I am looking for an older Sako action, and had in mind the L579 ("Forester"), but now I have found a M591 (the first model named "Hunter") in 7mm08 which is an interesting caliber and very rare in the L579.

Would you say that the quality is equal in these two actions when it comes to quality and workmanship? Any known problems with the M591 compared to the L579?

Regards,
Martin

Marterius

The 591 is a a bit bulky compared to the older 579. The bolt is a bit thicker and the action have more mass.

The recoil lug on the 591 is a separate piece of aluminium. It makes the action a bit difficult to bed.

It�s a matter of taste more or less witch action you use, both could be turned in to tackdrivers.

If your aim is for a light and slim hunting rifle I would go for the older 579 with the slimmer bolt and action.

I have built rifles around both of these actions and both will make a good rifle as said above.

Good luck!

Stefan.

The older actions were actually scaled proportionally for the cartridges they were designed for in all dimensions. The 591 has all the same dimensions as the longer 691, only cut down a bit shorter. Hope that makes sense!
If I had a choice I'd go for a 579 myself.

I own a left hand 591, and it is a bit bulky, and it does have that dinky aluminium recoil lug. I'd rather have a 579 if I could find one in LH. They were the end of the classic Sakos.

Marterius
I inherited an early '60s Sako Forrester in .243. It's very well finished, smooth feeding and well ballanced for me (6'1" 195 lbs). It was not that accurate . with the help of some forum members and a local gunsmith it now shoots very well ( after epoxy bedding and a recut chamber). The original chamber and throat were very much undersized. To make a long story short ,an L579 is an outstanding basis for a classic short action sporting rifle. The 591's I've seen (exactly 2) were not of the same quality.
Get a Forrester, rebarrel to 7-08 and have a great deer sized game rifle. I believe that the L579 was never produced in 7-08 but I could be mistaken.
good hunting
Covey16

Thank you very much everyone! You all confirm what I suspected; not everything is better because it is a more modern construction.

Stefan: That signature line of yours sums it all up very nicely.

Covey 16: As far as I can see from the old Sako manuals (available at http://www.sako.fi) the 579 was chambered in 7mm08 but I have not seen anyone around. But it is a rather unusual caliber in any rifle here in Scandinavia.

Regards,
Martin

Marterious, I would definitely go with the L579 because of the differences mentioned above - it's a much more desirable action.



I didn't know that Sako chambered the L579 in 7-08, though it's possible. The 7-08 became a factory round about 1980, which is approximately the same time Sako was completing the transition from the L series actions to the A series action. I know for a fact that the AII action was chambered in 7-08, but not the L-579. If you find one I would hang on to it becuase it may prove to be rare.



Though you won't go wrong if you buy the 591, I would look for one in AII - sorry you can't have mine. Lou

Congrats on your new toy - this is where the reloading equipment is going to come in handy!
- mike

Marterius

Congratulations

I guess you will soon get a 9,3 too

Have you orderd reloading dies for it? Vapex has fairly good price on redding dies.

I know Lapua used to make brass in 7-08, I guess that's history now.

Cheers
/ JOHAN

Martin, if you can, get the 7mm-08 brass. Not only is it properly headstamped, but you avoid having to deal with necks getting thicker through a neck-down operation.

Are you really sure you can get Federal brass (or were you talking about loaded ammo?)?? I ask because, apparently, Federal has stopped offering reloading components in the States. Winchester brass is good quality, though, so if you can get some of that, get a nice stash for the years to come...

What are you intending to use the rifle for? Roe, moose, pigs, reds, fallow (anything else to hunt in Sweden? )?? What kind of bullets are you intending to try out. The 7mm-08 shines with 140 grs bullets, but one can certainly go up to 150 grs without getting too much in conflict with the short case. Normally, 7mm-08s are pretty short in the throat - at least compared to European rounds. So unless your Sako is totally different, you probably won't be able to load out bullets very far. Never mind, shorter (lighter) bullets will do the job, if you choose a good bullet construction.

Have fun - mike

Hello Mike
This is intended as a roe-deer gun first of all, but with enough energy to handle a fallow deer or a year-old pig should they cross my path in the right moment. Let's call it a general purpose stalking gun! I would love to hunt wild reindeer in Norway or red deer in Scotland with it...
For moose I have my 30-06 for the time being... (it will be replaced by a 9.3x62 but not until next year).

Of course I should like ot have proper cases, not at least for the headstampes since many of my friends have .308. I did not know that Federal have stopped selling reloading components in the US, the catalogue i looked at might have been a bit old. I will have to check tomorrow and try to buy what's left (if there is any).

As to bullets, there are 140 and 150 grains Nosler Partition. There is also the 140 grains Ballistic Tip that sounds promising for roe dear, but not the all round bullet I hope to find. I will try to load 156 grains Norma Oryx, but I fear they will be a little bit on the heavy side. Well, I will have to post a question in the reloading-room about this! I have almost always been hunting with Norma and Lapua bullets so far, so I am rather ignorant when it comes to selection of bullets.

