Sako quality control

[palo]

Just wanted to highlight a couple of issues my mates had with sako rifles recently.
The first was with a new sako 85 varmint stainless in 204.
My mate removed the scope and mounts from his previous sako 85 and put them on his new rifle.
When he tried to zero it he ran out of windage adjustment. He tried moving the front mount forward and back on the dovetail but it still didn't help. This scope and opti-lock mounts were fine on his previous rifle with plenty of windage adjustment left in both directions when the rifle was on zero.
The rifle was a special order and he waited months for it and didn't want to send it back so he took a file and removed some material from one side of the mount and this enabled him to get a proper zero.
The other issue was with my mates new sako S20.
I was fitting his scope for him and I put the bottom half of the rings onto the picatinny base on the rifle, when I tried to set the scope into the rings it wouldn't go in. I removed the rings again to check them and refit them.
What I found was that the slot in the built in picatinny rail was not true to the action and the mount was sitting at an angle.
I moved the mount back to the next slot and it was fine and the scope dropping straight in.
Both rifles are shooting very well but I was disappointed to see these issues with new sakos.

 

[Klenchblaize]

What I found was that the slot in the built in picatinny rail was not true to the action and the mount was sitting at an angle.
I moved the mount back to the next slot and it was fine and the scope dropping straight in.
Both rifles are shooting very well but I was disappointed to see these issues with new Sakos.

I rest my case!

K

 

[deerstalker.308]

Did either get offered back to Sako to remedy or to highlight an issue? If not then how are they to know, learn or improve? Productions issues will inevitably happen at some point if you make enough of anything, but giving them the opportunity to remedy it would be my first port of call personally, if they then choose not to or fail, by all means publicly flog!

 

[David78b]

There were quite a few Australians complaining about this on the sako 85 about four years ago, contact sako and let them know even if your not sending rifle back

 

[palo]

If it was my rifle I would of sent it back but these guys waited months on these rifles and imported them into ireland and didn't want the hassle of exporting them again etc.
They will be letting their dealer and GMK know about the issues though.

 

[Kevgun]

I had the same issue with my Sako 85, but not being a Fan of the mounting system, I had Neil McKillop make me a Picatinny base that bolts on the top with 4 bolts, proper job, never moved since, I was using a contessa rail which I sent back because the NV unit I was using sat over to one side. not really a fault with the rifle more to do with the rail I was using. Still not sure about the rail on the S20 either I thought they would have made it a full length job, not everyone fits scope rings.

 

[User00040]

Buy a Tikka T3/T3x instead.

Sako's peak was the L and A series of actions.

@palo the problem you describe comes down to the fact that the Sako dovetail (first making appearance on the L46, from 1946!) was designed to accommodate scopes of that era, which were usually long, light and only came in 1 inch or 26mm tube diameters. Some early scopes had no windage adjustment built in (!) so early Sako mounts had windage adjustment integrated. These still work on Sako 85's and 75's.

Both the Forester/L579/A2 (short action) and Finnbear/L61R/A3 are obsolete, eclipsed by the Howa 1500 SA and Remington 700 Short Action/Model Seven and Tikka T3/Remington 700 LA respectively, but no true successor to the Vixen/L461/A1 has come forward. Howa tried with their Mini action but the lack of a decent floorplate, quality factory stocks and the decision to have a different trigger unit to the 1500 makes it difficult to recommend.

Sad to see that they are just living off a good name that Beretta is now ruining... even Tikka T3's are starting to slip in quality!

 

[Boosh]

The picatinny blocks on the S20 are not much cop if you use anything other than a long tubed day scope. Night vision or a short day scope and the mounts are too far apart.
Obviously the specific S20 rail addresses this, but with extra height with a rail and then special rings. My mate's option for a thermal in the future will likely have to be a thermion due to this.
I feel a simple bolt on aftermarket rail would have been a better option. Sako seem to make a habit of bad mounting systems.

 

[Boosh]

And unfortunately it's people like myself who buy one, thinking that they are getting a special rifle that soon realise they ain't all that.
Got a tikka since and it ****es all over it.

 

[Mick9abf]

I’ll be honest in that the quality of Sako’s appear to have gone downhill since Beretta took them over.

Quite frankly they are overpriced for what they are, particularly since the Tikka’s are becoming more refined although not perfect.

I own and have owned various different models of Sako and it will be something special to make me buy another one new (I would buy older models), same for the Tikka T3 (which I also have) if I’m being honest. Should I purchase another factory rifle I’m thinking of trying a Bergara HMR.

