Finnbear L61R, newbie questions

[ed333]

I am new to the wonderful world of Sako rifles. A local shop has a Finnbear L61R in .270Win. The five digit serial number is 320##. The stock is blonde (maple?) with a rosewood forend and pistol grip cap. An old Weaver K3 is mounted, the front sight is still there with its hood. "Bofors Steel" is stamped on the receiver. The muzzle is flat, not chamfered or recessed, no obvious dings or scratches. Haven't had a chance to look at the bore yet. It is in very decent condition, no bad mars, scratches, etc. It is a fairly heavy piece, which is fine with me. I shoot for fun, holes in paper, no hunting. They are asking 600 for it. It has been there a while, it kind of jumps out as being 'different', may not appeal to the average local deer hunter.
Assuming the bore looks half decent, does this sound like a good way to get my toes in the water with a Sako?
They also have a Finnbear with a 659## serial number, 30-06, looks like honey colored walnut stock, no contrasting forend, Garcia Sporting Arms Wash DC stamp on underside of barrel, asking $999.
And out of my price league, an A II in .308 with a Leupold Vari-X III 2.5-8X36 mounted, lovely, but asking $1899.
I got my feet wet with Scandinavian firearms/calibres with a CZ 550FS in 6.5x55SE, followed by a very nice (and very accurate) 1919 vintage 1896 Swedish Mauser, followed by a Tikka T3 LIte Stainless in .223, and have to say I am intrigued. But no Sako yet. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[m995]

It sounds like the the 270 would be a good buy pending bore condition. Is the stock checkered ( i'm guessing no ), is there an inlay in the grip cap of a bears head ( i'm guessing no ), is the recoil pad marked sako, open sight sako's should have a comb height above the stock appx. 1/2" at the rear ( i'm guessing it's higher ) then the stock is a replacment & will most likely be bedded. Maple is strong , pretty , but heavy for most people to be willing to carry in the field. I would try to haggle the price since it's been there a while

 

[misako50]

ed333- Just buy the .270 . As soon as you can! That is a great price for the rifle. The action along with the scope is worth more than 600.-Misako

 

[Anonymous]

Ed,
Sounds like an earlier L61R to me. The wood could be Arctic Birch or a very light Walnut (maybe Maple). My guess is this rifle was made around mid 1964 - 1967. The nut on the cross bolt on the left side of the stock should be "open". The Rosewood grip and fore end cap would beg the question if this is a Deluxe - but for that price, there is either something wrong with it or they don't have a clue what they are selling. Is there any engraving or etching on it? Especially on the floor plate and trigger guard? A picture sure would help, here. If the barrel is smooth (no iron sights) and there is a deep bluing job, then it is most likely a Deluxe. The "flat" barrel end is normal. That would be a "good" price. They only thing that would be a bear is if the recoil pad is dry and crushed. You won't find a SAKO replacement unless you cannibalize another stock - which is equally hard to find.
If there is a Juniper wood bear head in the pistol grip as stated above, notwithstanding guessing, this is another feature of a Deluxe.
Just speaking of the .270 here - good price. Other rifles mentioned - too much.
I suggest you learn a little more about the model, check to see if the serial numbers match on the receiver and bolt - and it should be a three-lug bolt - two at the bolt face and a third back by the handle that rotates into a groove in the bottom of the receiver.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But once in a while.....you hit it right.
Good Luck,
S-A

 

[Anonymous]

Ed - And what Misako said, too!
S-A

 

[ed333]

