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Sako L691 purchase

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

8x68s

Active Member
Just picked up an L691 in a 7mm magnum. Nice wood and though I don't have my hands on it yet, it appears to be in near new condition. As I intend to replace the recoil pad for my comfort factor, does anyone know if the red original pads are glued or screwed on, or both?? I want to know what I'm getting into, LOL. Thanks for any advice.
Greg
 
Greg- Since you are not trying to save it, take a razor knife and cut the red part off of the spacer. Then you should see screws if there are any. In any case.....now take a hair dryer and heat the spacer but protect your finished wood so it doesn't blister if it gets real hot. The spacer should come off with a little effort..
 
You aren't going to notice the recoil when hunting. If you do, you have too much rifle. Shooting a 7mm Mag from a bench repeatedly can be wearisome, I agree. But rather then going to all the trouble & expense of changing recoil pads, consider using a PAST recoil pad that slips on your shoulder from the bench. They work quite well. I haven't taken a pad off a L691, but I have done several L61R & AV models. I had to cut the red part off, then use vise grips to remove the screws (sometimes the screws break), & end up having to saw the black plastic off, as the glue would not give up. Whenever I do them I charge 50% more & give no guarantees the stock will not suffer damage that needs additional work. The past pad is not expensive & worth a try. Changing pads on Sako rifles is NOT fun & devalues the rifle. Just my two cents! You may have better luck then me.
 
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I'd leave it alone, the hard red pads never provided much in the realm of recoil reduction.

Learn to lean into the rifle, hold it tightly, practice trigger control and field positions. If you plan on target shooting primarily, I agree, get a wearable PAST pad.
 
Misako: Thank you for the instruction. I knew it couldn't just be glued on!

paulson: I agree that one doesn't feel recoil when taking a hunting shot and shooting from the bench can be a trial. I have a PAST from the days when I had a 404 Jeffery and it worked very well at the bench. And, as you said, recoil went unnoticed in the field. I miss that rifle! Built on a CZ 550 action on a custom stock by American Hunting Rifles; Corvallis, MT. (https://hunting-rifles.com/home/)

gowyo: I recently learned, the hard way, sighting in another recent purchase. I got an L61R that had been rebarreled and chambered to 257 Roberts AI. It came in a beautiful custom stock by Bishop's
(https://www.ebay.com/itm/370791492447). I didn't want to cut the stock down to put a modern recoil pad on it because it is so-oo pretty! With Bishop's hard plastic butt plate, I nicked my collar bone several times shooting from the bench! Silly me...

Thank you, gentlemen, for your input! :)
Greg
 
I agree about the PAST wearable pad. I keep one in my range bag for shooting the .45-70 with the steel buttplate, and other such demonic devices. Very handy.
 
I agree about the PAST wearable pad. I keep one in my range bag for shooting the .45-70 with the steel buttplate, and other such demonic devices. Very handy.
LOL,... shooting one of those with a steel buttplate? not in a million years! :confused::eek::D Those oldies with beautiful wood are sure gorgeous pieces, though. My modern made Winchester Highwall in 9.3/.375 Flanged mag has a very good sissy pad!
P3070022.JPG PC280001.JPG
 
Fantastic wood on that Highwall. Here's one of the .45-70's. It's an original Trapdoor that somebody cut down for hunting and relined the barrel. I picked it up out of an estate. It's perfectly safe to shoot if you know what ammo to use, and it's surprisingly accurate. I think it's kind of fun to shoot, but some people say I have an off-center idea of fun. I also have a Pedersoli Sharps, but I don't seem to have a photo.
Trap-1.JPG
 
Nice! Looks very utilitarian! I have always hankered for a Sharps in 45-120 but can't bring myself to pay money for that kind of punishment. How did those guys do it in their day?? LOL!!
 
Nice! Looks very utilitarian! I have always hankered for a Sharps in 45-120 but can't bring myself to pay money for that kind of punishment. How did those guys do it in their day?? LOL!!

The curved steel buttplates on the 19th century rifles, especially the deep crescent shaped ones, were not meant to be shot from the shoulder like we do modern rifles. They are supposed to be placed on the upper arm just below the shoulder. That curve fits right in there with the bottom tip actually between your bicep & your chest. The upper body is turned sideways to the target causing the rifle to lay across the chest, not perpendicular to it. The opposite upper arm is supported by the side of the chest while the palm holds the forearm. This is a lost technique due to today's rifle design & most shooters get punished in the collar bone quite severely when trying to shoot these older rifles using modern techniques. This position allows for the body to "absorb" the recoil & is surprisingly effective in that regard. In my younger days I could successfully hit the "Wooden Bucket" at the annual Quigley Shoot in Montana shooting off hand using this proper technique with my 45-70 High-Wall. Back then the bucket was at 270 yards. There were so many people hitting it with regularity they now put the bucket at 350 yards. Other targets, shot prone from wooden cross sticks, are at 500 & 600 yards & the "Buffalo" is at 800. BTW, only old school Sharps, Rolling Block & High-Wall type rifles in the old straight walled 19th Century cartridges & no scopes allowed. Makes me kinda chuckle when I hear guys say they "need" that 20X variable to hunt with. Those old boys knew what the heck they were doing. We have just lost their knowledge.
 
