I got this rifle as an early inheritance, but cannot get it to realy group tight at a hundred.

The rifle is nearly 40 years old, but in immaculate condition. I used it as a kid for about three years with a Schmidt und Bender scope, but because it never could realy group well, it went into the safe for the enxt 20 odd years, only taken out every 4 months or so when it needs to be cleaned. IT is stock standard factory with no modifications.

I'm looking for advise on reloading and maybe if someone knows, the twist in the barrel ratio.

Many thanks!

I start by glass bedding it and free floating the barrel.

I wonder what the twist rate is and does it have trouble with heviver bullets.

Sir,

Chances are your rifle has a 1 in 10" twist rate. Should shoot 55 to 100 gr. bullets fine. I've had excellent luck with the Nosler ballistic tips.

I have found it very unusual that one cannot get a Sako to group. You don't really indicate what you mean by "tight. If you are expecting it to group under 1" with every thing you feed it, I'd say your expectations are un-realistic. However having said that, here is what I have done on a number of Sakos.

First make sure you have a clean barrel. I once agreed to try to get my bud's 7mag (l61r action) to group. He was having 4 to 5 inch groups that were very inconsistent. He was shooting factory ammo using 150 gr. nosler ballistic silvertips.
I got the rifle and did all my usual stuff first. Couldn't get it to group. I have not taken the time to invest in a bore scope. Finally I decided to make sure the barrel was clean. Seems he had been shooting this rifle for over twenty years. Only shoots it during deer season. Usually only shoots it a half dozen times. I asked him when was the last time he cleaned the barrrel. He said never. It took me hours to get that barrel clean. Finally did.

Getting your barrel absolutely free of powder and copper fouling is a great place to start. I use a JB bore paste/kroil combination. Get several bronze brushes.
Coat the brushes with a liberal amount of this mixture. Run 50 to 100 strokes through the barrel. Then clean all the residue with cotton patches over a jag. Get it clean to the point where your patches come out clean. Then apply a solution like Wipeout or Bore Tech Eliminator or Sweets that will indicate the presence of copper. If there is any copper in the bore, your patches will have a blue tint or residue.
If you get blue, do the JB bore paste and bronze brush routine until you get no more indication of copper. It may take several cycles.
Sounds too simple, but I've done this alone with several Sakos that folks couldn't get to group. In fact my break-in routine for rifles is 100 to 300 strokes through a barrel cleaning the bronze brush and rod after every 50 strokes. Kinda like lapping.

While at it you can also do the following
Open up the barrel channel in order to free float the barrel. I shim between the action and stock in two places. I lighten the trigger pull.

I'll take wood dowels starting about 1/2" up through 1", say 24" long, or long enough that you can get a straight stroke when following the barrel channel. I start with a coarse grit sand paper. Wrap around the dowel and staple to hold it in place. Take your time, follow the lines of the stock. There may be a pressure bump near the tip. Some folk open up the barrel channel to the point where they can slip a dollar bill between the stock and barrel all the way to the recoil lug. I like opening it up enough that when you have the action tightened in the stock and holding the rifle in one hand lightly smack the underside of the stock to see if it will contact the barrel. If it does not, you’ve done good.

Third thing I do is shim under the action screws. Actually you may want to do this before you decide how much wood to take off your stock when free floating your barrel. As you will see or may know, the recoil lug on your Sako will be part of the action. It will be rectangular in shape. There will be a cutout in the stock. I cut my shim to be the same dimension as this lug so as not to torque the action when tightening. Same way in the rear. I cut my shim in a half circle to fit the curve of the action as it fits in the stock You can use aluminum foil, index card stock or steel shims. Drill a hole in your shim stock large enough for the action screws to go through without binding. Then tighten the actions screws good and tight. Lot quicker and easier than glass bedding and works quite often.

Finally, if you feel comfortable with it, you can lighten the trigger pull by adjusting the trigger mechanism, (or have a gunsmith do it). At minimum take the action out of the stock and make sure the trigger is clean and lubricated.

I’ve only had one Sako out of approximately two dozen or so I’ve played with that would not respond to this (not that I had to do this to every one). That time it was a manufacturing defect common to the Sako 85 stainless synthetic in 338 Federal. Doing this and tailoring loads will usually get you 1” groups if you do your part.

Oh yes on occasion I find that my scope screws can be a problem if I don’t have them good and tight also.

Best

GWB

And if everything GW says doesn't work you probably need to do some load development and then a new barrel.

good advice above - those old sakos are known to be tack drivers

Ummmm . . . I'm always hesitant to mess with the bedding on a Sako, particularly "free floating" a sporter barrel. After all, Sako gained its sterling repuatation for accuracy with its bedding system that uses up-pressure near the fore end.

