So this happened today - Sako A7

Rudiger

Rudiger

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Elk Point, AB
So I was out shooting my .308 this morning and this happened:

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Apparently the Sako A7 stock isn't meant for a bipod. The rifle still shoots great. Now the tricky wicket is finding a new stock for it.

Bell & Carlson is supposed to be making a composite stock for a new model of the A7, but they appear to not be selling just the stock yet.
 
Before all the sako bashers get on here, I will say outright, that it is not cheap plastic but a space age polymer, that can withstand the weight of a 3 ton military truck on top of it. The extra cost of a sako guarantees a product that can stand up to abuse that would leave plastic stocks busted. Mounting a bipod on a rifle is a true test of the rifles' mettle, if it can stand a bipod, it can stand up to any abuse you can dish out.
 
plastic fatigue, not a big deal, send it in or better yet ask them to send you a new stock and you will still have the gun for hunting season. If I was your dealer I'd swap off a stock off one in stock and wait till the new one showed up and put it back on the gun it came off of. Things man made break, not a real big deal.

It almost looks like you could remount that little islet 1' forward of where the breakage is and you will be back in buisiness until the new stock arrives.
 
The only problem is that it's already a year and a half old rifle. I mounted the bipod at the start of summer. I will still see if they can do anything for me but I am pretty sure not.
 
doesn't hurt to try, most companies want to keep their customers happy and if you are a good customer at the store he may just take care of it himself.
 
Bipods

noneck180 said:
over torqued bi-pod..:D..no warranty
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Well, NONECK180 got it right. The point you attached the bipod to is designed to handle a sling, not a bipod.

If you tighten the bipod too much, you will yank the sling attachment out of the stock, as per the example pictured. The bipod assembly will be under tension, and lateral or sideways movement on this tightened down point will cause stress that the rifle was never designed for. Adding to that is the weight of the bipod on a point normally designed to attach a sling.

People simply do not realize that a screw has a very powerful moving force when tightened up. A screw type jack can lift the side of a building, or a vehicle.

You pulled the threaded insert out of the stock, and the only one responsible for this is you. This is NOT a warranty problem, it is misuse of the firearm.

Now, I realize in this day and age that it is fashionable to blame someone else, but there are certain limits to this. The cold, hard truth is that the owner of the rifle was responsible for this, not the manufacturer, not the dealer, and not the maker of the bipod.

The good news is that it can be repaired. An insert can be made, and the broken piece epoxied back in place if this is done correctly.
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A stock made from space age fiberglass trumps one made of space age plastic. I had a bipod pull the front swivel out of my B&C foam filled stock, but the forend was thick enough to permit a simple fix which included a steel mounting plate glass bedded into the barrel channel into which a swivel stud with a machine screw shank could be threaded.
 
ben hunchak said:
before all the sako bashers get on here, i will say outright, that it is not cheap plastic but a space age polymer, that can withstand the weight of a 3 ton military truck on top of it. The extra cost of a sako guarantees a product that can stand up to abuse that would leave plastic stocks busted. Mounting a bipod on a rifle is a true test of the rifles' mettle, if it can stand a bipod, it can stand up to any abuse you can dish out.
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lol +1
 
SAKO Quality Speaks For Itself

Of course SAKO is not seeking to cut corners on the cost of manufacturing, and foist deficient goods on an unsuspecting public. And of course, the use of terms like “space-age polymers” and “ultra-light design” are not being used by the industry, in general, to disguise a ‘race to the bottom’ in a quest for profit over quality.

Rather, I think the problem is as follows.

SAKO’s space-age materials are best reserved for interplanetary conflicts, war with the Klingons for instance. No doubt they would also serve admirably in the hunt for space moose. Had the gentlemen in question been enjoying either of these pursuits, no doubt the newest line of SAKO products would have performed as advertised. And had the riggers of space battle lead to the failure noted, then I have no doubt but that SAKO could be counted upon to honour its warranty provisions to the letter, and then some.

But for hunting on planet earth it may be that a walnut stock is best. The old “earth-age” technology seems to have fewer glitches.
 
Sorry my friend. Classic case of over torqued tupperware. If it aint fibreglass, its injection molden plastic. No expectation of warranty, but repairable.
 
I know I wouldn't be too happy if this happened to me. And I certainly wouldn't expect this to happen with a Sako.

My two cents: put a B&C stock on it and be done with it. Or if you are a brave DIY kinda guy, use the busticated stock to make a mold to lay up a fibreglass one. Keep in mind, thats not exactly a weekend project.
 
noneck180 said:
over torqued bi-pod..:D..no warranty
Click to expand...

Nah, there is no reinforcement gusset whatosever behind that stud, and from a design perspective, that is simply junk. If Sako doesn't know and design for using the sling stud for a bipod, then they are just another manufacturer cutting corners, which is unacceptable.
 
Well I think cold had something to do with it. I was shooting off a lead sled with no pressure or stress on the bipod when it happened. I think I last tightened it a month or two ago.

On the other hand I don't disagree that it is likely my bad. It was probably stressed already and the combination of shooting 30+ rounds with waits in between groups and a sub zero temperature finished it off.

I am going to see if I can't get a wood stock made for it. Otherwise I will try to get the B&C stock.
 
Sorry to hear about that, but good to know. I have a new Sako A7, haven't had it out yet, other than to site it in. I will avoid using a bi-pod.
 
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