SAKO - Catalogue 2021

The core of the now 100-year-old Sako is the unique combination of people and technology. In 2021, we celebrate our 100th anniversary and begin to plan the next 100 years. Before leaping into the future of hunting and sports shooting, it’s good to take a look back to understand our long legacy.​ We have always demanded perfection in everything we do and our every intention is to continue the tradition. We learn about our past, but then start to think what will come next. Together with our partners and customers we are building the future.​ BUILDING THE FUTURE 1921-1927 Sako is a special case in the Finnish industrial history. It was first founded in 1919, when the Finnish Civil Guards needed a workshop to repair Russian-made rifles obtained during the Civil War. The workshop was made economically independent on 1 April 1921, and that is the day which Sako considers its day of birth. Instead of only repairing, Sako also started to manufacture guns.​ The m/28, Pystykorva – the Spitzhound, proved to be of even higher quality than the equivalent guns used by the Defence Forces.​ The first Sako rifles were made by combining barrels obtained from Switzerland and Germany with old Russian guns. ​ 1927-1944 Wartimes were busy for Sako. The number of employees rose to 800, of whom a significant number were women. Riihimäki was bombed, but Sako’s factory site was spared any great damage. At the late 20s Sako started to manufacture cartridges, a decision that proved to be wise. 1944-1961 In 1946 Sako returned to weapons manufacturing. This marked a new era for the company that started to export products to the United States. In 1952, the US was already Sako’s largest export country and in 1953, the sales there surpassed Sako’s domestic sales. The field gun model L46 designed during the war sold well in Finland, the Nordic countries and Western Europe. ​ In 1927, the workshop was made into Sako Ltd. At the same time, the company moved from Helsinki to Riihimäki, to the same industrial lot on which Sako still operates.  After the war, Sako had to find new articles to sell: the cartridge department made tools and small metal products – such as shells for lipsticks – and the mechanical workshop repaired guns.