Sako Sight Removal Question

[kal-elk]

I recently came across a fellow who was selling a spare barrel for a steal of a price. I figured rather than messing with my rifle's original barrel, I could buy this barrel, have it cut & threaded for use, and should the need ever arise I could always put the oirignal back on.

My AV did not come with sights, so it was never an issue, but this rifle did. From previous research, I had gathered that the sights on the older Sako rifles were soldered on. However, this rifle's front sight was simply screwed on (see picture) and came off very easily. I then removed the post on the rear sight and with a flashlight saw that the screw went all the way through to the barrel. The base still seems firmly attached. Looking at the base, it looks like possibly that there's a top plate that could possibly be pushed away with a punch.

So I'm a bit confused. If the rear base was soldered on, why bother with having a screw travel all the way to the barrel for the sight post? Is that a top plate that can be removed with a punch? Might there possibly additional screws underneath that would fully remove the base? Or is it in fact soldered on?

Any info would be appreciated.

 

[kal-elk]

Curiosity got the better of me, and I moved before getting a reply. Looks like my assumption was correct, the top plate slid away after a couple strikes with a punch and the base was attached with a couple of screws. No solder after all.

 

[mattimoose]

If the rear sight screw hole enters the barrel the barrel should be scrapped. This is terrible gunsmithing. I have never heard of such a thing. What caliber is it in? I can't see SAKO drilling and tapping into the barrel, that close to the chamber. If it has been re-bored and the guy ran into the screw holes, it should have been scrapped. This is highly unlikely as a colleague of mine won't re-bore and re-rifle SAKO barrels because they are too hard on his tooling. Even the front sight screw, if into the barrel proper, could take-off at any time. Screw-holes into the barrel at the rear sight base, just ahead of the chamber, could precipitate very nasty results. It's not a shotgun. Pressures are too high.

 

[paulsonconstruction]

If the rear sight screw hole enters the barrel the barrel should be scrapped. This is terrible gunsmithing. I have never heard of such a thing. What caliber is it in? I can't see SAKO drilling and tapping into the barrel, that close to the chamber. If it has been re-bored and the guy ran into the screw holes, it should have been scrapped. This is highly unlikely as a colleague of mine won't re-bore and re-rifle SAKO barrels because they are too hard on his tooling. Even the front sight screw, if into the barrel proper, could take-off at any time. Screw-holes into the barrel at the rear sight base, just ahead of the chamber, could precipitate very nasty results. It's not a shotgun. Pressures are too high.

So all the rifles that have the rear sight attached with screws should be scrapped? That would be close to 100% of all rifles with rear sights in todays world. Many of the A series & later Sako rifles have rear sights that are screwed on. Should they all be considered useless? The center screw in the sight ramp goes through the ramp all the way "to" the barrel, not "through" the barrel. The ramp mounting screws holes "in" the barrel are no different than any other rifle that has a rear sight mounted with screws.

 

[kal-elk]

Paulsonconstruction is correct, the center screw goes to the barrel and not through/into the barrel/bore. Similarly, I (and I imagine many others) have other rifles that have rear sights screwed in as well (to say nothing of dovetails).

Based on researching images of other Sakos, I've seen many other rifles with this exact same sight configuration. If it was an issue, I imagine there would be plenty of tales on the internet of the the exploding Sako barrels.

 

[mattimoose]

So all the rifles that have the rear sight attached with screws should be scrapped? That would be close to 100% of all rifles with rear sights in todays world. Many of the A series & later Sako rifles have rear sights that are screwed on. Should they all be considered useless? The center screw in the sight ramp goes through the ramp all the way "to" the barrel, not "through" the barrel. The ramp mounting screws holes "in" the barrel are no different than any other rifle that has a rear sight mounted with screws.

If the screw is tapped into the barrel steel, that is normal. if the screw hole goes into the "BORE" it is bad. That is how I read-it. If he sticks his finger-tip on the muzzle-end of the barrel and put his lips on the the chamber-end and blows; if wind comes-out of the screw hole/holes, like a flute or a recorder it is abominable; and an afront to everything I ever learned about gunsmithing. It is simply not done. The pressure is too high that close to the chamber and if the screw comes-out, or there is a pressure event, that is where the barrel will likely split.

 

[mattimoose]

I just read-it again and it was the whole flashlight thing that sent me in that direction. There are disreputable gunsmiths out there that have drilled into bores on accident and have tried to cover-it up with screws and Red-loctite, instead of doing the honorable thing and replace the customer's barrel. There was a 1903 Springfield Sporter on the gun rack at a local Canadian Tire store . it had been re-chambered to .300 win. mag. but it wasn't going anywhere fast; so they had a gunsmith scope-it. When a customer bought-it, they shot-it and one of the screw holes, in the receiver-ring , had been drilled right through into the chamber. This screw came straight-out of the top of the action and bent and wrecked the telescope. Luckily no-one was hurt.