Sako 85 M

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Repeatable Mounts

The History of Sako

Sako (Suojeluskuntain Ase- ja Konepaja Oy) is rifle and ammunition manufacturer located in Riihimäki, Finland. It was founded in 1921, after the rifle repair workshop, opened in former Helsinki brewery, became independent of the civil guard. The workshop grew into a weapons factory, which produced hunting rifles as well as cartridges and moved its headquarters from Helsinki to Riihimäki. The first civilian rifle bearing the name Sako, was the L42, prototyped in 1942 and commercially manufactured a few years later.

After the World War II, domestic hunting culture thrived and Sako invested in development of hunting rifles. Due to this investment, domestic sales increased along with export to the USA and the rest of the world. In the 1980s, Sako merged with another firearm manufacturer, Tikkakoski and gained a valuable rifle line called Tikka. The production of military and law enforcement weapons started when Finnish defence forces ordered assault rifles and cartridges from Sako.

The company has changed multiple owners since 1921, but has ultimately been sold to Italian Beretta Holding in 2000. In 2006, Sako celebrated its 85th anniversary by launching a new hunting rifle family, Sako 85. In 2020, Sako introduced S20, the first truly hybrid rifle, designed for both; hunters and tactical shooters. Another novelty presented by Sako in 2020 was a brand new, lead-free Sako Powerhead bullet.

Sako 85 M Rifle Review

The rifle Sako 85 was unveiled in 2006, when the Sako company celebrated its 85th anniversary. This rifle succeeds the former Sako 75 rifle, which was introduced 10 years prior, on their 75th anniversary. According to Sako, the rifle is available in over 1000 different configurations. The rifle stock is made either of walnut, laminate, plastic or carbon fiber and comes in different shapes depending on the intended form of usage. The rifle receiver also comes in multiple lengths, depending on the cartridge group: XS, S, SM, M, L and XL. One of the advantages of various receiver lengths is also improved rigidity of the receiver.

Twist rates in the barrel are carefully chosen for each calibre to optimize accuracy along with bullet performance and there are even multiple options of barrel twist rate for certain calibres. The rifle has a unique cone shaped dovetail on the top, adjusted for Optilock mounting system, also developed by Sako. The dovetail has a ratio of 1:17 (3.37°), with the wide part in the front and the narrow part in the back. The company took care of the safety with special two-way safety locks, which lock both the trigger and the bolt handle.

Sako 85 M, chambered for .270 Win.

Figure 1: Sako 85 M, chambered for .270 Win. (Source: https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/sako-rifles/sako---85-m----270-win-.cfm?gun_id=101142436)

Sako 85 M Calibers

Sako 85 M is chambered for:

.25-06 Rem
6.5x55 SE
.270 Win
7x64
.30-06 Spr.
8x57IS
9.3x62
9.3x66 Sako

Sako 85 M Variants

The rifle is available in the following variants:

hunter
classic
bavarian
bavarian carbine
deluxe
classic deluxe
hunter stainless
hunter laminated stainless
synthetic stainless
finnlight
synthetic black
black bear
grizzly

Sako M

The receiver of Sako 85 M, chambered for .30-06 Spr.

Figure 2: The receiver of Sako 85 M, chambered for .30-06 Spr. (Source: https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/sako-rifles/sako---m85-finn-bear----30-06.cfm?gun_id=101157181)

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Sako 85 M

One thing worth pointing out when it comes to rifle mounts is that Sako has been using the same tapered dovetail mounting system for a few decades already. This means that some Sako rifles have the same mounting surface on the receiver, despite being decades apart considering their production date. With this, Sako achieved mounting system consistency, so mounts made for today’s “Sako 85” series of rifles will fit the receivers of older Sako rifles. Rifle mounts manufacturers mainly use only present day Sako rifles (Sako 85) to designate which mount fits which receiver length. Then it’s up to the user to do the research, whether the mount will fit their rifle if they don’t have the newest rifle model.

Rifles which have the same mounting surface as Sako 85 M:

Best Scope Mounts for Sako 85 M

Fixed Scope Mounts for Sako 85 M

For fixed mounts on this rifle, we recommend Optilock Sako Long or Sako Extended mounting bases. We can insert rings onto these bases, but we must be careful, because Sako Optilock rings are available only for 1inch (25.4mm), 30mm and 34mm diameter scope tubes. One special feature of the Optilock rings are the polymer inserts (except the 34mm ring, which does not include inserts), which prevent scratches on the scope. If we want to install scopes with rails or scopes with tube diameters other than these of Optilock rings, we need to reach for rings of other companies like Recknagel, EAW or Osuma and they fit Optilock bases as well.

