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Update:

Visited Ase-Ami today. He has no less than six (!) Sako Mauser on his used gun shelves. Three of them in 8x60 and three in .30-06.

Well, I inquired about the caliber and we measured the mouth of the barrel: 8,2mm it said.
I asked about ammo and he dug in his safe and came up with three boxes of RWS ammo in 8x60S plus some extra loose rounds in the same. He maintained that this ammo can be used. OK, I said, may I test shoot the gun, please? Sure!

Feeding the round in the chamber produced a surprise: the bolt would not close. Ami opined that the gun has been converted to 8x57 (which I rather doubted though didn't tell him that).
So I suggested we try the other two, instead. Ami, being a most sociable sportsman, agreed and produced the other two. The result was the same!
You should have seen his face when he realized that he has three guns for sale to which he has no ammo at all!

We also checked the Frankonia catalogue for ammo - to no avail.

This does certainly prove the point that the Sako Mausers were, indeed, made with the smaller I bore barrel.
It also proves that 8x60S ammunition may not be used in all guns chambered for 8x60.

I am still surprised as the 8x57 rifles are with the S bore.
Also it still makes little sense that there were two different 8mm barrels fitted to the guns. I today heard that Sako purchased surplus barrels from Germany and this would explain it. Still: the S bore came about in 1905 (?) and the Sako Mauser production commenced in the '50's, i.e. half a century later. It does seem odd that there would have been such a bunch of old caliber barrels lying around.
I have also read that Sako bought not only the actions but also (at least) the 8x60 barrels from FN. This still would offer little logical light as to the smaller bore.

Once again a BIG thank you to all who contributed!

- Lars/Finland

PS. The .30-06 Sako Mauser shot pleasantly, indeed....

--------------------
A.k.a. Bwana One-Shot

Edited by Schauckis (10/08/11 02:30 AM)

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