I was thumbing through a gun magazine last night at the grocery store and noticed an article on a new sako safari rifle available in 375 H&H, 416 Rem, and 458 Win. The article stated that it was a controlled feed rifle, had good wood, functioned well, and could be had four less than "4 figures". I have had no experience with Sakos and was wondering if anybody had heard anything about this rifle and could give me some feedback. Also how is the quality of Sako.

The quality of my one Sako is excellent. I believe they generally have the reputation of very high quality firearms, at least for those that are mass produced. The Sako Safari looks intriguing to me, but the only one I've seen for sale (Gunbroker) was for $1,600. From reports on this site, you can massage a CZ550 into one heck of a DG rifle for that kind of money. I'd like to hear more about them though.

I'm curious about it, but the safari is not listed on their web site.

I asked about the safaris about a week ago but nothing...

Sakos are VERY good rifles in general, I vould like to say that Sako is the best there is

(This is not only my opinion, the new sako 75 was awarded the " worlds best standard rifle" award in a Swedish gun magazine)

I assume there are plenty of people that dont agree with me on this one there is allso a matter on personal choise I guess.

The controlled feed is accomplished by removing the bottom lip from the boltface and installing a larger extractor. It seems to me a modification that can be done to any of the newer three-lug Sako's.

Gentlemen

I don't give any high grades for sako's definition of "controlled feeding" Actually, I consider it push feed.

I think the rifles from sako was the best, thinking of the old finnbear, forrester and vixen. Thoose were the day's
I still don't understand why they quited makeing that line of actions. The only thing I don't like about sako is the uggly bolt shroud and the scope mount.

I don't give much for Mr P-O Olsson's statment about beeing the "worlds best standard rifle". He never dared to compare it to a 98 or an old mannlicher rifle, coward

/ JOHAN

I am a little confused. Sako doesn't mention a safari rifle on their website, they just show the Hunter Deluxe (I believe) as available in 375 and 416.

The odd thing is that if you go to Beretta's website and do a search, you will fing a "Sako Safari 80th Anniversary Special". This looks like an incredible gun, but they are only building 80 of them, one for each year of Sako. The only listing I could find on the internet was a dealer that had one of these. The price was $16,000!

Gentlemen,

Since I'm for Finland, I probably should know all there is to know about Sakos, but regrettably I can only give just a bit more information.

There used to be a "standard" production line of Sako Safaris in the 80's, might have been still been in the early 90's but I'm not sure. They were produced only in .338Win Mag and .375 H&H Mag. Those rifles didn't (as far as I know) have a controlled round feed.

Now last year there was this small series of these luxury models with a luxury price tag and a conrolled round feed, and those are the only new Sako Safaris that I've seen advertised. So I don't know if they are going to make a more standard line of Sako Safaris anymore. Some of the older Safaris have been rebrreled by their owners here in Finland and their most popular choice for caliber has been .458 Win.

bmpregler, the Sako is a fine rifle, for a factory offering, but there has always been two things it didn't have! One, and the most important to me, is it was not a CRF action, and two, it does not have a recoil lug on the bottom of the barrel. I have several friends who have SAKO rifles chambered for 375 H&H, and every one of them has broken a front action screw, because of the action moveing back in the stock. The addition of a barrel mounted recoil lug fixes this, but it seems Sako finally took the hint, and went to CRF. Here's hopeing they incorparate this feature in the other rifles as well. And I hope they installed a barrel recoil lug as well.

I don't think they will sell many of the limited addition at the $16,000 US price tag, however!

[ 04-03-2003, 05:30: Message edited by: MacD37 ]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Here is an article from Guns and Ammo Magazine. I believe the article is from 2001.

Sako Safari

Regards,

Terry

Go to www.sako.fi

Then go to "Custom Shop" and there are a few pics of various "Safari" rifles.

I have 2 Sako 75's; one in .375H&H one in .416Rem both are fine rifles, sweet to shoot and accurate.

Sako is one of only a few rifles in the world, that I would recommend to anybody.
Never heard a bad word about them from anyone, ever..
My Mod. 75 is without a doubt the finest, "factory" rifle in the world, to me that is...the only thing I have found to be a problem, is when reloading, it seems to be a little more fickle as far as the bullets it likes than my other rifles, but the ones it likes...WOW..
That may be my inexperience in reloading, or the caliber...300 win. mag...
My stainless synthetic, is designed to be in the field, its truly a lovely piece of craftmanship...smooth action, shoulders like no other rifle I have ever touched....sakofan..

The Finnish Sako website would seem to confirm that the only ones available are the 80 full custom rifles. Kinda sucks that gun magazines would put that kind of effort and emphasis on an article which appears to be about a production gun. If I were going to spend $16000 on a bolt action rifle, that wouldn't be it.

Gentlemen

I must say I'm impressed by sako the action has been modified to become controlled round feed. The old sako safari were camberd for 375, 338, 300WM. I have seen just one hun in 416 remmag from the factory, I guess it was a special order for someone at sako.

I think that sako sooner or later will come up with a serial made safari rifle. This rifle maked wincester and remington look like really "el cheapo guns"

/ JOHAN

Winchester and Remington do not need Sako to make them look cheap. They can do that perfectly well all by themselves.