Could anyone tell mw who makes rings to fit this gun? It has the sako dovetails on top. I tried the leupold sako mounts but they made the scope sit off center. Thanks!

Sako make their own rings, although I think they are horribly overpriced and mechanically overcomplicated.

I understand your problem with the off center because the dovetail on the one side of the Loopy mount is fixed. Also the vixen action is the smallest and narrowest of the three A-Series actions.

Is there no way you can set it up right? Because then you will have to get the Sako rings.

Pete

I have a set here that I think will fit. They are off of my L579 which I believe has the same dovetail.I can email you a picture if you like.

Weaver make bases that slip on to the dovetail. You can then use any Weaver type ring.
Has the added advantage of moving the rear ring forward allowing more flexibility in mounting.
Not that pretty but works very well, even on really big calibres.

HEY'
I use Talley rings and bases.Good stuff.307-436-8724
1geejay
www.shooting-hunting.com

larry b---

Sako dovetails are tapered, which is very possibly the dumbest thing ever done for scope mounts by a major manufacturer. It means there is only one place where the rings are in line with the bore. It's VERY hard to find that place and keep the rings exactly there.

In my opinion the very best mounts are the old Bueller slip on mounts that then take Bueller rings. Redfield also made the same mount but were heavier.

Sako's own Optiloks are excellent and fit like they have been engineered by a watchmaker. I too dislike Sakos older mounts.

JBelk,

Can you explain what you mean by there only being one place where the mounts are parallel to the bore? I can understand that on the old Sako mounts with the "windage" screws on both sides, but not on the new Optiloks which have a matching fixed taper with the screw only acting as a lock..

Regards,

Pete

Setting up those Leupold rings is and easy operation with a collimator. SImmply move the scope back and forth along the d'tail until it comes in and then anchor it. The only problem I have found is if the scope is too short and then it wil not position correctly. I have never seen a set of these or Sako rings fail.

The set that I have to sell are the older Sakos with the spring loaded windage screws to get them centered with the bore.They were beadblasted and matte blued before it was realized that they are too low to put a 2.5-8 Leo on my L579.I have the Weaver setup with Burris Zee rings on my AII Sako Varmint.I modified the bases by milling off the material that extends over the reciever on both ends and milling new cross-slots to position the rings on the center of the reciever ring and the rear bridge.Looks quite OK actually. IF you HAVE to use Weaver bases on a Sako,this is the way to go.Question...do the Sako OptiLocks require a separate base,or do they fit the dovetails? I have to get something set up on my newly rebarrelled L579 in 7-08 Ackley.

[ 01-10-2003, 20:19: Message edited by: rembo ]

Don't give up yet on your Leupolds. I have two sets of them on Vixens, and if you have the latitude with your scope tube and eye relief to move them to the proper location (midway or just forward of midway on both the front and rear dovetails), they will do just fine. I also have a set of Leupolds on a .375 H & H, and although they are lightweight and look a bit delicate, they hold up well.

The Redfield (Burris) is also a good mount (use low or superlow rings for most applications.)

The Weaver is a clunky abomination that has no place on a Sako.

Millett makes a little base adapter which allows their regular Angle Loc ring (with a longer claw) to mount on a Sako dovetail. I have three sets of these and they work well.

The original Sako ringmount which Rembo is offering will do fine also. They are just a bit heavy, but strong and clean. I have one of these on a .222 Vixen and am completely happy with it.

Warne offers, or offered, its vertically split rings for Sako. The problem with them is that on guns of significant recoil, the dovetails wedge them apart and destroy them. This would not be a problem on your little Vixen, where the neat and lightweight Warne ring would probably last forever. There are some for sale right now on eBay.

But retry your Leupolds. You can slightly change the direction that the scope points by moving the rings fore and aft. And make sure you have the screw heads on the proper side (and the same side).

rembo,

The Optilocks are available in a couple of different formats, but the commonaly available ones are sold as one piece units which mount directly to the dovetail of the rifle. See:

http://www.sako.fi/_mounts.html

They are not true one piece units like the Ruger ring mounts but the base is essentially an intgral part of the mount. I would ignore the maximum scope objective quoted as that does not allow for differing eye relief nor all the different barrel contours. The Sako mounts, especialy for 30mm tubes, typlically seem higher than an American mount ie a set of medium height sakos are probably nearer in height to a set of "high" Leupolds.

With regards Warne mounts for Sako, I had exactly the problem Stonecreek speaks of, that was on "just" a .308. The rings came loose after three or four rounds. It was after those problems I went to the Optilocks and never looked back.

regards,

Pete

[ 01-11-2003, 00:26: Message edited by: Pete E ]

JBelk:

quote:

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Sako dovetails are tapered, which is very possibly the dumbest thing ever done for scope mounts by a major manufacturer. It means there is only one place where the rings are in line with the bore. It's VERY hard to find that place and keep the rings exactly there.

