Sako 85 .308

[deanobadge]

Thoughts on the rifle? The caliber? And also the combination of the two?

 

[MattyD90]

Have a friend with an 85 stainless synthetic. Very nice rifle, he has the Finnlight version, very light, nice clean smooth action, shoots MOA, little recoil for a large CF (.270). I have a sako 75 and a tikka but would happily buy an 85 if the need/opportunity arose. Hope this helps.

 

[DamaDaz]

Recently bought a sako 85 synthetic stainless in .308 and I love it. Soft touch stock feels amazing. Overall the gun feels very well made, bolt is extremely smooth and the overall rifle has a quality feel to it. Shoots sub 20mm groups all day too.

 

[Dickie]

I can't believe you would even ask such a question about the haloed Sako there will be boxes of tissues being opened as replies are being thought through.

 

[needsy]

Likewise

recently bought a sako 85 synthetic stainless in .308 and i love it. Soft touch stock feels amazing. Overall the gun feels very well made, bolt is extremely smooth and the overall rifle has a quality feel to it. Shoots sub 20mm groups all day too.

 

[deanobadge]

More trying to find out how lads are finding the combination of the 85 and the .308 caliber. I know the sacred sako fans will be on the war path Dickie

 

[Toots]

I have a Sako 85 hunter (walnut stock) in .308. Can't find anything not to like about it. I have other synthetic stocked rifles in other calibres but there's something about wood and blue that just feels right. Go for it. You won't regret it

 

[User00033]

1. Watch this:



2. Google "Sako 85 brass hitting scope" or "Sako 85 ejection issues".

3. Read this thread: Misaligned scope mount dovetails on new Sako 85 Finnlights

4. Read this thread: Discussion Forums

5. Watch the video here: https://www.ballisticstudies.com/shop/The+Practical+Guide+to+Long+Range+Hunting+Rifles/The+Practical+Guide+to+Long+Range+Hunting+Rifles+(Paperback).html

6. Read this thread: Sako 85 accuracy - poor / help?

Sakos have been lovely rifles for many many years. But the 85 is not immune to problems. My Sako owning mates (lots of them, very very popular historically here) think there is a much higher risk of encountering problems with the 85 than there used to be with the 75. There's a lot more campfire talk about 85 disappointments these days, particularly relating to poor accuracy. The 85 doesn't justify its price tag in my book. Get in touch with those on this forum that have had problems, that's what I'd do.

 

[antsa]

I have four 85's. Two in laminate/stainless and two blued/walnut. One of the walnuts is a Hunter in .308W. It's an absolutely brilliant rifle. Up until now I've used hand loaded Sierra GK 165gr HPBT's. Clover leaves at 100m is the norm and no ejection problems. I've just loaded up a bunch of Hornady SST 150gr that will soon be tested.

BTW, the other three 85's function just as well as the .308.

Cheers

 

[stubear]

I like Sako rifles - I think they're well made and reliable, and the number of people happily using them is also a good sign!

I also really like .308. IMO its the perfect all round caliber for medium sized game and will comfortably take care of anything in Europe. Plus you can get ammo everywhere for it and theres loads of reloading data out there.

IMO a very solid choice and combination!

 

[ejg]

I still think a T3 is the better designed rifle. Much more options to adapt to a specific role. I know many say they don't want to change anything ... but that is mostly only for the first season. Nothing wrong with the calibre.
edi

 

[GSP84]

I have a .308 85s with the short fluted barrel.

It only likes 123gr ammo which is not ideal, I bought it hoping to shoot 150+

The first one didnt like shoiting anything and was replaced.

so not the best experience for me.

 

[Richard Parsons]

I had an 85 ss in 270. Accurate and light. Very handy little rifle. Problem free.

 

[A J]

I have had a 85 Varmint Stainless in .308 for 7 years and I really love it. If I could only keep one of my rifles, this would be the one. It still groups like this (5 rounds 100m just over a week ago):



The varmint laminate combination doesn't make for the lightest rifle, but it's certainly not target rifle heavy and I'm more than happy to stalk with it all day.

 

[Scotty99]

A good choice of rifle and calibre. I have the Synthetic Stainless version, screw cut with a 20 inch barrel. It is light and very accurate if I do my part. The soft touch stock has a very good grippy feel to it in all conditions. It is my go to rifle for stalking. I also have an 85 Laminate Stainless Varmint in 243 also an accurate rifle but a little heavy for stalking on foot. The .308 round is an excellent all round calibre for deer stalking and also good for target shooting. You can't really go wrong with the combination you have chosen.

 

[Skietindiekop]

This year I replaced my trusty Tikka M595 Deluxe which has been great for over 20 years for a Sako 85 Stainless. Both .308 but I wanted to change due to my .223 Sako 75 being IMV much nicer than the Tikka.
I have been really happy with the change although the trigger setting stop due to elf and safety European rules was too heavy for my liking so I have had it adjusted to .6 of a lb pull.
I use Hornady 150gr SST which really do suit it.

 

[Sako308]

Had to get my Hunter version (.308) bedded before it would shoot but very accurate since then. Had it for 6 years now and have had many a memorable stalk. The wooden stock is quite heavy, your looking at a 10lb rifle once scope and moderator bolted on. Maybe consider the synthetic versions if you want to save some weight. Overall a quality rifle and nice to own.

 

[Cloudhopper]

I've had a Sako 85 (wood and blue Hunter) in .308 for nearly 10 years. Can't fault it and don't plan to change it. As for the calibre, what's not to like, where stalking's concerned I don't feel as if I've got anywhere near it's limits. I've tried a few other cartridges on the hinds, 243, 6.5 x 55 and 7mm RM (a very smart PRS custom setup!) and to be honest I couldn't really tell the difference in performance between mine and the 7mm RM at ranges up to 250m. I've taken it out to 600m on the range and it performed as expected.
Factory loads I've used include 123gr Sako Gameheads which work very well, Hornady 150gr Superformance and Remington 150gr CoreLokt. It didn't like RWS 150gr much. I've loaded Hornady 130gr SP, Barnes 150gr TSX, Hornady 150gr SSTs, Nosler Partition 165gr (the jury is still out), SGK 150gr and SMK 155gr for target work.
CH

 

[CarlW]

I used to have the 85 Finnlight in .308 which I thought was a little bit lightweight for the calibre. I now have a standard 85 stainless in .308. It came with the laminate stock which I found too heavy for my needs (there is no pleasing some people!) so I fitted a Macmillan stock and have never looked back: found my personal Goldilocks set-up. Accuracy is good (better than me) and it is faultlessly reliable. Like it a lot.