When I was a youngster, rifles came with blued steel and walnut stocks, and if a rifle had a synthetic—plastic—stock it was considered cheap. Of course, that all began to change when “synthetic” started meaning high-strength Kevlar and carbon fiber, and today stocks built with those materials have come to be the standard and even the expected. However, there’s still something satisfying about a wood-stocked rifle that speaks to hunters in a way high-tech synthetic materials cannot. The new Grizzly rifle from Sako harkens back to a time when hunters found comfort by wrapping their hands around walnut, but the rifle also blends that traditional look and feel with performance and features modern rifle hunters have come to expect. I recently got to put a new Grizzly in 308 Winchester to the test at my home range. Here’s my full review.
Sako Grizzly Specs
- Length: 40.5 to 42.9 inches (42.75 as tested)
- Weight: 6.8 to 7.3 pounds (7.5 pounds as tested)
- Barrel: 20 or 22.4 inches (22.4 as tested)
- Action: Sako Model 90 bolt action
- Trigger: Single-Stage Adjustable (2.75 pounds as tested)
- Capacity: 5+1 (detachable magazine)
- Chamberings: 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 Winchester (tested), 30-06 Springfield, 8×57, 9.3×62
- Finish: Black Graphite Cerakote (Stainless Steel)
- Stock: Walnut abd Rosewood
- Sights: None (Integral scope bases)
- Price: $2,999
Related: Glenfield Model A Rifle Review—Expert Tested
Sako Grizzly Overview
The Sako Grizzly rifle is built on a stainless-steel version of Sako’s legendary Model 90 action. This push-feed action has a three-lug bolt with a 60° throw, as well as Sako’s famous extractor and dual-plunger ejectors. Integral to the receiver is a Picatinny scope rail with three slots fore and aft of the ejection port. The action is fitted with a cold-hammer-forged stainless-steel barrel that is deeply fluted and either 20 or 22.4 inches long. The barrel’s muzzle is threaded at 5/8×24 and comes with a protective cap.
The trigger is single stage with no noticeable take up, and it is user adjustable for pull weight. The rifle has a sliding, two-position thumb safety on the right side of the action. When the safety is in the rear position, it blocks the firing pin, and it also prevents the bolt from being operated or inadvertently opening due to contact. Just forward of the safety, there’s a bolt-release button that allows you to cycle the action or unload the rifle while it is on safe.
The elegant high-grade walnut stock is of the traditional configuration without a Monte Carlo hump but there is a cheek piece on the left side. The tips of the forend and grip are capped off with rosewood, and a metal SAKO logo is inlaid in the grip cap. The grip has a slight palm swell on the right side and finely executed 20 lines-per-inch checkering on both sides. The sides of the forend are also checkered. A thin black spacer separates the walnut stock from the reddish rubber butt pad which adds a flare of old-time elegance to the look of the rifle.
Additional features include a five-round detachable magazine which has a lever release located just forward of the magazine well. Interestingly and very smartly, to prevent accidental magazine release, just pushing the release lever will not allow the magazine to come free, you must also slightly push in on the magazine while at the same time pressing the release lever. Finally, instead of the traditional sling swivel studs, the Grizzly’s walnut stock is fitted with QD-style push button sling swivels in the traditional locations.
Sako Grizzly Test Results
Most of the 308 Winchester rifles I’ve tested shoot Remington’s Long Range 172-grain Speer Impact load well, but at 2.1 inches, the first five-shot group out of the Grizzly did not impress and the second and third groups were not any better. The next several groups fired with Sako ammunition were not brag worthy either. However, about 30 rounds into the test, I fired a sub-inch group with the 165-grain Sierra Tipped GameKing load out of the Barnes Harvest collection, and the next two groups with that load were very similar. I went back and shot another five-shot group with the Remington load that measured just a tad more than an inch.
Sometimes rifles need a little breaking in, and the more I shot the Grizzly, the better it performed. However, I don’t cherry pick which groups I report—all the groups fired go into the average. Just the same, it is important to note that after 30 rounds had been fired, the Grizzly never fired another five-shot group larger than 1.5 inches.
The trigger on this rifle was fantastic. There was no take-up and it broke at 2.75 pounds—which is about ideal for a hunting rifle—with minimal overtravel. If you want a lighter or heavier pull weight, you can adjust the trigger yourself. The bolt was smooth, the rifle fed, fired, extracted, and ejected without any issues. Without a suppressor, the rifle balanced about an inch behind the front guard screw. This made the rifle a tad butt heavy which enhanced handling, but it also helped establish a slightly muzzle heavy—off hand friendly—balance when the 7.8 ounce Banish Backcountry suppressor and the 12 ounce Swarovski Z3 riflescope was installed. Ringing an 8-inch steel plate repeatedly from standing off-hand at 100 yards in its suppressed configuration was not an issue.
I admit that the magazine initially threw me a curve when it did not want to eject after pushing the release lever. However, after reading the instructions—always a good idea with a new rifle—and realizing I needed to apply slight pressure to the magazine body for it to unlatch, removal was easy. This is actually a great feature that would circumvent any unintentional magazine release and loss that could be disastrous to a hunt.
I only have two complaints with the Sako Grizzly. It is a bit heavier than advertised, and with a practical scope and a suppressor, it will push the scales past 9 pounds. Additionally, while the Grizzly can be had in five very practical big-game hunting capable cartridges, filling the needs of most any hunter, a lot of very popular cartridges like the 243 and 270 Winchester were missing from the lineup.
Related: Browning X-Bolt 2 Hunter Review—Expert Tested
Final Thoughts on Sako’s New Grizzly
Pros
- Elegant appearance
- Outstanding craftsmanship
- Great trigger
- Integral scope mounts
Cons
- Heavy—and heavier than advertised
- Limited chamberings
When today’s hunters are considering the purchase of a new rifle, many look for one with all the bells and whistles associated with what has come to be known as the long-range precision hunting rifle. Granted, there’s a place for rifles like that, but there is also a place (maybe more places) for a well-thought-out traditional looking rifle that’s been assembled with precision and shoots where you point it. A friend once remarked to me that none of the modern hunting rifles had a soul, and he might be on to something; a beautiful wood-stocked hunting rifle looks different, feels different, and interaction with it can seem, well, almost mystical or spiritual.
In fact, maybe “mystical” or “spiritual” is the best way to describe my thoughts on the new Sako Grizzly. It is a good-shooting, good-looking rifle that I’d be proud to show off around a campfire in the Appalachian Mountains or around the fire ring in Africa. It’s also built on one of the best bolt-action designs ever engineered, and everything on this rifle works just like it’s supposed to. Yeah, it’s pricy but great guns don’t come cheap, and the Sako Grizzly’s looks and performance match is price tag. As far as I’m concerned, it is one of the best new hunting rifles on the market.
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