---

What ?

The purpose of the tapered dovetail to more positively lock the mounts to the receiver. A much more effective manner than the puny 6-40 screws of a Remchestavage.

Please explain how a front to rear "tapered" dovetail mandates there is

quote:

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"only one place where the rings are in line with the bore"

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Keep in mind the angle of the taper is identical side to side and the apex (of a triangle whose sides are the tapered sections of the dovetail and the base of the triangle is perpendicular to the bore) is .......... ALWAYS......... on the centreline of the bore.

[ 01-11-2003, 06:43: Message edited by: Sysephus ]

Sysephus : I like Sako's, but the tapered dovetail ring mounting system is a bad design.

Under recoil the tapered dovetail acts as a wedge which trys to split the rings apart. I have read several accounts of Warne Rings splitting, and the machine screw holding the keeper on the Leupold Ring severing, when used with calibers having significant recoil.

With Leupold Rings, which have a fixed rail and adjustable keeeper, there is only one place along the tapered dovetail where the ring will be centered over the barrel. And it is tough to find that exact position.

On rings that have two keepers adjustable for lateral position, like the Millet Rings, you are right. You could position the ring over the center of the barrel any place along the tapered dovetail rail. The problem is figuring out how much to tighten each keeper to find that center. A local gunsmith advised me to get Millet Rings for my Sakos, only if I wanted to bend my scope. He had seen many scopes ruined with the Millet Rings on Sako rails.

In my opinion, the new Sako Optilock Rings are the best solution to the tapered dovetail mounting problems. But they are heavy, and expensive, and high. On my rifles, a low Optilock is very nearly the same height as a high Leupold Ring.

I wish Sako would eliminate the tapered dovetail, and replace it with a straight dovetail with a built in recoil arrestment slot, like Brno uses. I believe that the Brno system is the best compromise for robustness and mounting flexibility.

rollinghills:

quote:

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I have read several accounts of Warne Rings splitting

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And I know for a fact that the recent manufacture of Warne rings is done via powdercasting and painted finish. How you can expect that type of material to stand up is beyond me.

The "early" Warne rings were machined from steel stock, were blued and had integral"recoil lugs" at the rear of the rings. Keep in mind, with ANY taper style of mount, unless they are TIGHT, they will shift under recoil. The rings will tighten , AS DESIGNED and NOT be split.. Of course mount a "heavyweight" scope, in rings not properly cinched up and you are gonna have problems.

That Leupold (and others) are not up to the task is not something to condemn Sako for.... rather it's the firms who are supplying a "product (the rings)..... which is inadequate due to poor designed or materials used.

Finally, hunts costing thousands, a $6-900 rifle.... ditto for a `scope and yet "they" complain about the cost of rings ?

Wanna wager that "they're" probably the same people who reccomend buying a Leupold scope (because it has a proven track record) instead of a wallyworld one.

Pennywise, pound foolish.... sounds like.... to me.

My 2�

Stonecreek wrote:

quote:

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Don't give up yet on your Leupolds. I have two sets of them on Vixens, and if you have the latitude with your scope tube and eye relief to move them to the proper location (midway or just forward of midway on both the front and rear dovetails), they will do just fine.

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I have a set of Leupold Sako rings, and I have to move the rear one as much forward as I can just to get it to grip the dovetail. Can it be a manufacturing error or what?

Regards

[/QUOTE]I have a set of Leupold Sako rings, and I have to move the rear one as much forward as I can just to get it to grip the dovetail. Can it be a manufacturing error or what?

Regards[/QB][/QUOTE]

Yes, possibly. I have had Redfield bases that had to be slightly widened with a triangular file in order to slip far enough forward on the Sako reciever. In other words, they were too narrow as they came from the factory, while another set might come to rest at just the proper place on the same gun.

In regard to another poster's comments on the Milletts, yes, an inartful application of the Millet Angle Loc, with which both rings allow significant side-to-side adjustment, could very well damage a scope. That's why, as with any mount, someone who knows what he's doing should mount the scope. If your gunsmith is bending scopes with Milletts, then you should assuredly get another gunsmith. Also, the Millett can ONLY go in one position on the Sako dovetail, making forward or aft movement unavailable. Therefore, always center the Milletts BEFORE attempting to clamp the scope down in the rings to (1) assure alignment with the bore, and (2) make sure both rings are pointing the same direction.

I get all "bent out of shape" (pardon the pun) when I see scopes advertised as "just like new except for the normal ring marks". NO MOUNTING SYSTEM SHOULD RESULT IN RING MARKS IF PROPERLY INSTALLED.