Thread: Sako 85 in 6.5x55 - should I?

When you compare your beretta 85 to the beretta t3, and see the same results of cost cutting in their manufacture from the very same factory, you have to ask, why did I pay three times as much? The answer is, to say you did.

That's my Tuesday morning stir done, have a good day ladies and gents

Originally Posted by nak

I'm a after a 6.5 cal at the moment. It's a toss up between 6.5x47L and 6.5x55, I think it'll depend on what rifles come up.

I've found a swede in an 85 Finnlight, the only sako I've ever owned is an old L579 .308, it's a great little rifle.

The new 85's look pretty nice and they do come with a great reputation but I've heard there's been some issues with quality control and in some cartridges in particular the ejected case gets spat right out into the wind age turret on the scope, often ending up landing backwards in the action.

Has anyone owned a 85 in 6.5x55 -positive or negative experiences?

Fantastic cal in a great rifle.

You won't regret it!

Handloading is the way to go with the swede IMO. Norma and Hornady Superformance are worth a shot though.

Talk to @gimp as he has tried them all.

do it sakos are mean I've had one or two

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Good choice of caliber, but I personally would never buy another Sako 85 again.
I think they are over priced and for what they are and the 2 I have had extemely poor ejection function, one in particular was a 270
After going back and forth to a number gunsmiths and back to Beretta twice who didnt want to acknowledge the fault and said it was a scope mounting issue.
I in the end took it back to the place It was purchased without a scope on it with a hand full of empty cases and asked the store owner to cycle them after doing so he said OH I see what you mean and it was replaced immediately with another 85 only to have similar issues.
I have now gone with Tikkas and saved a whole lot of money. They are lighter and from my experience eject as they should and are accurate if not more accurate than the overated 85.

Originally Posted by buzzman

do it sakos are mean I've had one or two

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You must have trouble counting buzzman

Originally Posted by Sako85

Good choice of caliber, but I personally would never buy another Sako 85 again.
I think they are over priced and for what they are and the 2 I have had extemely poor ejection function, one in particular was a 270
After going back and forth to a number gunsmiths and back to Beretta twice who didnt want to acknowledge the fault and said it was a scope mounting issue.
I in the end took it back to the place It was purchased without a scope on it with a hand full of empty cases and asked the store owner to cycle them after doing so he said OH I see what you mean and it was replaced immediately with another 85 only to have similar issues.
I have now gone with Tikkas and saved a whole lot of money. They are lighter and from my experience eject as they should and are accurate if not more accurate than the overated 85.

See thats it, for every example of someone having a good 85 it's too easy to find another that's had ejection, feeding or accuracy issues. So, I've decided to pass up that finnlight as it would have meant buying it unseen and instead get my old L579 re-barreled in 6.5x47L

Originally Posted by nak

See thats it, for every example of someone having a good 85 it's too easy to find another that's had ejection, feeding or accuracy issues. So, I've decided to pass up that finnlight as it would have meant buying it unseen and instead get my old L579 re-barreled in 6.5x47L

I've had more than few sakos mate.
Never had ANY of the issues you mention.


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Originally Posted by nak

See thats it, for every example of someone having a good 85 it's too easy to find another that's had ejection, feeding or accuracy issues. So, I've decided to pass up that finnlight as it would have meant buying it unseen and instead get my old L579 re-barreled in 6.5x47L

Any reason to go for 6.5x47L.
I know it's noted for great accuracy, but 260, 6.5x55 and 6.5 Creedmoor all are more common so easier to get brass or factory ammo.
All three offer better ballistics due to being able to push a 140gr bullet faster.

6.5x55 offers the most case capacity and there is lots of factory ammo available, and some good quality ammo at really good prices.

Originally Posted by BRADS

I've had more than few sakos mate.
Never had ANY of the issues you mention.


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yeah I know there are those that have had no problems at all, I've got a couple of mates who are very happy with there's, but there are plenty of internet forums littered with those who have had issues with 85's. Maybe I read too many forums.....

Originally Posted by nak

yeah I know there are those that have had no problems at all, I've got a couple of mates who are very happy with there's, but there are plenty of internet forums littered with those who have had issues with 85's. Maybe I read too many forums.....

Id take my mates advice over forum strangers all day long

Originally Posted by Beetroot

Any reason to go for 6.5x47L.
I know it's noted for great accuracy, but 260, 6.5x55 and 6.5 Creedmoor all are more common so easier to get brass or factory ammo.
All three offer better ballistics due to being able to push a 140gr bullet faster.

6.5x55 offers the most case capacity and there is lots of factory ammo available, and some good quality ammo at really good prices.

