SAKO

This article is about the SAKO firearms manufacturer. For the Polish 1950s programming language, see SAKO programming language or Non-English-based programming languages.

File:Sako.jpg

SAKO, Limited (Suojeluskuntain Ase- ja Konepaja Oy, Civil Guard Gun- and Machiningworks Ltd) is a Finnish firearm manufacturer located in Riihimäki.

It was formed on 1 June 1927 from the previous Civil Guard Supreme Staff Gun Works and moved from Helsinki to Riihimäki. In 1987 state owned Valmet and SAKO fused into a SAKO-VALMET company with Nokia and Valmet as 50/50 stockholders and later, 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 (former Valmet factory in Tourula, which was later closed). The company is now owned by Beretta Holdings.

Sako rifles are known for their quality and accuracy, although this quality comes at a quite high price. Sako also manufacture the Tikka brand also known for their high quality attributes. Tikka is usually advertised as a cheaper alternative that still offers a high quality to cost ratio.

Post-WW2 Production

The first civilian rifle bearing the Sako name was the L42 (Lukko [rifle] model 1942) which was prototyped in 1942. However, commercial production didn't start until after WW2, with the L46 rifle chambered for the 7x33 Sako cartridge. Sako developed the 7x33 Sako cartridge based on the 9x19 pistol cartridge, by making a longer case and "necking" the case down to 7mm calibre (7.21mm bullet diameter). This cartridge was designed for capercaille and black grouse hunting, a very popular sport in Finland, Sweden and Norway, and is an excellent cartridge for that purpose. The L46 was later denoted L461 "Vixen". The L461 has been very popular in Finland and Sweden, especially chambered for the .222 Rem 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, 6.5x55 and similar.

For a short while, Sako produced a lever-action gun, the Sako Finnwolf, in .243 Win and .308 Win

Sako has also produced a number of rimfire rifles, among those are the P72 Finnscout, the M78 and the Finnfire. The M78 was also chambered for the .22 Hornet and the .22 WMR in addition to the .22 LR

A modified, larger diameter, version of the short (Vixen) 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.

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 (491/591/691) are not as highly regarded as the L461/L579/L61R and according to folklore, the quality of the workmanship is slightly inferior for the 491/591/691. 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 (591) and long action (691)

Before the 75, Sako hunting rifles (except the L46) did not have detachable magazines, but a hinged floorplate with the lock placed on the front of the trigger guard.

Current Production

At the moment Sako produces a number of different variants of the centerfire rifles Sako 75 and Sako 85. These are meant for hunting and are offered in a large number of different calibres ranging from 22-250 Rem to .416 Rem Mag, the available calibres varying with the variants.

Also in production is the Sako Quad, a rimfire rifle with interchangeable barrels of four different calbres, these being the .17HM2, the .17HMR, the .22 Long Rifle and the .22 WMR.

The Sako TRG is the final firearm in production at the moment, this being a long-range sniper rifle geared at law-enforcement or military use.

Sako model history

Introduced	Model	Chambered for	Comments
1942	L42	7x33 Sako
1946	L46	5.6x35R, .22 Hornet, .218 Bee, .222 Rem, .222 Rem Mag, .25-20 Win, 7x33 Sako, .32-20 Win	Detachable magazine
195?	Sako 98 (FN M98 action, Sako stock and barrel)	.270Win, .30-06, .300H&H, 8x60, 9.3x62, .375H&H, ?
1957	L57	.243 Win, .244 Rem, .308 Win	Fixed magazine
1959	L579 Forester	.22-250, .243 Win, .308 Win	Fixed magazine
1961	L461 Vixen	.17 Rem, .222 Rem, .222 Rem Mag, .223 Rem?, 7x33 Sako?	Fixed magazine
1961	L61R Finnbear	.264 Win, .270 Win, 30-06	Three locking lugs: Two in front and one on the rear end of the bolt
1961	L61R Finnbear Magnum	.17mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag, .338 Win Mag, .375 H&H	Three locking lugs: Two in front and one on the rear end of the bolt
1963	VL63 Finnwolf	.243 Win, .244 Rem, .308 Win, .358 Win	Lever-action
1972 L61R Finnbear	.25-06 Rem, 6.5x55, .270 Win, 7x64, .30-06, 9,3x62	Two locking lugs in front
1972 L61R Finnbear Magnum	7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag, .338 Win Mag, .375 H&H	Two locking lugs in front
1972	P72 Finnscout	.22LR
1974?	Sako M74 Super	.222 Rem, .223 Rem, .22-250, .243 Win, .308 Win, .25-06, .270 Win, .30-06, .264 Mag, 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag, .300 H&H, .338 Win Mag, .375 H&H
1978	M78 Finnscout	.22 LR, .22 WMR, .22 Hornet
1979/80	AI/L461	.17 Rem, .222 Rem, .223 Rem	Also available as single-shot action
1979/80?	AI PPC	.22 PPC USA, 6mm PPC USA	Also available as single-shot action
1979/80	AII/L579	.22-250 Rem, .243 Win, 7mm-08, .308 Win	Also available as single-shot action
1979/80	AIII		early version of the AV, short tang
1979/80	AIV
1979/80	AV/L61R	.25-06 Rem, 6.5x55, .270 Win, 7x64, .30-06, 9,3x62	Long tang
1979/80	AV Mag/L61R Magnum	7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag, .300 Wby, .338 Win Mag, .375 H&H, .416 Rem Mag	.458 Win Mag has been produced on special order

Popular Culture References

In the System of a Down song Sugar the band makes a reference to SAKO firearms stating "I bought a gun the other day from SAKO it's cute, it's small fits right in my pocket", which is ironic given SAKO makes rifles.

Trivia

Sako is also a popular Armenian name.

External Links

• SAKO corporate website
• Finnish Bolt-action SPorting Rifles - Sako
• Modern Firearms
• Gunwriters' M95 Assault Rifle