Later, a new system with three-lug locking was developed and produced (see model history). Repeater rifles followed, which are structurally similar to the Mauser System 98. After the end of the war, Sako first manufactured textile machines and other consumer goods. During the Second World War, primarily military weapons and ammunition were manufactured. In the 1930s, the first designs for sporting weapons were made. Sako's early product development focused on enhancements to Russian weapons that were in the inventory of the Finnish Defense Forces. Product development and market presence by Sako Below is a selection of the characteristics: Later on, further brands and logos were added through corporate reallocations. The earliest were fitting marks with the letters Sk.Y or an S, which was supplemented with three lines at the top. Throughout the company's history, Sako's products have received various labels. A weapons collection and exhibition on the company's history can be found in the Riihimäki Hunting Museum. Since January 3, 2000, Sako has been part of the Beretta Holding. Sako and Valmet again merged with Rauma-Repola in 1999 with the subcontractors and brands in the successor company Metso. The Sako precision foundry, which is located on the company premises, has been run as an independent company under the name SacoTec Components since 1990.
The merger of the three companies under the direction of Nokia was largely driven by the Finnish manager Petteri Walldén (company boss from 1987 to 1990) with the aim of achieving a merger of profitable companies. In 1987 Sako merged with Valmet, a former state-owned Finnish company in the metalworking industry. Nokia, the owner of SAKO, also bought the Tikkakoski company in the 1970s and merged the companies on Maunder Oy Sako-Tikka Ab. Finnish Cable Works followed as the new owner, which in turn was merged into Nokia in 1967. The company remained in the possession of the Red Cross until 1962. In 1956 an investment foundry was set up on the premises in Riihimäki. They transferred the weapons manufacturer to the Finnish Red Cross and thus withdrew them from the control of the Allied Control Commission, which was headed in Finland by Andrei Alexandrovich Zhdanov. To ensure the continued existence of the company, the Finnish government and Sako used a loophole in the peace treaty. The Moscow armistice threatened Sako from a Soviet takeover. During the Second World War, the plant was bombed by the Russian Air Force, which was largely without consequences because large areas of production were housed in underground manufacturing facilities. On June 1, 1927, the company was relocated to Riihimäki. The company was housed in a former brewery and dealt with the reconditioning of old army rifles such as the Mosin-Nagant in particular. The company was based in Helsinki for the first few years. On April 1, 1921, S uojeluskuntain A se- ja K onepaja O sakeyhtiö (Firearms and Machine Workshop of the Civil Guard) was founded. To further equip the Finnish troops was on ApS uojelus k untain Y liesikunnan Asepaja ( Sk.Y established English Civil Guard Supreme Staff Gun Works.). On January 25, 1918, the first Finnish military units emerged, the first handguns of which were mainly of Russian origin.
The company's early history is linked to Finland's independence from the Russian Empire and the February 1917 Revolution, as well as the emergence of the Finnish Armed Forces.