Sako 75. On a Russian bear with a Finnish carbine

Added:
11.02.2012

Sako Ltd is the largest firearms manufacturer in Finland. Due to the fact that the company is part of the Beretta concern, it occupies one of the leading positions in the world in the production of weapons. The company was founded in 1921 in the small Finnish town of Riihimaki.

At the dawn of its existence, the production was engaged in the repair and alteration of Russian rifles of the 1891 model. After the end of World War II, it produced textile machinery.

decided to focus on designing a new high-quality repeating rifle for hunting and sniper shooting. The company began its civilian production with repeating carbines of the reliable Mauser 98 system. Subsequent models were created on the basis of this bolt group. The main difference from the original model is the modified bolt design and improved weapon ergonomics.

In the first half of the 50s, the company released a line of rifles for hunting and sports for various groups of calibers. In 1946, the L46 Sako Vixen rifle was released. The carbine was produced in calibers .222Rem, .222RemMag, .223Rem. The next hunting rifle was the L57 Sako Forester in .243Win and .308Win calibers. In 1961, the L61 Sako Finnbear chambered for .30-06Sprg began production.

Sako 75 rifle

The production of this rifle began in 1996, on the occasion of the company’s 75th anniversary. The rifle is a classic representative of a repeating rifle with a rotating bolt. The barrel is produced by cold forging and is attached to a threaded connection. The bore is not chrome plated. In some versions of the weapon, the barrels have flutes. Stainless steel barrel options are available. The barrel length depends on the modification - from 515 to 660 mm. Sako 75 model range is divided into several types of bolt groups for all cartridges produced by Sako. As of today, carbines of the 75th series have been discontinued.

Sako 75. On a Russian bear with a Finnish carbine

Any hunter who owns a gun and uses it as a universal hunting tool sooner or later thinks about purchasing a weapon with a rifled barrel. This is not an easy problem, especially now, when the range of foreign-made weapons in gun stores is very large. Agree, it’s a shame to pay a lot of money and then be disappointed in your purchase.

Experience shows that when choosing a carbine, you need to consider the following points:

firstly, in the practice of domestic hunting, there has recently been a transition from self-loading weapons to classic magazine systems;
secondly, when choosing a suitable carbine, you should take into account the experience of hunters from those countries where the natural conditions and hunting objects are similar to those in Russia.

The basic requirements for a hunting rifle include:

high reliability (probability of failure less than 0.001);
sufficient accuracy and stability for hunting (bullet dispersion diameter at a distance of 100 m is no more than 50 mm);
moderate weight of weapons for running hunts (2.7-3.2 kg);
the presence of a reliably installed, small weight and dimensions of an optical sight in combination with “mechanics”;
the ability to quickly reload, reload weapons and change magazines;
a reliable safety that will certainly block the bolt and, finally, good balance, poise and adaptability.

Hunting carbine Sako 75 Finnlight with optical sight
In addition, for example, the firing of a carbine will always be more compact and stable if the weapon has a massive barrel of a certain length, cantilevered in the receiver, as well as a “strict” locking unit.

When deciding to purchase this or that model, you need to keep in mind that a solid and practical carbine of good quality, like your favorite double-barreled shotgun, is a weapon, one might say, for life and even inherited. This is understood very well by our closest northern neighbors - the inhabitants of Finland, where there is a well-developed hunting industry, and the largest hunting object is elk.

At the end of the 20th century, Finnish hunters, numbering about 300,000, hunted up to 70,000 moose annually. The white-tailed deer harvest now amounts to about 20,000 individuals. In terms of the number of hunters per 1000 inhabitants, Finland ranks first in Europe, leaving behind such “hunting” countries as Italy and Spain, not to mention Germany. Hunting for ungulates in Finland is only possible if the hunter has a certificate of passing a rifle shooting exam.

Excellent processing quality of all weapon parts, even those hidden from the hunter’s eyes, is a sign of good form

Finnish gunsmiths have been worthily represented on the world arms market for several decades by the company Sakō (Suomen Assen Konepaja Oy - “Finnish Arms Enterprise”), located in the town of Riihimäki, 80 km from Helsinki. The traditional markets for Sako weapons are not only the countries of northern Europe, where hunting conditions are similar to those in Russia - carbines of this brand are well known in the USA, Canada and even in Australia and New Zealand. It is noteworthy that Sako is famous not only as a manufacturer of military and civilian weapons. Along with it, Sako produces a huge range of cartridges, covering almost all existing calibers and types of bullets. Sako's printing products also include such a unique periodical as the Shooter's Bible, a 600-page yearbook.

