 In the early 1980s the FDF was again looking for new sniper rifles in the FDF proprietary 7.62×53mmR cartridge, to replace the older Finnish M28 Mosin-Nagant based sniper rifles, whose latest model M28-76 was employed as a stopgap measure following the failure of the TAK.In 1982 FDF came to the conclusion that no commercial rifle in the Finnish market is suitable as a 7.62×53R military sniper rifle without distinct modifications to the action, and competing Finnish major firearms companies Sako and Tikkakoski (which was owned by Sako) weren't interested in developing a sniper rifle, especially not using the 7.62×53R cartridge.The tight production schedule laid out by the Finnish Defence Forces for the new sniper rifle programme led to them using once again the venerable Mosin-Nagant construction, albeit heavily modified, in the TKIV 85, which was assembled at Asevarikko 1 ('Arsenal 1') in Kuopio, with major input and parts production from Valmet.