Hello All, I just ordered a Sako L691 Battue in 7mm Mag. Is there anything anyone can tell me about this? It is very hard to find info on them. It has express sights on it. I can post a picture as well. Any info is greatly appreciated. I believe it was made in 92’ or 93’.
The "Battue" style rifle is designed specifically for a French form of driven game shooting. The game will emerge from a hedge or other cover at a run, and will require a fast shot to bring it down. The high quarter rib and highly visible sights of the battue rifle are the answer to this need. Most battue rifles are made for the French market. Sako is one of the few gun makers to have exported this type of rifle to the US. About the only other brand I've seen is Krico, which is not exactly a household name in the US. You can find more information by Googling "battue" or "battue (hunting, shooting, rifle, etc.)."
The Battue rifles were made for a very short time. I believe they started late in the A series production & continued into the 91 series, which was made from 1992 to 1996. The 91 series had the Tikka trigger. I believe it was marketed to the European driven game hunting crowd. Never caught on (at least in the USA) & was quickly dropped or not imported, which makes them fairly rare but not very practical or sought after. 7mm Mags with very short barrels aren't very pleasant to be around. I don't think the sights are express type, but rather a raised rib style sight unique to the Battue. What their advantage or special purpose was is unknown to me. Sako may still make a similar rifle on a limited basis for the Euro market.
"Battue" designation is carried today in the Tikka T3x lineup. Still featuring the quarter rib, but very different style of open sights with liberal use of optical fiber.
