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85 Finnbear

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

Josh G.

Member
First time poster here and I had a couple questions for you experts.

My dad has an L61 R and I love it since it fits me like a glove. I would use it but it's his primary gun and also a 338. I first starting looking into Tikka but I feel like I wouldn't be fully satisfied with that purchase. I want to buy my own Sako and I've been drooling over the 85 classic or deluxe for several years now but it's really out of my price range at this point. Several months ago I discovered the 85 Finnbear that is quite a bit cheaper and more in my range. So here are my questions:

1. Why the price difference between the finnbear and classic? Is it just stock selection and finish?

2. Is the extractor still an issue? (I only learned about this problem today and it took some wind out of my sails)

3. Who is the best online retailer to buy through? I've looked a lot at EuroOptic but I've never bought a gun online before.

Up until today I was 100% sold on the Finnbear but after I learned about the extraction issues I'd hate to be basically working a side job for several months to save up for a gun that will frustrate me after the first shot. I also prefer mounting a scope as low as possible which my aggravate the issue.

Thank you.
 
Sako ain't for you if you want to make nut a scope super low. I'm not sure if they've resolved the ejection issues. Some rifles don't have the issue. A competent smith could fix the issue.
 
Why not just buy an older L or A series Sako for less than half what an 85 costs & get twice the rifle? What "extraction issues" are you referring to???? Don't believe everything you read on the internet! You will get the straight scoop here. We just need to know what you are referring to. The issue with the 85 is an ejection issue, not an extraction issue. The empty cases are hitting the scope turrets with certain calibers & scope combinations. It can be corrected (without any support from Beretta), but hardly worth it considering what Beretta is charging for the 85. Not sure what d500Inn means when he says "Sako ain't for you if you want to make nut a scope super low". Maybe he can elaborate.
 
That was my bad, I meant to say ejection and not extraction. I'm specifically wanting the 30.06 and I'd mount a luepold VX3I 2.5-8x36 on it. The scope mounting height would not be a deal break, it just was a preference. I wouldn't mind buying a used rifle I was just concerned about finding a good gun. Why are the older sako rifles twice the rifle as the newer ones?
 
It's hard to explain why many consider the older Sakos superior to the present Beretta model in a few sentences. Once you own & use an L or A series from the pre-Beretta days it's easier to understand. You can buy a L61R, AIII, or AV 30-06 for $1000 + or - a few hundred, depending on different market factors, & have a rifle that is of the highest quality of any production rifle ever built made by people who cared about their product. They would have NEVER marketed a rifle with the ejection problems of the 85. Or you can spend over twice as much & get a rifle whose design & marketing is controlled by bean counters at a firearms conglomerate that don't care if your rifle ejects a spent case or not. My feeling is that a rifle that reliably ejects a cartridge is more than twice as good as one that doesn't. Just my two cents.
 
That is sound advice and thank you for the response. I'm going to start looking for an older model first and see what I can come up with.
 
Click on Sako Source in the upper right of this page to see some nice older Sakos for sale. Roger is a straight shooter & his guns are what he says they are. Nearly all the gun sale/auction sites list many Sakos as well. This forum is a good place to learn about these rifles "before" you buy!!!
 
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