L579 or AII Deluxe Stock Wanted

[misako50]

They advertised $1799 but when I called they quoted me $2500. Its hard to do business with a company that pulls something like that. That was before we got into this business of larger than life bottom metal.

rick

You should have been on the old site where I had the same situation you have. At that time, there were at most three members that hung out at it and it would be weeks to get a good conversation going. There was Stonecreek, Me, Deergoose, and an old Missouri farmer by the name of Rick and he went by L61R. I had to spend money trying to figure out the bottom metal story and I finally got most of my answers from Deergoose. Then I bought an old deluxe I just wanted the stock from and never saw the bottom metal and low and behold, it showed up with a "Fishgods" floor plate. My mind about blew up.

 

[ricksengines]

Yepper and with a little help from my friends I might just come up with one now that we know what to look for.

rick

 

[Bucktote]

Gentlemen!
My thought was if you cn't find an original, take the next best thing! AS we all see the outragous price that was
offered by the seller, That is a prime example of greed & I plead guilty of trying to help without knowledge of how bad the seller treats potential buyers!! Mia Culpa.

 

[stonecreek]

Rick: Any later L579 Deluxe stock will easily adapt to your earlier L579 with just a small amount of inletting. The fit will be much closer than any "semi-finished" stock and will require minimum work from any competent wood worker.

When going the other direction (as a friend did with a newer action in an older stock), the barreled action is a drop-in fit, but has some small gaps around the inletting for the bottom metal.

 

[ricksengines]

I found a .243 vintage 1960 that has bottom metal 7 5/8" long. The stock needs refinishing because it is pretty rough.

It is a standard rig not a Deluxe so I'm debating. where there is one there is another so a Deluxe just might show up if I'm patient.

What does the community suggest that I do

rick

 

[sakojim]

Rick. It seems that somewhere in the past, I heard that 'patience is a virtue'. It may take a while, but one will come your way. E-Bay usually has quite a few Sako stocks for sale. The problem is most sellers are uninformed (not realizing the variations) and do not give dimensions in their ads. It is time consuming to chase down the information. Sakojim.

 

[misako50]

Rick. It seems that somewhere in the past, I heard that 'patience is a virtue'. It may take a while, but one will come your way. E-Bay usually has quite a few Sako stocks for sale. The problem is most sellers are uninformed (not realizing the variations) and do not give dimensions in their ads. It is time consuming to chase down the information. Sakojim.

Jim- when I was in the market, I always had good luck asking those Ebay folks to do some measurements. Never got turned down. Let's hope Rick isn't starting his search at retirement age. I still think his best shot is to buy a deluxe (period correct) and sell off the parts. The one Stonecreek just bought was on my radar until it went 350 past my mental limit. I had planned on contacting rick with that stock because I thought it would be a fit for an early action like a 244. Ricks may also be a "flatbolt".

 

[ricksengines]

Yep I got the flat bolt version. The length of the bottom metal is 7 5/8" instead of 7 1/2" which is the post '64 standard today.

 

[sakojim]

misako50 and rick. I have always been a purist when it comes to Sako originals, having gathered a few of the rare and original European carry-over versions of Sakos. I do not care for any of the Berretta produced versions. I have changed my opinion somewhat as to collecting the older ones. As we have seen, the older ones in new condition are now becoming nearly as valuable as any comparable new Berretta Sakos. In my opinion the older Sako models in original condition will continue to increase in value as quality decreases in the firearms industry. So it seems reasonable to assume that restoring to original is the better choice for added value, as even the known 'bitsas' (spelling?) are becoming acceptable. So, in my opinion for what it is worth, an expensive deluxe stock would be more productive in value for this rifle and well worth waiting for. Open for discussion. Sakojim.

 

[ricksengines]

So when did Sako switch to using the 7 1/2" long bottom metal. Was it 1964. earlier of later?

rick

 

[stonecreek]

In my opinion the older Sako models in original condition will continue to increase in value as quality decreases in the firearms industry. So it seems reasonable to assume that restoring to original is the better choice for added value, as even the known 'bitsas' (spelling?) are becoming acceptable.

There are a quite a number of shops which specialize in the restoration of older Colts and Winchesters due to the demand for them. Because Sakos weren't highlighted in thousands of old Western movies there isn't the same demand for Sakos, but a nice restoration of any high-quality firearm, if identified as a restoration, always brings good money. Now, whether it will bring as much as the restoration process costs is quite another question.

 

[misako50]

The narrower bottom metal came in earlier. The wide stuff phased out in 62. But I could be wrong about exactness. If the rifle has a flat bolt handle it is wider and longer

 

[bigcountry4me]

Because Sakos weren't highlighted in thousands of old Western movies

Very true, but I did see Curly Leach hunting with a Sako on Port Protection - Alaska the other night. Season 5, episode 6 has Curly shooting, cleaning his well worn Sako (most likely an L61R) then shots of him hiking through some thick stuff, then on a stand over a stream. Only a Sako fanatic could notice such things
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...ason-05/episode-06-the-kill-shot/vdka26484790