The Suojeluskuntain Yliesikunnan Asepaja moved from Helsinki to an ammunition factory in Riihimäki on 1 June 1927, and reorganized as SAKO in the 1930s. The rifle repair shop became financially independent of the civil guard in 1921. In 1919, two years after Finland declared independence from the Russian Empire, the Suojeluskuntain Yliesikunnan Asepaja (Civil Guard Supreme Staff Gun Works) opened in a former Helsinki brewery to repair private arms and recondition Russian military rifles for Finnish service. It also has owned the Tikka brand of bolt-action rifles since 1983, and is now owned by the Italian firearm holding company Beretta Holding. SAKO, Limited ( Finnish: Suojeluskuntain Ase- ja Konepaja Oy, lit ' Civil Guard Gun and Machining Works Ltd') is a Finnish firearm and ammunition manufacturer located in Riihimäki, Tavastia Proper in southern Finland. For other uses, see Sako (disambiguation). This article is about the Finnish firearm manufacturer.
