Sako 75 - still a good buy?

Donnachaidh

AH veteran
Joined
Mar 13, 2016
Messages
124
Reaction score
235
Location
UK
Media
5
Hunting reports
Africa
1
Europe
3
Member of
British Association of Shooting and Conservation
Hunted
England, Scotland, Namibia and Finland
I've an opportunity to buy a Sako 75; it's clean and appears to only have had light use. My one concern is that Sako stopped making the 75 nearly 20 years ago. Is a 75 still a good buy or should I go for a newer Tikka T3X (which will be a similar price)?
 
Stainless or blue?

The stainless version had a recall because the barrels exploded. You'd want to check that serial number against the Sako website.

The only reason there is a Sako 85 is because of the recall that the Sako 75's had.

I would still buy a stainless Sako once I confirmed that.
 
I have a blued one in 416 Remington, and it is among my most prized possessions
 
@Muskox Thank you for making me aware of this. It's a stainless / synthetic rifle and I've contacted the Sako importer to check whether it's subject to a recall.
 
Serial Range 417K - 462K stainless guns only.

Sako used to have it on their website, but I think it is gone.
 
Here is the original press release.


> Finnish gun manufacturer SAKO recalls faulty hunting weapons. American man
injured when Sako rifle explodes
> The Finnish hunting rifle manufacturer Sako has recalled nearly 3,000 of its
guns with a potential defect that could cause it to break apart when fired. In October,
Mark Almeida, a 45-year-old American living in University Place, Washington, suffered
injuries to his hand when his new Sako 300 Winchester Short Mag Finnlight model
rifle exploded while he was shooting at a firing range.
> "The target was 200 yards away when I pulled the trigger. The gun let
out a powerful explosive sound that I had never heard before, and it broke up in
my hands", he explains. He was rushed to hospital with four broken bones in
his hand. He was in surgery for four hours.
> After the incident, Sako ordered a recall of its series of 2,700 weapons.
> Sako CEO Henry Paasikivi says that a total of six guns are known to have malfunctioned
in the same way - one of them in Finland. In one case, a Swedish boy lost the tip
of his thumb.
> The barrels would break up lengthwise into several fragments, and in some cases,
other parts of the gun also broke. The problem was attributed to a weakness in the
stainless steel used in the manufacture. Guns of the series in question were sold
to several countries, from the United States to New Zealand, before the defect was
noticed.
> All buyers have been notified, and most of the guns have been returned to the
factory for repairs or replacement, except for a few in the United States.
>
> The faulty rifles were manufactured at the company's factory in RiihimxE4ki last
year. They include Sako and Tikka models.
> When the problems arose, Sako immediately discontinued production and deliveries
of the models, and began to recall them from retailers, and contacted individual
buyers.
> However, the company did not make any public statements at the time. "We
did not consider that necessary, because we were able to reach all owners of the
weapons in other ways" , he said.
> "We have got all of the guns back, except in the United States, and 90
percent of the weapons we sold there have been located. All consumers have been
contacted a long time ago."
> Paasikivi says that the weapons will be repaired, if necessary, and sent back
to the owners
 
Thanks, the serial number of the rifle is 461xxx, so it may well have been subject to the recall.
 
One other Sako 75 consideration is the built in "Key" actuated safety lock in the bolt. Ask the seller about it, and examine the 75 you are looking at. If it has the key lock, and, you want the rifle be sure the owner has the key. I sold my 2 Sako 75's because of the key lock. I did not like the way it worked and the negative effect it had on bolt cycle and trigger let off.

All of my primary hunting rifles are Sako 85. The 85's are superb shooters and very dependable. My Sako 85 .30-06 is pictured in my avatar. Good luck and good shooting!
 
They're very good rifles. I have a few of the stainless versions and use them quite a bit. The only negative I think one could come up with is that they're a little heavy but that's also a sign of durability.

Some pro's over the Tikka include all metal mag / bottom metal and there are five action lengths.

If it has that key lock that can be switched out by purchasing a replacement bolt shroud but it might be a little hard to find.
 
If there is a suspicion that the Sako 75 may be defective, then take the Tikka T3. Of course, the Sako 75 is better, but only if it is fully functional.
 
Gday donnachaidh

Owned a fair few brands over the years &
Switched over the years to all my centrefire being sako 75 or 85 ( I like muscle memory also ) have from 223 to 500 Jeffery
My favourite is a stainless 300 rum in 75 & found another that I had the barrel upgraded to a 375rum & will be on its 3rd barrel very soon this is a pleasure to shoot & this if it wasn’t sentimental would be my favourite but it’s getting up there now

My favourite old rum just doesn’t shoot like it used to but today I only use it @ modest ranges but will not rebarrel it for my own sentimental purposes but realistically it should’ve been done many thousands of rounds ago but today when it comes out it’s only very moderate ranges

The barrels are some of the best on the market for longevity & basically on ones I’ve used only blaser gave better consistency for many more thousands of rounds ( used to wear a lot of barrels out on kangaroo wallaby goats pigs donkeys etc )

The only issues I’ve had has been one front screw on a 85 7-08 finnlight broke & the spring tension in my 500 Jeffery wasn’t of adequate strength to keep the floor plate closed under recoil

Other that that the rifles have been very reliable & one reliability is extremely important to me & im pretty darn rough on mine as they have been tools of my trade for a lot of years