Not sure, I've always been intrigued by the round, thought I'd give it a try. I like short actions as well, and from what I've read the .260 would struggle to use it's full case capacity with longer bullets in a short action. Ballistics between .260 and 6.4x47L look pretty similar to me.

I reload so factory ammo is not much of a concern and with Lapua brass reloads should last for a quite a few firings.

Originally Posted by Gibo

Id take my mates advice over forum strangers all day long

Yep, agree. They're both is short actions though (.308) and the ejection issues seem to be related to longer actions.

Hello Nak

For what it worth I've had two 6.5 Creedmoors, two (at least) 6.5x55's over 30 years or so and I still run a 6.5x47 although mine is unusual as it built on a 1921 Mauser Kurz action, so I load fairly conservatively for it (125's at 2700). Having shot them all quite a bit on both targets and game, ballisticaly they are all very very close.

I wish my 6.5x47 was a creedmoor, it isn't because when I built it the creedmoor wasn't available. The 6.5x47 has (for me) been a pain to reload for with two different dies giving me donuts (and before anyone brings it up, yes it is die related not the rifle chamber, I know this because I tried brass fired in another rifle). The creedmoor seems to feed better, it has a standard .473 base (whereas the 6.5x47 is a bit bigger), and lapua are now offering brass for creedmoor, and there are some very good factory ammo offerings for the creedmoor. If it wasn't for the fact that my Kurz has the front scope base mounted on the barrel, which makes setting the barrel back a involved exercise I'd set it back and rechamber to creedmoor in a heartbeat.

Either will be very nice in your Sako, you'll have room in the mag box to really play with seating depth (more-so than the 260), and they should both feed, although it always pays to try before you commit - occasionally there is a very expensive oops with feeding.

First, check out reloading data for the 6.5x55 SKAN which is designed to be compatible with 6.5x55 SE but uses higher pressures for modern actions. Marginally higher velocity.
6,5 x 55 Swedish Mauser/ SKAN - Rifle reloading - Reloading Data - Vihtavuori

Sorry to hear you've made a quick decision about the Sako 85. True, it is only 50% better overall than the T3 and costs 150% more. Not a problem for some but of course you might quite reasonably like to own two rifles or spend more on a scope ...

There are plenty of threads explaining those several small superior features of the Sako but lets look at the availability in 5 action lengths.
As @gimp pointed out, many shooters like to reload long projectiles, whether heavy for caliber or made of copper, and they can't fit into the traditional action lengths. I've found that with my 7mm08 in the Sako 85 Short sized action. I had to load about .070" short of the lands and who knows how far now its worn by 2500 rounds. I had discounted the 6.5x55 because you need a .3006 length action but now I wonder if it might be a good idea.

Here's a table of cartridge / Sako Action / brass length / Cartridge overall length (Nosler Reloading Guide 6 Ed) :

260 Rem / S / 2.036" / 2.800"
6.5x55 SE / L / 2.165 / 3.150
3006 Spr / L / 2.494 / 3.340
9.3x62 M / L / 2.441 / 3.290

As you can see, the maximum COAL in the L action range is 0.490 longer than in the S action range so you are carrying an extra half inch of receiver, bolt and magazine action plus every cartridge you take.

However, the 6.5x55 SE is the shortest of the cartridges in the L action, which should give the option of loading longer bullets, farther out, in front of more powder. Brian Litz states that longer magazine and action lengths are a "significant advancement" in long range hit probability (Modern Advancements Vol 1). This will also translate into a small flat shooting advantage at typical hunting ranges. The 6.5x55 has 0.190" more clearance in the magazine than the .3006. The brass is also 0.329" shorter than the .3006 so ejection could be easier.

Originally Posted by nak

Not sure, I've always been intrigued by the round, thought I'd give it a try. I like short actions as well, and from what I've read the .260 would struggle to use it's full case capacity with longer bullets in a short action. Ballistics between .260 and 6.4x47L look pretty similar to me.

I reload so factory ammo is not much of a concern and with Lapua brass reloads should last for a quite a few firings.

Lapua brass is available for all 4 6.5s mentioned, so thats a good thing.
The Lapua brass for the the 6.5x47 seems to be more expensive than the Lapua brass for the 6.5x55 and 260. No idea why, maybe the produce less of it??

You are correct the .260 may be limited by mag length, but Sako magazines seem to be ok.
The Creedmoor will fit easily enough, and both the 260 and the Creedmoor are usally 150fps better off for the same projectile than the 6.5x47L, and most loads tend to be for the 123gr or 130gr bullets rather than the 140 grainers.

Nothing at all wrong with the round, and if it intrigues you go for it!
Just throwing my 2 cents in.