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Tapered dovetails of course. I didn't care for the Leupolds with the 2-screw caps (look cheap) or the original type, too bulky. Not really keen on Optilok's. Thanks. CB Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | ||
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I have several of the small Sakos and I can not think of a better set up than the optilocks. I know you said that you weren't enamored with the looks of them, But... Those tapered bases can be a bit quirky with ring alignment, almost assuredly requiring the lapping of the rings to prevent damaging the scope tube. And once they are lapped, don't alter the spacing, or they are out of alignment again. The beauty of the optilocks are the plastic ring inserts. Makes it virtually impossible to leave a mark on the tube. Life's too short to hunt with ugly guns | |||
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The Fins were on some seriously good drugs when they thought of the tapered dovetail idea, unfortunately. Had they just gone with the Tikka (made by Sako) parallel dovetails then you would have an excellent action. As OSA points out, rings with one clamp ie Leupold, as you move the rings either fore or aft you are moving them off the centre line (where ever that is). Ring alignment is critical. Best solution is to buy a ring/base combo that substitutes the tapered dovetails. There are a few choices but they are butt ugly. Back to original question, are there any good looking rings for Sako? Not to my knowledge. I think Talley make some that are not bad. Leupold make STD rotary dovetail with windage adjust ring/bases that are pretty good. | |||
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EAW! | |||
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The "older" Redfield bases(with D opening at the forward position, and NO anchoring screw) are good/clean. Many ring options fit them.....I like the Leupold STD, WITHOUT the "L" brand on top. Fit the bases, and lap the rings On my finer L461 rifles I like Conetrol mounts and rings. Fit the bases(don't use the anchoring screw), and slightly polish/deburr & "bump-flex" the ring halves for ease of installation. Hope this helps. Kevin | |||
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https://craigwhitseygunmakers..../arundel_sights.html  Or Sako Ringmounts. The polymer inserts protects your scope Finnish.  | |||
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Some work, but for a nice custom touch, I re machine the action to accept Talley rings. | |||
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Well DW, my talents on the stock rework of this one may not warrant the extra cost. It is just going to end up as a glossy factory stock. But, thanks for the mention as I wondered if and who has done that dovetail conversion. Also, someone asked why in the who hah Sako made them that way and I think the tapered design was to allow one to re-position the front ring fore or aft of center to adjust the scope centerline if needed. Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | |||
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Sako made them that way in order that the recoil forces of the gun will wedge them tighter rather than tend to shake them loose. I'm too modest to say how many Sakos I've owned (including the Marlin-Sako I bought from you a few years ago, Custombolt -- it's now a custom .300 Blackout, so thanks again!) But I've never had any difficulty with any mount made for them. Even the incredibly marginal and ugly Weaver/Rube Goldberg mounts will work if your gag reflex can be controlled. The lightest and cleanest is the Leupold ringmount. Never had a problem with the theoretical misalignment due to the dovetail tapers, a hobgoblin which exists in people's minds and not in reality. Most people say the Leupolds look fragile, so I limit their use to lower-recoiling calibers. A .375 H&H is the largest I currently have a set of them on. The original Sako factory ringmounts from the 1960's through the 1980's are excellent. They are a bit heavier than I like, but work perfectly. If more eye relief is needed then the indexing tab on the rear ring can be ground off since its only purpose is to assure remounting the scope in the same place if it is unmounted for transport or some other reason. It has nothing at all to do with the integrity of the mount. The only mounts I refuse to use are the two-piece Sako Optilock mounts. They are way too high, both in price and in how excessively tall they are, as well as weighing about as much as a medium-sized boat anchor. But as far as holding a scope securely and properly aligned, they work as well as others. | |||
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The old Sako mounts certainly look a bit agricultural. I guess you could lighten them a bit and improve their looks by rounding them off outside like we used to do with Mauser triggerguards  Optilock bases are a bit bulky, too, but may give the simplest windage adjustment known to man, if your scope is long enough to move the front base back or forward along the dovetail. | |||
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I love the L series sakos and my go to rifle is the L46 clip fed Sako in 222 Rem..I have owned a lot of Sako and as for as a good strong set of rings the old Sako rings are as good as one can get, I don't know where this negativity is coming from, it just not right... As to looks and with resale not in mind Id grind and modify the dovetails to take TAlley rings or the old color cased Redfields, I have a set of those Redfields on my custom L-461 6x45 and they are neat and clean..You can also shave the tapered dove tail to accept Talley rings. It wouldn't be a problem to slinderize the original Sako rings btw, and even replace the screw attachment with levers for that matter. The poster who recommended Con-Trol is a great idea. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Talley makes a set of bases for the L series rifles which accept their standard rings and I think its the best looking setup on a Sako rifle and I have a half dozen or so. The Talley bases are tapered and drive on with a mallet. They also have a set screw on the top to prevent movement but I've never had a Sako base slip and I've shot them on a bunch of rifles over the years. | |||