Yep I like sako 75&85 , not so much the new models but ea to their own
Cheers
 
Gday donnachaidh

Owned a fair few brands over the years &
Switched over the years to all my centrefire being sako 75 or 85 ( I like muscle memory also ) have from 223 to 500 Jeffery
My favourite is a stainless 300 rum in 75 & found another that I had the barrel upgraded to a 375rum & will be on its 3rd barrel very soon this is a pleasure to shoot & this if it wasn’t sentimental would be my favourite but it’s getting up there now

My favourite old rum just doesn’t shoot like it used to but today I only use it @ modest ranges but will not rebarrel it for my own sentimental purposes but realistically it should’ve been done many thousands of rounds ago but today when it comes out it’s only very moderate ranges

The barrels are some of the best on the market for longevity & basically on ones I’ve used only blaser gave better consistency for many more thousands of rounds ( used to wear a lot of barrels out on kangaroo wallaby goats pigs donkeys etc )

The only issues I’ve had has been one front screw on a 85 7-08 finnlight broke & the spring tension in my 500 Jeffery wasn’t of adequate strength to keep the floor plate closed under recoil

Other that that the rifles have been very reliable & one reliability is extremely important to me & im pretty darn rough on mine as they have been tools of my trade for a lot of years

Yep I like sako 75&85 , not so much the new models but ea to their own
Cheers

I’m actually surprised they’re not more popular across the pond. I used a camp Remington rifle for the first time on a hunt and it was rough by comparison. Still did the job but I can see why there’s so many aftermarket parts..
 
I have lots of Sako's many 75's & a couple 85's I prefer the 75 over the 85 myself, I wouldn't buy a 75 or 85 in a DG caliber if using it on DG fitted with a scope, I have had many clients have issues with them in .375H&H & .416 Rem, I think shells bounce back into action after hitting the scope ?

I have had it happen on the smaller calibers , a bit of a piss off as the scope can be mounted very low with the short bolt lift.

I have a few with the "key" bolts, none have keys & never been a problem, I don't how ever like the look of them.

I'm sure the recall had nothing to do with the development of the Sako 85, just more cost saving & magazine retention.

We had far more Tikka T3 blow here, with the whole action (bolt included) cracking in half, Sako rifles are far better & from what I know the barrels are made or were in the same plant ?
 
Gday wildflower 250
I’m actually surprised they’re not more popular across the pond. I used a camp Remington rifle for the first time on a hunt and it was rough by comparison. Still did the job but I can see why there’s so many aftermarket parts..
Yes totally & that darn ejector on the rem needs upgrading as I’ve broken a few ( also done one on a fierce sako clone plus a bolt handle twice yes I don’t like fierce either but think bolt handles fixed now? )

Overall I think that’s due to the cost as a lot look to the tikkas or like & due to pushing that way from the gun shops also from what I’ve seen as they can have 2 Tikka on the shelf covering more options than 1 sako
Also we are cheapskates lol

I’ll second @Sarg on more issues with Tikka & in hot weather & rapid fire dosent help the polymer magazine is a joke as it swells from the few of those I’ve owned but i don’t know on if made of the same material as I’ve heard it’s the same factory also ??

The tikkas barrels don’t last like the sako so if they are the same it’s gotta be in the rest of the build as it’s noticeable over a couple seasons of head shooting wallaby with 223’s Tikka last 6to 8 months sako nearly 12

Yes I’m surprised they aren’t more popular also but biased I am
Cheers
 
Gday sarg
I have lots of Sako's many 75's & a couple 85's I prefer the 75 over the 85 myself, I wouldn't buy a 75 or 85 in a DG caliber if using it on DG fitted with a scope, I have had many clients have issues with them in .375H&H & .416 Rem, I think shells bounce back into action after hitting the scope ?

I have had it happen on the smaller calibers , a bit of a piss off as the scope can be mounted very low with the short bolt lift.

Interesting on not buying a sako in a DG caliber& shells falling / bounce back in to action

It can be somewhat fixed by the adjustment of spring ejector tension but the greatest potential issue is not pulling the bolt back fast & hard & you see that with the ones who are worried on brass recovery & done that myself also on certain calibers as reloading was a essential part of that firearm & non DG use but in a DG situation that should never be the thought process imo & I don’t know how many DG critters I’ve shot with the sakos but my 375h&h has a 1-6x24 ee swaro ,375rum 1.7-13.3x42 & had a 1-6eex24 swaro on the Jeffery for awhile & to this day I’ve not had a issue but the fierce I did in 375rum with a 1.7 -13.3x42 swaro & the slight adjustment of the ejector fixed that but no good if you’re left holding the bolt handle & a buffs on his way in lol

The scopes on these rifles have not been a issue of brass falling back into the action you do get a brass mark on the turret cap so potentially that would have a issue one day also but I can guarantee the brass is very flat on oneside & fairly bad like the Jeffery was but no issues now I put a red dot on it but guess Murphy is only a step away as I agree it’s not ideal on the 375’s

Cheers
 

Forum statistics

Threads
61,520
Messages
1,347,245
Members
115,964
Latest member
AgustinFal
 

 

 

Latest profile posts

2RECON wrote on Riflecrank's profile.
Hallo Ron, do you remember me? I´m Michael from Germany. We did some Wildcats on the .338 Lapua Case.
.375 i did, and a .500 and .510 you did.
Can you please contact me again (eMail please)

Best
Michael
 
Top