Help Identifying Name on Floorplate

[marlin92]

Picked up a DELUXE L61R and has a name engraved on the floor plate, believe it to be factory done.

Any idea what it says?

 

[dustinga]

Of course. It obviously says Erbd SlY ely. Hope that helps.

 

[stonecreek]

The engraving on your floorplate looks a great deal like a signature and is very similar to that on a rifle I own. My rifle appears to have been a presentation to a long-time Sako employee, but like yours, the floorplate engraving is exceedingly difficult to interpret. See this thread: https://sakocollectors.com/forum/threads/sako-l61r-super-deluxe-factory-presentation-model.9376/

I sent photos to the Sako factory but did not get any reply. However, I later spoke to a Sako employee who said that the photos in the email I sent had been discussed among the staff but no one knew anything about the engraving.

By the way, show us some photos of the rest of the rifle.

 

[Rocky]

Steve, regarding that you sent photo's to Sako but never heard anything back.

I also, long with others that I have talked to, have emailed Sako with questions but have never heard back from them. I mean how hard is it to reply to an email and hit the send tab?

I thought that Sako was coming aboard to add their expertise to this forum. What happened to that? Wasn't that like two to three years ago?

Before they come aboard (which first I have to see to believe) perhaps first they should work on their customer relations.

 

[marlin92]

Here are a couple pictures - it is a 3 lug gun

 

[Rocky]

Great grab, great wood, very nice rifle!

 

[marlin92]

Thanks Rocky just wish I could solve the signature mystery

 

[douglastwo]

Very nice wood !

 

[Rocky]

Marlin, check your PM's

 

[stonecreek]

Here are a couple pictures - it is a 3 lug gun

The "presentation" model I linked to is also a three lug action with a very high serial number (mid-70,000's as I recall) for a three lug. I'll bet yours is also somewhere above the 50,000 range. The signatures, if that's what they are, remain a mystery.

 

[marlin92]

Stone The serial is 59037

 

[stonecreek]

Stone The serial is 59037

Your rifle was shipped as a single item to Impecco (the importer name used by Garcia). Shipments to Garcia (Impecco) usually were of at least several dozen guns at a time, so this indicates to me that it was some kind of special order. Interestingly, it shows to have been shipped on June 29, 1972, which is the day before it was inspected according to the hang tag. But its shipping date is just a ditto from the line above and the next shipment of similar rifles was in August, so whoever recorded its shipping probably simply didn't get the date right.

Somewhat different, the "presentation" Super Deluxe I have does not show a "ship to" outlet, but rather has a string of numbers where the "ship to" name would be. This has been interpreted as an in-factory disposition, which appears consistent with a presentation to an employee.

 

[marlin92]

Interesting - a little hard shipping a gun before it is inspected but as you say probably a error in recording. It is good to hear it probanly was a special order, just wish could determine initial owner.
Thanks Stone

 

[stonecreek]

It is good to hear it probanly was a special order, just wish could determine initial owner.

Since the record keeping requirements for manufacturers and distributors got a lot stronger with the 1968 GCA, my guess is that the records for both Garcia and Stoeger Sakos are stored somewhere and would be a gold mine of information if we could access them. Wouldn't it be great to know what retailer that Garcia shipped your rifle to? You then might trace down its background.

 

[marlin92]

I was thinking the exact same thing, I wonder if when a distributor closes down if they have to send their records in like when a FFL chooses not to renew his license. I actually sent an email to the BATF asking about records. I will post what answer I get back.
Posted a new thread with BATF answer " Where are importer records "