phil mcwilliam
New member
My beloved Sako Finnwolf VL63 Lever action chambered in 308 stopped going bang. A visit to the gunsmith has determined a broken firing pin (part number 302) as being the problem.
The gunsmith has advised that this firing pin assembley on the Finnwolf is an intricate 2 piece design with a coupling, which would be difficult & expensive for him to try & replicate.
The gunsmith tried the Beretta distributor who didn't particularly want to know about 40 year old rifles(understandably).
Ive tried phoning around the older established gunsmiths & gunshops in Australia that dealt in Sakos trying to locate a spare firing pin assembly, all to no avail.
I even rang the Sako factory in Finland & spoke to their head gunsmith who apologised but said the factory no longer had spare firing pin assemblies for a rifle they stopped producing 40 years ago.
He was helpful in suggesting a couple of gunsmiths he had visited in Australia 10 years ago, that in his opinion had a better spare parts selection than the Sako factory. Unfortunately the firearms industry has been in decline in Australia over the last 20 years & the gunsmiths he suggeated are no longer in business.
I wanted to know if anyone can recommend a gunsmith / gunshop that has continually being selling/servicing Sako rfles since the 1970s anywhere in the world that I may contact on the slight chance of finding a firing pin assembly.
The gunsmith that currently has the rifle said it was possible to weld the pin together, but he rejected this as he said it would make the pin brittle & prone to breaking again. He also didn't particularly want to take on the job of duplicating the broken pin because of its complexity & the amount he would have to charge for his time. He also commented that he may have to have several attempts to get it right.
The head gunsmith at Sako also told me it would be a difficult part to replicate.
This Sako Finnwolf has been my primary hunting rifle for many years now & has served me well until this problem. It would be unfortunate to retire this gun, but I think I would only be confident if I could replace the firing pin assembly with a factory spare.
The gunsmith has advised that this firing pin assembley on the Finnwolf is an intricate 2 piece design with a coupling, which would be difficult & expensive for him to try & replicate.
The gunsmith tried the Beretta distributor who didn't particularly want to know about 40 year old rifles(understandably).
Ive tried phoning around the older established gunsmiths & gunshops in Australia that dealt in Sakos trying to locate a spare firing pin assembly, all to no avail.
I even rang the Sako factory in Finland & spoke to their head gunsmith who apologised but said the factory no longer had spare firing pin assemblies for a rifle they stopped producing 40 years ago.
He was helpful in suggesting a couple of gunsmiths he had visited in Australia 10 years ago, that in his opinion had a better spare parts selection than the Sako factory. Unfortunately the firearms industry has been in decline in Australia over the last 20 years & the gunsmiths he suggeated are no longer in business.
I wanted to know if anyone can recommend a gunsmith / gunshop that has continually being selling/servicing Sako rfles since the 1970s anywhere in the world that I may contact on the slight chance of finding a firing pin assembly.
The gunsmith that currently has the rifle said it was possible to weld the pin together, but he rejected this as he said it would make the pin brittle & prone to breaking again. He also didn't particularly want to take on the job of duplicating the broken pin because of its complexity & the amount he would have to charge for his time. He also commented that he may have to have several attempts to get it right.
The head gunsmith at Sako also told me it would be a difficult part to replicate.
This Sako Finnwolf has been my primary hunting rifle for many years now & has served me well until this problem. It would be unfortunate to retire this gun, but I think I would only be confident if I could replace the firing pin assembly with a factory spare.