This month we look at two special rifles: one old and rare, the other relatively new and frequently seen. They are the Sako VL63 Finnwolf deluxe lever action and the still current Mauser Model 12. Both are chambered in .308 Winchester. The Sako weighs in at a mid-weight 9½lb with a Schmidt & Bender 7×50 scope and 23in barrel, while the 22in-barrel Mauser fitted with Zeiss 3-12 glass tips the scale at a handy 8lb 6oz. The Sako was once offered in .243 too, and the Mauser (avail­able with a wooden or synthetic stock) has a huge list of calibre options still, includ­ing .243., 6.5×55 Swedish, 6.5 Creedmoor, .270 Winchester, .308, 30-06, 7×57, 7×64. 7mm Rem Mag. 8×57, 8.SxSS Blaser and .300 Win Mag.

Avoiding choice anxiety and the debate between the .308 and the fashionable 6.5 Creedmoor, suffice to say the .308 Win­chester is a brilliant ‘do it all’ cartridge for British stalking. Ideal for medium and larger Cervidae, the .308 is also an ade­quate round for most boar and antelope abroad (although my preference for the latter is .300 Win Mag based on experience that larger beasts may not drop instantly with the .308 but will to a .300). Neverthe­less. the .308 works extremely well and is a great choice for reloading too. (Read more on deer stalking here.)

Backstory

Both rifles reviewed here have a back­story. I found the Sako languishing on a shelf at Thomas Bland & Sons in London some 50 years ago when it was on William IV Street just off St Martin’s Lane. It had been ordered for a customer in deluxe form with fluted Monte Carlo stock and cheekpiece but was never delivered. I bought it and took it with me to the Army, then putting so much 7.62mm Nato ball ammunition through it that it needed rebarrelling by Sako in Finland. It is a singular, accurate. exceptionally smooth-actioned sporting weapon that seems to impress all who shoot it. I’ve taken it to Africa where one professional hunter in Namibia offered to swap it for a double rifle. Historically, the VL63 Finnwolf was made between 1959 and 1974.  It is a technical and design tour de force probably influenced by less sophis­ticated lever guns such as the Winchester 88 and Savage 99 that had been produced with US deer hunters in mind. The prob­lem was that the elegant and incredibly fast-cycling Finnwolf was never inex­pensive. Though cherished now and once warranting an owners club,  the lever Sako was just too pricey for the critical core American market.

The Sako (left) and the Mauser Model 12

The Mauser Model 12, introduced in 2012 to widespread acclaim, is a clever take on the classic bolt gun. Mauser did not invent the bolt rifle but has certainly done much to perfect it.  The famous military Models 1893, 95, 96 and 98 themselves stem from the firm’s 1871 design (Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse, inspired by the common door bolt, may be credited with inventing the bolt action as we know it). Mauser – reformed circa 2000 after being bought by the Blaser Group – con­tinues to make the remarkable 1898. Its key feature, beloved by rifle cognoscenti, is a so-called ‘controlled feed’ and a large non-rotating claw extractor. This grabs the rim of the cartridge as it leaves the maga­zine and is combined with a large ejector blade inside the receiver that works via a slot in the bolt face.

To simplify production and reduce costs many manufacturers have introduced ‘push feed’ actions (the most famous example of which may be the Remington 700 series). The Model 12 is a strong and most reliable rifle of this type. Mine has never let me down. l would still advise a controlled feed 98 or similar for any quarry that bites back but the Model 12 with 60-degree bolt lift, positive sideways ejection and an excellent three position safety is a near-ideal stalk­ing rifle. My one benefits from having the stock reshaped in classic style by Rigby’s master stocker, Mark Remnant.

Technical

Sako’s Finnwolf has a unique rack­ and-pinion geared mechanism with the hinged lever requiring minimal hand movement. Like on a bolt action, the rotating bolt head locks into the breech and can achieve similar accuracy levels. The detachable three-shot box magazine was rare in its day in sporting guns. This VL63 was modernistic and costly to make (and might benefit from CNC machining if ever revisited). Meantime, the Mauser is a loose evolution of the classic Model 98 without controlled feed and profiting from an enclosed bolt head. This fixed-barrel gun has clearly been designed for simplicity and economy of manufacture. It still boasts a six lug bolt and hammer forged barrel. The trigger mechanism is first class, as is the safety. Capacity wise, the tough polymer magazine can hold five rounds, with a 10-shot version available.

Shooting impressions

Both rifles handle superbly. Recoil in the Monte Carlo-stocked Sako is softer than in most .308s. Accuracy is just over 1in at 100 yards. The cycling is fast and much smoother than on other lever guns. Bullet type can cause occasional issues. A potential weakness is that a damaged magazine lip can impede feed (another area that might warrant reconsideration). The trigger is excellent for a lever action. Also great is the silent but positive bar safety just behind the trigger. As for the Model 12, it may not have classic Mauser controlled feed but its function is flawless. The safety has a mid position. allowing for unloading with safety still on. Accuracy? In the words of Rigby’s Jamie Holland, it’s “boringly accurate: it just works. You take it out of the box and it all goes to plan.”

Glass bedded now, mine is capable of ½in groups or better at 100 yards.