For hunters, by hunters

Sako manufactures 10 million rifle cartridges per year. Agility is the absolute trump card of a small cartridge factory.

"My heart was pounding like crazy. All senses were on high alert. Suddenly, the bear emerged. There was little distance and no time to waste. The Sako .375 H&H magnum roared. The bear clearly reacted to the hit but kept going. I radioed that the bear had been shot. A seasoned dog handler was nearby, and we sent the dog after it. The bear was very close; there was one more roar of a gun, and the bear was down. It was my first bear hunt, and I got to shoot one right away. It was an unbelievable experience."

This is how Sako's platform manager for Defense & Law Enforcement products, Jarno Taupila, remembers his unforgettable hunting trip in Eastern Finland. A gleaming white bear skull trophy stands as a memory. And that's not all. On the same trip, Taupila was close to getting another bear.

"People invited me to hunt again; apparently, I was a real bear magnet. Most hunters never even get to see a bear," Taupila laughs.

Sako manufactures 10 million cartridges per year. It may sound like a large quantity, but on a global scale, Sako is a minor player in the cartridge market. However, what the company lacks in size makes up for in agility. An excellent example is the explosively growing new 6.5 Creedmoor caliber over the past years. Sako took advantage of this opportunity. All the signs indicated that they were onto something big.

"Developing a new cartridge usually takes six months to a year if everything goes well. Our absolute strength is that we can tailor small batches," Taupila explains.

Market trends must be closely monitored in the future. According to Taupila, lead-free options continue to grow in the bullet sector.

"We receive inquiries about lead-free alternatives from the end users all the time."

For Sako, rifles and cartridges go hand in hand. All cartridges are tested with Sako rifles and designed for optimal performance. Cartridge development requires more than simply pulling the lever of a loading press and weighing the powder. The rifle is always a huge factor between the bullet and the target.

"Barrel length, twist rate, chamber pressure, magazine..." Taupila lists a long list of factors considered in cartridge development. Price must not be forgotten either. It has to be balanced to make the product worth manufacturing and avoid a big hit to the hunter's wallet.

Taupila went rabbit hunting for the first time with his father at the age of 7. He got his hunting license at age 15, and his first shotgun was a Tikka M77. Taupila describes himself as a hunter of all game. His list of prey includes, among other things, seals, moose, and deer. But his dearest passion is treetop bird hunting. "Every year, I go treetop hunting in Sweden. It challenges the man, the gun, the optics, and the cartridge." The longest shot was a black grouse from 307 meters. The man even founded his own "club" around this matter: the Finnish Long Range Hunters, which has its own sleeve patch. The patch displays a black grouse on a pine treetop, crosshairs aligned. It's the dream scenario of every rifle hunter.

According to Taupila, hunting is a significant benefit when developing cartridges. Understanding is on a whole other level when you have firsthand experience of what a cartridge can do. Because Taupila's hunting buddies know his work, feedback is very straightforward. "At the campfire, hunting buddies give sometimes brutally honest feedback on what works and what doesn't." And that's valuable feedback if anything.

Jarno Taupila's Tips

Get to know your caliber and your rifle. This will give you confidence in the hunt, and you won't attempt the impossible shot.

Practice, practice, practice, especially if you're shooting long distances. Use a rangefinder and ballistic calculator as aids.

Sako rifles work best with Sako cartridges. You'll have an easy time, and the result is always good.

This article was originally published at Riista magazine. Text and photos: Pekka Mommo