Help me with which calibers the old Sako L579's (pre-Garcia) were made in. I know that the Sporters were chambered in .22-250, .243, .244, and .308. But which of these were also available in the Heavy Barrel varmint model? I've seen HB's in .22-250 and .243. There are definately HB's in .308, but I'm not sure if they go back as far as the pre-Garcia days. Was .244 or any other caliber chambered in the old HB?

Of course several more calibers like the PPC's and 7-08 were or are being offered in HB, but I'm just interested in the pre-Garcias, and not in calibers built on the L461 (short) or L61R (long) action -- just the medium action calibers.

Thanks to all who contribute!

22-250, 243 and 308 were the only factory chamberings in the L579 as far as i'm aware.

Pre / post Garcia wasn't an issue in Australia as they weren't our importer . In 1979 there was a run of L579's in HB and sporter made in .220 Swift .My sporter had nothing about Bofors steel on the barrel but shot half MOA and had very nice wood .
I can't help but wonder whether the pre / post Garcia thing is overemphasised in the U.S. ?
In Australia any L46 / L461 / 579 /61 and A1 /11/111 are collectable with no premium for older rifles .

The reason that pre- vs. post-Garcia is so frequently noted is that it coincides with some changes in the rifles that were made to (1) slightly reduce production costs and (2) make them more like what Garcia perceived "American" tastes to be (heavier barrels and beefier stocks with a slightly higher comb). It may very well be that Sakos distributed elsewhere in the world maintained the more graceful "European" contours of the "pre-Garcia" Sakos.

I have both "Bofors Steel" barrels and non-Bofors in my collection and both yield similar accuracy. I have been given the impression that the Bofors were cut rifled and the non-Bofors hammer forged, but I do not know if this is consistently accurate information.

More to the point, I was wondering if anyone had ever seen a .244 Remington in a heavy barrel version, of if such was even catalaged?

Stonecreek ,
Don't believe that the .244 / 6mm was ever available here in an L579 .

My old man has a pre-garcia heavy barrel varminter in 243. I was looking at one today ( with intent to buy), but I know nothing about sako's other than they are good guns. The one I was looking at is a heavy barrel varminter in 220 swift (I think it was a 579) the tag said pre '72. How do I know for sure if it is a pre-garcia or not? You can tell by looking can't you, or do I need to know the serial number. Sorry for the ignorance.

Pre '72 will have a bolt shroud that is more or less cylindrical , flattened and checkered on only the top surface . My '79 Swift had a more complex shape that was checkered on the top and rear surface as well .

Sakos are commonly misrepresented as being "pre-1972" or "pre-Garcia" (same thing). There were no .220 Swifts chambered prior to 1972 to my knowledge, so the listing is erroneous.

A pre-1972 will either have no import stamp on the underside of the barrel just in front of the forearm, or will have "Firearms International, Wash, D.C." stamped on it. Any other import stamp (Garcia Arms Corp, Stoeger Arms, etc) will be post-1972.

Most pre-72's will have a plastic grip cap, fixed sling swivels rather than studs, and most (but not all) will have "Bofors Steel" stamped on the right side of the barrel just in front of the receiver ring.

At any rate, Sako did not begin chambering the Swift until well after 1972. Print this off and take it to the dealer. He likely is not purposfully misrepesenting the rifle, he just is misinformed.

Thanks guys I appreciate the info, good to know.

Ok here is what the gun I just bought is: L579 No. 326XXX. Left side of barrel says "MADE IN FINLAND". Top of barrel says "SAKO 220 SWIFT". Righy side of barrel say nothing. Nothing is printed under the barrel in front of the forearm. Sling studs, no plastic grip cap, yes plastic buttplate. Bolt shroud is not the cylindrical type described by bushcook. It does have the heavy barrel.

The gun store showed me in the blue book of gun values where it says "Prices are for pre-1972 Sako rifles, unless stated otherwise. Pre-1972 Sakos utilize the L-46, L-461, L-579, L-57, and L-21 R actions. Subtract approx. 25% for post-1972 models."

The above was interpreted to mean that all sakos carrying the model designations listed above are pre-72. I guess that must be wrong. That is what the gun store used as their criteria for calling this a pre-72. Sounds like it is most likely not though. A sweet little gun nonetheless. I hope it shoots.

Next project will be figuring out the twist rate.

Serial number of my Sako Swift was 324917 and was definitely produced in 1979 . I bought it new in 1980 .

Definately a post-1972 model, and 1979 to 1980 sounds about right. Many, many of the L-series guns were produced and imported after 1972 by both Garcia and Stoeger. Why some rifles are missing the import stamp is a mystery to me. You often hear that they are guns brought home from Europe by servicemen or otherwise came to the U.S. other than through the authorized importer, however I know that this is NOT the case with many pre-72's, so I can assume that it is also not the case with many post-72's.

Not only does the Blue Book not know the difference in pre-and post-72's, it also does not properly value them. While the pre- is usually more sought after by Sako afficianados, there is certainly not a 25% difference in price between the two. In fact, since most people don't really know the difference, there is barely any price differential at all!

The fact that the dealer misrepresented your gun as a pre-1972 works against you, however, if he based the price you paid on Blue Book, then that works in your favor since Blue Book is somewhat low on Sakos in general.

At any rate, congratualations on obtaining a dandy fine rifle, regardless of its vintage. A good friend of mine just got a Swift HB like yours a few months ago and made his first PD hunt with it in April. He's pleased, and for good reason.

I own a HB Sako barrel stamped .244. Serial number is 8986*. Has L579 action. Also own a Swift HB. L579 action, but it's a Garcia import.

Redmist:

Thanks for the information! These .244 HB's must be exceedingly rare. You have a P.M.

I have not owned a sako but I kind of have a hankering for one. One I saw at a gunshop awhile back had been restocked in syntehetic
had a somwhat heavy barrel chamberd for the 7X57 mauser, I do not know if it was a fctory barrel or not. I bet it shoots, If I bought that one I would probably have the barrel turned and a nice chunk of walnut cut for it.
...tj3006

I recently saw a 270 Sako Varminter at Accuflite Arms in Pittsburgh. It was a factory original gun! Call JB at Accuflite and I'm sure he can answer your question for sure. They specialize in Sako rifles and he knows his stuff. He also had the prototype rifle for the Safari model. Interestingly, it is a 458 Winchester. Both these guns were for sale if you are a Sako collector.

Sorry about my previous post. I read Varminter rather than Forrester. Chalk it up to a "senior moment".

quote:

Originally posted by LJS:
I recently saw a 270 Sako Varminter at Accuflite Arms in Pittsburgh. It was a factory original gun! Call JB at Accuflite and I'm sure he can answer your question for sure. They specialize in Sako rifles and he knows his stuff. He also had the prototype rifle for the Safari model. Interestingly, it is a 458 Winchester. Both these guns were for sale if you are a Sako collector.

In recent years Sako has made a whole range of calibers in the Heavy Barrel or varmint configuration. I'm not sure what the demand is for them in "deer" and "big game" calibers, but they are certainly out there.