One of the most legendary rifle companies on the market today is SAKO. Owned by Beretta and sister company to Tikka, SAKO rifles are known for strength, fit and finish, accuracy, and style.
Recently, SAKO sent me a Finnlight to review in 6.5 Creedmoor. I was not going to miss out on the opportunity to try this lightweight rifle and assess it to see if the reality of it lived up to the hype around it.
Configuration
Straight from the factory, the SAKO 90 Finnlight comes appointed with some great features. The 22-inch stainless steel cold-hammer forged barrel is fluted, 16mm hunter contour, and threaded to ⅝”x24 for American markets. The green and camo synthetic stock is adjustable with a wide flat forend, and the receiver has been reduced in weight while having an integral Picatinny rail.
I’ve heard people rave about the super-adjustable trigger that adjusts with the included T25 wrench. I tried it and there is no doubt. They were correct about how easy it is to adjust the trigger weight between 2 to 4 pounds with very noticeable tactile clicks in between.
I found nothing wrong with the OEM setting, but reducing the weight gave me one of the most satisfyingly light trigger presses and better accuracy.
The Finnlight comes with an optional muzzle brake that easily attaches to the threaded end. Anyone who has been on the firing line next to a rifle with a brake will tell you they are not a fan, but for the sake of the review, I fired 5 shot groups with it to compare it to the performance when it is not attached. The brake is well-made and works well with the factory fluted barrel aesthetics.
The rifle has QD sling cups at the six o’clock position for traditional sling carry. SAKO provides one-inch push-button swivels, which are dark black in color and clearly well-made. If your sling is wider than one inch, you’ll need to use a different set.
All together, the rifle feels balanced, sturdy, not too light, and certainly not too heavy.
Accessories
The 90 Finnlight was completed with the combination of great rings and glass. The rings were courtesy of the folks over at Talley Rings. They sent a set of their 30mm low Modern Sporting Rings (part number TMS30L for anyone interested).
The optic selected for the rifle is a Leupold 2-10x42mm VX5 (part number 171386). All together, the rings help the optic sit low to the receiver, requiring very little adjustment to the comb. While 2-10 is not as high a magnification or range some may want, the lower magnification and objective lens size means less overall weight on an already light rifle.
The sling used on the rifle is from The Wilderness, and it is their basic carry sling. From the factory, the rifle weighs in at 7.2 pounds, and altogether, the weight of the rifle accessorized and unloaded comes out to 8.9 pounds with an overall length of 43 inches.
Ballistics
At the local range, I took advantage of a quiet mid-week empty rifle bay to chronograph the Finnlight. I used a long-range target with multiple half-inch square aiming points.
I wanted to see how the 90 Finnlight would perform using a broad range of ammunition. As with any rifle, you should know how your barrel treats each round compared to the typically longer test barrels.
I selected five different loads ranging in price point, grain weight, and bullet type:
- SIG Match 140 gr OTM (2497.9 FPS)
- Hornady ELD-X Match Hunter 143 gr (2599.9 FPS)
- Defender Ammunition 130 gr HPBT Gameking (2704.9 FPS)
- American White Tail 129 gr InterLock (2670.7 FPS)
- Barnes VOR-TX 120 gr TTSK BT (2804.8 FPS)
My sight-in process started at 50 yards with the Hornady ELD-X. I have used this round on multiple deer, and I plan on using it again this fall.
Shooting from a rifle case folded in three with a rear sand bag, I zeroed at 50 yards. I typically am about 1 inch high at 100 yds, and for the East Coast, this zero has worked well for me in the thick woods we have here.
The day I went to the range, I was under the wire and had some pressure as thunderstorms were looming. I didn’t get to let the barrel cool between strings as long as I would have liked, and I watched my target flap like crazy in the wind.
Despite this, my first string of 5 at 100 yards with the Hornady ELD-X measured .75” from left to right, and I’ll own throwing one shot out of the grouping about an inch higher than the rest.
From the furthest extreme to the other, the group measured 1.18 inches. Subtract the .264-inch diameter of the bullet, and that hastily shot group measured in at a respectable Sub-MOA .916 inches at 100 yds.
I know the rifle is more capable, and I will try to tighten the group next time I get to the range without rain in the forecast. Nevertheless, even this group was smaller than the size of a deer heart.
Rounding out the ballistic test, the round with the greatest velocity was the Barnes with a muzzle velocity of 2804.8, which also had the lowest standard deviation of only 5.5 feet per second.
As expected, I encountered a few train wreck “groupings” if you want to call them that, as the barrel heated up. Shooting from an inconsistent front rest, I pushed more rounds down range before racing to get to my target as the rain came in.
The rifle is certainly capable, and the only limiting factors were my relative inexperience with it and the time pressure placed on me with the weather coming in.
6.5 Creedmoor is a somewhat polarizing caliber, but for my intended use as a deer rifle, I find it more than sufficient to get the job done. To date, I’ve taken five whitetails with the round and found it to be both extremely accurate and capable.
After examining the wound channel of the animals I’ve taken, I can simply say the terminal ballistics of the Hornady 143 gr ELD round are impressive. At the same time, the smaller round does less damage to the meat, which is what I’m more interested in than antlers.
As always, the round you use means little to nothing without proper shot placement.
The Gripes
A review without any criticism is not complete and questionable, as more of a product advertisement. No product is perfect, and there is always room for development.
In the case of the 90 Finnlight, the price of the replacement magazines is jaw-dropping. Prices online vary, but a quick search reveals more closer to a couple of hundred dollars than any in tens of dollars.
Keep this in mind if you plan on purchasing a backup magazine. Remember and be thankful for the way you have to depress the magazine to avoid needing to purchase a replacement.
Another issue with the 90 Finnlight is the lack of aftermarket stocks. While the stock that comes with the rifle worked perfectly for my needs, a growing number of hunters are transitioning to chassis systems with folding stocks and MLOK compatibility.
The QD Sling mount cup on the forend of the rifle doesn’t give the user the option to use a detachable bipod. SAKO has paired with Spartan Precision Bipods for some of their rifles, and adding a provision to this rifle would improve its utility.
In the Field
I received this rifle before the official start of deer season here in North Carolina, but I did manage to get it out in the woods while scouting the property I have access to. The humidity here in North Carolina and the moisture can quickly rust a blued firearm, but the finish of the 90 Finnlight was unaffected.
The rifle carries great and is quick to shoulder. During the course of this review, I ended up growing quite fond of it and actually put up an older 6.5 Creedmoor rifle for sale to pay for this upgrade. I know it will be worth it.
For full disclosure, I will have the option to purchase this rifle after my loan period. It retails for $2099 and can be found slightly discounted at many online distributors. I supplied all of the ammunition and optic for this article and paid the $30 transfer fee at my local FFL. Special thanks to Talley Manufacturing for supplying appropriate rings to mount the optic to the integral picatinny rail.
