Sako 85 Black Bear
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 540 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.15 kg
- Introduced
- 2011
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Sako 85 Black Bear is a Finnish bolt-action hunting rifle, part of Sako's 85 Bear Series aimed at hunters of bear and wild boar. Built on Sako's controlled-round-feed 85 action, it pairs a semi-heavy fluted barrel with a rugged black synthetic stock featuring soft-touch gripping surfaces at the pistol grip and forend. It ships with express-style open sights and an adjustable single-stage trigger, and is chambered for medium and large hunting cartridges suited to thick-skinned game.
The Bear Series takes its name from Sako's target game: rifles built for hunters who pursue bear and boar in the boreal forests of Scandinavia and beyond, where a dependable, quick-handling bolt gun in a heavy hitting cartridge is prized.
Marketed as a purpose-built dangerous-game and driven-hunt rifle. Common chamberings include .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, 8x57 IS (8mm Mauser), .338 Federal, 9.3x62mm and 9.3x66mm Sako. The 20-inch fluted barrel and soft-touch stock make it a handy, weather-resistant field rifle.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Sako Ltd.
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- Finland
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 2011
- Variant of
- Bear series
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 540 mm
- Overall length
- 1055 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.15 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 5
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Stainless steel
- Stock
- Synthetic
- Finish
- Matte blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 838 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3412 J
- Effective range
- 300 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Fluted barrel
Semi heavy barrel- Soft touch grip surfaces
Adjustable single stage trigger
Express open sights
Detachable magazine
Cold hammer forged barrel
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 157 .308 Winchester rifles | 3.15 kg | 3.22 kg | Lighter than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 146 .308 Winchester rifles | 1055 mm | 1067 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 166 .308 Winchester rifles | 540 mm | 559 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 162 .308 Winchester rifles | 5 | 5 | Holds more rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Sako 85 Black Bear
How much does the Sako 85 Black Bear weigh?
The Sako 85 Black Bear weighs 3.15 kg (6.94 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Sako 85 Black Bear?
The Sako 85 Black Bear is chambered in .308 Winchester.
How many rounds does the Sako 85 Black Bear hold?
The Sako 85 Black Bear holds 5 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Sako 85 Black Bear?
The Sako 85 Black Bear is 1055 mm (41.5 in) long overall, with a 540 mm (21.3 in) barrel.
Who makes the Sako 85 Black Bear?
The Sako 85 Black Bear is made by Sako Ltd. (Finland). It was designed by Sako.
When was the Sako 85 Black Bear introduced?
The Sako 85 Black Bear was introduced in 2011.
How does the Sako 85 Black Bear operate?
The Sako 85 Black Bear uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
Provenance
Confidence in this record
78%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/sako-85-black-bear' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "sako-85-black-bear", "name": "Sako 85 Black Bear", "manufacturer": { "id": "sako", "name": "Sako Ltd.", "countryCode": "FI", "foundedYear": 1921, "website": "https://www.sako.global", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:40", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:48", "version": "171342bbd9b9b1a2d608848b324bb265c7de880b1a6a9b63c8b1531c9b87d6a4" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "FI", "year_introduced": 2011, "barrel_length_mm": 540, "weight_empty_g": 3150, "action_type": "bolt_action"}