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SAKO L61R .270 info

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

mhendrik

Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2011
Messages
14
Location
Cape Town, South Africa
Hi,
I recently purchased a SAKO L61R Finnbear in .270 calibre with serial # 512xxx.
I
have appiled for licenses, but in South Africa this is a timeous
process. The rifle is currently in storage at the gunshop so I don't
even have a photo thereof.
Any ways of getting more specific info on manufacturing dates than the following??
L61R Numbering change 09.05.1974 500001 530537 26.08.1977
Thanks,
Marius van de Wall
Cape Town
South Africa
 
If your L61R were in the U.S., it would be what we refer to as a " Garcia", Garcia Sporting Arms being the U.S. importer from late 1971 until about 1978. It's difficult to date Sakos precisely from their serial numbers, but yours would have been made in the mid-1970s.

The .270 is a fine medium game caliber, and all of the Sako .270's I've worked with were very accurate. You have a fine rifle there. What kind of game do you plan on hunting with it?
 
Thanks for the reply,
I've hunted with the rifle a couple of times while in the possession of a friend who I purchased it from. I've taken Gemsbuck(Oryx), Kudu and a couple of Blesbuck and Springbuck with the specific rifle on their farm.
The accuracy also impressed me and the speed and versatlity of the rifle.
Although its seen as a medium game caliber, it performs well on larger game, especially antelope like Kudu, Gemsbuck and Red Hartebeest around here but I won't risk going for a Bluewildebeest(tempted to take one with the .270) or Eland.
Some hunters in SA use only the .270 caliber to hunt Kudu.
The trajectory and speed also gives you comfort hunting plains game in SA over longer distances.
 
Lots of elk are regularly taken with the .270 in the U.S. and Canada, and elk will average a bit larger than kudu, so I see no reason why the .270 wouldn't make an excellent gun with which to chase the "Gray Ghost". While I've been on only one hunting trip to Africa, which hardly qualifies me as an expert, the kudus seemed to be a fairly "soft" target for their size. Gemsbok, while some smaller, seemed somewhat harder to take down, as did Red Hartebeest. The Blue Wildebeest has a reputation for being tough, but I wouldn't think that you are undergunned for it with a .270 if you are using a fairly heavy and "controlled expanding" bullet.

Most people don't realize that a bull eland will average several hundred pounds larger than a cape buffalo. The only reason you can get by with a lighter caliber for eland is that they generally run the other direction when you shoot them, as opposed to buffalo, which might decide to run YOUR direction under similar circumstances.

I know what you mean about trajectory and speed. We hunted in the very dry and open areas of southern Namibia and found more shots were over 200 meters than under. This is not true in much of African game country, but where it is a cartridge with the .270's range and trajectory provides a definate advantage.
 
Production dates:
Can anybody maybe give me guidance??
Is it accurate to assume the following,
My Rifle: SAKO .270 L61R Finnbear # 512937
Sako production dates:
L61R Numbering change 09.05.1974 start = 500001 end = 530537 26.08.1977*
I assumed that my specific SAKO was produced somewhere in November 1975 in the 15th month of production?? Is this correct to assume on average per month or is it more complicated??
And if this is the case does the 15th month or November 1975 of manufacturing mean anything from a quality point of view??
I've seen a couple of comments on the blog with regard to manufacturing months.
I am from South Africa and I'm new to the blog, can someone give me info on shipments to SA in that time or if it came to SA through USA making it a ??"Garcia"?? or "pre-Garcia".
Any info will be appreciated,
Thank you,
Marius van de Wall
 
If your rifle has "Garcia Arms Corp., Washington D. C." (or words to that effect) etched on the underside of the barrel then it was originally imported to the U.S. If not, it came to you through some other route. However, if it had been imported originally to the U.S., the serial number would place it in the Garcia importation perioid which was roughly 1972-1978.

Sako is infamous for skipping around with its serial numbers. They might produce and number an action, then it sits at the bottom of the bin with newer actions on top which get used first. Thus you'll find some Sakos with lower numbers having hanging tags with a rifle production date later than the production date of one with a higher number. It is not possible to accurately determine the date of manufacuture closer than about a year or so unless you happen to have the hanging tag which came with the rifle. I think you can say with about 95% confidence that your rifle left the factory sometime in 1975 or 1976.

My son's .30-06 is very close to your .270 in serial number. It is a deadly accurate " ringer" with which he took about 7 head of African game on our trip to Namibia, including kudu and oryx.
 
Hi,
I recently purchased a SAKO L61R Finnbear in .270 calibre with serial # 512xxx.
I
have appiled for licenses, but in South Africa this is a timeous
process. The rifle is currently in storage at the gunshop so I don't
even have a photo thereof.
Any ways of getting more specific info on manufacturing dates than the following??
L61R Numbering change 09.05.1974 500001 530537 26.08.1977
Thanks,
Marius van de Wall
Cape Town
South Africa
 

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