A long-time friend of mine who just had his 80th birthday is, unfortunately, in failing health. He's sure he'll never fire a center-fire rifle again and wanted his Sako to go to someone who would appreciate it.

Going by the serial number (63xxx) and what I can find on the interwebz, it's a 1966 production model and has the Bofors heavy barrel on it. Bluing is flawless, wood stock has some very light wear.

Decent Redfield 3x9 and a Harris bipod. Should make a nice varmint rifle.

That is a wonderful gift!

WINNER!

Wow! What a nice gift.

OOOOhhhh, that's awfully nice. .243 is a fine caliber, too.

Sako actions are so slick. When you get to shoot it, a range report is mandatory!

Wonderful rifle and friend. Bittersweet.

My introduction to Sako rifles was shooting a L46 Mannlicher .222 that belonged to a friend of mine. Never felt a trigger like it and although I thought I didn't like that stock style, there was just something about it on that rifle that looked right. A couple of years ago, I saw the same era rifle in my LGS and jumped on it, trying to figure out what I currently owned that I could live without.

Mine is from 1959

Very nice! I have a minty 1966 ‘Forester’ bought off the original owner, 243. This one is a sporter weight.

I didn’t really need it, but couldn’t pass it up. So much nicer than most current production rifles.

I really like the .243
Don’t see much about outside of the predator forums these days.

Congrats- The .243 does many things well and is an exceptional deer round. It is an excellent choice for recoil sensitive folks, especially young/ small framed shooters.

I knew a fellow that built an AR based on the .243 back when you would have been hard pressed to find one other than 5.56/.223. It was a smooth shooting, accurate little beastie.

The fact the he gifted it to you is special. I am sure you know that. God Bless him.

I too love the .243 win. Such a great round. Do not discount that Redfield. Very good vintage optic. Congrats.

That is a sexy rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by GrumpyBiker:
I really like the .243
Don’t see much about outside of the predator forums these days.

.243 is still a popular deer round around here, especially for younger/smaller or recoil sensitive shooters.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
That is a sexy rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by GrumpyBiker:
I really like the .243
Don’t see much about outside of the predator forums these days.

.243 is still a popular deer round around here, especially for younger/smaller or recoil sensitive shooters.

Same here, I personally know 3-4 .243 deer hunters, just off the top of my head.

I absolutely adore my M70 Featherweight in .243. Makes it hard to pick up any other rifles when deer hunting. 100gr Partitions make deer very dead very fast.

quote:

I absolutely adore my M70 Featherweight in .243. Makes it hard to pick up any other rifles when deer hunting. 100gr Partitions make deer very dead very fast.

You have posted pictures of that rifle, and every time, it makes me drool. Oh my God, is that a beautiful piece of work! Classic rifle, classic round and in a featherweight, just about perfect.

I got a 1969 model for one of my friends when she wanted a rifle to hunt with. She shot it and found it to be the most incredible thing she'd ever tried, it shot like a laser.

She sold it to a guy who desperately wanted it and gave her a very very good price for it.

It’s a beauty and will be a nice reminder of your friendship.

I also recently inherited a L579 Deluxe in .243 with s/n 24xxx, which I place in ‘62.

I replaced the recoil pad, added a light tan leather sling that largely matches the wood stock and a Nikon Monarch scope.

243 is definitely good for Deer. I used one for about 15 years in Del Rio Texas and dropped deer at 250 yards without fail. Good looking weapon you have there.

Classy rig!
I love 243s, 85gr Sierra bthp handloads in my rifles work great for putting meat in the freezer.

The 243 in my opinion is one of the greatest if not the greatest varmint/deer combination cartridges ever.