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Sako Introduces New Model 90

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

South Pender

Well-Known Member
This is an interesting development from Sako. For a while, it looked as if the M100 was going to be the successor to the 85, but this 90 appears to be that successor. It is really an improved (in some ways) 85. The dual plunger ejectors would appear to be in response to the ejection problems some were having with their 85s. Structurally, the bolt and receiver are pretty much the same as on the 85, although Sako appears to have abandoned the "controlled round" feature claimed for the 85 (which was a real stretch), as the rim on the bottom of the bolt face of the 90 is not removed as it is on the 85, making the 90 clearly a push-feed action.

One big difference appears to be in the scope-mounting options, with the elimination of the time-honored tapered dovetail receiver top. We now have a choice of either (a) an integral Picatinny rail (which will appeal to a lot of shooters as it allows for a wide variety of scope rings to be used, not just those developed for the Sako dovetail) or (b) what Sako calls the "Sako 90 Optilock interface" which consists of a straight (not tapered) 17 mm dovetail with recoil slots at the rear of both dovetails. I'm guessing that Sako will produce mounts specifically for this option.

One thing that caught my eye in the technical discussion of the trigger is the lock time cited for the 90: < 1.3 ms., which is very fast. I don't know whether this is faster than the lock time of the 85, but it is much faster than that of most modern commercial bolt actions. In contrast, lock times for the Remington 700 and Post-64 Winchester M70 are 3.0 ms. (close to the 2.9 ms. of the Sako L461), and for the Ruger M77 and Weatherby Mk. V, 3.6 ms.. Fast lock time isn’t really of great importance in the hunting context, but definitely is in target shooting. The new trigger on the 90 looks very good, allowing some adjustments for length of pull and five weight-of-pull settings accessible without removal of the action from the stock.

One feature on the 90 that I'm wondering about is the recoil lug arrangement. It's really a "Rube Goldberg" setup on the 85. It would be great if Sako has gone to an integral recoil lug with the 90, but that might be asking too much.
 
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Excellent summation! I'm sad to see the tapered dovetails go as they should have offered it alongside the picatinny option (not sure why they went with the straight dovetail option). I'm very curious regarding the recoil lug as well. Hoping it's integral but, I won't hold my breath!
 
In re: lock time. I recall discussions with a couple of Remington design engineers some 20+ yrs ago that their budget model 788 with its issues was more accurate than their model 700 primarily due to the 788’s much faster lock time. I tried finding the actual lock time but came across much discussion of the 788 having almost unbelievable accuracy and the fastest lock time of any commercial rifle during that period.
If so, the new model 90’s <1.3 ms lock time combined with the Sako cold hammer-forged barrel may lead to eye-opening accuracy. I’d sure like to see it exercised, although the consistent accuracy of the older Sako models is what has been their iconic reputation.
 
In re: lock time. I recall discussions with a couple of Remington design engineers some 20+ yrs ago that their budget model 788 with its issues was more accurate than their model 700 primarily due to the 788’s much faster lock time. I tried finding the actual lock time but came across much discussion of the 788 having almost unbelievable accuracy and the fastest lock time of any commercial rifle during that period.
Remington 788 lock time is 2.3 ms. for the .243/.308 version.

If so, the new model 90’s <1.3 ms lock time combined with the Sako cold hammer-forged barrel may lead to eye-opening accuracy. I’d sure like to see it exercised, although the consistent accuracy of the older Sako models is what has been their iconic reputation.
I haven't seen any evidence of an accuracy advantage for cold hammer-forged barrels. I believe that the general consensus among accuracy nerds is that single-point cut rifling followed by lapping (as found in all factory Schultz & Larsen rifles and many benchrest rifles) generally yields the best accuracy--although good accuracy can be found with button-rifled and hammer-forged barrels as well. The real advantage of cold hammer-forging is the speed with which a barrel can be rifled--mere minutes (I've read 3-4 min. for a single barrel), as opposed to much longer for cut rifling (Schultz & Larsen estimates 1½ hr. for a single barrel). Pretty much all the high-volume rifle-makers use hammer-forging because of this speed advantage--Remington, Winchester, Ruger, Sako, Howa, SigArms, Sauer, Steyr, Heckler & Koch, Glock, Heym, FN, and others. The equipment is very expensive, and this pretty much rules it out for the smaller custom barrel makers, but is no impediment for the high-volume rifle-makers.
 
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So..what is the lock time on a #4 Sako trigger on the L series guns??
I don't have that info. It's not included in Stuart Otteson's books--just the L461. However, I'd guess about 3.0 ms. Keep in mind that lock time is a function of more than just the trigger. Mainspring strength, weight of striker, and other factors play a role as well.
 
Thank you SP.. like you said it doesn’t really make much diff in a hunting application. I was just curious
 
I can live with 3 milliseconds
Besides..I still haven’t finished being tickled over the fine #4 trigger and 12 groove pipes!
One thing I can say never with confidence is .. I will never hunt with anything else but Sako.
Game changer……
 
"New" dovetails are same size as Tikka. So Optilock bases (for Tikka or picatinny) will fit just fine.
Though the tapered dovetails are a great solution of scopes not having adjustability at a low enough resolution (1"@100yds (Yes, the really old ones)), too many people can not get their head around how they work.

Initially short (308 Win) and magnum length rifles will be available. Presumably long (30-06) and small (223 Rem) actions will follow.

