Sako 85 Synthetic

[Dovebob]

I wonder if anyone can help with this.

I am thinking of a Sako 85 as a first rifle and have been wondering whether to get a wooden or synthetic stock. I love the look of the wooden ones but having once knackered the stock on my favourite shotgun I've concluded that I'd probably be better off with synthetic. Ideally I want one that looks as plain and neutral as possible.

Some of the synthetic 85's I've seen have grey grip pads and a plastic slotted recoil reducer at the heel - similar to some of the more modern shotguns. Other synthetic 85's I've seen (including the ones on the Sako website) have black grip pads to match the stock and a plain heel pad. This is more the sort of thing I fancy.

Is the plainer one the more recent version or is there a difference and would I need to specify black grip pads and a plain heel.

Thanks for your help

Bob

 

[wicklow202]

Synthetic/Wooden

When i was looking at getting my first rifle i was intent on a wooden stock sako 75, after talking to a few people who had synthetic i went for a stainless synthetic 75, i have a 75 Finnlight and a Sauer 202 Outback, i would not have a wooden stock rifle over a synthetic.

With the synthetic stock it dosnt matter if it gets scratched or soaking wet,
the way i look at it is that the rifle is a tool and i find a synthetic stock rifle suits my needs best.

wicklow202

 

[Brithunter]

You pays your money and you takes your choice.

As for me I won't have a plastic stock as I absloutely hate them ,the way they feel, the way they look.

Sure my rifles have gotten soaked, I simply dry them out later it's never caused a problem as yet and I don't expect it start doing so now.

On one particular Muntjac outing it rained buckets and I had to strip the bolt on my fairly new Brno ZKK 601 as the rain had even got into the bolt ......................... yep it was that wet. Oh and for the sharp eyed that is not the Brno .

That's the Brno

 

[Brough]

Brit I,d like to see you put one of those babies on the radiator to dry out!!!
I can appreciate a nice bit of wood ,but for me synthetic has its place , Incidentally I have both.

 

[Monkey Spanker]

Depends on how you 'view' your rifle. I look at my rifles as working tools. They are out in all kinds of weather, crawling through mud and crap and generally have a hard life. Wood quite simply isn't up to it. It also absorbs water and moves which obviously changes shape and therefore can affect accuracy. I don't have time to completely strip it between outings to dry it sometimes either (and I'd rather not strip it and disturb it too often at all!). A good synthetic stock with a stainless action will withstand so much more use and abuse than a wooden/blued combination. Serviceability and accuracy are worth far more to me than looks! Don't get me wrong, my rifles are well looked after and maintained, but I would hate to miss a shot where I was worrying about scratching my lovely walnut!
How about a compromise with a laminate wooden stock? Feels the same as wood and can look good, but more durable than standard wood.
Regards,
MS

 

[scotspine]

I went for plastic, married to a stainless action, as I shoot regularly and for long periods. The terrain I cover is also rough and the combo does get a bit of a doing from time to time so function and durabillity is important.

I would prefer a wooden stock but I'd rough it up in no time.Having said that,wood can be restored with an iron some wire wool and a bottle of good oil if you can be bothered.

I have an 85 and the soft touch panels are just that, soft! They have already worn smooth where they rub on my back. The panels are a light greeny colour and not that pretty....black would be better.

regards

 

[Brithunter]

Laminate is heavy so I'll stick to good wood the funny thing is that I have a couple of antiques that have seen the rigors of the hunt, one was built for the Scottish hill the other for use in South Africa where it not only hunted animals but man as well being used in the 2nd Boer war against the British Army yet both walnut stocks remain straight and true. In fact if it was not for the fore sight bead on the Mauser beign missing from rust on the thin blade which it sat upon I believe the sights would still be in regulation. The Mannlichers certainly are .

As for drying out it's simple have two

 

[W16OEN]

Hi Dovebob,
I believe the grey grip pads and slotted recoil pad will be the finnlight model in which case it will also have a fluted barrel. The Other model you refer to will be the basic synthetic stainless version.
Before you buy an 85 handle a 75 model - nicer stock, better feel.
I also like the walnut and blued finish on my shotguns however I also have a syn semi auto and both rifles are syn and stainless steel - wash em down at the end of the day,no problems. Cheers.

 

[wraith]

wood expands which changes your point of impact /fact most competiton rifles target snipers etc all use sinthetik if your not in to one hole groups then get wood its warm to the touch looks nice but no matter who manufactures it it will be efected by humiditey etc carbon glas fiber stocks are cold to the touch may look militery in aperance but generaly are more robust hold better groupings as they dont expand shrink like wood at the end of the day its you pays your money you pick what you like

 

[Nicholas Fahey]

I love looking at wooden blued rifles like Brit keeps on showing but have to agree I would be afraid taking it into the field and scratching it also the wood issue may not be a big issue in the UK, but if you are on a hunting trip for a week or two in fiordland (averages over 7200 mm of rain a year) then your wooden rifle will not be up to the task. this is an extreme example but you get my point as I have seen a sako almost destroyed in this situation with it rusting (even with oiling) and the stock warping. it was never the same afterwards. The old trusty stainless synthetic however was fine and went on to take a scrappy bull wap at distance

 

[Tim68]

Dove,

You are without doubt heading in the right direction with stainless synthetic.

