Do any of you know how to tell the production date from the SN on a Sako Forester L579? It's a .22-250. I was given this gun as a gift 17 years ago. But it was not new. Still shoots great. At 100 yards in a rest it usually shoots groups about 1/4-3/8". That's with hand loaded moly coated 40gr v-max using varget powder at about 4,400fps.
Also, any idea what a gun like this is worth? I am considering building a custom gun out of it, but if it would make more sense to sell it and build a custom gun from a Remington or Howa, then I could go that way. I love my Sako, but I am sure I could love another just as well. The first years of it's life were spent in a case never being shot since it was a gift to my mom and she hates guns. She saved it for me until I turned 16, that's when I got it. I have shot probably 500 rounds through it. Probably 80% of those being moly coated, so there is nearly no wear on the barrel.
Can you give the serial number for it? I have the same type, and found a listing of dates. Also, you can narrow things down by looking near the forend of the stock, on the bottom of the barrel. If it was imported by "Garcia", like mine, then it seems to have been imported '71-72, then we can narrow down by the serial number to the month. I found the listing of import dates on the internet, but couldn't tell you where now, as I've looked at so many different things.
Here is what I found. If the list is correct, then your 22-250 was produced/shipped post February 1972. Mine was produced/shipped in 1971. Just purchased it, so haven't even taken it out to shoot it. Is yours the Super Deluxe as well??
That type of stock is called a "mannlicher". I do not have that type of stock, although I have heard that those are the most desireable, from a collector's perspective.
The Super Deluxe, from what I have determined, has a rosewood forend and cap. The forend rosewood is angle cut, while on the Deluxe model, the rosewood was square cut, and on the Hunter model, there is no rosewood. Haven't seen much difference in pricing between the two models, I think the wood may just be a nicer grain on the Super Deluxe.
Spectre, L579 Sako Foresters are becoming quite collectable, so you might be better served by leaving it as is, and holding on to it! [..or sending it to me!]
Those production / shipping dates are a bit dodgy too, I'd say!
If you want to build something tacti-cool, do it on a howa or remmy action!
My Deluxe 'L' series are all blonde wood, and all have angled rosewood fore-ends and pistol grip caps... the Vixens have a fox's head inset in the pistol grip cap in lighter wood, while the Foresters have a stylized pine tree.
My deluxes all have a silver inlay in the floor plate and trigger guard...
One Vixen [L461] has oak leaves and acorns on both, the other has a stylised foxhead and tail on the floorplate, and the stylised Forester Xmas tree on the guard.
Two of my Foresters have 'Antelope' heads on the floorplates and 'leafy stems' on the guards, while the other has a scene of a deer standing between pine trees, with a bridge in the background, and a 'chevron' pattern on the guard.[earlier model]
The Super Deluxes had oak leaves carved on pistol grip and fore-end instead of chequering, as well as silver inlays in floor plate and guard.
There are rare examples around of the full-wooded 'mannlicher' style carbines in small, medium and large actions... I have only ever seen two, both ,222s, but have heard of others in the larger actions..
