Hi everybody I have a little problem with my best hunting friend. I own an very accurate L579, used for hunting of moose and deer Evening before going to hunt i checked up all stuff to be ready as usual. Suddenly i noticed i noticed something odd on my bolts head end, it was a crack. The crack were going round the opening of the pin trough the split lock side and half way around the head on the side. Of course no hunting with my friend that day, though borrowed a gun from a friend instead. Has anybody had that problem similar?? The gun is quite old approx. 1965, is it possible to get a bolt for it as well? Yes sako has on shelf, but are demanding huge prices for a fix, they are not always that customer friendly though the guns are the best i ever used(Accuracy) Brgds Jan
It would be very helpful if you could post a photo of the crack. I've never seen anything like you describe and am very interested.
Doesn't look like any crack I have ever seen. Maybe it's just a scratch? Though I have hard time imagining what would make a scratch like that either. Maybe have it checked by a gunsmith before paying for replacement.
Jan..... The boltface "looks" to have a scratch/scar. Is there any chance that any rod/jag was forced down the bore, from the muzzle?? I'm having trouble seeing a crack in the other pics. Could you try closer pics from different angles? Maybe mark where the crack appears.
Hi i know its hard to see, and taking pictures of it is ouite impossible. The crack is starting in the middle and going down inside the sliced lock part, and around the outer side all the way to the other lok part. I am an aircraft engineer, and tested it with penetrant/developer So i am quite sure of the crack. A gun smith here in Finland that has been in the business over 40 years, has only seen this one time before. But what to do with my hunting friend now is a good question Regards Jan
Hey, guys: Click on the top photo and it will enlarge to fill your entire screen. The crack can be plainly seen just as Jan described it. It looks like defective steel to me. There are a couple of other indications in the bolt face and face of the lugs which appear to be inclusions of foreign matter, perhaps tiny chunks of carbon, which indicates to me a defective billet of raw steel. I'm sure this is a very rare occurrence with Sako which some inspector missed, both when the steel billet was received and when the final machining of the bolt was done. Of course, the inclusions might not have been readily visible prior to the gun being fired a number of times. Although the margin of safety built into a modern turnbolt means that this rifle could be (and has been) fired many times without bad results, I would be very hesitant to do so knowing of the defective steel. The only solution would be to get a new bolt, which is very hard (and expensive) to come by for any of the older Sakos. Most of the "spare" bolts for Sakos are generated by people storing their rifles and bolts separately, then the two being ultimately separated. Eventually, someone is cleaning out the drawers of a deceased owner's, finds a bolt for a rifle which is long gone, and puts it on eBay or whatever.
Hi Jan, Not trying to be smart or anything but you stated "I am an aircraft engineer". with your skills if anyone could make a new bolt body it should be you. If that is not part of your skill set then hopefully you would know other engineers that do possess those skills. Be nice to them. Pete
Hi Pete Yes i know it possible, but not legal here The bolt and gun must according to law go trough an technical pressure test evaluation before use. it will in the end be so expensive, that it will not pay off to do. The only really right thing is getting Sako to fit a new bolt in this S/N, but that is also costly. Jan
Any burned carbon deposits in, or around cracked areas makes me wonder if the chamber had, at some point, experienced a cartridge case rupture/failure. How else could these burned deposits be present? Interesting........
Well Not in my time owning the gun at least. But who knows, its approx. 55 years old. At least it had been working to 100% precise shooting until my find, this season i got 1 moose and 3 deers with one shot each. The gun has been cleaned/lubricated every weekend after hunting. Jan
Like I said, it has obviously been fired without bad result many times, and probably could be fired again many more times just as successfully. But now knowing that the defect in the bolt is there, your aim and concentration if shooting it might be greatly impaired and take much of the joy of using it away, if you follow my meaning. In Finland I'm sure that gun sales/trades between individuals are regulated/restricted. However, in the U.S. the all-too-common solution for a problem like yours is to simply sell or trade the rifle to some other unsuspecting person and let them deal with the problem (if they are ever sharp enough to discover it). You see, unregulated capitalism has its advantages.
My eyes aren't the greatest, but it looks to me that the crack is restricted to the thin section of the bolt face where the bolt was drilled out for the firing pin. Possibly it was drilled to deep when first machined. The lugs appear fine & if the headspace is still within specifications then they haven't moved, so are unaffected. I would weld the crack, reface the bolt & carry on. If headspace has changed to where it is out of spec, then the bolt is bad & should be discarded. Did Sako give an opinion whether you should repair or replace?
OK, if it is not allowed to make a new bolt body how about buying another Sako say in 22-250 or 243 (same bolt head size) and use the bolt from that rifle in both actions. All you would need to do is get the headspace checked and you would not be the first to share bolts with two Sako's. Pete
Hi Stonecreek There is no way i am going to use it before fix. And i am not going to sell it, passing on the problem. If i dont get it fixed, i will nail it on my wall as a good hunting memory Jan
Hi Yes i suspect a fabrication fault as well from the very beginning. I know its hard to see on pics. but the crack continues inside the sliced lug as well. I am negotiating with sako factory about the fix, until now they say new bolt. So, if we get the right price, Yes. Jan
Hi That is in fact one of the best possibilities/cheapest way to repair. Now i am just waiting for some answers from Sako (Prices) Jan
Now i have mounted a new scope on my L61R Finnbear 30-06 So just waiting for good weather making adjustments/shooting test Then off to hunting Jan