Sako long Sako extended

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Sako 85 M

The only Dentler rails available for Sako 85 rifles are Dentler BASIS, which allow only Dentler mounts to be installed on them. It is one of the most reliable and accurate quick release mounts for Sako 85 on the market. Unfortunately, Dentler BASIS bases don't support adjustments on the bases, meaning they are not as revolutionary as the Dentler BASIS VARIO.

An explanation of Dentler mounts can be seen in our Roundtable video:

If you would prefer pivot mounts, we would recommend purchasing MAKlassic two piece design mount, because they are the lowest of all pivot mounts. Pivot mounts are usually not among the lowest, but with Sako rifles, they are usually even higher than on an average rifle because of their special tapered dovetail mounting system.

Picatinny Rails for Sako 85 M

All of the Picatinny rails for Sako 85 M are made similarly, all of them made from multiple parts. This allows them to fit on multiple lengths, not only M, which reduces production costs for manufacturers.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you have this rifle or any other rifle at home, we would really appreciate it if you could send us some photos of the rifle receiver (mounting surface of the rifle when there are no mounts installed), because it would help us expand our rifle mounts database. If you send us a photo of rifle receiver which we don’t already have, that would be of great value to us and we will definitely reward you for your help.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu

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VIDEO

There are two terms found for similar thing: quick release scope mounts and quick detach scope mounts. Term quick release scope mounts is used mostly in Europe and quick detach scope mounts is used mainly in USA, although they mean the same thing. With these terms we describe a scope mount that can be quickly removed from the rifle in the field without using any tools and quickly attached back on the rifle when needed.

Main advantages:

possibility to use multiple scopes on the rifle,
easy transportation of the scope and the rifle separately,
if scope fails, it is possible to immediately detach it and use iron sights.

FIXED vs DETACHABLE scope mounts

Fixed scope mounts are mounted to the rifle with screws and sometimes even with glue. This means that it is impossible to attach or detach the scope mount using bare hands without using tools. It also means that they are not meant for constantly being attached on or detached off the rifle. Once you screw the mount on the rifle, it normally stays there for a longer period of use.

Detachable scope mounts offer possibility to attach or detach them without using any tools. This is extremely handy while transporting the rifle and the scope separately and it also offers multiple solutions of different optics on the same rifle. Detachable scope mounts can be attached or detached from the rifle in a matter of seconds, using bare hands.

Fixed Mount

Fixed Mount

DETACHABLE vs REPEATABLE scope mounts

It is important to know and understand expressions “detachable” and “repeatable” while talking about scope mounts. Term detachable scope mounts implies scope mounts that can be quickly attached or detached without using any tools. However, when you detach this kind of mount and attach it back on the rifle, it is recommended to zero the rifle before using it again. Procedure of detaching and again attaching the mount will probably need a sighting in before next shooting, because mount will not be secured on the rifle in the perfectly same position and conditions as it was before detaching it off the rifle.

On the contrary, repeatable scope mounts are most sophisticated mounts. These scope mounts are also detachable, however – they provide removing scope from the rifle and attaching it back again without zeroing the rifle every time. This means that they are made more precisely and that they are offering a possibility of using different optical sights / scope on the same rifle. These mounts are ideal for hunters who can use optical and iron sights interchangeably, depending on the needs in different situations. With the repeatable scope mounts, it is useful to keep them oiled as well as the upper part of the rifle, so that repeatability is more ensured. With a touch of oil, the repeatability might be better, because parts of the mount will always return to their previous locations.

Different types of repeatable scope mounts:

Pivot mounts,
Dentler mounts,
Picatinny repeatable mounts,
12 mm dovetail repeatable mounts (for break barrel rifles, such as Steyr Duett, Blaser B750, Fair Combi, Fair SLX 800, Bettinsoli rifles, etc.),
Original repeatable mounts, made by manufacturers of rifles for their rifles (Blaser mount, Sauer SUM mount, Mauser M03 mount, Steyr Monoblock mount, etc.).

Repeatable Mount

Repeatable Mount

TIP OFF / ROLL OFF vs SLIDE ON mounts

Nowadays, there are a whole lot of different possibilities, made for attaching riflescopes on the rifles. There are also a lot of different expressions, having the same meaning. It is good to know that tip off and roll off mounts are basically the same thing. They represent quick release scope mounts for dovetails and rails which can be rolled or tipped off the rail vertically to the side of the rail. On the contrary, there are also slide on mounts available on the market. They represent quick release scope mounts that can be slided on or off the rail or dovetail from front or rear side of the rail / dovetail. All of these expressions are mainly used for separate rings that can be attached to the rails / dovetails. As far as functioning the rifle, it does not matter which one of these mounts you choose – tip / roll off or slide on mounts. If they are installed correctly, they are all going to work. However, the main difference between them is the principle of attaching them on rails on dovetails.

Slide On Mount vs. Roll Off Mount

Slide On Mount vs. Roll Off Mount

Sako 85 M

Sub Categories

The History of Sako