ORIGINAL: rhans53
Now this is 100% from the way I think, it may be wrong or right, probably somewhere in the middle. I think a rifle NEEDS a recoil lug, the 85's don't have one and that bothers me, so when I got ready to get another sako (got a 7mm08 in a McMillian stock, great gun) I looked around and picked up a grey wolf 75 in 308. I've had a time getting this thing to shoot, so I dropped it in a richards stock (stainless on rosewood laminate, good looking match up) and bedded it and I've got a gun that will do 1" or less @100 which suites me just fine. I didn't bed the laminate that came with the gun because I didn't want to change it, in case I decide to sell the stock or gun. Oh I've got a tikka 338 fed that will be in a richards stock in a month or so, currently it's sub moa. A tikka 6.5 x 55 that dearly loves 125 bullets. Oh did I mention the Sako 85's don't have a recoil lug and it just don't sound right.
I have to clear up a misconception here...the 85 does have a recoil lug, just not in the traditional sense. It'sgot two parts...a machined protrusion that seats into a steel bedding plate in the stock, and amachined groove in the receiver into which a protrusion from the stock sits(similar to a Weaver-style scope base and ring). Think of it as a two-part lug, rather than a single beefy plate as in thetraditional sense.
I'm not sure that this isn't every bitas strong if not stronger than the traditional design. It's got to be lighter, and I have no doubt that the engineers at Sako calculated the forcesacting on this design and determined it to be sufficient. I'm happy to post pics if anyone would like to see the design.