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VL63 I just got Finnwolf #73 from the Sako Collectors Association

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mitch weiss

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This is my first post. I recently bought an estate which included two Sakos. One being Finnwolf number 73/175 from the SCA in .308. The other is a Finnbear Classic in .243 from the mid 80s.

The .308 appears unfired and in new condition, and has the original box and papers.

Can anyone give me an idea of the value of this beautiful rifle? I am not looking to sell it at this time.
 
Value is anybody's guess. As these rifles are so scarce & so seldom come up for sale you just don't see any "comparable" sales to judge from. Only true way to tell is at auction. Your 243 can't be a Finnbear, as they were never chambered in 243.
 
The SCA Finnwolfs seem to be more valuable in pairs (a .243 and .308 with the same number.) I've seen very few singles sold. The last pair I saw trade was around $5,500, but as Paulson says, the market on these 175 pairs (or 350 total rifles) is "thin" as they infrequently come on the market. Another pair was offered fairly recently at $6,000, but if it sold I never saw it.

My guess is that a single would probably bring about 40% of the price of a pair. But the appearance of the wood and condition (of both the rifle and the pocket book of the buyer) can have a great deal of influence on price.
 
paulsonconstruction said:
Value is anybody's guess. As these rifles are so scarce & so seldom come up for sale you just don't see any "comparable" sales to judge from. Only true way to tell is at auction. Your 243 can't be a Finnbear, as they were never chambered in 243.
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It was listed as a Finnbear in the paperwork I was given by the wife. Thanks for correcting me.
stonecreek said:
The SCA Finnwolfs seem to be more valuable in pairs (a .243 and .308 with the same number.) I've seen very few singles sold. The last pair I saw trade was around $5,500, but as Paulson says, the market on these 175 pairs (or 350 total rifles) is "thin" as they infrequently come on the market. Another pair was offered fairly recently at $6,000, but if it sold I never saw it.

My guess is that a single would probably bring about 40% of the price of a pair. But the appearance of the wood and condition (of both the rifle and the pocket book of the buyer) can have a great deal of influence on price.
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I figured it would be worth $2000 to $2500.
 
Finnbear, Forester, & Vixen were names used by Sako to differentiate the long, medium & short action rifles. Your 243 is a Forester & the action will be stamped either L579 or AII on the left side. Sako stamped Forester on the left side of the barrel for a short time during L579 production, but the AII will not have the Forester stamping. Most here refer to Sakos by the action stamping to better describe what they are, rather than the generic terms Finnbear, Forester, or Vixen. The only Classic Finnbears I am aware of are the special run made for Cabela's several years ago built on the current Model 85 action. If your 243 is truly from the mid 80,s it would be an AII, which came in a Deluxe, Varmint, standard Sporter, & Hunter configurations. It's not uncommon for Sakos, especially those from an estate, to be mis-identified or mis-labeled. Pics would allow us to properly identify what you have.
 
paulsonconstruction said:
Finnbear, Forester, & Vixen were names used by Sako to differentiate the long, medium & short action rifles. Your 243 is a Forester & the action will be stamped either L579 or AII on the left side. Sako stamped Forester on the left side of the barrel for a short time during L579 production, but the AII will not have the Forester stamping. Most here refer to Sakos by the action stamping to better describe what they are, rather than the generic terms Finnbear, Forester, or Vixen. The only Classic Finnbears I am aware of are the special run made for Cabela's several years ago built on the current Model 85 action. If your 243 is truly from the mid 80,s it would be an AII, which came in a Deluxe, Varmint, standard Sporter, & Hunter configurations. It's not uncommon for Sakos, especially those from an estate, to be mis-identified or mis-labeled. Pics would allow us to properly identify what you have.
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OK, here are the photos. Purchased in 1985 for $520.00 sako1.jpg sako1.jpg sako3.jpg sako2.jpg
 
Yes, the A-II also came in "Classic" grade which featured an American walnut straight stock without Monte Carlo and a wooden grip cap. Earlier ones had fore end checkering which wrapped all the way around the fore end, which yours appears to. Later ones had two separate panels on each side and no checkering on the bottom side of the stock. The barreled action was essentially the same as on the regular and Deluxe sporters; originally the Classic grade was supposed to have a slimmer barrel to reduce weight (I've seen one prototype like this), but the production models had the regular contour barrel.

By the way, the figure in your buttstock looks quite attractive, as does the wood on the Finnwolf.
 
Forum rules require items for sale to be listed in the Trade Corner section with a price!! All communications can then be done through the private message system to keep negotiations & information private.
 
mitch weiss said:
some pics pf #73View attachment 18712 View attachment 18713
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Could I ask an important question? I have a > 10000 serial number VL73 thats been in my family. Somehow, the clip was lost along the way. The more I am reading sounds like this won't be cheap to replace. Anyhow, is the clip a 4 shot magazine that is staggered? I am *assuming* this is the correct clip based on my own research to this point on this site and others. Thank you.
 
I was member #115 of the original SCA. I couldn’t afford my number 115’s Finnwolf’s at that time. I’ve always regretted not finding a way to purchase the pair. I still have all my old monthly or quarterly newsletters buried some where.
 
John VL73 said:
Could I ask an important question? I have a > 10000 serial number VL73 thats been in my family. Somehow, the clip was lost along the way. The more I am reading sounds like this won't be cheap to replace. Anyhow, is the clip a 4 shot magazine that is staggered? I am *assuming* this is the correct clip based on my own research to this point on this site and others. Thank you.
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As an update, seems this is actually the 3-shot flat bottomed magazine (ty Marlin92). Does anyone know where the best place to seek these out is? Also, yes..I am aware its gonna hurt $$$$ lol. Some pics of this rifle as well
 

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John best places are EBAY and GunBroker, just have to keep watching and hope one is listed. Gook Luck
 
John VL73 said:
As an update, seems this is actually the 3-shot flat bottomed magazine (ty Marlin92). Does anyone know where the best place to seek these out is? Also, yes..I am aware its gonna hurt $$$$ lol. Some pics of this rifle as well
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Buy a mate for this rifle in 243 with flat bottom mag and share between the two rifles. Another mag is likely to be over $500.00. The lucky part, finding another mag for sale on line or any place and you being the first to see it. It will be snapped up PDQ. It took me couple years to find one to buy.
 
Tomball said:
Buy a mate for this rifle in 243 with flat bottom mag and share between the two rifles. Another mag is likely to be over $500.00. The lucky part, finding another mag for sale on line or any place and you being the first to see it. It will be snapped up PDQ. It took me couple years to find one to buy.
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I absolutely will keep my eyes peeled and may actually also try to find a modified mag or custom mag. Any advice on these last two routes?
 
Unlike the 4 shot version, there are no magazines similar to the 3 shot version that could be easily modified nor has anyone produced a custom one or reproduced one.
 
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