paulsonconstruction
Sako-addicted
I'm sure most of our members were aware of & had interest in the recent estate auction in North Dakota with dozens of nice Sako rifles. A few of you may remember a rather ordinary looking Sako Hi-Power with some unusual stampings that the auction house presented as a "possible" prototype with no caliber stamping. They did say it was chambered in 30-06, but whether they did a chamber casting to confirm is unknown. I was recently able to take some detailed close up pictures of this rifle & would be very interested in what you fellas think about it.
It's in pretty good shape for a 70 year old rifle. The metal to wood fit is as good as I have ever seen. I had to bump up on the barrel to get the barreled action out of the stock & actually had to tap on the mag well with a brass hammer to get the bottom metal out. Inletting is perfection! The bore is like a mirror!
The barrel has the Finnish Lionhead proof stamp, but the face is looking downward at about a 45 degree angle. Next to it is the stylize NV, which is the Sako factory inspectors stamp that I'm sure you all recognize.
There is a 3 stamped on the side of the front action bridge & another 3 ,in a different font, stamped on the side of the action just to the rear of the front bridge.
On top of the barrel, were we normally see SAKO & the caliber stamp on the later rifles, there is stamped Oy Sako Ab & Riihimaki Finland.
On the bottom of the action are some stampings that I attribute to FN as inspector & factory identification stampings applied in Belgium.
These are the only stampings. Sako is not stamped on the side of the barrel, nor is there a serial number in the 100,000's or a caliber stamping like you would see on other Sako Hi-Powers.
The front sight is just like other front sights I have seen on Sakos & is identical to one on a L46 I have, but the checkering pattern is a little different. The indentation in the hood groove match a Sako hood protrusions & a Sako hood fits perfectly. The dovetailed insert is an exact match to my other Sakos.
The buttplate is self explanatory.
The grip cap is an exact match to my L46 Varmint.
The full wrap around checkering on the forearm is "almost" a match to a L46 I have.
The grip checkering is "close" to what I have on other Sakos.
The cheekpiece is kind of a cross between the pancake style of the early L46 & the Monte Claro of the later ones.
The sling swivels are a dead ringer for ones I have on other Sakos.
I think there is enough evidence to be fairly certain that the barreled action was built at the Sako factory, but the lack of stampings that a "normal" Hi-Power would have leaves it open to speculation as to why it was built, if it was ever marketed through normal channels, & how in the heck did it end up in North Dakota!!
Although the provenance on the stock is not as strong (as we all know buttplates, grip caps, & sling swivels are interchangeable) I feel, after having had this rifle in my hands, that the stock is factory built as well.
I have a "theory" about this gun, but would very much like to get more input from the club & see if any of you can find a match for some of the features, especially for the stock, with any of the Sakos in your safes.
I doubt this rifle will ever have much collector interest or monetary value above what I gave for it, but I think it's one of the more interesting Sakos I have run across and I think it's a pretty cool gun. If it remains a mystery, so be it. Thanks in advance for any insight!
It's in pretty good shape for a 70 year old rifle. The metal to wood fit is as good as I have ever seen. I had to bump up on the barrel to get the barreled action out of the stock & actually had to tap on the mag well with a brass hammer to get the bottom metal out. Inletting is perfection! The bore is like a mirror!
The barrel has the Finnish Lionhead proof stamp, but the face is looking downward at about a 45 degree angle. Next to it is the stylize NV, which is the Sako factory inspectors stamp that I'm sure you all recognize.
There is a 3 stamped on the side of the front action bridge & another 3 ,in a different font, stamped on the side of the action just to the rear of the front bridge.
On top of the barrel, were we normally see SAKO & the caliber stamp on the later rifles, there is stamped Oy Sako Ab & Riihimaki Finland.
On the bottom of the action are some stampings that I attribute to FN as inspector & factory identification stampings applied in Belgium.
These are the only stampings. Sako is not stamped on the side of the barrel, nor is there a serial number in the 100,000's or a caliber stamping like you would see on other Sako Hi-Powers.
The front sight is just like other front sights I have seen on Sakos & is identical to one on a L46 I have, but the checkering pattern is a little different. The indentation in the hood groove match a Sako hood protrusions & a Sako hood fits perfectly. The dovetailed insert is an exact match to my other Sakos.
The buttplate is self explanatory.
The grip cap is an exact match to my L46 Varmint.
The full wrap around checkering on the forearm is "almost" a match to a L46 I have.
The grip checkering is "close" to what I have on other Sakos.
The cheekpiece is kind of a cross between the pancake style of the early L46 & the Monte Claro of the later ones.
The sling swivels are a dead ringer for ones I have on other Sakos.
I think there is enough evidence to be fairly certain that the barreled action was built at the Sako factory, but the lack of stampings that a "normal" Hi-Power would have leaves it open to speculation as to why it was built, if it was ever marketed through normal channels, & how in the heck did it end up in North Dakota!!
Although the provenance on the stock is not as strong (as we all know buttplates, grip caps, & sling swivels are interchangeable) I feel, after having had this rifle in my hands, that the stock is factory built as well.
I have a "theory" about this gun, but would very much like to get more input from the club & see if any of you can find a match for some of the features, especially for the stock, with any of the Sakos in your safes.
I doubt this rifle will ever have much collector interest or monetary value above what I gave for it, but I think it's one of the more interesting Sakos I have run across and I think it's a pretty cool gun. If it remains a mystery, so be it. Thanks in advance for any insight!