Edit and addendum:
30-06 and 270 Win confirmed by Sako official.
 
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"New" dovetails are same size as Tikka. So Optilock bases (for Tikka or picatinny) will fit just fine.
Though the tapered dovetails are a great solution of scopes not having adjustability at a low enough resolution (1"@100yds (Yes, the really old ones)), too many people can not get their head around how they work.

Initially short (308 Win) and magnum length rifles will be available. Presumably long (30-06) and small (223 Rem) actions will follow.

Edit and addendum:
30-06 and 270 Win confirmed by Sako official.
I'm wondering about the "Sako 90 Optilock interface." Although it's a 17 mm. dovetail, it has slots at the rear of each dovetail, unlike the Tikka dovetail (if I'm remembering that correctly). The receiver top looks as though it is intended for a set of rings that will go directly onto the dovetail, with a lug on each ring to engage the slot, unlike the Tikka mounts that (I think) require Optilock bases.

Picture below also shows the new dual ejector arrangement. It would seem that ejection problems should be solved with this arrangement, with the ejectors throwing the cases well to the right, rather than the more-nearly vertical arc via the 85 ejector.

pV6VmWu.png
 
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I'm wondering about the "Sako 90 Optilock interface." Although it's a 17 mm. dovetail, it has slots at the rear of each dovetail, unlike the Tikka dovetail (if I'm remembering that correctly). The receiver top looks as though it is intended for a set of rings that will go directly onto the dovetail, with a lug on each ring to engage the slot, unlike the Tikka mounts that (I think) require Optilock bases.
The bases both have a recess to facilitate a more flexible placement of the straight Optilock bases. The Tikka has one recess at the far back of the action.

Optilock Ringmounts are what you are thinking of perhaps?
 
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Recent Tikka rings and Optilock bases have a removable indexing pin. I believe this was introduced so the rings would interchange with the Sako TRGS guns, which have Tikka rails and holes for the indexing pins. So, what Sako has done is take the TRGS setup and expand it to the entire line, replacing the traditional tapered dovetails.

CZ-427 rifles use a mounting rail the same size as Tikka, but have an indexing pin on the left side of the rear base.
 
Some 90 models seem to have picatinny mount. I wonder is this feature optional feature for all models?
 
Recent Tikka rings and Optilock bases have a removable indexing pin. I believe this was introduced so the rings would interchange with the Sako TRGS guns, which have Tikka rails and holes for the indexing pins. So, what Sako has done is take the TRGS setup and expand it to the entire line, replacing the traditional tapered dovetails.
Recent? Haven't they always had it?
The TRG and T3/x does not have the same top.
TRG-S/M995 have the Sako tapered dovetails.
Sako has taken the old Tikka (M55/65) dovetails and added a recess for a recoil pin on the forward base.

@Olli The models that can be ordered with iron sights will have the flat top. Mainly the wood stock models.
 
Recent? Haven't they always had it?
The M55/M65 used the same dovetail but the rings were indexed with a large-headed screw. I don't know exactly when Sako started using the Tikka rail on one of its models and added the pin to the Tikka rings.
Old Tikka Rings - original.JPG
TRG-S/M995 have the Sako tapered dovetails.
Yes, my memory was incorrect. It is the TRG-21, etc. sniper rifles that have a Tikka rail with holes for the recoil stop/indexing pin. These holes are in fact threaded and the pins are screwed into the rail, not in the base or ring. This suggests that the addition of the pin to the Tikka rings was not done for the TRG series. So, I don't know what model the pin was originally intended for.

By the way, the TRG's are usually seen with a Picatinny rail, but these are add-ons, available from Sako and several others.
 
The M55/M65 used the same dovetail but the rings were indexed with a large-headed screw. I don't know exactly when Sako started using the Tikka rail on one of its models and added the pin to the Tikka rings.
View attachment 30074

Yes, my memory was incorrect. It is the TRG-21, etc. sniper rifles that have a Tikka rail with holes for the recoil stop/indexing pin. These holes are in fact threaded and the pins are screwed into the rail, not in the base or ring. This suggests that the addition of the pin to the Tikka rings was not done for the TRG series. So, I don't know what model the pin was originally intended for.

By the way, the TRG's are usually seen with a Picatinny rail, but these are add-ons, available from Sako and several others.
The Sako hunting rifles have never had the "Tikka" dovetails. Until now (Sako 90), if 16 mm are considered proprietary Tikka. Is the CZ also using Tikka dovetails?

And the rings are not Optilock are they?

The TRG does not use a Tikka measurements of the recesses and these are not threaded. The TRG-22 action is shorter and the 42 longer than the T3(x). The threaded holes are for mounting a picatinny rail (as noted) for those that so choose and do not wish to use the TRG proprietary scope mount (or a designated TRG mount like a Spuhr).

The Bavarian will come with a set trigger. As for being optional for other models, I do not know...
Yet.
 
TRG 21/41 came with flat top where you didn't have any slots that would hold the recoil pin. You would use the threaded holes and a screw in place of a recoil pin. That's the original reason why the pin is removable on the optilock Tikka base (afaik).

Tikka dovetail came to Sako with the aquisition of Tikkakoski factory and the failed co-op venture with the Tikka M551/Sako L581. The Sako version too had the straight 17mm dovetail. First production model to have it was Tikka M558 made by Sako at Riihimäki plant after they shut down the Tikkakoski factory in -86 I think.
 
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