Since 2000, Beretta Holdings has owned SAKO. For instance, SAKO was owned by both the Red Cross and Nokia. The SAKO name has been bought and sold a few times since the company's founding.

The SAKO L61 Finnbear is one of the first rifles imported into the United States by SAKO. In the early 1950s, SAKO began selling more rifles in the United States than locally. Consequently, many stateside SAKO L46 rifles were rechambered to accept popular American ammunition. However, Finnish ammunition was hard to come by in the states. Many SAKO L46 rifles were brought into the United States. It is a bolt-action rifle chambered for the most popular Finnish cartridges, advertised as an accurate hunting rifle for the working man. The first SAKO rifle produced under new leadership was the SAKO L46. Soon after Hyden took control, a limited number of SAKO rifles were imported into the United States. Elias Hyden took over the reins of SAKO and directed the company back into firearms manufacturing. Then, in 1945, the SAKO facility was taken over by the Red Cross to produce textiles and emergency items. Until the late 1940s, SAKO rifles were not well known in the United States. The popularity of SAKO's ammunition and SAKO's M39 rifle helped the company grow to 800 employees during World War II. As military tension grew in Europe, SAKO established large military contracts to produce and distribute pistol cartridges used by the Russian, Finnish, and German Armies. However, the company was not growing as expected. Skilled craftsmen handcrafted each barrel and each stock. In the 1930s, SAKO began manufacturing cold, hammer-forged barrels and rifle stocks. Along with repairing and maintaining Finnish military rifles, SAKO began assembling barreled actions imported from Germany and Mosin-Nagant rifles imported from Russia. The roots of the company date back to April 1, 1921, when the Finnish Civil Guard decided to build a workshop in Riihimaki, Finland, for the repair and maintenance of Finnish military rifles.

SAKO is a manufacturer of fine, Finnish firearms.

Sako riihimaki dates of manufacture