There is a particular Rifle in a little shop near my home town that has several rifles I like. (not hard to do. I like rifles) One has my curiosity peeked. It is a Browning built by sako, It is a 308, it has open sights looks to be a 22 inch tube, and its very prety posibly custom stock has a little crack in the ususal place right behind the tang.
I belive I can get this one for 450.00 or so. If I Bought it I would shoot it as is and see if it is a accurate as I suspect it to be, and if it is, I think I would weatherize it with a tefflon coating and custom synthtick stock.
Seems to me unlikly that a hunting rifle chamberd for a realitivly mild round like the .308 would have a shot out barrel, I know it might, but seems unlikly, Any Idea when this rifle was made ? is it likly as good as I am thinking ? And is the price fair ? ...tj3006

Browning .243's, .308's, .22-250's, and a few .284's were built on Sako actions starting in the early sixties until about 1972 or so. Prior to that, the .243 and .308 were built on the FN action.

What can I say? The Sako barreled action is superb, and the original Browning stocks (provided they were not salt wood) were typically very nice. How fair the price is is all dependent on the condition of the gun. If the stock is a replacement, then that's a bad sign and indicates that the original was likely a salt-saturated model. In order to determine if the stock is a replacement, look up Browning Safari on gunbroker.com or auctionarms.com to see a photo: monte carlo, plastic butt plate, no cap on pistol grip, no forend tip, fine (about 22 LPI) checkering on PG and forearm, and sling studs. The floorplate also had a bit of gold engraving. For an original non-salt wood gun in 90% condition, $450 would be a steal.

You can check the date of manufacture by comparing the serial number to the chart on the Browning website.

My only experience is with one of these, a 22-250 with a pencil barrel, and with the Sako action that has a gas baffle that looks like a Mauser extractor.

I could not get that rifle to shoot well. More important -- because maybe with more load development work and some work on the bedding I could have gotten it to shoot well with some load -- I think that the trigger and action on this model of rifle is a POS. At least the one I worked with could accurately be described as POS.

I got my Browning (sako action) in 1965 in 243 was a pencil step down barrel and barrel was chrome lined they all had nice wood that I saw. Mine doesn't have any cracks and is orginal except for the barrel and I'm on my 5th one. I almost got a Browning 308 Norma mag on an FN action problem back then cases were hard to come by. Hard to say if the barrel is shot out might want to have it bore scoped. Well good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by LE270:
I think that the trigger and action on this model of rifle is a POS. At least the one I worked with could accurately be described as POS.

Curious. The Browning used the identical action (except for the round top non-dovetail scope mounting and a bright rather than blue bolt handle) as the contemporaneous Sakos. Sako triggers are considered among the best in the industry on a factory gun, and the actions are virtually the gold standard of push feed actions.

I have owned a few of these Browning Sakos through the years, but the only one I currently own is a .243 HB (or actually, semi-heavy barrel). It exhibits sterling accuracy (did a few 500 yard prairie dogs with it last month) and has a trigger that breaks like glass. The "pencil barrel" models are no doubt more finicky, but then that's the trade-off you would expect in return for extreme light weight.

If you'll check the various market places, a mint Browning Safari will typically go for $1000 or more.

Thomas Jones: If you deal in or even buy just a few used Rifles per decade then I highly recommend that you invest about $25.00 and buy a Wally Siebert made bore inspection tool! These incredibly simple optical devices allow you to view the barrel from (either end!) and its amazing how this simple tool creates such a wonderful image of the conditon of the leades of the rifling, the chamber, the bore and the muzzle crown of the suspect Rifle!
Typically you insert the tubular tool in the Rifles action with the lense to the rear of this tube - this will allow you to be in focus for inspection of the chamber, the leades of the rifling and a couple inches down the barrel. Then turn the tool around and reinsert it in the action with the lense further from your eye - this will allow you to inspect in full focus from about 4 inches down the barrel to 12 inches down the barrel. Then set up the suspect Rifle in a sand bag or smithing vice and inspect the barrel from the muzzle end. Again you can view the barrel in focus from the muzzle to down about 12 inches from the muzzle.
I NEVER buy a used Rifle anymore without inspecting it thoroughly with the Siebert Bore Inspection Tool!
Additionally, I have sold over the years at least 5 dozen of these fine tools. Mostly I have sold them to Gunshops, pawnshops and Gunshow cranks as well as my friends.
Since I moved away from Mr. Sieberts part of the world I have only bought one dozen of them. He sells them by the dozen only and I think Russ Haydons Shooters Supply sells them individually!
One of the Gunshow types I sold a tool to years ago said to me after I set the tool up for him to view through - "my gawd, its like looking into a brand new galvanized garbage can"!
You WILL be able to assess the condition of the barrels many critical areas with this simple tool! You are not just guessing as to the condition based on "brightness" coming down the barrel!
You WILL be able to see any roundness or wear in the leades of the Rifling and you will be able to see uncrisp rifling and you will be able to see all types of barrel damage (or lack of!) with this tool.
You simply can not make these assessments without this tool - I do not care how good your vision is!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

It exhibits sterling accuracy... and has a trigger that breaks like glass.

I don't know if the one I worked with was a bad sample, or if it was characteristic of the lot.

In any case, this one had a horrible trigger. I worked on it and fussed with it, but could not get it to be any better. If the trigger were adjusted to be light, it would not hold the setting and became unsafe. If it were adjusted to be heavier, it would be creepy and clunky. But even then, the settings seemed precarious in that they did not seem to be fixed or solid.

Maybe I've been spoiled by working on Remington 700 triggers. Those can be made to be very crisp with no creep or backlash, and this can be done relatively easily. I've succeeded in doing this with every one of those I've tried.

Eventually I gave up on the Sako-Browning, as it became clear to me that effort spent on it was wasted.

I've also worked with an FN Mauser-Browning Safari in 30-06, and that was entirely different. Its metalwork was exemplary and it was a well-made rifle. I don't particularily like that action and rifle, but that was a matter of taste, not inherent quality.

I took another look at the browning today. It does have a nice patern in the floor plate good bluing and i am prety sure the stock is origional. After looking at it today, if I do decide to buy it, and it shoots real well as a 308, I think i would just have someone build me a nice walnut stock, nothing brilliant but somthing that looks nice and is functional.
If it shot poorly, i would rebarrel to .257 roberts if it will fit, if not choice # 2 would be 6.5 X284, but if the action is too short for that, it would probably be a 7mm08 or a 260.
The same guy has a PRE 64 model 70 in .270 that has been restocked and had a few other goofy things done to it but i might buy it for 500,00. Hell I don't know I,m just a gun nut who is trying to scrape buy with a measly 13 rifles, and i have'nt bought one in a few months ! can you recomend a good 12 step program E...tj3006

Thom:

The L 579 Sako action has a magazine that is crowded for a .257, although a number of them have been built on this action. Browning itself chambered the .284 on this action (I had one once and it worked fine), so the 6.5-284 would work in theory, but if you wanted to used long-seated 140 grain bullets, you would have a problem. Anything based on the .308 case would work great. But before you throw away that original Browning stepped barrel, check out how it shoots. It would be a shame to waste it.