Howzit from South Africa

[Grobbie]

Hello.

Found the forum after purchasing a Sako 30-06 and looking for more detail about the model and help with identification.

First Sako I have purchased. Looks to be a L691 with a fiberclass stock.

Really looking forward to dive into some of the threads on the forum and learn more about my new addition.

I shoot lots of sport shooting guns and hunt a fair bit in the Karoo region of South Africa. Most of my life had 303 or 308 but decided to move to 30-06 as .300WSM components are a tad bit difficult to get. The 30-06 seemed like the best comprimise.

 

[stonecreek]

The Sako is about as fine a hunting rifle as you can get and the .30-06 is about the most versatile hunting cartridge ever invented. Either I or my son have taken springbock, kudu, warthog, oryx, zebra, whitetails, mule deer, elk, coyote, bobcat, feral hog, pronghorn and just about every other game animal with a Sako .30-06.

Be sure to post some of your hunting photos from the Karoo!

 

[mattimoose]

My friend Andrew just picked-up an L61R in .30-06. I have been meaning to go check-out We both collect Finnish Military as well and I have been itching to show him my 1939 marked, Mosin Nagant M28. >.30-06 is the most versatile cartridge for sure. I love my Mannlicher Schoenauers in .30-06(M1925 and M1952) and especially love my Valmet 412S in .30-06x.30-06. The only thing better than a .30-06 is 2-.30-06s! One day I may break-down; and get a SAKO in .30-06. It would invariably have to be a Mannlicher-style carbine.

The other great thing about growing-up, .30-06, is that when I needed a bigger gun, >338 Win. mag almost duplicates the trajectory( 180gr.06 vs. 250gr..338) making long range killing easy. The windage and drop calculator in your brain doesn't need much adjustment. I guess I am convincing myself to buy a .338 and a .30-06 Sako in Mannlicher Carbines........

It's not a bad sickness I guess. Could be worse. I just talked 412S, now I remembered I gotta find barrels in 9.3x74R for mine, just in case I ever get to South Africa. Chances are remote, but never zero, as my brother works for a South African company; and I have been out hunting and shooting with some of them in Canada. I can dream can't I?

 

[Grobbie]

My friend Andrew just picked-up an L61R in .30-06. I have been meaning to go check-out We both collect Finnish Military as well and I have been itching to show him my 1939 marked, Mosin Nagant M28. >.30-06 is the most versatile cartridge for sure. I love my Mannlicher Schoenauers in .30-06(M1925 and M1952) and especially love my Valmet 412S in .30-06x.30-06. The only thing better than a .30-06 is 2-.30-06s! One day I may break-down; and get a SAKO in .30-06. It would invariably have to be a Mannlicher-style carbine.

The other great thing about growing-up, .30-06, is that when I needed a bigger gun, >338 Win. mag almost duplicates the trajectory( 180gr.06 vs. 250gr..338) making long range killing easy. The windage and drop calculator in your brain doesn't need much adjustment. I guess I am convincing myself to buy a .338 and a .30-06 Sako in Mannlicher Carbines........

It's not a bad sickness I guess. Could be worse. I just talked 412S, now I remembered I gotta find barrels in 9.3x74R for mine, just in case I ever get to South Africa. Chances are remote, but never zero, as my brother works for a South African company; and I have been out hunting and shooting with some of them in Canada. I can dream can't I?

You being in Canada means you probably can come and visit and not break the bank.

I grew up 308 and although shot placement is in my opnion the more important aspect, I have always sort of felt that in imperfect conditions having a little bit of extra oomph could never hurt. Started getting very excited about the balistics of the 300WSM, but as mentioned it is just too much of an exotic caliber locally still.

Must say I am rather happy to start my venture into 30-06 with at least something with a bit of class. Not a lot, but Sako has that sort of apeal to me.

Let me know if you ever get to come to South Africa. Just as you dream of doing SA, I dream of some Elk and Moose hunting in your wilderness.

 

[Grobbie]

The Sako is about as fine a hunting rifle as you can get and the .30-06 is about the most versatile hunting cartridge ever invented. Either I or my son have taken springbock, kudu, warthog, oryx, zebra, whitetails, mule deer, elk, coyote, bobcat, feral hog, pronghorn and just about every other game animal with a Sako .30-06.

Be sure to post some of your hunting photos from the Karoo!

Last year was the first after about 7 years of drought. The veld never looked like this in all the time we have hunted on the farm.

