New to me AII in 7mm-08

[Guest]

Wanted to share pictures of my latest Sako, It is a hunter model, lacquer finish with a palm swell. I like the way the rifle feels with the palm swell, have not shot it yet and it looks as if it wasn't shot much at all. The previous owner handed me a bag with these rings in, told me they were Sako rings, can anybody help with identifying them. The only marking is Australia. Thanks Dave

 

[hayseed51]

Cripes Dave, she looks like a real cream puff. Bet you'll like the caliber too. As far as the rings, think I'd send them to live at somebody else's house. About twice as high as you need/want them. Get some of the original Sakos, and you'll be good to go for a couple lifetimes. Dick

 

[Guest]

Dick, thats what I was thinking, I have a set of Leupold's i had on another rifle that I think I'll put on.
I was`thinking about getting a scope with a bigger objective but I think they still might be to tall, as far as Sako rings what am I looking for? Thanks Dave

 

[hayseed51]

Dave, I think the rule of thumb with the old style Sako rings is up to 40mm glass with the mediums, and high for larger than that. The length of the scope makes a little difference too. I don't know if the high ringmounts will work with the huge bells of the new 56mm scopes, though. Not really sure why a guy would need anything over 40mm/1" tube on a hunting rifle anyway. I have a Leupy VX-III 4 1/2-14 LR, with the B&C reticle on the 325 WSM elk rifle. Lays down on the rifle nice, has plenty of elevation adjustment, clarity and definition is super. Just looks in proportion too. Just my 2 centavos, though. Dick

 

[stonecreek]

The rings you have were marketed by Tasco and are fairly stout but tend to be heavy and tall. I agree with you and Dick that you want your scope mounted just as low on the receiver as possible. If you are going to continue to use the 40mm Leupold that is currently on the gun (and it would be hard to beat, both for appearance and function), then you need a Leupold "medium" ring mount. I think that you will find those work a little better with your variable scope because the original Sako rear ring sits right on the back of the receiver and may force a scope mounting position that is too far aft for you because of the space taken up by the scope's power ring. The Leupold "medium" is a nice fit with this scope. They are compact and attractive, also.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Dick and stonecreek for your comments, I really hate the way those rings look, I only put them on because I had never seen Sako rings before and these had a post that fit in the the rear rail and was told Sako. Anyway I have a set of Leupold mediums that I will use now. If someone could post pctures of the best rings to use including Sako rings it would really help us new guys out, I looked on the internet but only find the pictures of the Sako Opti Rings.
Dave

 

[stonecreek]

I think you'll like the Leupold rings with your Leupold scope. Some of the guys who go for big scopes with 50mm objectives would probably love to have your current mounts. If I recall, they are called Tasco World Class mounts, and they may have also been sold under some other name. Having been made in Austrailia rather than some place like Korea or the Phillipines gives them some market appeal. You might list them for sale here, or list them on something like ebay.

 

[hayseed51]

Yeah, the Leupolds would work fine. For pics of Sako mounts, you can take a look on ebay -
180330670684 is a set of vintage Sako rings used from '50 to about '80. I believe these happen to be lows, but you get the idea

160318040204 is a little later version - might actually be the correct vintage for your rifle.

One advantage the Sako mounts have is they do have windage adjustment built into the bases. Lets you keep the scope's adjustments closer to the middle of it's range. Dick

 

[Guest]

That is good advice stonecreek, I had also read that some Sako rings were also made in Australia, I think I will post them for sale after I change them. Any idea what a fair price would be?
Thanks Dave

 

[misako50]

Dave- Congrats on the new Sako. I think you chose a fine rifle and a fine round to shoot. I want to ask about the scope. Is that a VX2 3X9? -Mike

 

[Guest]

Dick, Thank you for the link to the pictures, not even close to what I have so now I know, fortunately I didn't even know the rifle had rings so I didn't pay for them, he just handed them to me on my way out the door. funny thing is they were in a bag wrapped in newspaper that was dated 2001. I do like the way those Sako rings look
Dave

 

[Guest]

Mike, Thanks for the comments, I really like the way this rifle feels in my hands, that palm swell is really noticable, feels way different than my Deluxe, And you are correct about the scope.
Dave

 

[cauliflower]

Dave, those stupidly high rings are "genuine" Sako rings. They were made by Hilver in Australia. I have attached a couple of images of the box they would have come in. You could be forgiven for thinking they came from the Sako factory in Finland until you have a second look at the back of the box (that and the fact the rings have "Australia" stamped on them). Good quality steel rings but in my opinion not a very good design and definately not my first choice of rings to use on a Sako. Tom

 

[hayseed51]

Hey Tom -
Thanks for posting the pics. Do you happen to know any more about the history of the Ausie rings? I wondered if they were intended primarily to service that corner of the world, or if they were shipped back to Finland for global distribution?

I wonder if they may have served to fit the extra large objective bells as they came on the scene between the 8&4 o'clock split series, and the Optilocks...? I've only seen a few sets of these, but they were all extra high. Looks like your photos are of the base portion - Do you happen to know if the ring portion were made in different heights? Last question is do you have a feel for when they were produced?

Sorry, more questions than answers.... Dick

 

[Guest]

Hey Tom,
Thanks for taking time to share the information on the rings, I do agree not a first choice for rings
Dave

 

[stonecreek]

Cauliflowe

Thanks for the photo of the ring bo

I was unaware that Sako ever marketed these under their name. As I said in an earlier post, they were also marketed as Tasco World Class rings (at least I believe these are the same rings). Quite similarly, the Millett Angle Loc rings with the Sako adapter bases/claws were sold in a blue package branded Sako as well as the orange Millett package. This makes at least two outsourced mounts that Sako marketed

There was also a mount made in Spain that was a knock-off of the original Sako mounts. However, I don't think that Sako ever market these -- they were simply an aftermarket item (and probably a violation of patents)