How good are the current model 85 Sako's. I'm looking for a .243 with a nice wood stock. How does the craftmanship of new guns compare to older guns. The older Deluxe ones are hard to find in really good shape. TIA for any input
Kinda depends on who you ask. The 85 has had issues with ejection depending on caliber & scope used. There also have been cases of the dovetails being mis-machined discussed here. Beretta has ignored these problems & the customer service/response has been lacking. Most of the interest & discussion here focuses on the earlier L & A series rifles, but if you search the forum there are threads about the 85 that may help you with your questions. I personally would pick an older Sako @ less than half the price of a new 85, no matter it's cosmetic appearance. Better rifle for less money. No brainer!
We have both both vintage rifles and modern 85’s. We’ve had great success with the modern version but they do not have the nearly mystique as owning and shooting the vintage versions. Our 85’s will never compete from that aspect, but they have filled a niche we needed. Our first 85 was a Finnlight. My hardcore wife simply needed a much lighter offering. Her go to rifle is highly accurate. Sub MOA all day, every day. One 85 led to a few more - and so on. They are all highly accurate, and frankly, may out shoot most of our vintage offerings. I feel the barrels are as good as it gets. The actions are glass smooth. Triggers are fine for a hunting offering. Fit and finish have always been very good in our experience. But at just south of 2K for a basic wood offering, you should expect that type of quality. Fortunately we have not had the issues paulson has pointed to. Those ongoing issues are well documented as he points out. Personally, I feel some of the issues are user induced, but do understand the higher angle of ejection may limit scope mounting choices to properly clear the port. In my opinion the maker may have not properly tested thoroughly regarding tube size, turrets, and heights. We have kept ALL of our set ups reasonable and traditional. The dovetail issue is completely and totally unacceptable. QC department would be fired immediately if a misaligned set of dovetails left the factory on my watch. Sorry - I have much higher expectations than the parent company. Personally, I’m always looking for vintage offerings. Not so much regarding 85’s - and as paulson has offered, even a vintage deluxe if you’re patient can be purchased for south of the cost of an 85. Obviously, your taste for vintage vs modern and mystique vs potential performance will weigh on your decision. Hope this helps.
Thanks for your opinions. There is a Sako stocking dealer in SW. MN. that I think I'll visit tomorrow.
I bought a Model 85 Bavarian Full Stock in .243. I'll post pics tomorrow. Kjergaards Sports very nice store and sales persons to deal with.