I went back to the dealers this morning, armed with your good info and a bore light. This is not a Deluxe, this was definitely re-stocked, and bedded too, very tight fit. Stock looked a little 'rough' in the sense that it did not look like a professional job. No inlay on grip cap, no engraving on floor plate or trigger guard, stock has MC comb height about one'half inch higher than rest of comb, no checkering on wood. Butt plate is a Fajen, kind of reddish old style plastic or composite, solid
The bore looked great, bright and shiney, all the steel in the action looked bright and clean, didn't have that 'used' look. Three lug bolt. Darn, forgot to look for serial number on bolt. On the left side of the receiver, says Finnbear, with calibre, has a crowned left-facing profile head above a stylized (little wings on left foot and top right) MV. Left side receiver, next to bolt/port, stamped "L61R No. 32013", followed by a repeat of the symbols described above. On the right side of the barrel by the receiver, "Bofors Steel" with some stylized arrows before and after. Blueing is good overall. Knurled ring around the circumference of the bolt handle, no dirt, wear, crud, etc. Hooded front sight, no evidence of rear sight, but dealer said they came with a rear peep which mounted on the dovetail, often removed.
The Weaver K3 scope looks to have some age on it, steel tube, weaver rings on weaver base, which dealer said he would get rid of if it was his, but that was his personal preference. Has a 1" leather military type sling in good condition.
I asked what he could do for me on price, he checked his records, came back with $575. I was about to say write it up, when I noticed what appeared to be a crack in the wood, running diagonally up the left side of the mid part of the stock, climbing towards the front of the port area. (this shop has very poor lighting...) He agreed it was a crack, and we put it on hold. He said he could not sell it if it was unsafe. He is going to take action and barrel out, look at inside of stock, make an assessment of condition, and call me. Meanwhile I have a hold on it, but am thinking we need to re-visit the price.
What do you think, should I move on, find another? I am not wed to .270, although I have nothing against it. As I said, I am a range shooter, for fun. The steel parts, action , barrel etc, looked really good, very clean, I wonder how much it has actually been used.
Oh, and those two more expensive Sakos, the 30-06 and the .308? Both sold! He still had the $1899 Deluxe with the expensive Leupold on it, brought it out, it surely was beautiful. but it is sold, so there is no 'get in hock' temptation. Said it was a 1400-1500 rifle, plus that scope. Oh well.
Thanks for any insights.
btw, are replacement stocks reasonably available? How about the rear peep sight, can they be obtained?

PS- should this thread be in the Long Action section, or am I ok here?

 

[gunner620]

ed333,To answer your questions,I'll try. First the stock That serial range should place the manufacture about 1968,it would have a short tang receiver and need that type of stock AIII and L61R stocks are around but not enexpensive and then you would most likely have to deal with a old dilapidated recoil pad. Next the L shaped peep sight would be correct for that vintage but the fully covered peep would also work.Cost between $60 and $100 on e-bay.I would check under those Weaver bases,there may be damage or tapped holes that should not be there.The scope,sling etc would not be of any value to me so at that price I would move on especially since it looks like the stock is cracked.You may have to pay a little more for one in very good condition but you would likely not have to deal with all the hassle. Jim

 

[misako50]

ed- The topic is just fine here. Kind of hard for me to make a decision for you. The high points are that the bofors marked Finnbear is at the end of that production range. (1968) Those are getting hard to find in good overall condition. You should have a matching bolt (3 lug) and then you have the stock that would need to be replaced. That would be an estimated 235.00 or more for a decent stock Now you are up to over 800 for a rifle that isn't that much in demand for paper punching. If you were a hunter, it would be a fine caliber choice. So I would not buy it if I were in your shoes. A very big turnaround for "just buy it as soon as you can"-

-Misako

 

[woodman]

I agree with gunner and misako, unless you could find a nice original stock for a good price or maybe the price re-negotiation is well below the stated $575. I would offer around $250 and let the haggling begin.

Here is a link for a after market L61 mannlicher stock for $151.30. Not sure how good it would fit. You will need to find out.
https://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/Products.aspx?catid=10339

woodman

 

[ed333]

Sounds like S-A hit it:
"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
I don't really need a project piece at this stage of my life, I think I will move on. Thanks for the tips! I need to review the archives, learn a little. The almost as new used A7s I have seen at another shop don't really ring my chimes, I have my Tikka T3 Stainless Lite to fill that slot in the order of things. Unless you tell me that the newer Sakos are really that much better than a good Tikka...

Besides, having seen those photos of all those different engravings on trigger guards etc on the Deluxe models, I want a Deluxe!

 

[ed333]

I just heard back from the dealer on this L61R. The Word is:
"



[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]We have checked the crack in the stock on the Sako. It does not appear to go through the wood and the inside is glass bedded so I would think the gun is shootable."[/FONT]
He is willing to knock a little more off, but rock bottom is $550.

 

[emmerth]

Ed,

If the gun is bedded correctly (and that is the key word), then there sould not be any issue. However, I would pass on that rifle. You can find better condition guns for just a little more money, even in our classified section.

Good luck,

emmerth