Old 7mm mag Sako 85 model

[skull]

I’m not much gun hunter, but this gun has been given to me from my uncle
I want to make it a little more comfortable to shoot for my son
and get it custom-made
right now kicks like a horse, trigger is horrible, plus can shoot straight over 200 yards
what you recommend?
Or should I buy a new one?

 

[noharleyyet]

I’m not much gun hunter, but this gun has been given to me from my uncle
I want to make it a little more comfortable to shoot for my son
and get it custom-made
right now kicks like a horse, trigger is horrible, plus can shoot straight over 200 yards
what you recommend?
Or should I buy a new one?

85's are fine production rifles, as good as any I've owned. Got a pic?

 

[skull]

here some pictures

 

[noharleyyet]

How old is your son?

 

[T Bone]

Noharleyyet speaks truth about Sakos.

In my opinion, both old and new Sakos are fine rifles.

If it's a family rifle, keep it in the family, or sell it to me.

Perceived recoil can be an issue. Double up on hearing protection and if you handload, go with a light 120 grain copper bullet load.

 

[skull]

How old is your son?

His going to be 21 in April
I want take him out west wyoming mule deer and pronghorn

 

[noharleyyet]

He'll be fine...and he's a lucky young man. Get to the range, re-glass it if you think it needs it. Have a gunny adjust the trigger.

 

[skull]

He'll be fine...and he's a lucky young man. Get to the range, re-glass it if you think it needs it. Have a gunny adjust the trigger.

So you’re suggesting no to do anything
just a new scope

 

[noharleyyet]

So you’re suggesting no to do anything
just a new scope

If you take it to a smith for the trigger (and I would), have him remove the stock and inspect everything. Have him check the bore. I wouldn't replace the optics if the rifle's poi is repeatable, or you just wanna upgrade the scope. 7mm is a damn good round.

 

[rjthehunter]

That's a nice rifle. Have a brake put on if you're worried about the recoil. 21 is plenty old enough to deal with a little recoil!

 

[Addicting]

You can have it rebarreled to any one of the lesser mag bolt face cartridges. Go sacrilegious and make it a 6.5 PRC.

 

[skull]

I’m thinking to get a muzzle brake for sure
New trigger
not sure what else I can do

 

[noharleyyet]

You can have it rebarreled to any one of the lesser mag bolt face cartridges. Go sacrilegious and make it a 6.5 PRC.

That would be like replacing Sophia Vergara with Taylor Swift.

 

[Beignet]

Run a q-tip around the crown of the muzzle and see if anything catches? a burr or something could possibly explain some of the accuracy issues.

I’ll echo what Harley said, take it to a gunsmith for a going over. That thing ought to be a shooter.

There’s no way I’d personally consider goobering up the aesthetics of that rifle by popping off that front sight and thread the thing for a brake. Maybe talk to your smith about upgrading the recoil pad instead.

 

[rjthehunter]

I’m thinking to get a muzzle brake for sure
New trigger
not sure what else I can do

Add a limbsaver recoil pad to your list, and it'll be like a new rifle. The trigger should be adjustable. No need to replace.

 

[skull]

someone suggested to do this
what you think

“””””good barrel, like a Benchmark, installed. Glass bed and float the barrel on the original stock. Install a Timney or Trigger Tech trigger. “”””””

 

[MTLabrador]

I would have it bedded, floated, and the trigger worked before I decided if a new barrel was needed. My guess is it will shoot just fine with a little love and the original barrel.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Good gawd, it's got a Leopold scope! You can't do better than that. This is a very fine rifle. Sako never made junk. I've always said nobody ever produced a smoother action. The stock looks to be correct proportions for drop and length of pull. Magnums can jump a bit but this is no lightweight rifle. The heavy stock (relatively speaking) should help mitigate recoil. I cannot see how you could do anything to the gun that would improve the recoil. However, lots can be done to ammo and shooter. I added a Timney trigger to my old Springfield and it made a WORLD of difference in accuracy, especially at the range. Didn't make the gun more accurate. Just made me shoot better. I'm sure they make one for Sako ... if the factory trigger isn't adjustable. But I would be surprised if it's not adjustable. Again, Sako is top shelf stuff. Check to see if the barrel is floating freely. Can you slip a $5 bill between barrel and stock full length from end of fore end down to at least 2" above receiver? You may have a floating or poor bedding issue but that would surprise me. Are the anchor screws at both ends of the trigger guard/magazine tight? Possibly someone disassembled the rifle for thorough cleaning and didn't get it put back together properly. Set the rifle butt on the floor, hold the barrel firmly in left hand, then try to wiggle the fore end with your right hand. If you see any change at all in the gap between barrel and end of fore end, the action is not tight in the stock. That can greatly affect accuracy. Possibly damaged stock, damaged/poor bedding, or loose receiver anchor screws.

 

[noharleyyet]

someone suggested to do this
what you think

“””””good barrel, like a Benchmark, installed. Glass bed and float the barrel on the original stock. Install a Timney or Trigger Tech trigger. “”””””

I would not re-barrel unless advised to after a bore check by a competent smith. As mentioned, they have good triggers and are adjustable.

 

[Beignet]

someone suggested to do this
what you think

“””””good barrel, like a Benchmark, installed. Glass bed and float the barrel on the original stock. Install a Timney or Trigger Tech trigger. “”””””

That sounds like shopping for a new motor before you've bothered to check the oil level.

Punch "rifle accuracy troubleshooting" into google and follow the lead from there. Your problems could most likely end up being a ~$150 fix as opposed to a ~$1500 fix.