I will break it down into four main points:
- The rifle
- The overall scope/rifle combination
- The Calibre
- Load Development
The Rifle
The rifle is a Sako 85 Sporter in .204 Ruger Calibre with a factory set trigger. The scope is a Swarovski Z3 4-12x50 BT Plex supported in Conetrol Mounts.
Rifle/scope combination with no ammo - total weight 3.7kg/8.16lbs
Overall finish is as you would expect of a $2500 rifle – Excellent!!!
Magazine system – Very Good/Excellent as personally I don’t see the need for change from the Sako 75. Having to push the front of the magazine slightly up to release is not necessary IMO. After firing over 400 rounds the magazine cycled flawlessly. It does however limit the overall length of your round especially on the .204 as even factory ammo only fits in with about 1mm clearance. So if you want to seat closer to the lands you will have to single feed.
Action – Very Good/Excellent. As we all know they are very smooth and it functioned flawlessly. Many times it was that good that I couldn’t tell whether it had picked up a round from the mag.
Bolt lift from empty is a little heavier than my old L461 and the overall bolt diameter is larger. With a few rounds through the action now the bolt lift and overall feel began to loosen up.
Extraction is good but you do need to be positive with the retraction of the bolt otherwise the shell can just sit on top of the mag. So in other words don’t pussy foot with the bolt.
One thing the 85 can do that you can’t do with the L461 is this. If you decide not to fire. Slowly pull back the bolt and push down on the round and it will go back in the magazine. You have to fully extract a live round and then top feed it back on the older Sako’s.
The Set Trigger – Excellent after a fair bit of work. The set trigger straight from the factory was not to my liking at about 3½ pounds unset and about ¾ pound in the set position. It works as it should but I wanted it the same as the one on my Sako 75 .308. In the end with a few hours of adjustment it is now a fraction over 1½ pounds unset and under ½ pound set. Fantastic!!!! It does add a few hundred dollars to the cost of the rifle when you buy it and this is a personal choice depending on your requirements.
Overall Feel/Hold – Excellent. The rifle oozes quality from the time you pick it up and throw it to the shoulder. With the Conetrols keeping the 50mm scope as low as possible the cheek weld and alignment is absolutely spot on for me.
The overall scope/rifle combination
As previously mentioned the scope is a Swarovski Z3 4-12x50 BT Plex supported in Conetrol Mounts.
At around $1300 I see it as very good value and is a top product backed by a quality manufacturer.
The scope tracked well during the first sighting session and took minimal effort to sight in.
The Ballistic Turret is not a necessity when using the .204 but if you want to stretch it out past 300yds it has a lot of merit for an extra $100. With the combination of the BT and the Swarovski Software it took very little effort to get consistent hits out to and beyond 400yds on rabbits.
Between 6-9 power the scope is as bright and clear as any of my scopes. I had no problem using 12power right up until about ½ hour before dark. Winding back to 9-10 power saw the scope pick out things you couldn’t see with the naked eye especially at the absolute last minutes of daylight. Very Impressed.
Eye Relief does get a little more critical (left to right) on 12power but no more so than any other scopes I have used.
When used spotlighting and on 7-8 power it is really really good. Actually it is fantastic. 200yds with the Solarforce M9 torch is a walk in the park.
Overall – I would highly recommend this scope and more importantly it is a fantastic choice on a .204.
The Calibre
It took me two years to decide .223 or .204? I really don’t think you could make a bad choice between the two but I am glad I went the way I have.
Positives – Easy to reload and very forgiving. It would want to be as some of the brass available is very poor. I used Hornady brass and found the case capacities varied extremely and so did the depth of primer pockets. Doesn’t seem to matter as most of my test loads shot well with some shooting exceptionally well for a sporter. Seating depth doesn’t seem to matter too much either. We shot a Tikka T3 .223 beside my rifle. This rifle and shooter are capable of under 1/3MOA with 55gr Nosler Ballistic tips. With my .204 shooting 39g Sierra Blitzkings at 3700fps we were able to stretch both rifles well beyond their normal flat shooting range. The .204 definitely has less felt recoil and gets there quicker. It is noticeable. Hold off in the wind was very similar.
Cleaning the rifle is no harder than any other rifle I have used and nor is reloading.
Negatives – I really don’t know if I have too many but the brass and projectile availability may be the only issue. So buy when you see it.
Knock down power – The Sierra 39g Blitzkings impressed me the most on rabbits, foxes and cats. Instant kills from 100-320yds if the shot was good. One cat shot at 290yds had no exit wound when hit side on in the shoulder and dropped on the spot. Another young fox shot at 320yds again in shoulder had a nasty exit wound and didn’t take another step.
The Berger 35gr projectiles were a fraction more accurate at 4000fps but would be better suited to heavier animals IMO. Rabbits were not hard enough for them to fully expand passed about 250yds and the SBK’s outshone them past 300. What you do have to weigh up is the difference in cost. Around $31 for the Berger compared to $45-50 for the SBK’s.
The Calibre itself is a little laser, quick to the target and very efficient.
Load Development
As there was very limited factory ammo around I can only make comment on what I could buy. Hornady 32gr and 40gr Superformance is what I had to test. My Handloads consisting of two projectiles as I mentioned earlier with the two powders of choice being ADI 2206H and BM8208.
In a nutshell, if I was using the Hornady factory ammo I would have been disappointed in the rifle. Best groups were struggling to achieve the MOA mark and were well under their claimed velocity.
The 32’s do explode rabbits at around 90yds though. This was all I could find of two young rabbits.
Moving along. My rifle definitely has a preference for 8208 powder with the best groups shot using this powder. 27gr’s of 8208 behind the 39SBK’s running at around 3700fps shot some of the best groups and will be my main load unless I do further development. At this stage I see no need.
28.5gr’s of 8208 behind the 35 Bergers leave the muzzle at 4000fps and are deadly accurate.
I tried a variety of primers and had no issue with any of them. I will be settling on CCI BR4’s as they have always been a good performer.
Conclusion
My advice. Handload the .204 and I can’t see how you couldn’t be happy with this calibre.
My rifle combination? It does live up to my expectations.
Is it worth the money over some of the other brands? If you look at it just financially I would say – NO. For me I forget what I pay for them and just enjoy the quality of the firearm every time I use it.
Is the Sako 85 .204 going to be more accurate than other brands – NO if you tune your own load to suit the rifle of choice. Running factory ammo in different brand rifles is a test I am not able to do.
The Z3 Scope? Worth every cent.
Set Trigger? Personal choice but a must for me.
Cheers Robbo
When you buy a couple of thousand CCI BR4 primers at $100 - 1000 and then your mate rings you the next day and says he just bought 3000 for $58 per 1000. Tends to piss you off. 
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