Sako S20 Greentec

Since the release of the S20, Sako has offered several stock colour variants based around the grippy Roughtech finish, which is a sandy, textured surface designed to ensure a strong hold of your rifle in arduous conditions. The latest green version looks a little less desert-oriented than the standard version and appears visually at home in our green and pleasant lands.

Tungsten Cerakote
The action and barrel on this .243 rifle are stainless steel and both Cerakoted for added atmospheric protection. The barrel is 20” (510mm) long and shows a neat crown and a 5/8”x24 thread for a moderator. The barrel diameter is 18.6mm, and there are six, 200mm-long flutes to save some weight. Sako offers both 1:8” and 1:10” twist-rate options for other versions of the S20, so perhaps the same will continue here. Personally, I would choose the 1:8” twist for its added versatility, and this rifle seems to be configured with that option.
The barrel enters the fore-end and shows a free float up to the reinforce. It’s worth noting at this point that the S20 uses a combined polymer outer wrapping and aluminium spine for an extremely rigid structure to ensure the fore-end and barrel will never interact. There is no undesirable bedding stress either.

Sako normality
The barrel screws into the action, which uses a three-lug bolt that locks into the abutments within. The push-feed bolt face smoothly strips rounds in sequence from a polymer magazine located beneath the action. The bolt face has a left-side plunger ejector and a large right-side extractor claw. The bolt stroke is 101mm on this correctly scaled short action for .243, .308, 6.5 Creedmoor etc. The bolt handle is 68mm long with a 19.6mm grooved, teardrop tip for tactile control of the fast, smooth, 60-degree lift-to-cock action.

Making life easy
Twin Picatinny scope bases span the ejection port to simplify scope mounting. GMK is offering the Greentech as a package deal with Sako’s own Optilock mounts, but my review rifle was supplied with Burris XTR rings, in which I have confidence, showcasing the simple versatility of a Picatinny system.
There is a bolt release catch on the left of the receiver, and to the right of the bolt shroud is a two-position safety catch that moves forward for fire and rear for safe (with the bolt locked). There is a smaller secondary switch ahead of the safety that allows the shooter to open the bolt safely, just like on other Sako rifles.
The silver bolt shaft and black shroud offer acceptable colour contrast with other elements of the rifle, and there is a tactile cocked action indicator at the shroud’s base, Cerakoted tungsten grey with a red dot on top.

Triggers
Sako offers an adjustable single-stage trigger with a 9mm wide, smooth, curved blade that broke the mechanism crisply at 1300g (46oz) on the supplied rifle. The weight is adjustable from 1000 to 2000g (2 to 4lbs), as is usual for Sako, and the trigger blade here is also adjustable through a linear 7mm to tailor its reach from the grip to suit your preferences. I wasn’t supplied any information with the gun, nor is it yet on the Sako website, but I believe the rifle can be specified with a two-stage unit if preferred.

Feed
The magazine well is part of the polymer stock, and with a single release catch at its front, the mag drops smoothly into your hand. The five rounds stagger into two columns and load from the front, between the central feed lips, so the magazine must be removed from the gun for loading. The action cycles and feeds smoothly, and given that this is a .243 with a relatively large case and a small bullet, this is a good omen for all the available chamberings. It’s also good to note that a single round dropped through the ejection port will feed straight to the chamber without any snagging.

Why go S20?
The barrelled action is similar to the Sako 90, apart from the magazine (a twin stack on the 90). However, the stock and chassis are where the S20 truly distinguishes itself. It is stiffer and weighs more, with a far more complex dual-material, modular structure that some shooters will—or will not—prefer. Essentially, the full-length aluminium spine is wrapped with a polymer clamshell for that warmer, tactile feel, with no problematic hollow resonance. The rigid fore-end has an underside sling stud as well as lateral QD sling anchor points, which are a great benefit on a serious hunting rifle, as they allow a biathlon sling carry.
The mag well and spacious trigger guard are incorporated as part of the green polymer moulding and smoothly flow into an asymmetric, right-handed (although not impossible to shoot left-handed) grip. This is vertical, with integral rubber moulding for the fingers, and shows twin upper/lower extensions into the remainder of the butt. There is a push-button adjustable cheekpiece that is slender and fits under your cheekbone without lateral displacement. It’s very well designed and fast to operate, although it does have slight play in the mechanism. There is a slight drop to the heel, and two recoil pad spacers were fitted to this gun, enabling the firm, grippy recoil pad to offer a 14” (355mm) length of pull, which seems ideal.

Finishing touches
There is a further sling stud under the butt, along with a swooping bag rest, which is very well-designed. It’s great with a soft bag and the shape also works well with a clenched fist support when out in the field. Most importantly, the underside of the stock, between the stud and the grip, remains smooth, with ample space for the rifle to shuffle under recoil without any abrupt edges hitting the back of your hand. Many stocks may appear sleek and stylish, but they are often designed by artists rather than shooters, resulting in discomfort during practical, dynamic use. In fairness, I take my hat off to Sako for doing a superb job here.

Paper testing
The gun very easily met Sako’s promised sub-MOA standard with all the ammunition types tried, though the velocity and energy figures were lower because of the short barrel. The recoil was understandably calm in this small calibre, and the Stalon moderator that I fitted on this ‘not-super-light’ rifle, helped even more so.
Looking ahead to larger calibres, I was impressed by the linear, if small, recoil pulse, combined with great stock ergonomics that prevented any bipod bounce or muzzle lift. Again, the weight helps here, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that the back end of the stock is reassuring, helping you obtain an exceptionally comfortable shooting position. Your hand sits into the grip without any undue effort to maintain a sure hold, and the cheekpiece-to-scope alignment is as good as any I have known, regardless of price, complexity, or customisation.
The trigger was consistent, and the primary extraction of fired cases was faultless, as was ejection from the receiver. I cycled and inspected a few bullets through the gun and couldn’t find any meplat damage. Ejected cases showed strong firing pin strikes on the primers and no detrimental marks on the brass.

Breakdown
Stripping the rifle is not simple. There are lots of hidden screws, and scope removal is required for access. I didn’t have any official paperwork and remembered similar experiences with the previous S20 I tested, so I opted to leave it alone.

Conclusion
The S20 is doubtless a very good rifle with no operational faults. I can’t see how it would appeal more than the 90, which is a superb rifle. However, I suppose some people will find the chassis concept appealing, even if it is technically slightly inaccessible and mysterious. It is without a doubt very stiff and holds no handling caveats, other than a slight weight penalty.
In terms of shooting the rifle, it’s very hard to make it not work due to the structural harmony within. The factor to always bear in mind with any short barrel—and specifically the .243 relative to UK law—is the drop in muzzle velocity and consequent projectile energy, although heavier bullets will suffer less than lighter ones. In this regard, the 1:8” twist is a major benefit in my opinion.