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My Sako 85 6.5x55

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

sako85

Member
Joined
May 31, 2010
Messages
13
Location
Cleveland UK
[SakoCollectors.com] My Sako 85 6.5x55
[SakoCollectors.com] My Sako 85 6.5x55
[SakoCollectors.com] My Sako 85 6.5x55
[SakoCollectors.com] My Sako 85 6.5x55
[SakoCollectors.com] My Sako 85 6.5x55
[SakoCollectors.com] My Sako 85 6.5x55
[SakoCollectors.com] My Sako 85 6.5x55

I hope you like it. No doubt you Yankie boys will have noted the sound moderator which is legal in the UK but nevertheless requires some extensive paperwork in permits.

Sako85
 
Wow. That looks like the greywolf model. Didn't realize that they were making them in the 85 model.

How does it shoot?, and thanks for the pics.

DeerGoose
 
The rifle is a "Grey Wolf" and is a dream to shoot, I've been feeding it Federal ammo which it likes but I am going to start reloading shortly having just bought all the kit. The scope is a 30mm tubed Schmidt & Bender 8x56 illuminated.
This is one of the tests I did a few weeks ago, hand held resting against a tree stake ranged at 102 yds, the first two went through the same hole and overwhelmed at the propect of a "perfect" triple I pulled the last shot - DOH !! The steel disk measures 4" across so not a bad miss really.
[SakoCollectors.com] My Sako 85 6.5x55

Sakos are just "right" the way they are machined, their looks, the feel and of course their accuracy when I decided to buy a deer rifle it was a no brainer.

Sako85
 
Some great photos. Thanks for sharing.
The 6.5x55 is a really nice caliber to shoot. I have two, however not Sako's, and find them ideal on deer.
Reloading will tighten the groups sub MOA
 
Sako85: looks like you did a lot right here. Great caliber (one of the true global all-around calibers and easy to shoot too), great model (I have a model 85 Grey Wolf and that thing really shoots and is tough as nails), and great optics. If you develop handloads, let us know what the rifle likes.
 
I am looking forward to reloading being a "Techy" type. A friend of my who is a professional deer hunter has done some extensive reasearch on reloading for the 6.5x55 Sako. You might recognise the rifle in his website banner ? www.yorkshiredeerstalking.co.uk We have some pretty strict regulations regarding owning a deer rifle in the UK and many organisations also insist on deer hunting qualifications. I gained my certification through John and his company and many of the people featured in his "Gallery" section are pictured whilst on qualification hunts or stalks as we call then in the UK.

Sako85
 
Sako85: You Brits are certainly more formal in your preparations for taking to the field. It is very different here in the US but we are developing more extensive hunter education training in most states. In the days of our fathers and grandfathers, they would buy their first deer rifle and a box of cartridges at the hardware store around the corner and be hunting later that same day. My dad did not have meat for dinner as a kid if he did not put a squirrel, rabbit or doe on the table. My 6.5X55 loves the 125 grain Nosler Partition and IMR 4350 for what it is worth. Let us know what yours likes.
 
Factory loads have lower performance to allow for the the older Huskys, CG and M98's etc.
A modern rifle such as yours will tolerated much higher pressures. 125gn on Roe deer sounds like a good combo.
Have fun finding the right "recipe" to match the 85.
Sorry I'm not much help but look forward to your results.
Edit - just been Googling and found this
https://www.shootingtimes.co.uk/guns/152560/Sako_85_Hunter_rifle_review.html
 
5280sakonut - I sometimes think the regultions in the UK are way too strict however given the size of the UK compared to the USA maybe it has done us a favour over the years with far less deer calibre rifles in circulation.

cands, I have read in a few places that the majority of factory 6.5x55 is "detuned" as it could be fired in the 1,000's of ex WW2 rifles which wouldn't take modern pressures. As you can imagine I am very keen to see what my own loads can achieve.

The following is a piece I put together for another forum which will give you an idea of what the UK deer qualifications entail:

The UK has some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere in the world, I thought you might like to hear what we go through to gain deer hunting qualifications. The award is in two parts DSC1 & DSC2, a hunter registers to take the predominently theory based part 1 with an approved centre receiving an inch thich "letter" size manual which he/she then has to learn. Examples of subjects covered are identification (so no horses !!) including winter and summer pelage (coat) juvenile and adult for the six species seen in the UK including the shooting season - and England, Ireland & Scotland are all different. Ballistics including appropriate calibres, velocities and bullet weights. Deer diseases especially notifiable ones such as TB and Foot & Mouth and of course "gralloching" (gutting). Meat handling, storage, equipment and putting meat into the food chain. Safe gunhandling and assessing shot safety (so no horses !!). You can take up to two years to learn the manual but when you do take the exam (over two days) the minimum pass rate is 80%, the gun safety pass rate is 100% !! There is finally a shooting test, 3 shots through a 4 inch target at 100yds, then 2 through the 6" kill zone (heart/lungs) of a Roe deer target at 100 yds, then 2 more seated or lying at 75yds, then the last 2 standing at 50yds. OK not difficult but pull a shot and you start the whole shooting test again three attempts maximum then you fail. The deer recogition was no walk in the park, Powerpoint presentation 20 randon deer 80% pass rate required - identify species & sex, adult & juvenile 20 seconds on each. So that's DSC1
DSC2 is the practical side of things and has to be witnessed by an Approved Witness. Stalk (yes that's what we call deer hunting) 3 deer and after identifying they are in season correctly shoot (so no Texas heart shots), perform a post mortum gralloch i.e. check for diseases plus examine all of the lymphatic system, heart, lungs, liver etc. After each successful stalk write up the procedure detailing what you did do what you didn't do and why, also answering a bank of question posed by and documented by your Approved Witness. The information goes into a portfolio and when complete goes to an assessor who may ask more questions of you or your Approved Witness, It then goes to a second assessor who again can questions only then does he decide whether you have earned your DSC2 or whether he will decide to ask you to do further kills. The portfolio finally goes to the UK DMQ (Deer Management Qualifications) and they can randomly check further any portfolio they wish however at this stage you have normally passed the exam - Phew !!
I wonder how many US hunters would go through that lot ?? Although it isn't yet mandatory more and more UK shoot managers are insisting on DSC1 some DSC2 also. It is generally felt it will be required in the not too distant future for a Police deer rifle permit.

Sako85
 
Stalk (yes that's what we call deer hunting) 3 deer and after identifying they are in season correctly shoot (so no Texas heart shots)


There must be some confusion in terminology. I believe the "shot" you are speaking of is properly called the "Oklahoma Brain Shot".
[SakoCollectors.com] My Sako 85 6.5x55


I think at least a part of the reason for the high bar to becoming a licensed deer hunter in the UK is that, unlike in the U.S. where selling wild game meat is generally illegal, many or most UK hunters sell the venison they collect commercially. Correct?
 
Sako85 and All: It is a lot. But, maybe this would benefit some. This is a true story from just a few days ago...

Last week I was scouting a potential Mule Deer hunting area in Colorado (which is over 90% public land and millions of acres open to elk, deer, sheep, goat, antelope and moose hunting) about 90 miles west of my home. Having hiked about 16 long miles in one day looking at potential spots for the late October hunt and not sure of the Wildnerness (no motor vehicles allowed and as a result far fewer hunters) and National Forest (ATVs OK) boundaries, I went down to the nearest National Forest Station to chat with the local wildlife biologist and forest ranger, both of which are normally very knowledgeable and friendly. You can learn a lot from these guys. While we were talking they asked me to please be careful as last season a nice lady was walking her dog on a local trail and a hunter put a bullet through her Labrador Retriever. The hunter thought the Lab was an elk. The elk/dog was wearing a red bandana and was just a few feet ahead of the nice lady who was dressed up for church and out for a leisurely stroll. Well, she went home without the dog and an anti-hunting activist for life.

It is important to add that most hunters are the nicest people you will ever meet and are to a person incredibly responsible and considerate. But, bad stuff does happen and that is what people remember.
 
"Texas Heart Shot" ? "Oklahoma Brain Shot".
[SakoCollectors.com] My Sako 85 6.5x55
Seems to be a spec of that Texan dust in your eye there cowboy !!

Deer hunters in the UK fall into two catagories you have the trophy hunter who is only interested in the head and antlers, very rarely even thinking about gralloching (gutting) the animal leaving it to the paid stalker he arranged the shooting with. In this case the meat is usually sold as a complete carcass to a game meat dealer or butcher, sometimes the trophy hunter himself buys it. If you are interested typical costs would be xA360 for the stalk, anything from xA360 to xA3500 for the head, that latter being a gold medal head, and xA330 for a missed shot or a badly shot animal lastly a wholesale meat price for the animal in skin approx xA340.

The second group of hunters which I belong to prefer to do as much as possible reload (soon for me), stalk, gralloch, skin, butcher, cook and eat and it tends to be this group who have taken to the qualifications in a big way.

The first part DSC1 includes a licence to sell meat since the successful candidate should be able to identify notifiable and potential problem diseases. So to give it a figure I would say maybe half of the deer shot are sold for public consumption, however I think the biggest incentive to get qualified is the requirement which will be imposed on most of the land in the very near future.

It's always very serious when a shot goes astray but to shoot someone's dog only a few paces in front of them is unforgiveable - a labrador looking like an elk ?? Even Homer Simpson isn't that stupid !!

Sako85
 
5280sakonut - I sometimes think the regultions in the UK are way too strict however given the size of the UK compared to the USA maybe it has done us a favour over the years with far less deer calibre rifles in circulation.

cands, I have read in a few places that the majority of factory 6.5x55 is "detuned" as it could be fired in the 1,000's of ex WW2 rifles which wouldn't take modern pressures. As you can imagine I am very keen to see what my own loads can achieve.