To answer your question the 85 synthetics have undergone a stock re-design since they were originally brought out. I believe the latest version is the one that you prefer with the solid butt pad, self-coloured inserts and a better cheek piece and raised comb.

Keep thinking synthetic!

Regads,

Tim

 

[Dovebob]

Thank you all for your help with this - much appreciated.

Bob

 

[jingzy]

Wicklow202,

bloody hell mate, do you have money to burn? Your swaros look like on of the lenses are touching stones in the picture.

 

[csl]

Is the plainer one the more recent version or is there a difference and would I need to specify black grip pads and a plain heel.

Thanks for your help

Bob

Bob,

I have an 85 Finnlight and an 85 Stainless Synthetic. The Finnlight has grey grips and vented butt pad and the stainless synthetic has black grips and plain butt pad.

I think the earlier 85 Stainless Synthetics had grey grips like the Finnlight but were changed to black. As far as I know the Finnlight still has grey grips though.

Hope that helps!

Alex

 

[Brithunter]

wood expands which changes your point of impact /fact most competiton rifles target snipers etc all use sinthetik if your not in to one hole groups then get wood its warm to the touch looks nice but no matter who manufactures it it will be efected by humiditey etc carbon glas fiber stocks are cold to the touch may look militery in aperance but generaly are more robust hold better groupings as they dont expand shrink like wood at the end of the day its you pays your money you pick what you like

Ahhh that's the problem with the cheap kiln dried they foist upon us today I'll still stick with wood which is also Ozone friendly unlike plastic



Oh simple scratches are fairly easy to deal with with a traditional oiled finish .

As I said you pays your money and you takes your choice.

Oh and stainless also rusts the grades suitable for firearms do anyway. It only Stains less than carbon steel

 

[wraith]

wood expands which changes your point of impact /fact most competiton rifles target snipers etc all use sinthetik if your not in to one hole groups then get wood its warm to the touch looks nice but no matter who manufactures it it will be efected by humiditey etc carbon glas fiber stocks are cold to the touch may look militery in aperance but generaly are more robust hold better groupings as they dont expand shrink like wood at the end of the day its you pays your money you pick what you like

Ahhh that's the problem with the cheap kiln dried they foist upon us today I'll still stick with wood which is also Ozone friendly unlike plastic



Oh simple scratches are fairly easy to deal with with a traditional oiled finish .

As I said you pays your money and you takes your choice.

Oh and stainless also rusts the grades suitable for firearms do anyway. It only Stains less than carbon steel

yep cutting dow the rain forest is not ozone friendly the oil for the stock is a mixture of linsead oil and others more trees and surgical stainless wont rust save the trees kill more deer

 

[Brithunter]

wood expands which changes your point of impact /fact most competiton rifles target snipers etc all use sinthetik if your not in to one hole groups then get wood its warm to the touch looks nice but no matter who manufactures it it will be efected by humiditey etc carbon glas fiber stocks are cold to the touch may look militery in aperance but generaly are more robust hold better groupings as they dont expand shrink like wood at the end of the day its you pays your money you pick what you like

Ahhh that's the problem with the cheap kiln dried they foist upon us today I'll still stick with wood which is also Ozone friendly unlike plastic



Oh simple scratches are fairly easy to deal with with a traditional oiled finish .

As I said you pays your money and you takes your choice.

Oh and stainless also rusts the grades suitable for firearms do anyway. It only Stains less than carbon steel

yep cutting dow the rain forest is not ozone friendly the oil for the stock is a mixture of linsead oil and others more trees and surgical stainless wont rust save the trees kill more deer

Ahhh now your really showing your ignorance as surgical stainless steel except for non load bearing componants is no good for firearms. The stuff they make things like Plates, Pins and hip joints is actually quite soft. That is until you get to the expensive end where they use Titanium which is not a stainless steel. It's a stainless alloy.

My second stint at Automatic Tooling after the contract for the SA80 bits had finished was a few years later and tey were making bearing races for the aero industry and plates, pins and joints for DePuy. They had clened up the old cam auto shop and put in new CNC machines including some multi axis ones and were making surgical implants.

Wood can also be harvested on a sustainable basis, if only we could get the Chinese and Japanes to understand it

 

[2428 miles]

Well, I do have a Sako 75 with a wooden stock, and i have had problems with the stock warping on more than one occasion.
I'm not going to sell the rifle because of this but the next rifle i buy will be synthetic for sure.

Good luck!

Miles

 

[Brithunter]

Well, I do have a Sako 75 with a wooden stock, and i have had problems with the stock warping on more than one occasion.
I'm not going to sell the rifle because of this but the next rifle i buy will be synthetic for sure.

Good luck!

Miles

Ahhhh 2428 miles,

I bet you a penny to a pinch of shite that your Sako 75 has modern kiln dried wood they tell us it's better. Like the polititions what they mean is that they can make more money from it so it's better for them not that it's better for it's intended application .

Why do you think the big bespoke gun makers have large stocks of blanks? They won't touch a blank until it's been in their wood store for at least Five years so they know it's dried properly. You don't hear of the stocks on Hollands Rifles warping do you.

Anyway you buy some plastic I'll stick with wood

 

[hunter gatherer]

Hello
I have the synthetic stainless 85 and wish I bought the grey laminated it looks so good, nothing wrong with synthetic though.

Al