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Scope mount question

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

mtang45

Member
New to Sako with a Mannlicher AV and I need to mount a scope. The rifle has the bases shown in the picture below. What rings do I need for these bases?

Thanks much for any input.

1Ey6iOH.jpg
 
I’m my opinion I would carefully remove both of those bases and simply purchase original Sako ringmounts, Leupold ringmounts, or Sako Optilock ringmounts for the Sako dovetails. You can purchase various heights to fit the objective lense of your choosing. The dovetails are designed to accept without hassle any of the three mentioned above.

Some quick detach ringmounts would be highly beneficial as the rifle has irons as backups, although they are more difficult to locate and typically expensive.
 
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I’m my opinion I would carefully remove both of those bases and simply purchase original Sako ringmounts, Leupold ringmounts, or Sako Optilock ringmounts for the Sako dovetails. You can purchase various heights to fit the objective lense of your choosing. The dovetails are designed to accept without hassle any of the three mentioned above.

Some quick detach ringmounts would be highly beneficial as the rifle has irons as backups, although they are more difficult to locate and typically expensive.

Thank you Sean. I take it that the mounts that are currently on the rifle are not Sako. Have any idea what they are? Just curious.

Mark
 
Well I forgot my glasses at work and I’m viewing this on my phone so forgive me. It almost looks like the front and rear base are mismatched, maybe someone else will chime in as I cannot be 100% sure. I can see the front is a turn in style and the rear is a parallel dovetail, but the beveled edges are not symmetrical to each other, which makes me believe something is up.
 
They look to me like the bases for EAW swing off mounts. A very nice system if you wish to remove and replace your optics without having to re sight your rifle.
 
Hi And Welcome.

God I hate doing this but some dinkberry drilled the dovetails. Given all of the really great dovetail ringsets that are out there I just can't understand why anyone in their right mind would do something like that to a perfectly good and potentially collectible Sako rifle. My recommendation is to get a set of Leupold dovetail rings and trash the bases that are installed. You can probably come up with a few filler screws to fill in the holes.

Now kindly take a look at the thread that I started a while back that addresses the problem.....

https://sakocollectors.com/forum/th...drilled-a-dovetail-receiver.11308/#post-58356

Just follow the link for enlightenment.

rick
 
Hi And Welcome.

God I hate doing this but some dinkberry drilled the dovetails. Given all of the really great dovetail ringsets that are out there I just can't understand why anyone in their right mind would do something like that to a perfectly good and potentially collectible Sako rifle. My recommendation is to get a set of Leupold dovetail rings and trash the bases that are installed. You can probably come up with a few filler screws to fill in the holes.

Now kindly take a look at the thread that I started a while back that addresses the problem.....

https://sakocollectors.com/forum/th...drilled-a-dovetail-receiver.11308/#post-58356

Just follow the link for enlightenment.

rick
Rick,

Maybe there just set screws rather than tapped. So after looking again as Deersako has observed, the front base looks like EAW. What do you think of the rear?
 
Rick,

Maybe there just set screws rather than tapped. So after looking again as Deersako has observed, the front base looks like EAW. What do you think of the rear?

Hi Sean, the rear base is also EAW, the ring itself has the pivot mechanism in it.

Cheers
 
I agree about using Sako mounts on Sako rifles. I was thinking of the most expedient way to get rings on the rifle as genuine Sako ring sets are sometimes more difficult to come by and the screws are almost always buggered.

rick
 
The complete set of EAW rings & mounts sell for over $500, so if you get the rings it could get pricy. They are designed so you can "shim" the rear ring to get the scope "exactly" level if your action is not machine perfectly. Shims come in .020" increments, IIRC. The front ring pivots to accommodate the change in elevation. One of the rings slides back & forth to take the "stress" off the scope tube due to changes in temperature. Typical German over-engineering to solve a problem that doesn't exist at a ridiculous cost. They do, however, allow the scope to be removed & replaced or for you to switch to a different scope (already in an extra set of rings) without loss of zero. Your cheapest & easiest option is to get the Leupold ringmounts that clamp directly to the dovetails in the appropriate height for your scope & sell the EAW bases. Good luck!
 
Those are German mounts, but not EAW. The EAW rear base incorporates a lever release to swing the scope out to one side. See photo below. The mounts in the photo above use a different style of mounting in the rear, apparently some kind of clamp. I've seen them once or twice before, but I can't place them for sure. Quite possibly Recknagel, or maybe Akah.

There's no importer for Recknagel that I know of, but if you want to use those mounts, all is not lost. There are a couple of eBay sellers in Germany that sell a large variety of used scope mounts, scopes, sights, etc. and I have seen rings that look like they are for those mounts on eBay. It might take some skilled searching to find them, but you can very likely find the correct rings at a reasonable price on eBay.