This Kudu was a wounded animal that I managed to bag in the run with my Winchester 30-30. Not the biggest specimen but definetly one of my most memorable shots. I find that helping following up on wounded animals gives me a lot of satisfaction to track down and help and bag.





This is what the veld looks like mostly. Very low rainfall area. Steytlerville Eastern Cape

 

[stonecreek]

Isn't it startling how much difference a little rain can make in the desert?

The second photo looks very much like south-central Namibia where I've hunted -- and is almost a duplicate of our Trans-Pecos region of far West Texas.

 

[mattimoose]

.30-30 in SA, wild. I will have to bring my .33 Winchester.

 

[icebear]

Back in the late 70's a friend of mine in Belize was a licensed guide for big game, including jaguars. A .30-30 was what he had, so that was his jaguar (and everything else) rifle.

 

[bloorooster]

My first centerfire rifle was a Model 94 Winchester in .30 WCF … never expected to see one laying aside an African Kudo!
Amazing!

 

[stonecreek]

Back in the late 70's a friend of mine in Belize was a licensed guide for big game, including jaguars. A .30-30 was what he had, so that was his jaguar (and everything else) rifle.

I suspect that almost all hunting in Belize is in heavy cover and pretty close range. A .30-30 makes a lot more sense than a 7mm RUM there.

By the way, I suppose that Belize has whitetails and Brockett deer, but what other huntable "big" game would there be?

 

[Grobbie]

Isn't it startling how much difference a little rain can make in the desert?

The second photo looks very much like south-central Namibia where I've hunted -- and is almost a duplicate of our Trans-Pecos region of far West Texas.

It was such a weird visit after the heavy and prolonged rains. The veld transformed and it was basically lots of types of succulents that covered the ground for kilometers.

The animals were so spoilt that for that particular hunt, we almost saw no game for 2 days, with the action only kicking off after we found the same Kudu in the picture laying down and calmly eating under a tree. Only when the follow up happened did we manage to bump out another couple of Kudu bulls and what was until then a very sombre affair, truned into the wild west.

For an arrid region it still has so many diverse habitats and makes for excellent hunting and sunsets with some cold ones.

My friend this year on teh same farm.

 

[stonecreek]

Except for the shorts, gators, and suppressor (a local would have on jeans and cowboy boots) that could be Southern New Mexico or Western Texas.

Sunrises can be as good as sunsets. This is morning in Southern Colorado looking at the East face of the Culebra range:

 

[Grobbie]

Except for the shorts, gators, and suppressor (a local would have on jeans and cowboy boots) that could be Southern New Mexico or Western Texas.

Sunrises can be as good as sunsets. This is morning in Southern Colorado looking at the East face of the Culebra range:
View attachment 36631

That is starting to appeal more and more to me. Miles of nothing and no people. Mixed in with some danger. Would be my heaven by my wifes hell.

Very cool

 

[icebear]

I suspect that almost all hunting in Belize is in heavy cover and pretty close range. A .30-30 makes a lot more sense than a 7mm RUM there.

By the way, I suppose that Belize has whitetails and Brockett deer, but what other huntable "big" game would there be?

You are right about heavy cover and short range. At most you might get a shot across a clearing or a farmer's field. The only "big" game I can recall other than deer, jaguar, and puma would be peccary (pronounced by the locals as Peck-AIR-ee). A lot like a javelina. Smaller game would be mainly gibnut, a good-sized rodent that is decent eating. I believe we had a discussion about gibnut (aka pika) a few months ago. Iguana and armadillo are commonly found in the open market, but I believe these would be trapped rather than shot.

Belize is also on the flyway for blue-wing teal and white-wing doves. We hunted teal in rice fields and doves in farm fields. I recall a rather humorous incident the first time I went duck hunting with a group of British officers. All of them were, of course, shooting doubles. I had an inexpensive Stevens 311 double in 20 gauge. The British friend who brought me into the group later told me that when I pulled out my gun, all eyes were on me and the collective breath was held until they saw I had a double. They were afraid that, being an American, I would be using an automatic, which is socially unacceptable in their circles. There was a sigh of relief when I produced the double gun.

By the way, blue-wing teal are fast, hard to hit, and quite tasty. The only decent-sized morsel on this small duck is the breast; the rest is just too little to be worth cleaning the duck for. So you would slice off the two breast morsels and discard the rest. Armadillo is also good eating if properly cleaned and prepared. Given where you live, I assume you've tried it at some point. I remember preparing dinner of roast armadillo with a female friend and asking her, "What wine goes with armadillo?" We looked at each other, realized how silly that sounded, and dissolved in laughter.