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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
Howdy, from Arizona.
- Thread starter Aztimber
- Start date
Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum
Aztimber
Member
Thanks for the reply, and the search tip. Will reach out if I hit the wall.
Some Colt-Sakos used the regular Sako Tapered Dovetail while others were "round topped" and require bases. The first hurdle is to determine which you have.
Aztimber
Member
OK, Made a command decision and ordered a rail from NEAR manufacturing, talked on the phone told him what I had. should be good to go. will report back later once I have the mount.
The help offered here is priceless Thank you
tb
icebear
Sako-addicted
Please do post photos of what you get, and how it looks installed. I looked up the website and the description of what they had for Sako was opaque, to say the least. They list a base for Sako dovetail, but only on the price list, with no photos or other information. Let us know; every now and then somebody will ask for information on putting a Picatinny rail on a Sako and there's not a whole lot out there. I assume your rifle has the Sako dovetail rather than the round top.
Aztimber
Member
Will do, Mr. Near seems very knowledgeable, but had never heard of a "Coltsman" which, didn't surprise me. I mean, a few years ago I hadn't my own self. Most of his work can be seen over at www.trg42.com/sako and his rings look awesome just out of my price range and/or need, you can check them out at www.trg42.com/alphamount
icebear
Sako-addicted
I checked out the link. The Sako mounts shown were made for the various lengths of the Sako 85 action. It will be interesting to see if your mount from Mr. Near fits your rifle, as the 85 is different from the Sako actions used for the Coltsman. There are three possible action lengths for the Coltsman, depending on the caliber. Since the Near mount is a one-piece mount covering both bases, it will have to have exactly the same length and spacing as the older action. I don't know if the 85 and the older actions have the same dimensions, especially between the front and rear base, or not. Presumably you measured the dimensions with a digital caliper and Mr. Near found that one of his products will fit. Good luck.
Please do post photos of your rifle. And by the way, what model number and caliber is it? The model number of the Sako action will be stamped on the left side of the receiver. It should be either L61R, L579, or L461. (There might have been a few Coltsman rifles built on the L57, but I'm not sure of that).
Please do post photos of your rifle. And by the way, what model number and caliber is it? The model number of the Sako action will be stamped on the left side of the receiver. It should be either L61R, L579, or L461. (There might have been a few Coltsman rifles built on the L57, but I'm not sure of that).
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bloorooster
The Old Hippie
Actually..the first Coltsman rifles were all L57 actions , plain stocks with or without checkering, and ebony forearm tips.
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icebear
Sako-addicted
Thanks - I wasn't sure.
douglastwo
Sako-addicted
According to some 1958 Colt ads I have, they introduced the Coltsman model 57 with a FN Mauser action and a Sako trigger. My eyes are too old to determine what action is shown in this 58 ad. And we know ads aren't always true. Gun makers like to keep us guessing what they made, and when they started and stopped making it.
bloorooster
The Old Hippie
D2..very true, but I’m pretty sure the medium length cartridges went to the L57 action, but I have seen a few Mauser actions chambered in .243 win and the likes.
I’ve had only 2 Coltsman rifles, one of which, a L46 model Deluxe I still have. The other was a L61r sized DeLux in 30/06 , both where round tops.
The rifle shown or illustrated in the 58 catalog..it very much resembles the Sako Hi Power..don’t you think so?
douglastwo
Sako-addicted
I definitely think its a 30-06 since that ad says the 57 was available in 243 and 30-06, which doesn't make much sense. It should be a 243. One more example of why you have to be careful when believing ads and catalogs. Remember, they say a large percentage of info in the Blue Book comes from ads and catalogs. Maybe the Model 57 was only around for a couple years. My 1961 Colt catalog makes no mention of a Model 57. The 61 catalog offers two Coltsman models......Standard and Custom (often called Deluxe by everyone but Colt). The different calibers were not grouped by action length like Sako does. The Standard and Custom were both produced in all action lengths. Therefore, it stands to reason that the Model 57 came in both 243 and 30-06 as noted in the ad. This brings up a question....were any Deluxe L46 Sakos made prior to 1958? I think it's a given that L46 and L57 Sako Deluxes hit the scene after the introduction of the L57. Maybe in 1958? You guys that know, set me straight on this.
bloorooster
The Old Hippie
As far as a picatinny rail that fits a vintage Coltsman, I can’t help. I have no need for that really, but I would like to know what type bases are available for the round tops. Mine came with the typical old school weaver bases. Not my favorite, but with the minimal recoil of a .222 , I don’t feel it’s an issue. Leupold surely has something I’d imagine.
misako50
Sako-addicted
Hippie....I may have some bases and rings for a round top. I would need your hole spacing for front and rear (in inches and 32nds) I gave my calipers to a friend to do some loading?
paulsonconstruction
Sako-addicted
There was a discussion about these Coltsman here several years ago that I started when I found an article from a guy that had gathered some info about them & claimed he was going to write a book. Some of his info was incorrect & he didn't write a book that I am aware of, but the story or "history" of the Coltsman goes roughly like this, I think!!! The first production run was started in late 1957 or 1958 & was offered in a long action (based on the FN Mauser) & a medium action (based on the Sako L57). There were several variants, mostly regarding the level of stock finish. These are the ones called the Colt "57". Some, but not all, of these were stamped on the barrel with this moniker. Sales were not all that robust for Colt so they stopped production in 1959, but sales of these rifles continued into the 1960's until stock was depleted. Then in 1963 Colt decided to try again. This time they changed the stock design & features & used the L461, L579, & the L61R actions. They built the standard model in the USA & had Sako build the "Custom" model in Finland. These guns were just called "Coltsman". Production ended after 3 years in 1965. Just going from memory here, but it shouldn't be hard to find the thread about the Colt 57 & Coltsman here for more detail. I suspect the 1961 catalog listing was for leftover Colt's from the first run or was ahead of the actual production & introduction of the 1963-65 Coltsman, as catalogs can sometimes be. There are still a lot of unanswered questions about these rifles, so any new info or corrections are always welcome here.
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