• 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 SAKO IV Model 75 Hunter ?

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

SAKO Model 75 Hunter?


  • Total voters
    3
Footnote: I found a post from an SCC member back in 2008 who was from Montana and said that he had purchased two of the GO Wholesale .280's. He also said that GO Wholesale was located in Billings, Montana. However, another SCC member in a different thread cited Boise, Idaho as GO's location. It is possible that GO had multiple locations, but which might have been the home office seems lost to history.
I have beside me on the desk as I type this, the original sales page that came with all of the 500 GO Wholesale rifles produced in .280 Remington. The header on that full color page reads: "World CLASS RIFLES brought to you from GO WHOLESALE Billings, MT. Meridian, ID" Beneath a color picture of the rifle (with cartridges), it reads: "Includes 80 rounds of Federal Premium 150 gr. Nosler 280 Nickle Plated Ammo" and "Limited Edition Sako" "Only 500 Available". (The serial numbers were 001-500.) The remainder of the page prints the rifle's specifications, and a comparison of the .280 and the .270 (with a comparative ballistics chart).

Each of the GI Joe's stores in the NW received 5 of the rifles, and in two of those stores I talked to managers who both said that GO Wholesale was disposing of the remainder of the special-order rifles. I visited 5 of those stores on one day (320 miles on the odometer) and looked at every one of 25 rifles. I bought the one with the best wood in a store south of Portland, and returned to Eugene to call a friend who went to the Eugene store and purchased the rifle I had laid away. I presume that wildcountry4me purchased one of the remaining 4 rifles in Eugene. I still have the rifle, and the 80 rounds of ammo which came with it. I believe this special run of rifles pre-dated the appearance of the AV Hunters and influenced the features of those rifles, though, as stonecreek says, the shorter barrels of the AV may not be as desirable for the shooter concerned with ballistic performance.
 
I have beside me on the desk as I type this, the original sales page that came with all of the 500 GO Wholesale rifles produced in .280 Remington. The header on that full color page reads: "World CLASS RIFLES brought to you from GO WHOLESALE Billings, MT. Meridian, ID" Beneath a color picture of the rifle (with cartridges), it reads: "Includes 80 rounds of Federal Premium 150 gr. Nosler 280 Nickle Plated Ammo" and "Limited Edition Sako" "Only 500 Available". (The serial numbers were 001-500.) The remainder of the page prints the rifle's specifications, and a comparison of the .280 and the .270 (with a comparative ballistics chart).

Each of the GI Joe's stores in the NW received 5 of the rifles, and in two of those stores I talked to managers who both said that GO Wholesale was disposing of the remainder of the special-order rifles. I visited 5 of those stores on one day (320 miles on the odometer) and looked at every one of 25 rifles. I bought the one with the best wood in a store south of Portland, and returned to Eugene to call a friend who went to the Eugene store and purchased the rifle I had laid away. I presume that wildcountry4me purchased one of the remaining 4 rifles in Eugene. I still have the rifle, and the 80 rounds of ammo which came with it. I believe this special run of rifles pre-dated the appearance of the AV Hunters and influenced the features of those rifles, though, as stonecreek says, the shorter barrels of the AV may not be as desirable for the shooter concerned with ballistic performance.
As an addendum to my post above. The 500 rifle order was produced in a short time period. Serial #GO 001 was produced on April 12, 1988. Serial #GO 500 was produced on May 26, 1988.
 
Fantastic Chaucer,

I’m impressed, and of course I know you’re vastly knowledgeable and keep excellent records. Not sure whether I ended up with your original laid away rifle, or a different one. The friend we have in common at Mazama’s says hello. Hope you are well. Sean
 
Wow Chaucer! You have scraped the cobwebs away from my memory banks! My wife and I traveled from Central Oregon to the coast to buy ours from a member of the original Sako Collectors group. He was generous enough to give me a large part of his literature from that group which included much information about the travels of club members to the Sako factory. The information includes news letters and correspondence between members and the factory personnel including the arrangement for Club members to order from the factory Custom Shop. I still have all this buried some where in my files. We cannot remember which town on the coast that it was. It would have been Newport, Waldport or Florence. So many years ago, but most likely Florence. Old age getting to me. Wish I knew the where the gentleman purchased it. I also purchased a second Sako keeper from him. These were the last two rifles from his Sako collection and he was selling because of ill health. Still have it but cannot remember which one it is. You are very knowledgeable of Sako old history, thank you for sharing. Sakojim.
 
Chaucer: Thanks for that definitive information! It is more than we've cobbled together the entire time we've discussed the GO rifles.

Could you perhaps scan (or photograph) that sales sheet and post it here on the forum?
 
Chaucer: Thanks for that definitive information! It is more than we've cobbled together the entire time we've discussed the GO rifles.

Could you perhaps scan (or photograph) that sales sheet and post it here on the forum?
Chaucer: Thanks for that definitive information! It is more than we've cobbled together the entire time we've discussed the GO rifles.

Could you perhaps scan (or photograph) that sales sheet and post it here on the forum?
 

Attachments

  • GO WHOLESALE SAKO03052021.pdf
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GO Wholesale is apparently long since out of business, or perhaps merged with some other company. I've tried researching it and all I can find is that it distributed in the Northwestern states. Along with a very few other U.S. entities from that era (Gander Mountain was one, and the old Sako Collectors Association was another) GO was somehow able to swing getting a limited issue of Sakos made to their specifications. Sako had not previously chambered the .280 Remington, but subsequent to the GO edition (with its 24.4" or 620mm barrel) Sako did offer the A-V in .280, but the non-GO version had the briefly-produced 22.83" or 580mm barrel. To me, this made the GO version even more desirable.

In more recent years entities like Cabela's and the NRA had some special edition Sakos made; there was also a "King Ranch" version with a running W brand on it, but I don't know who commissioned that one.

However, D.W. Custer, the one-time Australian importer, seems to have been able to get Sako to produce a number of special editions, most of them highly upgraded.
I have one of the AV variety and it is a tack driver with nicely figured wood, sharp checkering, and the 588mm barrel. I didn't know about the GO Wholesale guns. This was the only .280 Remington A series that I have seen.
 
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I have one of the AV variety and it is a tack driver with nicely figured wood, sharp checkering, and the 588mm barrel. I didn't know about the GO Wholesale guns. This was the only .280 Remington A series that I have seen.
Very nice looking AV. I cannot say how many AV’s were produced in .280 Remington but believe strongly the numbers were low. I’ve only seen maybe 2-3 in person. In my opinion that’s a gem. To add: the GO rifles were also on AV actions
 
I have owned a few Model 75's. 30-06,7mm Remington mag, 7mm STW,300 WSM was a greywolf all the others were Stainless Synthetic stock. All were extremely accurate shooters with the exception of the STW which was very finicky. 30-06 was a Stoeger import the rest were made under Beretta (I think). I did not like the lug design but it never affected accuracy.
 
Very interesting thread, a lot of history.
Would be interesting to hear from other Australian members if they can add
Some info on any of the special orders from Dw Custer the Australian importer back in the late 80’s and 90’s.
I remember they were very active in there’s advertising Sako rifle and barrelled actions.
Jay
 

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