Hunting rifle Sako 75 Deluxe

All weapons at Sako are made from scratch, from their steel production to the finished product, for example, the Sako 75 model hunting rifle. For our hunters, it is this model of the Finnish carbine that is of the greatest interest. Sako 75 was developed and began production in 1996 - the year of the company’s 75th anniversary. It is a versatile example of a classic bolt-action repeating rifle. The model range contains many options, differing in purpose, finish and configuration. According to the calibers of the ammunition used, the entire model range of Sako 75 carbines is divided into five standard sizes of bolt groups, the unification of which allows the consumer to get options, for example, 75 Hunter, 75 Hunter Staihless, 75 Deluxe, 75 Varmint, Stainless Syntetic, Battue and others, for all cartridges, produced by Sako. Sako celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2001 with the release of the anniversary series Sako 75 Safari - a high-end hand-assembled carbine chambered for the classic .375 Holland & Holland caliber cartridge.

To meet the demand of hunters who prefer to have lightweight weapons, in 2001 Sako released the 75 Finnlight carbine, where Finnish gunsmiths managed not only to significantly reduce weight compared to other models of the 75 family, but also to maintain the same accuracy, reliability, safety and excellent balance . The barrel of the 75 Finnlight carbine has fillers that lighten the barrel and increase its rigidity. This carbine is offered in a wide range of calibers and, taking into account its weight of 2.7-3.2 kg, it is fully suitable for hunting in the taiga or in the mountains, where the hunter is forced to overcome various obstacles and make long treks on foot.

Hunting carbine Sako 75 Hunter Stainless

The 75th model was not created from scratch by Finnish gunsmiths. In it, the designers combined both their existing developments and world experience in creating weapons of this type. Its appearance was preceded by an analysis of the state of the market, a survey of the opinions of practitioners and ordinary hunters, primarily in Finland, Sweden and Norway. Suffice it to say that today every third Norwegian hunter has a Sako carbine, and Swedish hunters use rifles and carbines, including the Sako 75 model, to kill more than 100,000 moose annually. As a result, a modern hunting rifle was created that fully meets the requirements of our hunting.

The carbine barrel is made of high-quality barrel steel by cold forging and is attached to the receiver with a threaded connection. The bore is not chrome plated. In the version with a mechanical sight, a removable base of the front sight is installed on the muzzle of the barrel, and closer to the breech there is the base of the rear sight (sighting bar). The muzzle of the barrel is recessed to protect the exit part of the rifling from mechanical damage. In some modifications of these weapons, the barrels have fullers. There are options with a stainless steel barrel. The barrel length also depends on the modification - from 515 to 660 mm.

The barrel bore is locked by turning the bolt onto three lugs that engage with the lugs of the receiver. A spring-loaded bolt stop is mounted on the left wall of the receiver; by pressing the button, the bolt can be removed from the receiver.

On the top of the box there are dovetail-type seats that expand towards the muzzle for attaching branded Sako brackets for installing an optical sight. The transverse stop of the receiver, through which the load is transferred to the stock when fired, is placed in a special groove of the stock and lies flat against its rear wall, ensuring high stability of the carbine's firing. The receiver is tightened to the stock with two screws through the base of the trigger guard. By the way, the shape of the receiver and bolt assembly is an example of an excellent design solution by Finnish gunsmiths.

The modern design of the bolt consists of a stem with stops, a hammer, a mainspring, an ejector, a handle, a coupling and an integrated Key Concept locking mechanism. Disassembly and assembly of the shutter is simplified by the presence of a special key and can be carried out in the field without any problems.

To simplify the disassembly and assembly of the Model 75 bolt, the carbine kit includes a special key that does not damage the coating of the metal parts

The three-lug locking system in the front part of the bolt eliminates elastic deformation of the stem at the moment of firing, reduces barrel vibration, which has a positive effect on the stability and accuracy of the weapon. The location of the bolt handle above the trigger guard and the small rotation angle (70°) facilitates quick and convenient reloading of the carbine without removing the butt from the shoulder.

In order to ensure security and prevent unauthorized access to weapons, Sako, together with the Assa ABlow concern, which produces locks, developed the Key Consert system. The system is a lock located in the bolt coupling, which is unlocked with a special individual key from the carbine kit. When the key is inserted, the shutter operates normally. The key is removed from the bolt only when the firing pin is released. When the key is removed, the bolt is locked, eliminating the possibility of loading the weapon. The delivery set includes two working keys and one spare. In case of loss, the keys can be made in certified workshops of Assa Аbloy according to the sample or number code. It should be noted that the Sako 75 carbine became the world’s first mass-produced model of hunting weapon equipped with such a reliable and modern security system.

Sako 75 is available with two trigger mechanisms: standard and “sneller”. The standard trigger mechanism is characterized by a “dry”, short trigger, maintaining a constant force in the range of 1.5-1.8 kg.

A fuse is connected directly to the trigger mechanism, the button of which has two positions: front - the fuse is off and back - on. In the on position, the safety locks the trigger and bolt. To unlock the shutter when the safety is on, a special mechanism is used, the control button of which is located in front of the safety button.

