firearms. If it was profitable every firearms manufacturer would already be doing it.

Hope this helps

rick
 
Thanks, rick - it does, partly. OTOH, you were asking them to provide you something specific, which implies a schedule, which further implies that they fit you into a production schedule for a specific delivery date. What I think we need with Sako, however, isn't 10,000 pieces of something by next month, but rather an assurance that over time they will use gaps in their schedule to produce things as they can. Sure, if they only produced seven L579 firing pins, for instance, we'd mostly miss it and say, "Damn." But the very fact they were producing them over time would reduce the value of hoarded items and discourage fear hoarding.

I looked at Model 85 parts this afternoon and among other things found that firing pins were $125 US. That's kind of expensive to buy to keep around for the possible future time that they are no longer made and that perhaps my firing pin might break 30 years after they stop making them, but it's certainly an okay price to repair a rifle that I liked that otherwise has no alternative to becoming a chop shop donor.

I think the alternative is for Sako to release the design and manufacturing specs on parts they no longer are interested in providing. I don't know if Wolff Springs currently makes Sako springs, but with the proper specs I'm sure they would, for instance. Based upon what I know about machining, I doubt the "as built" data package exists in a usable form (I know it did not exist for the Colt 1911, and we were making that - badly - lot longer than any one Sako model run.) Still, if I need L579 bolt stop parts, the original design is a good place to start. With 3D printing you might not even have to talk a CNC company into spending an afternoon translating the diagram into a program.
 
True but they would probably have to license another manufacturer to make the parts. Then there is the issue of quality control and liability. Then there is the cost of tooling up to make the parts. That can be prohibitively expensive unless enough parts are produced and sold to make it cost effective. Anyhow, its a nonstarter for a variety of reasons.

rick
 
I agree that it's a non-starter, but it should be feasible - just release to to "open source." Let anyone build it who can.
 
A few years ago on eBay a guy sold all of the parts scavenged from a Deluxe L61R. It had apparently had been confiscated from a bad-deed-doer and was "de-milled" by cutting the receiver in half cross-wise with a chop saw. So, the seller offered the stock, all of the parts off of the receiver like the bolt, trigger, bolt stop assembly, magazine box, follower, etc., and barrel still attached to the remnants of the receiver -- each part in a separate auction. I added up all of the "sold" prices and found that they exceeded the typical market price of an intact Deluxe L61R at the time!

It would obviously be a crying shame for Sakos to start going to chop shops like a car stolen off of the street, but it does illustrate what the demand for parts and their scarcity has done to their prices.

I just bought almost the same type of gun a couple weeks ago, just minus the receiver and barrel which were required to be destroyed by the courts.L61R 3 lug bolt type. Held my breath, but all cleaned up nicely. The stock was worth what I paid for all.
 
Western Gun Parts in Edmonton Canada sell Sako parts. You will need to call them based on their web site. They do not have parts listed. I have not used them but I know some that have. Good luck
 
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