• 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

What is this

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

Simo

Member
Hello Forum,

I just purchased a Sako Varmint in 243. At first I thought it was a standard Varmint, but I cant find pictures of similar rifles on the internet, nor any info of such a thing. It looks like an AII, but the stock forend is not rounded like an AII normally is. Furthemrore, I cant find any info on a Sako reciever stamped with Varmint, like this one?

Is it put together of parts from different rifles, or did Sako actually make a rifle like that?

I look forward to your answers

/Jon
 

Attachments

  • 87D320BDAD8DB9A952CA729B89EE8497.jpeg
    87D320BDAD8DB9A952CA729B89EE8497.jpeg
    178.6 KB · Views: 72
  • 569AEFA048A67AEE3CE5A44737BB8CFF.jpeg
    569AEFA048A67AEE3CE5A44737BB8CFF.jpeg
    73.8 KB · Views: 70
  • 5765C3EEFCC4F1DFC3DC491AC4CA97EE.jpeg
    5765C3EEFCC4F1DFC3DC491AC4CA97EE.jpeg
    153.8 KB · Views: 71
  • AAA30F8EEF66A1AF4A1163CB0EBFE8F8.jpeg
    AAA30F8EEF66A1AF4A1163CB0EBFE8F8.jpeg
    129 KB · Views: 68
That is not a Varmint model Sako. Looks like a customized Deluxe Model Sako. The left side of the action has been ground flat & the VARMINT stamping has been added. This has removed the original Sako factory stampings that would have said SAKO AII & the serial number. The stock is not original to the barreled action, if it is a Sako 243 Win chambered barrel, as it has the recoil crossbolt of an AII chambered for the 308 Win. The presence of the rear bolt shroud tells us it is an AII action. The stock is a Deluxe & appears to have been refinished, possibly even stained. Can't tell anything about the barrel as you didn't show any barrel stampings. If it is a Sako barrel it will have stampings identifying it as so. If not it is an aftermarket barrel. Appears the barrel as been threaded for a brake or suppressor, also. Defacing or altering a serial number is a Federal crime here in the United States. I don't know what the laws are in Denmark, but I would find out or make sure it has been legally altered. It's what our Australian members call a "Bitsa" rifle, one made from different guns. Just my thoughts. Other opinions may vary.
 
It seems baffling to me why any one would want to invest the expense shown by this example of splurging, to end up with a rifle that will never recoup a fraction of the build investment.
I would not feel nearly so disgusted if it were a "Bitsa" assembled from parts for an economic shooter. 'Different strokes for different folks' I guess, but I prefer factory original. Much better investment.
Sakojim.
 
Thanks both for your answers,

Just to follow up, I ended up canseling the purchase. Thanks for your expert advice. I want original rifles not frankin ones. I thought it might have been an early A2 Varmint, but I guess thats not the case.

/Jon
 
Although it may not be original it doessnt look bad. The varmint lettering could be smaller.
The serial number is stamped into the right side of the barrel.
 
Third picture, right side of barrel near the action. I don't know of any country that would accept that as a legal location of the serial number. I believe that the action or frame is recognized as the basic component of all firearms and that is where the serial number is required to be. If there are exceptions to that, some one from our membership may let us know. In my opinion, unless this is a fake or completely disabled toy, possession of this rifle by any one in the USA would be a serious violation of the law. Sakojim.
 
Third picture, right side of barrel near the action. I don't know of any country that would accept that as a legal location of the serial number. I believe that the action or frame is recognized as the basic component of all firearms and that is where the serial number is required to be. If there are exceptions to that, some one from our membership may let us know. In my opinion, unless this is a fake or completely disabled toy, possession of this rifle by any one in the USA would be a serious violation of the law. Sakojim.
the old sako fn mauser rifles were stamped on the barrel
 
In some European countries, the law required the serial number to be stamped on the barrel rather than the receiver, and the barrel was the controlled part rather than the receiver as is the case in the US. I do not know if this is still the case, but for instance, if you look at any Finnish military rifle from the WWII era or before, the serial number is on the barrel, not the receiver. Many such guns imported into the US had serial numbers stamped into the receiver by the importer to comply with US law, but the guns were not originally so stamped.
 
Third picture, right side of barrel near the action. I don't know of any country that would accept that as a legal location of the serial number. I believe that the action or frame is recognized as the basic component of all firearms and that is where the serial number is required to be. If there are exceptions to that, some one from our membership may let us know. In my opinion, unless this is a fake or completely disabled toy, possession of this rifle by any one in the USA would be a serious violation of the law. Sakojim.
There is a Browning Sako 284 caliber on Sakosource, who we all know, that you may want to look at and advise if legitimate to own.
 
Thanks to all for the input. I always thought that the disabled antique class of firearms allowed the ownership of those not stamped on the receiver, action or frame by collectors. I hope some one can clarify this question for good.
After past wars, millions of military rifles were imported and sporterized to be sold in the US. I always thought these were required to be re-stamped to meet our laws. Of course as always, many may have been carry overs by returning GIs and bypassed the requirements as we have found with many Sakos. But the example under discussion appears to be a deliberate alteration that possibly would not meet legal requirements. Sakojim.
 
Serial number stamping was not required by the government until the Gun Control Act of 1968. Many firearms, especially 22 rimfires were not stamped with a serial number. They are not required to be stamped & if sold as a used gun by an FFL dealer the section of the 4473 form with the serial number box is just marked NA or no serial number. To deface or alter an existing serial number on any firearm, antique or otherwise no matter when it was made, is a crime. There is no requirement to stamp or restamp any firearms made prior to 1968.
 
As noted, it is illegal to deface or alter a serial number. However, if a serial number is damaged or removed in the course of legitimate repair or modification, and the firearm is restamped with the same number, ATF would not consider that as a violation. As to the "Varmint" rifle on eBay, we do not know if the serial number has been restamped somewhere on the action, or only on the barrel. We also do not know if the gun is pre-1968. In any case, since it has a stamped serial number, it is unlikely that ATF would take any interest in it.

I once found, in an estate I was helping to liquidate, an M1 carbine with no serial number. At first I thought it might be a "lunchbox special," i.e. an un-numbered receiver that was smuggled out of the factory by a worker and assembled into a gun. Closer examination, however, revealed tool marks where the number had been removed. I cut the receiver in half with a diamond saw and sold the rest for parts.
 
Kind of related question, I have a 1965 browning safari that I want to re barrel . The serial number is on the barrel, is it legal to just rebarrel it , or must I stamp the serial number on the new barrels ?
 
Stamp it. I don't know the details of the law on this, but you'll have trouble selling a centerfire rifle with no serial number, and if you keep it for the rest of your life, your heirs won't thank you for sticking them with one. Stamping a number takes a couple of minutes and could save a whole bunch of trouble in the future.
 
Back
Top