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Rebarrel ? How do I know for sure ?

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

RockNRoll

Member
New to the website AND Sakos. Just acquired my first Sako simply by chance. Was going to sell it and turn a profit But in about 15 minutes I was loving this rifle. (This happens to me a lot) Before buying I showed it to my gun store owner friend, he confirmed that it was in fact Sako, but has NO markings on the barrel. As well it is a 26 inch barrel. I am told that Sakos in 264 came with 24 inch barrels accept for some very early ones. I know the 264 caliber is a bit famous for burning barrels and he suggested since there are no markings that the barrel had been changed most likely. The bore cleaned up very nice and looks good. The previous owner took multiple big critters including one large bear with it all between 500 and 900 yards. Each a one shot kill. So I assume that if it was changed a quality barrel was used. Can anyone guide me into the light here ? As well, does it hurt the value of the rifle if the barrel has been changed ? Thanx for any help that anyone can offer.

P.S. SN is AIII 5518xx
 
Yes, with that serial number it has definitely been rebarreled. Sako dropped the .264 a long time before they adopted that serial numbering series. A Sako barrel would also have Sako markings on it. With that number it would most likely be an A-V action with a shrouded bolt.

Even with the original barrel an A-V would not be of particular interest to collectors, so your rifle is just what it was intended to be -- a fine hunting rifle. Its value is in its performance.

I own a number of original Sakos, some of which I've acquired primarily because they are scarce or represent something particular in the Sako line. I also own several Sakos which have been rebarreled or are otherwise customized, and those are some of my most valued (by me) because of how they shoot. There are actually only a handful of truly "collectible" Sakos; so the value of Sakos is mostly in their quality and performance.
 
The AIII before the serial number is the model/action stamping. The AIII (A3) stamping started in 1978 to denote the addition of a bolt shroud to the earlier L61R model/action. The AV (A5) stamping started in 1982 (SN 571277) to denote the change to a longer rear tang. Sako dropped the 264 Win chambering long before your action was made, so there is no telling what the original barrel was chambered for. In fact, without pics we don't know for sure if your stock is factory or custom. Your rifle could be a factory Sako that has been rebarreled or it could be a custom rifle built on a Sako action only & that is the first barrel. Pics would confirm what you actually have. Value is as stonecreek suggests.
 
By all means, let's see photos of your rifle. We can tell you if it's an original Sako stock or a custom. And tell us how it does when you test fire it.

As for the barrel, yes, the .264 Win Mag is notorious for excessive barrel wear. However, this depends on how much the gun was actually shot and how hot the loads were. Hunting doesn't involve firing a lot of rounds, so if the gun was mainly used for hunting and only fired at the range to check the zero, it may only have a couple of hundred rounds (or less) through the barrel. This shouldn't burn out a high-quality custom barrel. It should be cleaned thoroughly with copper remover, as high-velocity bullets tend to leave a lot of copper behind, with a corresponding negative effect on accuracy. If you are a handloader, it would be a good idea to shoot this rifle with less-than-maximum loads. The reason the .264 burns barrels is that it has way more powder capacity than is really necessary for a 6.5 mm. A .264 Win Mag has only slightly better performance than a 6.5-06 wildcat or even the ancient .256 Newton (which is actually a .264). Load it down a bit and it will be just as effective on game and a lot less destructive to the barrel.

p.s. In proofing this post, I noticed that my spell check had changed "handloader" to "bandleader." Ya gotta love artificial intelligence, which in this case was more artificial than intelligent.
 
WOW ! Thanx for all the input. I've done a little research and it looks like Sako wood to me. This rifle did pass through the hands of a gunsmith at one point many years ago. I'm guessing he is the one who changed the barrel. Previous owner hasn't fired it in 15 years. Before that said he fired it twice a year. Once to check zero, then one kill. He bought it 25 years ago from that gunsmith. I guess I am not actually all that concerned with collectors value anyway. I just really like this rifle so far and was probing for info. Pretty sure I'm keeping this one. Here's the only pics I have tonight. I'll appreciate anything you can tell me.

