Sako 75 and 85 rifles are obsolete, long live the S20

["Sean The Stalker"]

Interesting, I've just got entirely the reverse opinion from someone who had one on order and has returned it: "Sent it back without even mounting the scope". It will be a personal preference but the stock is hollow and it doesn't feel substantial...the action seems pretty good I have to say". I'm hoping we have different preferences as I have a .308 on order. If anyone is interested, he sent the 6.5 Creedmor back to Cluny Guns.

Ok every man to his own!

 

[booradley]

My objective here is a factual evaluation of the features of these rifles with short comparisons between all three (75, 85 and S20). I have not seen, handled or used an S20, so please consider this evaluation to be theoretical.

The post as a whole comes across as subjective, not factual.

The S20 is notable in design as it now features a removable/interchangeable bolt handle ala the Sako Quad

Two piece bolts are never an improvement over one piece in my book.

The principal benefit of the 'open top' is the ability to load cartridges into the magazine directly when the bolt is open, without having to remove the magazine. However, this feature has been eliminated on the S20 with its 'closed top' design.

To me the ability to clear jams easier is as important as the ability to single load with an open top design. To each his own, I don’t own a rifle with a tiny ejection port ala RAR, 783, Axis and now S20, and never will.

The S20 is a marked departure as it is no longer a flush fit due to a single feed, single stack design. It also appears to be of plastic/polymer construction.

Going from metal to plastic is nothing but a cost cutting measure in my book.

All in all the S20 seems to be a rifle designed to be less expensive to manufacture, I’ll take an 85 or a 75.

 

[A J]

Looking into the future My take is that the Sako 85 needs upgrades. The bedding of the 85 is in my opinion lousy. We had a closer look at a Carbolight recently that had accuracy issues. Late plate went into the bin and we bedded with an ordinary T3 recoil lug. Why could Sako not epoxy bed? The carbolight stock is well made but the bedding solution bad. I think the 85 needs a re-design. Maybe Sako is testing the market with the S20 as a replacement for the A7 just to see what the next steps are for the 85. Not much pressure for Sako anyway as they have the T3 which is a better design than any Sako to date in my opinion.
edi

Edi, could be a good market for a carbon stock for the S20.

 

[User00040]

Update to my current situation, just put a deposit down on a .223 L641 and a .243 AII (updated L579) in good condition.

Been reading too many NZ culler memoirs and the allure of the legendary Vixen and Forester caught me offguard, not to mention that wood and blue just look better!

Fingers crossed that they shoot as good as they look!

 

[ejg]

Edi, could be a good market for a carbon stock for the S20.

The question is why? Where would one find an improvement over a T3 with all the advantages of well tested aftermarket parts? A bedding system that is proven to function even if the bedding is done with a slave action on the other side of the world. Stocks that will take any T3, T3X, T1X. You can have one stock that will take from 22lr to 338win mag without needing to re-bed.
Anyway the aftermarket industry might get into gear slowly once sales for the S20 take off. One needs the demand first.
edi

 

[8x57]

I quite like my 85 and I know that some have reported dissatisfaction or problems with their rifles but I never have. In fact I've been entirely satisfied with mine, no problems whatsoever. The only issue I have is the weight of the rifle because I opted for a varmint model. I just wonder if at some future date Sako would offer a stock designed like the S20 but to fit a 85 action and barrel? Now that would be something interesting!

 

[palo]

On my sako 85 synthetic if you pressed the barrel against the side of the forend with your finger and thumb you could actually feel movement in the action.
I set up a target one day and done this in between each shot and the point of impact moved each time.

 

[jon2]

On my sako 85 synthetic if you pressed the barrel against the side of the forend with your finger and thumb you could actually feel movement in the action.
I set up a target one day and done this in between each shot and the point of impact moved each time.

Yes I know what you mean. I had one of the first 85’s when they came out (only because I missed the boat on ordering another 75) and I was very disappointed when I got my hands on it. They are a junk item in my book. Disappointingly cheapened and the bedding design is terrible as has already been pointed out. I sold it within a year of owning it and just kept to my 75’s and Stiller Rem clones.

To me the S20 is a further gimmick and it has confirmed (in my opinion) Sako have lost the plot.

If looking to buy new now it would be a T3 for me all day long. Well designed rifle and a better product than the 85.

 

[ejg]

I would not go as far as to say junk. Every rifle has a weak points. The 85 has one or two. If bedded properly one issue is gone. Think there are a few ways of bedding the 85. Ronin has a method as far as I understood and one local rifle smith close to us manufactures his own bed block. We just use the T3 lug. Overall and in comparison with some other brands the Sako range are amongst the better rifles out there.
edi

 

[25 Sharps]

All in all the S20 seems to be a rifle designed to be less expensive to manufacture, I’ll take an 85 or a 75.

My thoughts exactly

 

[Saff28]

Owned an 85, own an R8, bought an S20 and sent it back. Buying a second barrel for the R8 as nothing beats it for what I want to do.

 

[zambezi]

The bedding of the 85 is in my opinion lousy.

Yes

I bought a second hand 85 in 30.06 and it pretty much clover-leafed with factory ammo. Well it used to.

After a particularly dusty trip to Africa it was still performing like a champ on the range but sand kept falling out the stock. I did a full strip and clean and extracted a huge amount of accumulated dust and gunk once the stock was off. It went back together just fine but...

...it now shoots around 1.5 moa where it previously shot sub moa. Urgh.It survived airline handling and Africa's sands, but loses all accuracy if disassembled??
It turns out the barrel's vestigial [5mm deep?] bedding lug engages a shallow plate screwed to the laminate stock


Do any mainstream rifle designs have a worse recoil lug solution? Or is there some cunning assembly sequence that allows this daft arrangement to work?

 

[dasherman]

Bin the plate and fit a proper pillar to the front screw hole that has a pocket for the recoil lug. Or better still fit both pillars and bed it.

 

[A Guy Out West]

I’d be happy with an old Finnbear.

 

[Mungo]

I’d be happy with an old Finnbear.

They are fun. Trouble is they’re all 40 plus years old, and all 3 I’ve owned had problems. Biggest issue was the old stocks splitting.

 

[geoshot]

I'm now the proud & very happy owner of a new Sako S20 chambered in 6.5PRC and in the Hunter configuration
I'm still running it in, none of that complex breaking in malarkey, just trying out such factory as I can get hold of plus a homeload or two just to find out what it really likes or, more importantly dislikes. So far it likes everything I've fed it and doesn't seem to dislike anything - which is a bit unexpected with a mass-produced/factory rifle, but very welcome
It has so far printed tiny groups, the first three rounds made a 0.29" hole in the paper - I know, three rounds "isn't a group" (it is, but it's not statistically significant, but that ragged hole in the paper made me smile - a lot)
I haven't shot at a deer with it yet but hope to rectify that soon enough

In short, I like it, probably got to liking it more and quicker than any other rifle I've owned including my beloved old .375H&H
But
I don't think it renders anything obsolete never mind the Sako 75 and/or 85 though
There's a lot to like about the S20 as a package, but nothing of that is particularly innovative, it's just a well designed, high quality rifle
It has a couple of things which some folk might dislike, the "modularity" is perhaps a bit unnecessary, the plastic shroud on most of the stock and the plastic magazine won't suit everyone's tastes
But, I have yet to see a "perfect" rifle - and that's an entirely subjective assessment of just about anything anyway - beauty etc being in the eye of the beholder