Sako 85 Bavarian - any issues?

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Steyn

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Hi there.

I have some money to spare on a new rifle. Was thinking of a Sako Bavarian in .270, but read several reviews complaining about ejection issues (when used with glass).

Do any of you folks have that issue? Can it be cured with higher rings?

Thanks a bunch,

Steyn
 
These are some of the nicest off the shelf rifles produced today. Great oil finish, set trigger... I have one, low ringmounts and have no issues with ejection.
 
I've got a Sako 85 black bear in 30-06. I was forced to turn my scope 90 degrees to allow it to eject correctly. At first this bugged me but now I don't really care. Obviously you can't use a scope with bullet drop compensator reticle though cause it will now be sideways. No matter what height rings I used the brass would bounce off the windage knob and drop back into the action 50% of the time. I absolutely love the rifle aside from that. It's a very stupid design flaw, and I can't believe they've allowed it to go unfixed for so long.
 
I have several 85s in my locker, including 2 Bavarians, and have assembled several others for friends and colleagues. I have yet to see the ejection issues reported in other threads.

The only problem with the Bavarians is the person that chooses them without understanding the ergonomics of what they are buying. They are beautiful rifles with an old world flair. The low comb is not conducive to using optics and is more suited to iron sights. Also, the lack of an actual recoil pad gives them a bit more felt recoil. My 85M 30-06 carbine sports a compact Swarovski mounted as low as possible. No ejection issues and it is the 85M model that has been commonly mentioned as the culprit for problems.
 
I have an 85 .22 250. Optilok low rings, Vortex 42mm objective and scope is about 4mm above barrel.

No issues ejecting brass, can eject as fast or slow as possible not hitting the wind age turret
 
I got one in .300 Win Mag. Beautiful rifle, functions flawlessly for me. Had no issues with ejection, though to be fair I've only shot it a handful of times.
 
I have a lh 85 Hunter in 6.5x55 and a Swarovski scope mounted in low rings. Awesome rifle and no issues to date. Very accurate.
Had a 85 VLS in 260 Rem and a Swarovski scope mounted in low rings. Again awesome rifle and had no issues. Only sold to get another lh 85 Hunter in 9.3x62.

My other Sako's are a lh AV and a lh L691.

Yes, Sako's are not cheap rifles, but you get a lot of rifle for your money. Very smooth actions! Great triggers and very accurate. Nice wood.
Spent a lot more on custom rifles that aren't as nice, accurate or as smooth as my Sako's. Just wish they offered more options for us lefty's!
 
I have a M85 Bavarian in 7x64, almost a twin to the .270. It did have trouble with some cases ejecting at an angle that was too high. I just replaced the extractor spring with a longer stronger one, available from Gary Eakin at Bighorn Sales Houston BC for a few bucks. Ejects at a better angle now and no problems at all. Accurate, smooth, and I like the fit of the stock, even with a fairly big scope.
A M85 HB varmint in .308 has always worked perfectly with low mounted scope, another M85 .375 H&H required some work on the extractor to eject at the correct angle. I believe the problems some people have encountered have been corrected by Sako, but in any case were not seen in the short action models, just the longer ones.
 
Longwalker said:
I have a M85 Bavarian in 7x64, almost a twin to the .270. It did have trouble with some cases ejecting at an angle that was too high. I just replaced the extractor spring with a longer stronger one, available from Gary Eakin at Bighorn Sales Houston BC for a few bucks. Ejects at a better angle now and no problems at all. Accurate, smooth, and I like the fit of the stock, even with a fairly big scope.
A M85 HB varmint in .308 has always worked perfectly with low mounted scope, another M85 .375 H&H required some work on the extractor to eject at the correct angle. I believe the problems some people have encountered have been corrected by Sako, but in any case were not seen in the short action models, just the longer ones.
Click to expand...

I don't think Sako has done anything about the issue. That is the big problem people had, Sako (and the Canadian Importer Stoger Canada) pretty much refused to acknowledge it as an issue.

It was not an issue with most rifles, but it was widespread enough that it certainly wasn't a random one off problem with just a couple of rifles. Plenty of established and trustworthy members here had issues. Sako should have acknowledged it from the get go and offered a fix.
 
I have a Sako Finnlght in 300WSM and an A7 in 270, both have low mounted scopes, no issues with mine, I heard that Sako's solution was extra high rings not sure if they offered anything else as far as a solution, I decided against buying a used 85 in 338 when the pictures showed the scope mounted with extra high rings and the owner told me that the reason was to cure the ejection issues and that it worked. I prefer my scopes as low as possible and would be more than a little disappointed in paying that amount of money for a rifle that doesn't work properly. I am also a little puzzled why some Sakos are reported with this flaw and many are fine, the post by Longwalker is the first intelligent sounding solution that I recall hearing about and as cam1936 has said Sako and Stoegers response has been disappointing and this has kept me away from doing more than just looking at sako.
 
The main problem is not the position of the M85 ejector, as some suppose, but the fit of the extractor. On many Sako 85's there is too much space between extractor claw and rim of the case. Replacing the extractor spring may make the fit tighter, but if that simple tweak doesn't work the best fix is to replace the claw extractor with one that has the claw closer to the boltface. I had a skilled machinist build a new extractor for my Sako 85 in .375 H&H. With only 0.004" clearance the cases are always ejected properly to the side. With the original loose clearance, ( can't remember exactly but it was probably about .010" ) the case would build momentum upwards and hit the scope turret. The fix cost me $50. Now I have a reliable dangerous game rifle.
In addition, the Sako 85 actually does have a version of controlled round feed. If you load a cartridge by pushing one forward from magazine into the chamber but don't close the bolt, a properly fitted extractor will hold the cartridge to the bolt face if the cartridge is pulled back again. Jamming by a double feed is eliminated. That feature also works better with a properly fitted extractor.
I also wish Sako and Stoeger would just make sure all their extractors fitted properly, how hard could that be?
 
I have a model 85 in .223 with this ejection problem. When I looked closely, the extractor's clearance to the bolt face is so large that it basically isn't touching the cartridge. Will a new spring change that, or do I need to alter the extractor to reduce that clearance down to where it's holding onto the cartrdge? Anyone have any success in doing that?
 
I had an 85M Kodiak in 338WM. Low mount optilocks. Never had an issue. When I first heard about this I extracted a bunch of cases to test and never saw a single one hit my scope. Never had a feed issue. Fired 80 rounds and dozens of empty cases for trial. Smoothest action I ever had. Stock ate the recoil. Miss that rifle so much.....
 
European's like high mounted scopes, so the low comb is natural to them. We are more accustomed to lower to the bore...
 
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