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I've never warmed to the idea of using the Talley dove-tailed bases(or Weaver slide-on bases for that matter)on Sako tapered action dove-tails. Stacking dove-tailed bases on top of action dove-tails seems counter-productive....and over-doing things. But......that's just me.... I will say I've seen some custom bases that looked nice.......but, also think a better solution could have been achieved. Heck.....if I recall correctly, Conetrol would provide semi-finished "gunsmith" bases, on request. Don't know their current business situation. Again.....just my thoughts. Kevin | |||
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 I think the Talley bases are very minimalist and like how the rings seem to blend well with the Scandinavian asthetic of the rifle. Plus with the Talley setup you can use a QD ring if you wanted to swap scopes or revert to irons. Sako makes dovetailed ring bases and ringmounts for these rifles. Redfield/Leupold make drive on tapered bases for any STD style mount. The above pic is on a L61R with a 3-12X50mm S&B and the rings are low height screw lock QD rings. As you can see the low rings give plenty of clearance without putting the 50mm objective too close to the barrel. I have used these mounts on over a half dozen Sako rifles over the years including a L46 and have thousands of rounds with those guns and have had zero problems. The mounts self tighten under recoil but I've always had to tap them off when I was doing maintenance or changing something. They don't mar the rifle either. | |||
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Do not like Talley vertical split rings at all. Had two fail, one was a 340 Weatherby that sheared off. The other was a lightweight 300 Win that cracked. Never had a problem with their lightweight mounts. | |||
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I like the clean look of those Tally bases. But, not a fan of split rings. Looking forward to more suggestions. S&K Skulptured (no cap screws) and Sako Ringmounts are both nice sets. Thanks. Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | |||
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You ARE WELCOME. .300 Blackout sounds like a fun caliber. Did you have it bored or re-barreled? Now, that I'm getting more familiar with Sako tapered scope mounts, our thoughts are pretty much identical. I'm not sure about the Goldberg comment. I found some early Redfield mounts with the atypical windage screws on the aft mount. They need all new screws and most likely a re-black/re-blue. So, I'm holding out to see if some show up in as new condition and of course new posts may add some food for thought as well. Cheers. Good to hear from you.
Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | |||
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EAW from Germany will also provide a nice clean look with horizontally split rings but the bases require drilling on a SAKO. They are also about $350 a set. You can get them in a traditional mount or QD swing mount from New England Custom Gun here in the states but last time I asked they were not routinely stocked and had to be ordered from Germany. When I was stationed in Germany I lived near Wurzburg where the Ernst Apple factory actually sits and visited them and bought rings direct from them. First quality but not cheap and they have a kinda industrial aesthetic. People often forget this but the real advantage of the vertically split ring is you will not bust your knuckles while rapidly working a bolt like you can with the traditional horizontally split rings--which is especially useful when you are dealing with 30mm or larger scope tubes. | |||
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Here's a pic of a 17-222 PD rifle I put together long ago. It uses the "old" version Redfield bases with Leupold STD rings. Kevin  | |||
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I also like the L series Sakos. They're not inexpensive or simple to install, and for some reason they are a bit controversial, but I don't think anything looks as good as the Conetrol rings. | |||
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Looking to buy a 'old style Redfield' set with the short action bases & bottom screw rings. Please see my ad in Classifieds. Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | |||
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What happened to the picture that Kevin Gullette posted. | |||
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I'm no help here but Conetrol and S&K make the nicest rings. S&K makes bases for the round actions. | |||
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I did look at both the Conetrols and S&K's. I have a pair of S&K's on My M12 Mauser. The Conetrols have a cap on top that I'm not fond of and the S&K price has got out of hand. I prefer the more clean look of the old style Redfields and the under screw caps leave a nice clean top. Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | |||
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Sold a pair of the redfields in 2009. They were very clean looking . Good Luck | |||
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Thank you for re-posting. | |||