Most modifications of the carbine use detachable magazines with a capacity of 4-5 rounds. The magazine release is a knurled button located in a recess directly in front of the magazine window in the receiver.

In the Sako 75 variants, which are equipped, in addition to optical ones, with open-type mechanical sights, it is possible to make adjustments when zeroing the carbine. For this purpose, the kit includes three interchangeable front sights of different heights. Lateral corrections are made by horizontally moving the sighting bar in the dovetail groove of its base.

Pistol neck carbine stocks can be made from high quality walnut or plastic.

Sako 75 Varmint Laminated hunting rifle with optical sight

The practical rate of fire of the carbine when shooting at a distance of 100 m from a standing position without a rest, at a target with a black circle diameter of 20 cm, is 3 aimed shots in 5-7 s. The accuracy of fire during the control shooting of the model 75 Нunter carbine of .308 Win caliber at a distance of 100 meters from a sitting position from a rest, with an optical sight, in series of 5 shots, was 45 mm (circle diameter), in the best series - 30 mm.

Thus, the Sako 75 hunting carbine, in its design features and ballistic indicators, the functioning of its parts and mechanisms, combat characteristics and quality of execution, meets all the requirements for hunting large and medium-sized game animals. With proper care, Sako will not let the hunter down either in the harsh climatic conditions of the European north and northwest, the Urals, Siberia and the Far East, or in the cultivated landscape of central and southern Russia.

After the summer hunting off-season, autumn inevitably comes, when already in August-September hunting for brown bear and upland game begins, and a little later - for ungulates. Time for purchases is running out, and yet there is still weapons registration, selection and purchase of suitable cartridges, training ahead...

We need to hurry. No fluff or feather to you, dear colleagues!

Rimantas Noreika

Sako TRG sniper rifle

This series has been produced since 1992. Sako TRG rifle is chambered for the 7.62 mm NATO cartridge (.308Win), the Sako TRG 41 is chambered for the more powerful .300WinMag and .338LapuaMag cartridges, and has a longer barrel with a muzzle brake. The rifle has a sliding bolt, has three lugs and a massive extractor. The magazine is detachable, box-type. The stock is made of plastic based on an aluminum frame with an adjustable cheek pad and butt pad. The rifles are designed to accept optical sights and are not equipped with open sights. The trigger is made in the form of removable modules with the ability to be adjusted to suit your needs. At the end of the 1990s, the 21 and 41 rifles were replaced by the TRG 22 and TRG 42. The new rifles retained the design, but had an improved stock configuration and a number of other minor changes.

Sako 85 rifle

The rifle is equipped with a double-action safety that locks the hammer and bolt. Longitudinal sliding bolt with 3 lugs. The barrels are made of stainless alloy with an anti-reflective coating applied to them. Several bolt groups have been developed for different calibers. The magazine is double-row, removable, made of steel. The patented system protects the magazine from inadvertent detachment. The force on the trigger is adjustable. The front sight and rear sight of the rifle are adjustable in the vertical and horizontal planes. The rifle is available in a fairly wide range of designs and modifications. Rifle stocks can be made of wood (with a full stock or classic), plastic, laminate, barrels with blued or stainless steel coating, Varmint barrels, with open sights or only for optics.

Sako small bore carbines

Sako Finnfire , with a free-floating barrel 560 mm long, was developed for the rimfire cartridge Sights are open type. The bolt box has grooves for installing optical sights. Magazine capacity is 5 rounds. The weight of the gun is 2.6 kg.

In 2005, they released a new model of the Sako Quad with a detachable barrel 560 mm long. This model, due to its interchangeable barrels, allows you to shoot any of the known rimfire cartridges: .22LR, .17Mach II, .17HMR and .22WMR.

The company adheres to the following production concept: either the barrel initially provides “accuracy” of fire “worthy of a Sako weapon,” or it can leave the factory only in the form of scrap metal. Today, Sako shotguns are sold almost all over the globe. Manufacturers are proud that their guns are recognized as “the most accurate shotguns in production.”

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Gun store "SAGITTARIUS"

Sako is a Finnish arms company that is part of the Nokia concern along with Valmet.

From the beginning of her education, she was engaged in the repair and modification of Russian rifles of the 1891 model for the needs of the Finnish army. Then the company managed to establish mass production of the Mosin rifle “M/39”, of which 70,800 copies were produced.

The company has always strived to focus its efforts on developing high-quality rifles for hunting and sport shooting. The barrels of rifles manufactured by Sako using the cold forging method are subjected to “diamond” grinding. The main principle of the company is the statement “either the barrel ensures shooting accuracy from the very beginning, or it leaves the factory as scrap metal.”

The most expensive models are those with careful external finishing and large-caliber weapons that meet the needs of professional hunters of dangerous and large game.

SAKO 85 BAVARIAN — 97250.00 rub.

Sako

Manufacturer: SAKO

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