• Hey All! Lately there has been more and more scammers on the forum board. They register and replies to members requests for guns and/or parts or other things. The reply contains a gmail or hotmail address or similar ”anonymous” email addresses which they want you to reply to. DO NOT ANSWER ANY STRANGE MESSAGES! They often state something like this: ”Hello! Saw your post about purchasing a stock for a Safari. KnuckleheadBob has one. Email him at: [email protected]” If you receive any strange messages: Check the status of whoever message you. If they have no posts and signed up the same day or very recently, stay away. Same goes for other members they might refer to. Check them too and if they are long standing members, PM them and ask if the message is legit. Most likely it’s not. Then use the report function in each message or post so I can kick them out! Beware of anything that might seem fishy! And again, for all of you who registered your personal name as username, please contact me so I can change it to a more anonymous username. You’d be surprised of how much one can find out about a person from just a username on a forum such ad our! All the best! And be safe! Jim

New Sako owner

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

Hello to all! Just bought a Sako AV 375H&H at a local gun show. It appears unfired but does have a scratch in the stock below the "Sako" name. The barrel is stamped "Conco Arms" and I was told by the dealer this was a consignment item and was a custom built unit. There isn't much info on Conco barrels on the web, can you folks provide any insight as to what I've got?
 
You need to put some pics up for assistance. The unfired part really means proceed with caution. If the original configuration wasn't up to what is needed, it is normally cheaper to sell & buy what is needed then to repipe

I bought a rifle once just for the scope & was told it was a 300 Weatherby but turned out to be a 30 Hart. So be careful on rebarrels unless it is clearly marked
 
From what I can see from the pics you have a rebarrelled & refinished Sako action. Can't tell much about the stock. If it is a factory stock, then it was just a rebarreled Sako. If not, it is a full custom gun built on a Sako action by Conco Arms. The scrolled name stamp & what I can see of the checkering & finish leads me to think it is the latter.
 
An overall pic of the stock. A pic of the bottom of the grip cap & the back of the buttpad. The shape & checkering of a Sako stock are easily identified from a custom stock in most cases. Depending on the era it may or may not have a grip cap. The buttpad will say "Sako" on it . A factory stock will also have recoil crossbolts thru the stock to reinforce the recoil lug area in this caliber.
 
I found this hiding in one of the corners of the web.... 'CONCO ARMS
Previous importer of Hambrusch rifles located in Emmaus, PA'.

Way back when there was an importer who owned a home in Emmaus. I bought an SKB shotgun from him, but can't recall his name. I hope this helps you find some info on your Sako-actioned rifle. If you do, please share your findings with us. Note the 'Catalogs' tab drop-down menu 'Other Finnish Rifles'.
 
I found this hiding in one of the corners of the web.... 'CONCO ARMS
Previous importer of Hambrusch rifles located in Emmaus, PA'.

Way back when there was an importer who owned a home in Emmaus. I bought an SKB shotgun from him, but can't recall his name. I hope this helps you find some info on your Sako-actioned rifle. If you do, please share your findings with us. Note the 'Catalogs' tab drop-down menu 'Other Finnish Rifles'.
Thanks for the tip! I found the same info and I think these folks are doing business as Conco International. I plan on giving them a call on Monday morning and I'll be happy to share whatever info I can find.
 
That is not a factory stock. It appears you have a very nicely done custom built rifle with a beautiful piece of wood. Sako offered their actions in the white years ago & many good gunsmiths used them to build some nice customs like yours.
 
That is not a factory stock. It appears you have a very nicely done custom built rifle with a beautiful piece of wood. Sako offered their actions in the white years ago & many good gunsmiths used them to build some nice customs like yours.
Thanks for taking the time to respond. Sometimes you can find a diamond if you dig deep enough. I look forward to enjoying the rifle for years to come and then passing it on to the next generation of my family.
 
I guess I'll revive this thread... I picked up a "Conco Arms" rifle on Gun Broker that is almost a clone of the 375 H&H Mag in this thread. It's in 300 Win Mag. It's built on an AV action. It has a laminate stock with an ebony fore end tip, and very nicely done checkering. The entire bolt is blued, and it has a Wing (Winchester style) safety installed. The barrel is stamped "Conco Arms" on the top, mid-way to the muzzle (just like this 375 H&H). The serial number on my rifle's action is very close to this one also... As an added bonus it came with a Leupold 3x-9x Vari-X II scope in Sako ring mounts. I bought it thinking I was getting a "possibly restocked" Sako AV. What I actually received was something very much unexpected ! Price was the high $700's, and it's in absolute 99% condition. Looks to have never been fired ! :) ...

My questions: Does the high $700's seem out of line for the price I paid ? I'm not sure, because it is definitely NOT a Sako factory rifle. Is there any other info out there about Conco Arms rifles? I'm not even sure if it has a Sako barrel, or if it's made by someone else ! It's very intriguing to see a rifle like this, which is a possible custom job, but with almost no information out on the web about them ! There is a Conco Arms 375 H&H currently on a "Cabelas" website, and it is very similar to the 375 H&H Mag in this thread, and my new acquisition... but it's built on a Winchester M70 action. It's price is listed at: $3750.00

Any info would be GREATLY appreciated !

Trapper
 
I believe the Sako action, although modified, is still worth at least $500.00. The stock is worth something and no matter what barrel is on it, it won't shoot without it. If it looks as good as the other rifle pictured here, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy it for $700.00.
 
Looking at the pictures of the 375 H&H at the start of this thread, I don't even have to add the pictures of the one I bought. They are absolutely identical twins ! It came with a Leupold VariX-II 3x-9x scope in Sako mounts. I fired it this weekend, and the accuracy is generally MOA. One other thing "Conco Arms" appeared to do is a "full glass bedding". and, when I say "full", it's glass bedded right out to the fore-end tip. A dollar bill does not even enter the fore-end tip... At the range, I did notice as the barrel heated up (which is quick with a 300 Win Mag !) the shots tended to string horizontally. If they hadn't done that, I could have gotten some .75 inch groups...

My question: Do you think I could see some benefit from sanding out the glass bedding from the chamber area to the fore-end, thereby "free-floating" the barrel. Any opinions ?

Thanks... Trap...
 
I assume that if it's a 300 Win Mag it's a hunting rifle not a target rifle that requires tight multiple shot groups. If that's the case, if it shoots the first shot from a cold clean barrel to within 1" of it's aim point, I would think it is more than adequate for it's intended purpose. Quit chasing small groups! How many times have you shot a "group" of rounds into an animal? How many times have you heated up the barrel when hunting? MOA accuracy is about 3 times what you need to kill about anything that walks. Practice shooting under field conditions instead of from a bench with sand bags & you'll soon see that you are a much weaker link in the accuracy chain than your rifle. So, to answer your question, no I don't think you will see any benefit from sanding the glass bending, nor will any of the animals you shoot notice any difference. Just my humble opinion.
 
That's great info, and I appreciate your input ! True, it's for hunting and not the target range. I think we all look for ways to improve our "tools". When you spend thousands of dollars on a "possibly once in a lifetime" Elk hunt, you tend to "sweat the small details"... MOA groups being one of those "details" I suppose... yeah, even for an animal with a "kill zone" as large as an Elk's !!! ... What can I say ! Thanks again for the advice...
 
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