• 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 New to Sako

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

907Dak

Member
Hey everyone. Glad to see such a strong community for this gun. I currently have a sako A111 serial no. 573xxx. I had no idea when my dad.bought this for me as a 16th birthday present several years ago what it was worth until I went to buy a stock for it thinking it was something called a bushmaster 30-06... turns out those don't exist. After some research I figure out what it was. I've been trying to find a stock to.bring it back to its former glory as the current stock has the line work sanded off of it and has been totally refinished. Baretta advised me to speak to a hobbiest in Portland who was a big help. I'm hoping some folks on here might have some more insight. I don't have photos yet but will try to get some posted. I will say there is a very dark cap on the grip and no cap on the fore end. Also interested in getting some scope rings that are designed to go on it.
 
Photos would help us identify the exact version for you. The fact that it has a grip cap but no forend tip and no checkering suggests that you might have a custom stock. Are you sure the checkering was sanded off, or maybe it was never checkered in the first place? There are a lot of guns around in custom stocks that were never checkered because the owner either didn't have the skills or didn't want to spend the money to get it checkered. Pictures will tell.

Original Sako scope rings can be found on eBay, Gunbroker, or sometimes on the sale board on this site. If you prefer an American style ring, you can get Redfield turn-in bases that slide onto the dovetail or Leupold rings that clamp on the dovetail. If you like the Redfield mounts, I've got some I'll sell cheap.
 
20191104_143052.jpg 20191104_143027.jpg 20191104_143011.jpg I can see some very fine lines that are way too straight and would match perfectly with where checkering on the grip would be. When I have access to my laptop in about 8 hours I'll be able to attach some photos.
Edit: here's a few already on my phone. Will try to get a better shot of the marks on the grip later.
 
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A Sako action and a non-Sako barrel. Looks like both have been bead blasted. If mine, I would not pour too much more money into this. Treat it as a shooter and set it up like you want.
 
A Sako action and a non-Sako barrel. Looks like both have been bead blasted. If mine, I would not pour too much more money into this. Treat it as a shooter and set it up like you want.
What makes you say the barrel isn't Sako? The only thing I know about it is that the muzzle break was put on about 15 years ago.
 
Sako does not stamp the caliber of the rifle in the manner yours is stamped. No clue what the other stamping is on the bottom side of the barrel. Could be previous owner's ID or the barrel maker or rifle builder.
 
Sako does not stamp the caliber of the rifle in the manner yours is stamped. No clue what the other stamping is on the bottom side of the barrel. Could be previous owner's ID or the barrel maker or rifle builder.
Well that is disappointing. I may be able to find out more from the old owner. I live in a rainforest and guns notoriously rust like it's no ones business here so I wouldn't be surprised if the original was replaced.
 
Your stock appears to be what you thought -- an original Sako stock with the checkering sanded off. Your rifle appears to have originally been a Sako Classic model. This model featured an American walnut stock with no Monte Carlo and a small contrasting wood grip cap. Refinishing and recheckering your stock would be less expensive than buying and fitting a new one.

I would infer from the stamping on the underside of the barrel that the gunsmith who mounted the barrel was T. Sheehy of Juneau, Alaska and it was done in July of 1995. This would be reasonably consistent with a Sako A-III, which was produced mostly between 1979 and 1982. If you Google "Sheehy Juneau, Alaska" you'll find a "vintage" knife offered for sale which was made by "T.J. Sheehy". I'm guessing that Mr. Sheehy is/was a metal worker who did gunsmithing and knife making.
 
Your stock appears to be what you thought -- an original Sako stock with the checkering sanded off. Your rifle appears to have originally been a Sako Classic model. This model featured an American walnut stock with no Monte Carlo and a small contrasting wood grip cap. Refinishing and recheckering your stock would be less expensive than buying and fitting a new one.

I would infer from the stamping on the underside of the barrel that the gunsmith who mounted the barrel was T. Sheehy of Juneau, Alaska and it was done in July of 1995. This would be reasonably consistent with a Sako A-III, which was produced mostly between 1979 and 1982. If you Google "Sheehy Juneau, Alaska" you'll find a "vintage" knife offered for sale which was made by "T.J. Sheehy". I'm guessing that Mr. Sheehy is/was a metal worker who did gunsmithing and knife making.

Very very informative. I had only done a Facebook search. I just got ahold of my welding teacher through university of alaska southeast. I guess he knows of his work. The history of this gun is starting to intrigue me even more than the gun!
 
On the topic of makers marks or identifying marks. Does anyone have any ideas or know what the sideways 'K' is on the barrel?
 
On the topic of makers marks or identifying marks. Does anyone have any ideas or know what the sideways 'K' is on the barrel?
It appears to have been made by the same tool as the "K" in the Alaska abbreviation, so I would ask Mr. Sheehy. Might be it is a Kreiger barrel & that was his way of denoting that.
 
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