SAKO, Limited is a Finnish firearm manufacturer located in Riihimäki. It is
now owned by the Italian firearms holding company Beretta Holding. Sako
rifles have become known for their accuracy and build quality.
Origins In 1919, a year after Finland declared
independence from the Russian Empire, the Suojeluskuntain Yliesikunnan Asepaja
opened in a former Helsinki brewery to repair private arms and recondition
Russian military rifles for Finnish service. The rifle repair shop became
financially independent of the civil guard in 1921. The Suojeluskuntain
Yliesikunnan Asepaja moved from Helsinki to an ammunition factory in Riihimäki on
1 June 1927 and reorganized as SAKO in the 1930s. Sako started exporting pistol
cartridges to Sweden in the 1930s and continued manufacturing submachinegun
cartridges through World War II. The firearms manufacturer Tikkakoski, which
owned the Tikka brand, was merged into SAKO in 1983. The Valtion Kivääritehdas
opened at Tourula, Jyväskylä in 1925 had become a part of Valmet in the 1950s and
in 1987, the state-owned Valmet and SAKO fused into SAKO-VALMET, with ownership
split evenly between Nokia and Valmet. After several organizational shifts in
state ownership, the SAKO name remained for the privately owned gun- and
cartridge-producing company located in the cities of Riihimäki and Jyväskylä.
The company now is owned by Beretta Holdings.
Post-World War II production The first civilian rifle bearing the
Sako name was the L42 chambered for the 7×33mm Sako cartridge, prototyped in
1942, and commercial production started after World War II. Sako developed the
7×33mm cartridge based on the 9×19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge, by making a
longer case and "necking" the case down to 7 mm calibre. This cartridge was
designed for and well suited to capercaille and black grouse hunting, a
popular sport in Finland, Sweden and Norway. The L46 was later denoted L461
"Vixen". The L461 has been very popular in Finland and Sweden, especially
chambered for the .222 Remington cartridge and has an almost-mythical
status among aficionados. In 1957, Sako launched a longer action,
the L57, subsequently renamed L579 "Forester". This is a "medium action"
intended for the .308 Winchester and similar cartridges.
In 1961, Sako introduced the L61R "Finnbear" for the long cartridges like
the .30-06, 6.5×55mm and similar. For a short while, Sako produced a
lever-action gun, the Sako Finnwolf, in .243 Winchester and .308 Winchester.
Sako has also produced a number of rimfire rifles, among those are the P72
Finnscout, the M78,the Finnfire and the Quad. The M78 was also chambered for the
.22 Hornet and the .22 WMR in addition to the .22 LR.
During the 1980s, Sako started using the AIAV designations for the three action
lengths in Europe. The complete rifles were still designated L461L61. The bolt
was given a slight cosmetic makeover, with the hammer covered by a conical
shell. This visual design was also used on the later models.
The L579 could be delivered with detachable magazine although the default
was a hinged floorplate. From 1987 to 1992 a version of the short
action was produced for the .22 PPC and 6mm PPC cartridges, when Sako introduced
these former wildcat cartridges as commercial cartridges, denoted ".22 PPC
USA" and "6mm PPC USA" to avoid confusion with the specialized bench
rest cartridges which required a "tight neck" chamber. These actions are the
same external dimensions, and have the same bolt diameter as the 222 Remington,
222 Rem. Magnum, 223 Rem. cartridge actions. Only the bolt face recess was
enlarged to suit the PPC case. In 1992, the first of the "newer" Sakos,
the 591, was introduced as a replacement for the L579. Shortly after, the 491 and
the 691 were launched. These rifles are not as highly regarded as the L461L61R
and according to folklore, the quality of the workmanship is slightly inferior
for the 491691. They featured a separate recoil lug, also found on the 75, and a
Tikka trigger assembly. However, these rifles were available in left-hand
configuration both as a medium action and long action
In 1997, Sako launched the M75, named for Sako's 75th anniversary. The 75 was
externally similar to previous Sako models, but the construction was
radically different featuring three symmetrical locking lugs and a
detachable magazine. Before the 75, Sako hunting rifles did
not have detachable magazines, but a hinged floorplate with the lock placed
on the front of the trigger guard. Sako's latest model, the M85, was
introduced in 2006. Current production
Sako 85 centerfire rifle. This is a premium hunting rifle available in many
configurations and calibers from 204 Ruger through 416 Rem Mag.
Sako Quad rimfire rifle. This rifle is available in a variety of configurations
and has interchangeable barrels in calibers .17HM2, .17HMR, .22 Long Rifle,
and .22 WMR. Sako TRG centerfire rifle. This is a
long-range sniper rifle geared toward law enforcement and military use.
Sako A7 centerfire rifle. This is Sako's mid-price-range hunting rifle, filling
the gap between their premium line of Sako 85 hunting rifles, and their value
line of Tikka T3 hunting rifles. The A7 combines different features from the
Sako 85 and the Tikka T3, along with a unique in-line detachable magazine
design, and is currently available only with a synthetic stock, in combination
with either a blued chromoly or stainless steel barrelled action.
Sako model history = Models=
Notes External links
SAKO corporate website SAKO USA division
TIKKA brand website TIKKA brand Canadian mirror
Sako A7 website Modern Firearms
Gunwriters' M95 Assault Rifle 50 Years of Sako