Sako AV?
- Thread starter Joel
- Start date
I have a custom LH Sako AV in 7MM STW that I have had for coming on 28 years now. Apparently built by a New York gunsmith, I found it on the used rack of a LGS and had to take it home. It has a 24" MacLennan ss fluted barrel and is bedded in a Fajen nutmeg laminated stock. The bare rifle weighs 7 lbs, and with a a Leupold VX-3 4.5-14x40 B&C scope in Leupold rings, weighs 8 lbs 7 oz. One of my most accurate rifles...it will produce 1/2" groups at 100 yards and 1" groups at 300 yards with Federal Premium 160 gr AccuBond ammo. I haven't even bothered to handload for it.
The action is very smooth and has run flawlessly and reliably these years. Have not found a fault with it to date...knock on wood!
I have taken more game with this rifle than any other I own. This rifle will always be in my active battery!
I have also owned a LH Sako AV Laminate in 338 Win Mag and a FinnBear Deluxe in 300 Win Mag, that also ran well and was very smooth. Beautiful rifles.
I also own a couple of LH Model 85's; a Hunter and a Finnlight II. Both also very smooth and well built. What I like just a little more on the 85 is the DM; but that is just my preference.
I now have a LH L591, and have also owned a LH L691. Both also very nice rifles. Very smooth actions.
Yes, heavier...but no more so than some other regular wood/steel rifles on the market...whether from decades past or present.
I like the quality, fit and finish of the Sako rifles. And I don't mind the scope mounting system; simple, robust, and reliable.
I hope you enjoy your new-to-you AV; it will provide you years of good service if taken care of.
The action is very smooth and has run flawlessly and reliably these years. Have not found a fault with it to date...knock on wood!
I have taken more game with this rifle than any other I own. This rifle will always be in my active battery!
I have also owned a LH Sako AV Laminate in 338 Win Mag and a FinnBear Deluxe in 300 Win Mag, that also ran well and was very smooth. Beautiful rifles.
I also own a couple of LH Model 85's; a Hunter and a Finnlight II. Both also very smooth and well built. What I like just a little more on the 85 is the DM; but that is just my preference.
I now have a LH L591, and have also owned a LH L691. Both also very nice rifles. Very smooth actions.
Yes, heavier...but no more so than some other regular wood/steel rifles on the market...whether from decades past or present.
I like the quality, fit and finish of the Sako rifles. And I don't mind the scope mounting system; simple, robust, and reliable.
I hope you enjoy your new-to-you AV; it will provide you years of good service if taken care of.
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You can always use the OptiLock bases and rings, but IMHO bolting a separate base onto a receiver grooved for direct attachment of rings just seemed wrong...inelegant.
My last Sako was an AV-actioned .338WM; sold it only because I finally found the perfect .338WM Win70 Super Grade that I had always wanted. I've gotta say that the Win is, to my eye, far more attractive in appearance, but in terms of mechanical function, trigger, accuracy, etc. I still think the Sako was a slightly superior rifle.
Thanks for the detailed summary, John! Appreciate it. I see what you mean. Using a separate base and rings seems to defeat the whole purpose of the dovetail!
I'm in the same place re: Win 70s. Really like the slimness of a Classic, they feel pretty handy. The open triggers are, as everyone will always point out, a great feature...even the push feeds have that going for them. The Pre 64 is, well, a Pre 64. But if the Sako is actually in your opinion slightly better, that says a lot.
Happy to hear the funky looking stock fits many people well. Not that one size fits all, but it does seem to receive a lot of praise. You guys have set my mind at ease. Biggest worry was "hey, something on this rifle quit, and I need to find a replacement" I think. Seems like its still doable enough.
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Honestly, that's not even a fair comparison for me to make. After owning a half-dozen or more Sako A-series guns over the years...got my first around the mid-70's, just sold my last a couple months back...I am heavily biased towards them. My current Win70 is actually my very first CRF model 70...or, as I tend to think of it, my first "real" Win70.
I just finished adjusting the trigger on it; I swear the previous owner set it up himself for the heaviest pull possible. I haven't even shot it since the adjustment, so a few dozen shots through a single gun with about a 6-pound trigger can't be realistically compared to many hundreds of rounds over a period of a half-century through a bunch of Sakos with lovingly tuned triggers. Just dry-firing it at Animal Planet last night with its new trigger pull, I think I am in love...I do think the fugly Sako stock is a bit more comfortable in terms of handling recoil delivered to the shoulder. I don't like looking at a Monte Carlo, and the Sakos are among the ugliest of the ugly, but I do like shooting them. The classic-styled stock on the Win is much more to my eye's taste, but my shoulder isn't as fond of it...but that might just be me getting old and frail...
Honestly, that's not even a fair comparison for me to make. After owning a half-dozen or more Sako A-series guns over the years...got my first around the mid-70's, just sold my last a couple months back...I am heavily biased towards them. My current Win70 is actually my very first CRF model 70...or, as I tend to think of it, my first "real" Win70.
Nice dry fire procedure hahaha. I don't know if this is a newer 70 made under BACO/FN, but the New Haven 70s came with the trigger set at disgusting pull weight IMO. Nice that its adjustable since its gonna be needed. They do clean up very well.
If the Sako trigger is anything like a Tikka trigger, I can see why you like it.
jjohnwm said:I do think the fugly Sako stock is a bit more comfortable in terms of handling recoil delivered to the shoulder. I don't like looking at a Monte Carlo, and the Sakos are among the ugliest of the ugly, but I do like shooting them. The classic-styled stock on the Win is much more to my eye's taste, but my shoulder isn't as fond of it...but that might just be me getting old and frail...
The same load/cartridge can definitely feel different between two different guns, can't it? Wish the "great looking" and "great feeling" coincided for ya.
On the synthetic Win 70 stocks I'll admit to appreciating a Limbsaver pad even with 30-06/270.
Love my m70 stainless classics: 270 & 338 x2 each with some mods. Nice multi-tools…practical. Sako AV’s are v.nice, but too heavy and too pretty for my liking for field application. Have a L461 Vixen HB Varmint which is a treat for the bench tho !!
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To clarify, many of them are on the heavy side, because Sako decided that their long actions should be of a certain weight. The short action calibers were available in light and medium weights.
A special mention for the L series 375 H&H, one of the lightest in this caliber, mainly because they used a standard profile barrel despite the large bore, so you end up with half as much steel as the same rifle in 6.5x55.
A special mention for the L series 375 H&H, one of the lightest in this caliber, mainly because they used a standard profile barrel despite the large bore, so you end up with half as much steel as the same rifle in 6.5x55.