 

[I. Farticus]

I'm sticking with my 75 until it collapses, at which point I'll stick a new barrel on, unless it needs a "Trigger's broom" update!

If I had to go new, I'd go with something from the Blaser/Mauser/Sauer stable personally.

 

[Free range rob]

Tikka are no better, I bought a new one last season, it would not group with anything other than sako ammo that was hardly ever available in local shops.

I had a smith take a look as I was at my wits end with it.

He reported back,
crown looked to be slightly off centre to the bore,
score marks inside the barrel.
the bore did not line up with the action.
every round chambered was scoring the bullet badly in one place.
short cartridges did not cause the issue, hence the sako rounds grouping well and nothing else.

I tried to email tikka about it, no go, had to deal with gmk the importers who in a nutshell checked the serial number, agreed I was the owner and had bought it when and from the shop I said.
I was told they would take it back, do there own tests, and if they agreed it would go back to tikka, who would then do their own tests, and if all 3 parties were in agreement they would come back with a resolution.
so, 3 Different people agreeing, weeks, no months without a rifle in the middle of the season and I “may” get a resolution or may just be without it for the season and get a shipping bill.
No use to me what so ever, so I paid the smith to fit a new barrel and do some custom work on it instead, along with the promise that tikka can shove any future rifles where the sun does not shine.

 

[C h r i s]

Tikka prices seem to be catching up with Sako, the new Super Varmint is around £1640, which is approx £400 more than it was 6 months ago - ok you now get a fluted bolt and cerecote which might actually be of some use to stop the dreaded rust spots so common to Stainless Tikas (assuming the new super varmint is stainless).

Would have been helpful to see a photo from the OP of the mis-cut picatinny rail slot on the S20 - so much for CNC machinng and QC control.....

 

[C h r i s]

The picatinny blocks on the S20 are not much cop if you use anything other than a long tubed day scope. Night vision or a short day scope and the mounts are too far apart.
Obviously the specific S20 rail addresses this, but with extra height with a rail and then special rings. My mate's option for a thermal in the future will likely have to be a thermion due to this.
I feel a simple bolt on aftermarket rail would have been a better option. Sako seem to make a habit of bad mounting systems.

I'm speaking to Innomount in Germany about this very issue. They have some (very expensive) mounts which should do the trick for most applications, however the lack of sizes/dimensions on their website means I've got to hassle the customer services to verify the details.

 

[Jax]

The reason I moved away from sako 85! The shoddy mounting system

 

[Boosh]

I wonder if Sako would take any notice if they were to get a link to this thread emailed too them?
SD is one of the largest rifle websites in the Uk and you would like to think feedback from the paying customer would be paramount.
Just from reading this you get the feeling 15-20 people will not be visiting the Sako stable again in there lifetime.

 

[Klenchblaize]

I wonder if Sako would take any notice if they were to get a link to this thread emailed too them?
SD is one of the largest rifle websites in the Uk and you would like to think feedback from the paying customer would be paramount.
Just from reading this you get the feeling 15-20 people will not be visiting the Sako stable again in there lifetime.

The UK firearms purchasing market is as important to manufactures of said implements as BASC is to most Stalking Directory members.

K

 

[Boosh]

 

[GWP]

GMK ? Good luck with that

 

[NullMac]

I'm sticking with my 75 until it collapses, at which point I'll stick a new barrel on, unless it needs a "Trigger's broom" update!

If I had to go new, I'd go with something from the Blaser/Mauser/Sauer stable personally.

Yeah, I had a 75 and would not touch a newer model.

The S20 looks cool but when you look at the details it is all window dressing. The 'rail' is not a rail. A thumbhole on a bolt action just slows down reacquiring the correct trigger position. What's the point of the double stock system, without changing the barrel it is never going to be remotely target/tacticool. The plastic mags clearly don't work as there are several videos where they feed properly. For a chassis system how can they shoot as badly as the video reviews show, they are not all crap shots either?? Lost their way I am afraid.

Looks like Blaser/Mauser/Sauer are going the same way ?

Blaser clearly top of the pile, excellent kit, but the price now would choke a horse. You can buy a new Accuracy International for £850 less!

Mauser discontinued the M03 so have gone down the price point to the M12 & M18. M12 is ok but what justifies the price over a Bergara. Hard to see, certainly does not shoot any better. I would like a new 03 for the switch barrel as I don't like trigger/mag thingy on the Blaser but not going to downgrade to the M12.

Sauer is in the middle, costs more but don't shoot very well. So why go there? Resting on old reputations and marketing $.