Regards,
Martin

The 7mm-08 will certainly do for what you intend to use it for - and more! It will be just about perfect for that Scottish hunt we all dream about .

For the Scottish hunt, the 140grs Partitions would be about ideal. The 7mm-08 runs pretty fast with 140 grs bullets, so that is a perfect load for open terrain on mid-size animals.

For roe and smaller pigs, I think I'd try out the Norma Oryx. Even though that bullet may be a bit long for the 7mm-08 case, you would benefit from the somewhat lower velocity for roe - a 200 m shot is a looong shot on a roe, and that leaves you well within the envelope of what you should be able to do even with the Oryx. For smaller pigs, the Oryx would also work well - larger expansion than the NP, something that you would also benefit from on fallow.

The Nosler Ballistic Tip is great for accuracy, and it would probably work well on roe, but I'd prefer the Oryx - if you can get that to shoot. Ballistics Tips also have a nasty habit of falling apart when you least want them to.

I'd try out the Norma and the NP, and see how you go.

- mike

P.S. Here is an interesting read about load development. I think this sounds good because it maps out a structured approach to load development - as opposed to just trying some combination (which I'm otherwise prone to ).
Dan Newberry's OCW load development method

There are also quite a few posts about OCW on the Reloading forum.

For load suggestions, there are a ton of good sites available. Here are some 7mm-08 load suggestions from AR:
AR - 7mm-08

The new VV manual also has some 7mm-08 data, in particular some heavier bullets are also listed. As a good Scandinavian, I suppose you might be using VV powders?
VV Manual - in pdf format

And finally, 7mm-08 loads from reloadersnest.com:
reloadersnest.com - 7mm-08 loads
- mike

Mike,
Thank you very much indeed!

Regards,
Martin

Martin

Nosler has a 140 grain accubond in 7mm. A real treat for your little rifle. Sad but true, Lapua is not makeing 708 brass anymore. I guess you could neck up 243, but then there will be a wedge on the neck since the 7-08 has a bit longer neck..

/ JOHAN

Johan,

I only found 160 grains Accubound in .284 at Nosler's homepage!? But that homepage seems not very complete, I am sorry to say.

I think it will be better necking down 308 brass than necking up .243. Anyway, I have found that Sako makes brass in 7-08! I just talked to the Swedish retailer and he told med that the brass will be available in Sweden within a month.

Regards,
Martin

I fear that regardless of whether it is the 160 or 140 grs AccuBond, it will be a while before the new bullets are generally available in Europe - if ever! Sadly, but that is the case here in Switzerland. Don't know if Sweden is any better in this respect?? Pity, either the AccuBond or Hornady Interbond (assuming sensible bullet weight) would be interesting candidates for the 7mm-08. But,,, until such time, work with what you can be sure to be able to get for an extended period of time, or buy a stash to be able to survive a shortage in supply...

That goes for the Sako brass as well. It will probably be expensive as &^%$#@!, but expensive is a lot better than not available! So buy as much as you can possibly afford of the 7mm-08 brass when it finally appears (I'm assuming you want to keep the rifle, naturally ). At least that way, you have supplies in store, if the importer or Sako should decide to discontinue that line of brass.

And the next time you go to the States, shop up on 2-300 Winchester cases :-)

- mike

Marterius

Checked today. 140 grains accubond will be here during spring sometime

Cheers
/ JOHAN

Marterius,
I sent you a pvt. e mail a day or so ago.

Mike: I think I can get most high-end American bullets here in Sweden, but if unlucky it will take some time to have them delivered. That goes for Whinchester brass as well. I can get them in either three days or three months depending on the shipments and what's in stock in Sweden.
By the way, I presume that you mean Hornady Interlock and not Interbond? Or are these two different bullets?

Johan: Interesting news! But I don't know much about this bullet, as compared with for instance Oryx.

Harry: I am very sorry! I am too lazy to check my hotmail often enough, very bad form, will do that at once!

Regards,
Martin

Congrats on the 7-08. They're really desirable here in the states - pretty tuff finding one these days. I sold two of mine recently: one was a Battue, and the other a Hunter with a laminated stock. Both were new in the box, and both went for $1300 USD. I didn't want to sell them, but for that price I couldn't afford not to. Lou

The interbond and interlock are two different bullets, both made by Hornady. Lou

I have noticed that older Sako rifles in good condition are almost as expensive as a mint second hand Sako 75 in USA. Here in Sweden, almost everyone seems to think that the newer stuff is better, and a second hand 75 cost twice as much as an old Finnbear. I don't complain as I prefer the old ones !

Seems I didn't do my homework on Hornady bullets! I have to take a second look at that... Thanks!

Regards,
Martin