• 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

Sako L57 No. 3022, 308 Cal.

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

jdm2730

Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2010
Messages
2
I have recently acquired a Sako 308 model L57. #3022, It has a 2-6 power Bausch & Lomb (new) scope.Any ideas on the value of the gun.?
 
Condition isn't everything, it's just mostly everything. Without a description of its bluing, wood finish, wood quality, wear signs, bore condition, etc., it's impossible to say. A "beater" gun with marred wood and well worn blue, but with an action that is in good condition, is probably worth about $400 for the value of the action as the basis of a custom rifle. The value goes up from there as the condition goes up. Naturally, its value is hurt if it is unoriginal (cut stock, buttplate replaced with pad, sight hood missing, etc.)

There were only about 10,000 or so of the L57's made, and it appears there were fewer .308's than .243's (and even far fewer .244's). A significant number of these 10,000 L57's also went to produce non-Sako guns sold as Colts, Ward's, and various custom guns (in Canada, a rifle called the "North American Grizzly" was marketed on the L57 action.) And many of the 10,000 were sold in countries other than the U.S. A few of those imported to the U.S. have been lost or destroyed for various reasons. So, just how many L57 .308's are floating around out there? Hard to say, but in the grand scheme of things, not all that many.

Bottom line: Sakos don't have a widespread universe of collectors like those for Winchesters or even older Marlins. So assigning a value to the relatively scarce L57 .308 due to its small numbers isn't necessarily an exact science. My opinion is that an L57 .308 is more valuable, condition being equal, than it successor L579, which is in turn a bit more valuable than its successors. How much more depends solely on the buyer and the seller.
 
Also, in regard to the scope, it is worth whatever such a scope is worth. Guns and scopes usually bring more total money when separated simply because the buyer of the gun may not be a fan of the scope (and vise-versa). What is important to the value of your Sako is the mounts. Original Sako mounts in excellent condition are a signifcant enhancement. High quality mounts like Redfields or Leupolds are helpful. A Weaver mount is like a wart on the nose of a Cover Girl and should be surgically removed before the buyer sees it.
 
Cost of Bausch & Lomb scope was $500,00 several years ago....unknown what to-days price would be.
bluing is excellent as well as stock. A few minor small dents and slight wear around shoulder rest of butt.
Many thanks for reply.
 
Greetings,

I acquired, through trading, my first Sako, an L57 in .308 just this year. Serial # 65**.

I have about $950 into the rifle.

Condition is probably 90% for the wood and 75-80% for the bluing. Rings came with it, sight hood missing.

This gun shoots under an inch at 200 yards and I do not ever plan to part with it!

Hope this helps.
 
dmt- the 4200 is one scope I have been meaning to try and just haven't taken the time. The L57 can be surprisingly accurate and I have had several that prooved to be excellent shooters. Is yours a sporter or heavy barrel Forester?-Misako
 
Misako,
Mine is a sporter (I almost said "plain jane" , but then it wouldn't be a sako!).
If I was more tech adept, I would post a pic for it.

I got the scope from overstock and am very well pleased with it.
dmt
 
The L57s had some beautiful walnut stocks that put the Sako line of rifles on the map. When you get a chance to look around the site a bit more, you can see some pictures of the older Sakos. Just click on Forums and take a stroll. I did learn the hard way that the action screws can be overtightened to the point of creating a slamfire with the L57s- A good snug tight will suffice with them.-Misako
 
Misako,

I been thinking about your post. What do you mean by "slamfire"?

I checked my action screws and they are snug but not way overtight. I once had a ruger stock crack because the screws were not tight enough.
 
Slam fires occur when the triggers are compromised. That meaning improperly adjusted or when the overtightened action screws "warp" the action to the point of moving the sear. Fear of stock cracks may be the cause of some overtightening. Slam fire is when the rifle goes off without touching the trigger whether it is when closing the bolt or a sudden sharp jar or just apparently nothing. Due to the recent televised "event" concerning Remington, this is a hot topic. I couldn't recreate the problem without overtightening or "messing up" the trigger adjustment.-Misako
 
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