Fantastic wood on that Highwall. Here's one of the .45-70's. It's an original Trapdoor that somebody cut down for hunting and relined the barrel. I picked it up out of an estate. It's perfectly safe to shoot if you know what ammo to use, and it's surprisingly accurate. I think it's kind of fun to shoot, but some people say I have an off-center idea of fun. I also have a Pedersoli Sharps, but I don't seem to have a photo.
View attachment 27736
Just recently did some restoration/clean up of a couple of Trap Doors a local fella found in the attic of a house his grandpa owned & was still in his family. The guy is 81 years old & said his grandpa had these rifles as long as he could remember. They were original US military issue. One from 1878 & one from 1883. When I got done I took them to my range. They shot as if they were just issued. Workmanship, fit & finish, & machining quality gives up nothing to today's rifles. Wish I had taken pics. Your's is very nice & I started to turn a little green when I saw it! BTW, they allow Trap Doors at the "Quigley".
 
Paulson
Thanks for the very enlightening discourse on old rifles and shooting positions. I always wondered why those old buttplates were so sharply curved. Now I know. I'll have to try the old-style shooting position and see how it works for me.

Somebody did a fine job of rebuilding that Trapdoor as a sporting rifle. The wood and metal are nicely refinished and the barrel has been relined (at least I assume so; the bore is sharp and shiny and I cannot imagine that a military rifle from the blackpowder era could have remained pristine for 130+ years). The cut-down length makes it manageable to carry for hunting and the new front sight is much more visible than the military original. It retains the original "Buffington" rear sight, which is OK but less than ideal. The high front sight makes it obligatory to erect the ladder sight, at which point you have a choice of zeroing either a notch or a peep. I did have to rebuild the sight, which wouldn't hold a zero. That was an arduous and time-consuming task, but it's fine now. Accuracy is good, subject to the limits of my eyesight.

I acquired that rifle more or less by accident. A female friend asked me to help liquidate her late husband's gun collection, which was large and, shall we say, eclectic. We moved most of the guns by taking a table at a few local gun shows, but a few guns remained that we were unable to sell. The Trapdoor, with zero collectibility, was among them. Finally I decided to keep it and bought it from the widow. I found some "safe for all rifles" ammo in the pile and discovered that it was actually an accurate and fun shooter. I bought several other guns from that estate, including a C96 Mauser Flatside with matching stock, a Colt Woodsman Match Target, and some other .22's. The late owner was something of a pack rat; the collection included everything from the Broomhandle to a Polish Eagle Radom (should have kept that!) to a Spanish Ruby with French WWI markings to a cheap 12-gauge pump with the barrel cut down for use as an entry gun (the collector was a retired cop). Also an assortment of service pistols and backup guns, a WWI 1911, and lots of .22's.

Here are a couple more photos of the Trapdoor, which was built in the late 1880's.
Trapdoor 2a.jpg Trapdoor 5a.jpg
 
If the barrel was lined you should be able to see that at the muzzle or possibly at the chamber end. The 1878 barrel was pitted in several areas but the rifling was sharp & it shot fairly well. The 1883 barrel was pristine & bright with sharp rifling & nary a pit even though the outside of the barrel was discolored & somewhat rusty. So, sometimes a bore can have a "long life" even though it saw mostly Black Powder. It put 3 rounds inside two inches @ 100 yards without all that much fiddlin' on my part & those crude sights.
 
My modern made Winchester Highwall in 9.3/.375 Flanged mag has a very good sissy pad!
I'm not familiar with 9.3/.375 Flanged. Might it be a 9.3x74R case necked up to .375, to meet the minimum-caliber requirements of some African countries?
 
If the barrel was lined you should be able to see that at the muzzle or possibly at the chamber end.
Maybe. I have two rifles I know to be relined, a High Wall in .38-55 and a Winder Musket relined to .22 Long Rifle. I can't see a trace of a joint in either one of them. The job seems to have been done with great skill. As to the Trapdoor, I admit I'm guessing but a relined barrel would be consistent with the other restoration work that has been done on the rifle. If it's all original, that's fine too - the important thing is that it shoots well.
 
Mr. Paulson,
you might like to shoot one like this. .45 cal. Green Mtn. barrel, 80 gr. FFF with a .45 Maxi ball. bulls eye @ 100 yds.!!!
 

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Mr. Paulson,
you might like to shoot one like this. .45 cal. Green Mtn. barrel, 80 gr. FFF with a .45 Maxi ball. bulls eye @ 100 yds.!!!

Muzzleloaders are my first passion, followed by the 19th Century single shot cartridge guns. Sakos are my modern rifle preference, but anything with a suppressor is becoming my go to hunting & shooting choice. 45 cal is a little on the small side for me. Here's my 58 Cal!
Nothing like "makin' smoke" in the woods! Taking this one hog hunting in October down in the Indian Nations.

Buffalo Hunter 2.jpg
 
Beautiful rifle & rig, My oldest son is a fan of the suppressor rifles & has taken deer & hogs in our area. He is a much better hunter than I & an excellent tracker. I made a 45 cal. Hawken for him & it also has a Green Mountain
barrel. I still love my Sako Forester as my go to rifle. I am having trouble getting used to a left hand bolt action as I always had right handed bolts, but I guess it takes some getting used to. Best of luck & hope you have many more hunting seasons to follow your passion. B/T
 
Muzzleloaders are my first passion, followed by the 19th Century single shot cartridge guns. Sakos are my modern rifle preference, but anything with a suppressor is becoming my go to hunting & shooting choice. 45 cal is a little on the small side for me. Here's my 58 Cal!
Nothing like "makin' smoke" in the woods! Taking this one hog hunting in October down in the Indian Nations.

View attachment 27747
Good looking rifle. Did you build it?
 
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