The following is a piece I put together for another forum which will give you an idea of what the UK deer qualifications entail:

The UK has some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere in the world, I thought you might like to hear what we go through to gain deer hunting qualifications. The award is in two parts DSC1 & DSC2, a hunter registers to take the predominently theory based part 1 with an approved centre receiving an inch thich "letter" size manual which he/she then has to learn. Examples of subjects covered are identification (so no horses !!) including winter and summer pelage (coat) juvenile and adult for the six species seen in the UK including the shooting season - and England, Ireland & Scotland are all different. Ballistics including appropriate calibres, velocities and bullet weights. Deer diseases especially notifiable ones such as TB and Foot & Mouth and of course "gralloching" (gutting). Meat handling, storage, equipment and putting meat into the food chain. Safe gunhandling and assessing shot safety (so no horses !!). You can take up to two years to learn the manual but when you do take the exam (over two days) the minimum pass rate is 80%, the gun safety pass rate is 100% !! There is finally a shooting test, 3 shots through a 4 inch target at 100yds, then 2 through the 6" kill zone (heart/lungs) of a Roe deer target at 100 yds, then 2 more seated or lying at 75yds, then the last 2 standing at 50yds. OK not difficult but pull a shot and you start the whole shooting test again three attempts maximum then you fail. The deer recogition was no walk in the park, Powerpoint presentation 20 randon deer 80% pass rate required - identify species & sex, adult & juvenile 20 seconds on each. So that's DSC1
DSC2 is the practical side of things and has to be witnessed by an Approved Witness. Stalk (yes that's what we call deer hunting) 3 deer and after identifying they are in season correctly shoot (so no Texas heart shots), perform a post mortum gralloch i.e. check for diseases plus examine all of the lymphatic system, heart, lungs, liver etc. After each successful stalk write up the procedure detailing what you did do what you didn't do and why, also answering a bank of question posed by and documented by your Approved Witness. The information goes into a portfolio and when complete goes to an assessor who may ask more questions of you or your Approved Witness, It then goes to a second assessor who again can questions only then does he decide whether you have earned your DSC2 or whether he will decide to ask you to do further kills. The portfolio finally goes to the UK DMQ (Deer Management Qualifications) and they can randomly check further any portfolio they wish however at this stage you have normally passed the exam - Phew !!
I wonder how many US hunters would go through that lot ?? Although it isn't yet mandatory more and more UK shoot managers are insisting on DSC1 some DSC2 also. It is generally felt it will be required in the not too distant future for a Police deer rifle permit.

Sako85
The Royals like having subjects and repressing them enough to prevent fighting back. Sad but true.
 
So welcome to the forum. Not picking on you but please be advised, the thread you replied to is about 13 years old. The OP was last seen in 2011. 56 then, which now makes them something like 69ish. We have lots of great folks here from the UK who simply want to share Sako related stuff. What about you?
 
Last edited:
So welcome to the forum. Not picking on you but please be advised, the thread you replied to is about 13 years old. The OP was last seen in 2011. 56 then, which now makes them something like 69ish. We have lots of great folks here from the UK who simply want to share Sako related stuff. What about you?
Dang, didn’t check the date. As for your last question: What about you? Will likely be buying two Sakos in the near future to add to a fairly sizeable deluxe rifle collection(85 and a TRG22). So I figured I’d join. I’ll avoid mocking the foolhardy questions and comments when the dumb posts waste my time sifting through them. Better yet, I should just not engage this forum from the get go. Fair well. You apparently take issue with necroposts- lol.
 
Dang, didn’t check the date. As for your last question: What about you? Will likely be buying two Sakos in the near future to add to a fairly sizeable deluxe rifle collection(85 and a TRG22). So I figured I’d join. I’ll avoid mocking the foolhardy questions and comments when the dumb posts waste my time sifting through them. Better yet, I should just not engage this forum from the get go. Fair well. You apparently take issue with necroposts- lol.
It's actually "farewell". Derived from the Old English word "fare", meaning to travel or journey. It's a polite expression used when "amicably" departing. So, not only did you mispell it, you misused it! Bye!
 
It's actually "farewell". Derived from the Old English word "fare", meaning to travel or journey. It's a polite expression used when "amicably" departing. So, not only did you mispell it, you misused it! Bye!
Ahhh no I didn’t.- lmao. I always wish everyone well in their future. On the other hand - whatever.lol
 
Don't really care but.....I visit this site regularly and post occasionally. Lately there seems to be "new" members that take umbrage at any reply that disagrees with them and leave. I have reread this thread a number of times and cannot see what would offend. On the other hand if you're going to leave just go, don't need a post. Adios!
 
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