The first and only thing, until it is proven that more is needed, that I would do directly to the gun (other than assure appropriately clean barrel condition) would be to make sure that the action screws are properly tightented. My Sako .243 was always a tack-driver until I took it from the safe one day after having neglected it for four or five years. Its normal one-inch groups were more like patterns with the same, formerly dependable ammunition. Then I discovered that the intervening years of wood drying and cycles of heat and cold had allowed the front action screw to become loose. Tightening that one screw three-quarters of a turn tighened the groups by three inches.

It is also worthwhile to check both the scope and its mounting system. The Sako tapered dovetails offer one of the stoughtest mounting platforms available, yet many people haven't a clue as to how to properly place the mounts on them. Improperly installed mounts can crawl around, ruining accuracy. If you'll describe which mounts you have, I'll be glad to provide a tutorial on how to assure that they are properly installed.

Last, I have an innate distrust of older European optics. If you have available to you something more modern to try in place of the old S&B you might check its repeatbility that way. It is likely not the problem, but you never know.

And I would certainly defer to Stonecreek's opinion.

Best

GWB

I too agree with everything Stonecreek says.
With emphasis on the scope, can't tell you how many times a clean barrel and a known accurate shooting scope have solved all kinds of accuracy problems.
Good luck with your old shooter!

I just had my Forster out to the range yesterday. Mine is a mid 60's heavy barrel and I did 3 loads with IMR 4350 powder and the 58gr Vmax bullets. 45,46,& 47gr. Primers is the Federal 210Match and the case is lapua. All 3 of these grouped very well, the 46 was one ragged hole, the 47 the first 2 went into the same hole and I giggled on the 3rd.
I shot these same 3 loads on the weekend with my Rem. VS HB and the results were very similar with the 45gr load giving me the one hole group. I found the load in my 48th Lyman manual. FS

Gentleman,

I thank you very much and will keep ou posted.

Kind regards,

Permanent modifications to the rifle should be the last thing to consider, not the first.

I've had a few SAKO's and some of them tend to have a lot of freebore, like weatherby's do. I've found that seating the bullet right at saami specs, rather than trying to seat the bullet out to the lands, will improve accuracy. It's definately worth a try.

I would start by reading all the threads on cleaning! You have no information about how this rifle was maintained by its previous owner and although it may look cosmetically pristine, the bore may be fouled. After reading about cleaning including the various brands of chemicals and methods,CLEAN IT!! Starting from this base line, you can begin to search for the load your Sako likes.

Wipe Out is your friend. A plastic shim under the barrel can sometimes work wonders with the skinny Bofors tubes. If it doesn't shoot with 42 grains of IMR 4350 under a 85 grain sierra HPBT...........You know the rest.

I only have experience with one of the same rifles.

I picked it up used, and in the condition it was in I literally only bought it for the action. It looked as if it was drug to and from the woods on a rope.

Before I did anything with it however, I kept in my mind how well the several of them my friend and his family own have shot over the years they have used them.

I took to cleaning it one Saturday morning and around dark Sunday evening, I finally got a clean patch to come out of it. I keep a cheap Weaver scope in the safe to simply check a rifle with every now and again. It has always been repeatable and does fine for this use. I mounted it and the wife and I headed to the range on Monday evening, stopping on the way and picking up the cheapest box of 100gr ammo I could find.

I bore sighted it at the range on a 25yd target, then moved to 100 and fired a shot. Then I fired 4 more shots, which turned in this group,


I have since shot similar groups with it and worked up similar shooting loads for it using the old 100gr Nosler Solid Base and the 100gr Remington CL's.

The stock was replaced with one that was in almost new condition, and it now has a new scope on it. I did nothing what so ever with the new stock, other than drop in the action and tighten up the screws. After which I ran some rounds through it to zero the scope, and check it out. I found that after 3 rounds it would start to open a group and with a subtle touch of sand paper on the forend, that went away.

I presented it to my oldest grandson a year or three back who proceeded to fall right in love with it. He took his first critter with it the first weekend we had it out together,


I highly suggest the regiment of cleaning above. I cannot say that it will guarantee yours will group, but with the half dozen or so I have been around in the past 15yrs, that does seem to be the key. My friend and his family sight in around Labor day, then hunt through the season with out cleaning. They MIGHT shoot a box of shells depending on how many hogs they run across but usually only fire half or less. When the season is over they clean them once again, or if the accuracy starts to fade.

With the one we have, it takes just over a box and a half of rounds to start to open up groups, however once it starts, it goes from 1" to 3" in short order. We shoot a half dozen or so rounds before the season opens, then clean it, and fire three rounds through simply to foul the barrel. Once there we don't mess with it and when we do it hits right where you settle the cross hair.

Good luck with yours, and I hope the suggestions here get it where it should be. One last thing is to check the crown if nothing else has worked. Might have the slightest amount of rough spot but it might be causing flyers.