Sako 85 rechambering

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Gonewild

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Good evening fellow gunnutz. I’m looking for Sako 85 advice on a rechambering job. Currently chambered in 338 win mag and I am wanting to go to the 340 wby mag. From all the research I have done and my meticulous measuring this job seems straightforward for any competent gunsmith with the reamer.

My big question is due to the Sako 85s notoriously steep ejection angle does going to the longer case of the wby increase the likelihood of ejection issues. I know sako makes them in 375 h and h and the issue is anywhere from all the time to almost never. So it’s a bit of gamble I get that. The rifle likely is going to wear a 30mm scope with let’s say your normal size windage turret. Not a jumbo big one as seen in some of the dedicated long range scopes but not slim like a Leupold V x2 3-9 type either.

I’ve already decided to put a near rail on it and that’s final. I like the rail and its ability to have some fore and aft adjustment for scopes with different tube mounting lengths and eye relief.

Has anyone done this and gone to any other full length h and h case on the 85 L action and had issues ? If so was there any mods needed to be made to magazines or feed rails ??

GW
 
There's a reason that the 340WBY is not more popular. Overall cost and recoil are a start to as why.

Plus you might to want to have a longer bbl for a 340 than what the 85 has to take advantage of all that powder.

I personally wouldn't touch a 340 with a 10' pole. A 300WM is a better choice if one needs such a rifle.
 
Gonewild said:
Good evening fellow gunnutz. I’m looking for Sako 85 advice on a rechambering job. Currently chambered in 338 win mag and I am wanting to go to the 340 wby mag. From all the research I have done and my meticulous measuring this job seems straightforward for any competent gunsmith with the reamer.

My big question is due to the Sako 85s notoriously steep ejection angle does going to the longer case of the wby increase the likelihood of ejection issues. I know sako makes them in 375 h and h and the issue is anywhere from all the time to almost never. So it’s a bit of gamble I get that. The rifle likely is going to wear a 30mm scope with let’s say your normal size windage turret. Not a jumbo big one as seen in some of the dedicated long range scopes but not slim like a Leupold V x2 3-9 type either.

I’ve already decided to put a near rail on it and that’s final. I like the rail and its ability to have some fore and aft adjustment for scopes with different tube mounting lengths and eye relief.

Has anyone done this and gone to any other full length h and h case on the 85 L action and had issues ? If so was there any mods needed to be made to magazines or feed rails ??

GW
Click to expand...
get a 340 wby case and give it a try
 
My brother did this decades ago with a Smith&Wesson 1500.
Different gun but it was easy, quick and affordable change for him and has had no problems filling the freezer with it.
But in my opinion it would have done the same as the 338WM for less money, recoil and noise with no headache of finding ammo or components (especially during the shortage 10 or so years ago).
The recoil would be a no go for me and the negligible performance improvement vs all the other potential downsides would just support that decision.
More recoil, more noise, less barrel life (not that it would be a thing, unless you shot out the 338WM barrel which is highly unlikely), hard to find expensive cases, unknown functionality on an expensive gun and questionable improvement due to the shorter barrel…
Any published load data you look at for a 338WM is on a 24” barrel and anything published on a 340 Weatherby is with a 26” barrel so comparing them is less than accurate on paper; your shorter barrel will not produce the published 340 numbers.
If I were to go down this rabbit hole I’d look at the difference in cost between the cost of rechambering vs. rebarreling with a 26” tube.
Not only would you get the advertised velocity but you would also have the ability to go back to the original barrel if you wanted to.
Also if I were to entertain a harder to find, obscure and pricier 338 with a 532 bolt face I would likely look closely at the 33 Nosler as it has the same COAL as the 338WM and (without analyzing) looks more efficient than the 340 (if such a thing can be said for any of these options).
Lastly, that Near rail looks like a nice item and I get why you want it but one of the benefits I’ve always valued on the Sako 75/85 series is their stainless steel Opti-lock mounts and rings are the best mounts I’ve ever used…not cheap, but neither is that rail.
Let us know your results as I know I would like to know how the changes work out for you.
 
SuperCub said:
There's a reason that the 340WBY is not more popular. Overall cost and recoil are a start to as why.

Plus you might to want to have a longer bbl for a 340 than what the 85 has to take advantage of all that powder.

I personally wouldn't touch a 340 with a 10' pole. A 300WM is a better choice if one needs such a rifle.
Click to expand...
His rifle is in 338 Win Mag Perfectly Fine 👍
 
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