My top choice for that gun would be the same setup I have on mine, Warne QD rings. Unfortunately, Warne no longer makes rings for Sako dovetails. You can sometimes find them on eBay or Gunbroker.

Next best would be the old version of Sako Optilock bases and rings. Unlike the current version, these are windage adjustable with Allen set screws. They also pivot so that there cannot be any misalignment of the rings with the scope tube. In my opinion they are vastly superior to the current production Optilocks. You can tell them from the newer Optilocks by the Allen screws on the lower ring half (see picture below). You need to be sure to get the correct version for a long action. The numbers stamped on mine, which I am pretty sure are for a long action, are 1940F and 1940R. They sometimes turn up on eBay or Gunbroker. There's a set on Gunbroker right now with a very low opening bid (maybe a buy it now, I'm not sure) of $52.00, but the description doesn't say which action it's for. I'd buy them myself but I only have two A-series rifles and I'm happy with the scope mounts on both. Those rings were made around the same time as the AV. The bases will completely cover any screw holes left over from the German bases, and the front base positions the ring at the very back of the dovetail, which is handy if you want to use a low to medium power scope with a relatively short tube.

Of course, there are always traditional Sako rings. They work, they look fine, and they are readily obtainable, if expensive. It takes a bit of fiddling to get the windage adjustment right, but once you figure it out, it's not hard.

I personally dislike the Leupold rings for Sako. I'd rather spend the money for real Sako rings, traditional or Optilock. Leupold does make Sako bases for their proprietary QD system. It's a very cool mounting setup but the bases are expensive and hard to find.

And finally, there's always the old Redfield-style base and ring setup with the turn-in rings. Cheap, easy to find, and they work. The one drawback is that the way they work tempts you to use the scope as a wrench when you're installing them, and if the front ring fits too tightly you can stress the tube when you adjust the windage. I personally don't use them, but I've got several sets that I'll sell cheap if anybody wants them.

Here are the EAW swing mounts for Sako.
EAW Swing Mount 1.JPG EAW Swing Mount 2.JPG EAW Swing Mount3.JPG

Another EAW-type ring setup, this one on an FN-Sako. This set is actually a cheap Eastern European clone, but it works the same way as a real EAW mount. Note that this setup puts the scope rather high. Works for me because this rifle has a fairly high cheekpiece and I have prominent cheekbones.
300 New Scope.JPG

And here is the early Sako Optilock base and ring set. Note the Allen screw heads on the lower ring halves. They clamp the ring to a pillar on the base.
Early Optilok 1.JPG

And here is my AIII carbine in .30-06, with a 1.75-6x Leupold in Warne QD mounts. The Warne mounts have indexing tabs to locate them next to the ejection port.
AIII Carbine 30-06 2.JPG
 
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WOW gentlemen, what a wealth of information!!! As a nubi I am very appreciative. I do agree with the concept that Sako's should have Sako mounts and rings. I'm going to remove the mounts tonight and sincerely hope the dovetails are not drilled and tapped.

Thanks Again!

Mark
 
And now for the rest of the story.... tried to remove the existing bases and MOTHER they are TIGHT!!! I found a tight fitting bit and tapped it into the screw slot, got a firm grip and kept increasing pressure waiting for the screw to break loose. It did not, instead the tip of my bit snapped off in the slot :(

Guess I'll haul it to my gunsmith and let a professional deal with it.
 
Agreed - but before you take it to the smith, bathe the screws in Kroil. If the Kroil sits there for several days, it is likely to penetrate down into the threads and make it easier for the smith to get the screws out.
 
Hi icebear, good info there and yes not EAW as I suggested, a similar style like the Recknagel perhaps, there are quite a few along these lines.

Those ‘early optilocks’ look suspiciously like the ‘Sako Finland’ rings/bases that were made in Australia ? Have you got the original packaging ?
 
Hi icebear, good info there and yes not EAW as I suggested, a similar style like the Recknagel perhaps, there are quite a few along these lines.

Those ‘early optilocks’ look suspiciously like the ‘Sako Finland’ rings/bases that were made in Australia ? Have you got the original packaging ?
I don't think I still have the box but you may well be correct - they look a great deal like a set of Tikka rings I have that did come in a "Made in Oz" box! I believe the rings were made post-merger but pre-Beretta. I have no idea where I got them; I've had them since the late 90's.

And speaking of Australian rings, I also have a set of rings for the Tikka M55-65 series that I got off eBay. They are ugly compared to the Tikka factory rings, but they work and they are higher than the standard Tikka rings. I think Tikka actually did make high rings for those guns, but you hardly ever see anything but medium here, so I was glad to get the Aussie ones for my .222 Tikka.
 
Agreed - but before you take it to the smith, bathe the screws in Kroil. If the Kroil sits there for several days, it is likely to penetrate down into the threads and make it easier for the smith to get the screws out.

Excellent suggestion, thanks.
 
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