P.S. LOL. Icebear, at one time or another I have been both a handloader and a bandleader. So either way, you got it right !
 

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Yes, that's a Sako stock, probably original to the A-III rifle. Outwardly, only the recoil pad has been changed. The barrel channel has probably been altered a bit to accommodate the custom barrel.

What Icebear says about barrel wear is largely accurate. However, I differ a bit on the kind of loads that the .264 chambering merits, particularly with your 26-inch barrel. If you load your .264 with very slow powders to the "maximum" (always a nebulous term in this application) sustainable loads you'll be rewarded with very high velocities. Coupled with a bullet like the Nosler Accubond LR series you'll have a very flat-shooting rifle.

It is true that these aggressive loads will burn the throat more quickly (but only the throat since temperature drops a very short way down the bore and velocity, per se, has nothing at all to do with barrel wear). As Iceberg says, if you use the rifle only for hunting and other than the handful of shots fired in actual hunting you limit the shots to zeroing and checking the zero, then the bore of even the most outlandishly large magnum will last beyond the lifetimes of your grandchildren. On the other hand, run a full box of 20 through it as fast as you can and you'll be taking it to the gunsmith for a new barrel pretty soon.

One very important note on the .264 Winchester: The original factory chamber specs called for a zero rifling leade, meaning that the bullet could have almost NO full-diameter section protruding from the case. Just why they did this is absolutely baffling, but they did, and many chambering reamers are cut to this zero-leade. Winchester addressed the problem they had themselves created by using a two-diameter bullet -- the base section was full diameter of .264" while the forward section was just smaller than the rifle's bore, or about .255". So, IF you have a SAAMI spec chamber, then you can't seat normal bullets out very far, and certainly not far enough to take advantage of the generous 3.6" magazine box of your Sako. SAAMI-spec chambers beg to have the rifling relieved enough to allow long bullets to be seated out to 3.45" to 3.5" OAL, thus creating a larger pressure vessel and allowing a bit larger powder charges and somewhat higher velocities. (It is this zero leade which effectively limits the .264's potential and makes it's maximum velocities exceed something like a 6.5/06 by only a small margin.) With the right powder and a properly altered leade, you can enjoy velocities with a high sectional density 140 grain bullet at or over 3200 fps using a 26-inch barrel.
 
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Some excellent technical information from Stonecreek. I had forgotten the business about the leade, but the suggested modification would undoubtedly be worth doing. With that change and some good loads, the 26" .264 would be ideal for the kind of very long shots that are typical of Western pronghorn hunting, and a 140 is the perfect bullet for that size game.
 
I have some reloads that came with it loaded by the guide whom the previous owner hunted with. I'll check the specs on the ammo and see perhaps this modification is already intact. I'll see the last owner next week and ask some questions. I'll be back next week with an update. I really appreciate all the help.
 
Well sorry it took me sooo long to get back here. Christmas, New Years, Family, work, Broken Cars, just too much to keep up with, set me behind a bit. Anyway, StoneCreek ! I have ammo here and a micrometer. I am told that these rounds were loaded for THIS PARTICULAR rifle by the hunting friend of the previous owner. It looks like the sides of this 140 grain Nosler Partition is straight sided for a slight bit in front of the casing. Does that suggest that the rifle relief may have been done already ? here are the measurements that I am getting. The straight side of the bullet appears to extrude from the case for about .291................ the bullet itselfs extends past the case mouth to .885..............................The diameter of the bullet at the very mouth of the case is .262 or .263..........the diameter is the same almost a quarter in up from the case mouth as well. Overall Cartridge length is 3.355 Does this mean that the modification is already done for me ?
 
P.S. I can't seem to figure out how to put a picture on my profile. Got any ideas ?
 

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