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Scope Mounts for H&R L61R Round Top

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

Hi Guys - Just joined the forum and couldn't seem to find what I was looking for with regard to scope mounts.

My father recently purchased a SAKO/H&R L61R Ultra Rifle in 30-06 to hunt whitetail and wants to put a little bigger scope on it to help his aging eye (40mm Vortex, nothing crazy).

The rifle came with spring clip style weaver mounts/rings and my father would like to go to something a bit better with his new scope, can you give me some recommendations for a drilled and tapped round top L61R?

Also, if you can share with me anything you may know about the manufacture/Import date and some of its history I'd greatly appreciate being able to report it back to him, serial # is 81XXX.

Thanks,

BF in NOVA
 

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Nothing wrong with Weaver bases, although if you prefer the Redfield style I'm sure they could be found. There are a gazillion different kinds of rings that will fit on a Weaver base and be better than the old-style Weaver rings. In fact, Weaver makes some pretty good rings at a good price (regular two- or four-screw clamp rings, not the old spring-clip style that tilted the crosshairs when you tightened them).
 
No, FN Mauser mounts will not work. The rear bridge on the FN is lower than the front, but on the H&R Sako roundtop the front and rear bridges are the same height.

H&R built their long action Ultra Rifles on three different makes of actions -- FN Mausers, Zastava Mausers, and Sako L61R's. The Sako is by far the least common -- and in the full stock version like your father's is very uncommon. Most of them were made in the early to mid-1970's. Despite being rather uncommon there's not any market premium for these rifles (on which both the barrels and actions came from Sako.) So using it as a working shooter is the right thing to do.

Very few mount bases were made specifically for this unique round-topped Sako action. I'd advise that you keep using the Weaver bases but get some quality all-steel rings for them like those made by Burris to fit the Weaver-type base (Burris Z-rings).
 
No, FN Mauser mounts will not work. The rear bridge on the FN is lower than the front, but on the H&R Sako roundtop the front and rear bridges are the same height.

H&R built their long action Ultra Rifles on three different makes of actions -- FN Mausers, Zastava Mausers, and Sako L61R's. The Sako is by far the least common -- and in the full stock version like your father's is very uncommon. Most of them were made in the early to mid-1970's. Despite being rather uncommon there's not any market premium for these rifles (on which both the barrels and actions came from Sako.) So using it as a working shooter is the right thing to do.

Very few mount bases were made specifically for this unique round-topped Sako action. I'd advise that you keep using the Weaver bases but get some quality all-steel rings for them like those made by Burris to fit the Weaver-type base (Burris Z-rings).

Thanks Stonecreek, reusing the existing mounts and upgrading the rings will be the direction we go if we are unable to find something like a one-piece. Being completely new to SAKO's I need to ask - the barrel (H&R Marked) and action are different colors on my father's example. Does this suggest that both are of SAKO make, or did H&R commonly supply their own barrels for the L61R's? Really digging to see if the rifle had been rebarreled previously in its life or perhaps just had the blueing touched up.
Thanks,

-BF
 
https://www.vintagegunscopes.com/redfield-bases

I don't know the part number you would need but I'd suggest you call these guys and tell them what you have and what you need. It sure looks like they might just have something that will work.

I see they have a base for the L57-579 length action. They might not have listings for everything they have in stock.
 
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Being completely new to SAKO's I need to ask - the barrel (H&R Marked) and action are different colors on my father's example. Does this suggest that both are of SAKO make
The H&R's on Sako actions are recorded in the Sako factory records as being shipped from the Sako factory as completed barreled actions. Their barrels, while made by Sako, differ from contemporaneous Sako barrels by being somewhat more slender and lighter weight.

It is often the case that the action and the barrel are made from different steel alloys which react a little differently to bluing, which is why you may find a difference in the finish appearance between the barrel and the action.

I know that Redfield (many years ago) did list a base for the H&R L579 and H&R L461, but I don't think they ever listed a base for the H&R L61R. Redfield bases for "long action" Ultra Rifles are for the more common Mausers and won't start to fit the Sakos. However, it is very possible that you might, by mixing and matching, find a front and rear base from any of the manufacturers which would fit your rifle. You would almost have to take it to a very well-stocked gun store to try such a mix/match with their stocks of bases.

Several years ago I came across a nice-looking H&R L579 .308 Mannlicher on an internet auction site which I bought. In the photos it appeared to be equipped with Redfield two-piece bases and rings. As I mentioned earlier, the front and rear portions of the action on the H&R Sakos are the same height. But the Einstein who had owned this one tried mounting a scope with bases for a rifle which had a rear bridge machined lower than the front, much like a Browning-Sako round top action or a Mauser. To attempt to compensate for the different heights of the base they had installed a medium height ring on the front base and a low ring on the rear base. They were almost level with one another. Of course, I removed them and tossed them, replacing them with a bases from Weaver, which I may have had to re-drill to fit the hole spacings, can't really remember.

By the way, the same Einstein had apparently attempted to adjust the firing pin protrusion, or maybe just disassembled the bolt and screwed up the adjustment accidentally. Anyway, before firing it I fortunately checked the pin protrusion and found it was sticking out beyond the face of the locking lugs. After curing that problem and installing bases that fit it was a pretty nice gun. I ended up selling it to a guy who had a special thing for Mannlichers, but only because I already owned a Sako Mannlicher of the same caliber.
 
Hi Guys - Just joined the forum and couldn't seem to find what I was looking for with regard to scope mounts.

My father recently purchased a SAKO/H&R L61R Ultra Rifle in 30-06 to hunt whitetail and wants to put a little bigger scope on it to help his aging eye (40mm Vortex, nothing crazy).

The rifle came with spring clip style weaver mounts/rings and my father would like to go to something a bit better with his new scope, can you give me some recommendations for a drilled and tapped round top L61R?

Also, if you can share with me anything you may know about the manufacture/Import date and some of its history I'd greatly appreciate being able to report it back to him, serial # is 81XXX.

Thanks,

BF in NOVA
Thank you for the post Brendan. I know this is an old post, and a long shot. I recently acquired the same style rifle. Round top L61R 30-06. Do you happen to know which weaver bases fit your rifle. Or, what bases you are using now? Also, any info on some open sights? I can’t find anything.
 
According to a chart I downloaded from the Weaver website, the correct bases are 54 rear and 46 front. They are listed by Weaver as H&R 300 & 301, Long action, (list of calibers), 1973+. Confusingly, H&R built a variety of rifles under model numbers 300/301. The long action was originally built on an FN action but H&R switched to the Sako L61R action in 1973. Rifles built on Sako L579 (medium) actions also were sold under the 300/301 model numbers. The 300 was a half-stock rifle and the 301 was a Mannlicher-stocked carbine.
 
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