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Here's a couple more for folks interested in Sako mounting options. I know the OP isn't a verticle split ring guy. But others might find this helpful.  L46 in .222 with Talley Standard drive on bases and 1" (non-QD) low rings holding a Leupold VX3 4.5-14X40  My AV Fiberclass in .270 Win with Talley standard drive on bases, Low Standard 30mm rings and a Leica 2.5-10X42 illuminated #4 reticle. This is one of my favorite rifles but the bedding was off so badly from the factory (it would be more correct to say there was NO bedding lol) it was unusable. I had it pillar bedded and it's the hammer of Thor now! Last one....M85 Carbine in .260 Remington with Talley drive on bases and low 1" Screwlock QD rings holding a Leupold VX3i in 2.5-8X36 I sold this gun here on AR last year. But I have its brother in a Hunter configuration with a similar setup.  | |||
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Nice group. Looks like someone filled the pores on that L46 stock. The factory finish was a bit lacking on mine anyway. Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | |||
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I chose an early set of Redfield's. I like the rounded edges on the bases and the under-screws on the rings. Thanks to all posters! Much appreciated. CB Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | |||
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I like the talleys and never had a problem with them, even used them on double rifles..Surly you wont have a problem with them on a L-46 in 222,22 Hornet and 218 Bee..I have never had a problem with dovetailed rings andbases as a matter of fact,so far as Im concerned I just look for cosmetics as I demand sleek slim low rings and bases for such guns as I hunt with.. My L-461 has the round top action, as I wanted it for that reason, it has an old steel set of color case hardened redfields in Redfield, Last time I posted this gun bases, I got more comments on the scope set up than the gun itself  ..My present came with what looks like ols Refield 4 screw rings, and the two lock screw on each ring appear to be Weaver or weaver types, and they are dovetail bases..They don't appear to be custom, but I have no idea what they are, but they sure do work, that gun has never changed POI in about 5 years I guess. They are compact.. Talley less expensive rings work well, and I think one could add the levers if one was so inclined. Custombolt Id love to see a picture of your Redfield set up to my email or on AR.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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No problem Ray. Pictures might be a while though, maybe a month. Barrel is out for a cleanup and rust blue. Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | |||
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On a custom sako for myself, Id be inclined to cut the dovetails to fit Talleys or surface grind the ation and drill and tap it for the old color cased Redfields, such as on my L-461 round top. Looks cool with my 2.5 or 6X Leupold Alaskans or 2x7x28 Leupold.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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I have a sets of gloss 1" Conetrol rings here if anyone has trouble finding them. | |||
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This is my experience exactly. Using the same mounts currently and really like the looks for a factory mount. Zeke | |||
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Some of you are close with the Redfields, they are not "drive on," rather tap-on, and do not use the set screw, not needed. Take a look at Buehler. Stephen | |||
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Since no one has shown a Conetrol set-up.....I'll add another 2 cents to the discussion. Sorry for the lousy quality....but it's an old printer scan of a 35mm photo. A new pic hosting site for me.....so hopefully the link will work. edit: Nope.....I'll work on it and report back. edit2: Oops....wrong browser...ok now. Kevin  | |||
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For Atkinson.. Sneak peak of a pair of old Redfield's on my L-461. Same action with bottom metal, no clip.  Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | |||
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I have a set of those, and a set of Controls thought both were for Brnos mod 21 or 22, I have a lot of loose stuff that Im not sure what it fits..Thanks for the heads up, these are now marked Sako..  Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Custombolt..... Be careful tightening the windage screws(on the "old" Redfield Sako bases).....as their radius-of-curvature does not match[it's smaller] the radius cut, in the bottom of the lower ring half. If too tight, they will slightly deform the ring "cuts" and flare the windage screw edge........and subsequent windage adjustments will show some unanticipated vertical. Since they're not intended to handle much recoil....."50 cent piece" tight is all that's needed anyway. BTW......use a steel bar to mount the rings(especially the rear one).....because without it the rear ring will try to rotate counter-clockwise, as the windage screws are snugged up. Hope this helps. Here's another pic showing the old Redfield bases with Leupold STD(they don't seem to gall the top of the front base, like Redfields do) rings......on an old "custom" 17Rem. I re-finished long ago. Kevin  | |||
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Thanks Kevin, I read that same warning somewhere about the windage screws. It's good to know the details. I also learned that those Redfield bases came in several styles. I'll post the different types I have soon on a new thread here in gunsmithing. Life itself is a gift. Live it up if you can. | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Gunsmithing Best looking ring set for Sako L46????
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