Thread: A7 Sako

Thoughts on A7 sako ?

I think they are made in Finland.
Tell us more, are you thinking of buying one?

Good, most of a sako 85 without the wank factor price.

Yeah maybe , just wondering if they a worth the extra cash over a Tikka ? I own 2 tikka,s already just after something different thats not too expensive.

7mm08 versions are known to have magazine feeding problems, I've personally encountered two so far. I had a Roughtech (A7 with upgraded stock) in 7mm rem mag and the thing was a laser, though a bit on the heavy side.

Will be buying a 7mm rem mag , anyone owned one of those.?

Just picked one up in 308, can’t fault it so far. Shoots better than I can, admittedly this is only the second time I’ve ever shot a centre fire, I’m getting a 1” group at 100m which may be beginners luck or a bloody good rifle with an average trigger puller

I had a 7mm RM sako a7 roughtech, with my vx6hd the brass would eject into the windage turret and fall back into the receiver every single time without fail, which in it self is a fail. Took it to gunworks to get there help/input and was told that its a design fault of sako. Went to beretta and what a shit fight i had, they wouldn't except that they had an issue on there hands with one of the most popular hunting scopes out there. Their suggestion was to sit it on stilt like rings to make the brass eject cleanly. A joke to say the least....
My sako 85 708 also does this but not to the same degree, just clips the windage turret ever so slightly, i can live with this.
Basically stay tikka or go custom/remington.

They are nicer in my opinion and experience than a tikka. However they are not really that much different. Stick with tikka or go completely different, i.e Browning, Remington, Howa etc.

+1 for Howa

I owned an A7 for a few years and lament selling it. My mate still has his and I use it from time to time as it lives in my safe.

Pros:
The soft-touch feel makes it nice to handle, even when wet.
Great barrels - very accurate.
Comb on the stock is nicely molded and it fits well, whether standing or prone.
Nice action. I've never had a single feed issue. Ever.
22" barrel semed to get better with the addition of suppressor and was capable of putting 3 shots into a 1" circle at 300m.
Light. I like light... you're carrying less!
Top loading possible instead of having to drop the magazine out. Worked very well. A redeeming factor of the magazine (see "cons"!)
Magazine has plenty of room for load development.
Sooooo much nicer to use than a Tikka. I sold my Tikka to buy the A7 and never regretted it.

Cons:
I hated having a 3+1 magazine. This was the sole reason I sold it.


I can't think of anything else about it that I didn't like, it was a great rifle. My mates one is in 7mm08 and is super accurate with 140gr Nosler BT and 41.5gr of 2208.

You do have to locktite the scope bases to the receiver, but I think thats well known. They come loose if you don't. And don't use harsh chemicals on the soft-touch stock. I use warm soapy water to clean them.

Oh, and I now have a Sako 85. Only because of the magazine... it holds 5 rounds.

Pretty sure you'll be very happy with an A7 though.

They are nice rifles. Bit of a halfway between a Tikka T3 and 85.
Only thing I don't like about them is the stupidly short magazines.
300 WinMag factory 180gn ammo is touching the front of the magazine.
I imagine the 7mm RemMag will be the same. Not exactly conducive for long range hand loads seated further out unless you single feed each round.

Originally Posted by Hen

I had a 7mm RM sako a7 roughtech, with my vx6hd the brass would eject into the windage turret and fall back into the receiver every single time without fail, which in it self is a fail. Took it to gunworks to get there help/input and was told that its a design fault of sako. Went to beretta and what a shit fight i had, they wouldn't except that they had an issue on there hands with one of the most popular hunting scopes out there. Their suggestion was to sit it on stilt like rings to make the brass eject cleanly. A joke to say the least....
My sako 85 708 also does this but not to the same degree, just clips the windage turret ever so slightly, i can live with this.
Basically stay tikka or go custom/remington.

@Hen
The issue is with the extractor claw. Same on some 75s. Gunworks is right. Its a design issue.
It doesn't grip the case rim strongly enough in some rifles. Hitting the scope (in the A7) or the ejector sometimes (in the 75) makes the case come off the extractor claw.
It was 'supposed' to have been fixed in the 85.
My .223 75 drops the case back in unless I'm rough and fast with the bolt.
My .270 75 flings the cases miles. The 06 family is supposed to be the worst, as the extractor is set up for the thicker 08 case rim. Go figure.

The only fix I've seen in the internet is to put the extractor in a vice and very carefuly tap and bend the end over a few micros which then allows the case to be more stronger gripped.
I haven't had the nerve to do this.

My mates A7 270 had same extraction issues. His magazine also failed and would pop rounds out but that got fixed. The only real advantage over the tikka is if you want to use a short action cartridge and actually get a short action in the rifle unlike the tikka which is one size fits all. For anything else you’re better to save the money and get a tikka.

The only other possible fix is a longer detent pin that pushes at the base of the extractor claw.
Longer one will allow less movement of the claw, holding the case in place firmer.
But that is a custom engineering job. As you can see below.