• Hey All! Lately there has been more and more scammers on the forum board. They register and replies to members requests for guns and/or parts or other things. The reply contains a gmail or hotmail address or similar ”anonymous” email addresses which they want you to reply to. DO NOT ANSWER ANY STRANGE MESSAGES! They often state something like this: ”Hello! Saw your post about purchasing a stock for a Safari. KnuckleheadBob has one. Email him at: [email protected]” If you receive any strange messages: Check the status of whoever message you. If they have no posts and signed up the same day or very recently, stay away. Same goes for other members they might refer to. Check them too and if they are long standing members, PM them and ask if the message is legit. Most likely it’s not. Then use the report function in each message or post so I can kick them out! Beware of anything that might seem fishy! And again, for all of you who registered your personal name as username, please contact me so I can change it to a more anonymous username. You’d be surprised of how much one can find out about a person from just a username on a forum such ad our! All the best! And be safe! Jim

New member from Pennsylvania

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

Recently inherited a Sako .222 Remington rifle. I have no experience at all with this make. How do I determine the model type? There's nothing obvious on the weapon. Beautiful craftsmanship though.
 
Many call it the Riihimaki. But it is an L46 model of which there are three distinct versions. A Varmint heavy barrel a Sporter and the Full Wood (Mannlicher style) The next iteration would be marked L46 on the left side. They are called the Vixens by many. We'll know what you are talking about when you use these various terms. The rifle you inherited, made Sako a very popular name in the world over. It is quite possibly the sweetest rifle a person can shoulder and point. Your stock is very likely one of artic birch wood. Later they used walnut. There are volumes of information interlaced thru this website. Use the search feature to learn as much as you can. Again, welcome and enjoy. Post pictures as soon as possible. We don't get tired of them.
 
That serial number would indicate it was made in the second half of the 1950's, so in all likelihood it has a walnut stock. If it has a raised Monte Claro style buttstock it's late 50's. Fortunately your rifle is one that we have factory records on so you can click on Factory Records Service in the black bar at the top of this page & request a records search. Pics are always appreciated. Riihimaki is the name of the town Sako was located in. The Model L46 was introduced in 1946, but except for some very early ones Sako didn't start stamping L46 on the action til later in the 1950's as it was the only model they made until the L57 & L469 were introduced.
 
Post some photos and we can tell you more. And we always like to look at pictures of Sako rifles.
 
Here's a couple pictures. I'm having a gunsmith inspect the weapon before I go try it out.
 

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It appears you have a Deluxe model with original Sako ringmounts. Very nice! The recoil pad deterioration is very common on these old Sakos, but a quality professionally installed new pad will not detract much value, if any. Pachmayer makes a pad that looks very similar. The vintage Lyman makes for a cool combination. Thanks for sharing.
 
Very nice little L46 DeLux!
Late 50’s , close to 58-59
Can we see a photo of the bottom metal and grip cap?
 
Here are two photos of the underside. Does the decorative engraving identify the weapon as a particular model?
 

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Nice!
Your rifle is as early as they come in the world of Sako DeLux’s. The sharp pointed diamond is one attribute, also the engraving is quite rare.
Your Rifle is from the first run of DeLux L46’s!

Go to the hardware store..buy some “ Flitz” , it’s a light polishing compound. Apply lightly to the bottom metal engraving with a soft cloth to remove the tarnish and gun crud from the engraving. It should pop , with a golden hue! Very cool engraving!
 
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Priceless..if you are going to keep it
Value on the market is hard to judge, conditions will be scrutinized heavily by collectors, and it will boil down to how much the guy who wants it the most will pay. $1200 to $3000 is an acceptable range:D
 
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Thank you for the information. The gunsmith is inspecting it, and it will soon have a new recoil pad as well. Looking forward to shooting it, as soon as I get some ammunition delivered.

I am curious: how does a recoil pad get misshapen like that? Is it simply age, or is there a way to prevent it from happening?
 
I am curious: how does a recoil pad get misshapen like that? Is it simply age, or is there a way to prevent it from happening?
Unfortunately, the seeds of the deterioration are planted when the pad is molded. All resilient plastics will deteriorate over time, but some are much worse than others. Some formulas simply don't last, and sometimes a formula is mixed wrong or doesn't live up to expectations. Early Sako recoil pads are known for losing their resilience, and for getting squashed if the rifle is stored in the usual standing position. Sako made a terrible mistake by putting pads on its Deluxe grade rifles, even in calibers like .222 that don't need a pad.

Most of us who collect older Sakos have at least one rifle that either has a deteriorated pad or has had the pad replaced. Here's mine, which is probably about average - not the best, not the worst. It's an early L61R Finnbear in .300 H&H, a caliber where a pad is at least relevant. I wish Sako had put a hard buttplate on it, like Winchester did with my Model 70 in the same caliber.
300 H&H Finnbear-3.JPG

It's not just recoil pads, either. Some older pistol grips will self-destruct over time. These were on a French Unique .22 pistol. There are no original grips to be had and the available repros are junk, so I wound up making a new set out of Koa wood.
Old Grips 1.jpg
 
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