First Sako Riihimaki .222

[Stephen Cea]

Evening all, first of two recent Sako purchases in one of my favorite cartridges the .222. Previous to this I own a 722 Remington and a 700 both loving the Hornady Vmax 50gr Superperformace cartridge. Both these rifles shoot this ammo so well there was need to reload like I do for various other rifles. To be fair I don't know the twist in this Rifle #36848 but my first range trip using that ammo was a disappointment. The rifle would shoot 2 rounds almost in the same hole and then proceed to spray rounds all over the target. Earlier in the day I shot a 5 shot group with my .223 that measured .355 so I'm fairly confident the poor grouping was not me. I also noticed when cleaning the rifle and removing the action from the stock it appeared to have been bedded and wondering why that was the case.....Lesson learned, I should have checked that before buying...My mistake and I'll live with it. I am certainly not giving up on this rifle but would appreciate the knowledge and experience from you Sako experts on how to get this beauty to shoot to it's potential.

Regards and thanks,
Steve

 

[bigcountry4me]

Welcome to the site Steve,

There are many experts here who will undoubtedly chime in regarding your issue.

Your Sako should have a 1/14 twist but it’s always best to measure. There are several threads as to how to accomplish this. Your rifle should have no problem stabilizing 50 to 55 grain projectiles. You’d think the factory load you picked would shoot tight groups.

If I were you I’d start over. Thoroughly clean the bore and make sure the guard screws are properly tightened. Check the scope and mounts. Inspect the crown. If the rifle is bedded and it looks proper, then I wouldn’t worry about that. Be fresh and mentally prepared. Sometimes range sessions turn into an overthinking excersize, when things go a little south.

Shoot at least a few different factory loads. Perhaps the two rounds in the same hole was a fluke and the rifle won’t shoot this factory load well. I’d bet it will like a factory load which is just a regular non flashy offering. I’d consider 50, 52 and 55 grain offerings. Then begin to develop a load .

Take your time and have fun.. Your rifle looks awesome, I’m sure with some fine tuning you’ll have it shooting in no time.

 

[Stephen Cea]

Good morning Sean, It appears that the rifle was well cared for and the crown looks fine. I don't possess a bore scope so that remains an unknown. I did thoroughly clean the rifle and double checked all my screws, scope mounts / action. I think that is good advice to start from the beginning by getting my ojive and trying different bullets, power, OAL etc. I have 50gr Vmax, 52 gr Barts and some Sierra 55gr to try as well. Overall I am thrilled to own this beauty and will be patient in developing a load with will have Woodchucks "Sweating bullets" !! Thanks for your input Sean.
Regards,
Steve

 

[Stephen Cea]

Sean I believe you are correct, I just ran a rod down the barrel and I cam up with a number pretty close to 14.

Regards

 

[kirkbridgershooters]

I bought my first 222 mag in a Pre-Garcia deluxe. It is a beautiful rifle but wouldn’t shoot the 50 grain bullets that worked for me in all my other 22 centerfires including 222, 223, 220 Swift and 22-250. I like to keep it simple and the 222 mag wasn’t cooperating.

I have a 22 Hornet that I shoot 40 grain Hornady VMax bullets in and tried those in the 222 mag. Bingo, it shot fantastic. I have now converted all my 222-223 sized cartridges to the 40 grain bullet and couldn’t be happier.

I would strongly suggest you do the same and try the 40 grain VMax or Ballistic Tip and you might find what you are looking for.

Your velocity will improve and the 222 will become almost what a 22-250 has been all these years...

 

[Stephen Cea]

Thanks for that info Kirk.

Regards

 

[icebear]

The action has been bedded, but is the barrel bedded-in or floated? If the barrel is bedded into the channel, or if it is touching at any point, the wood could have warped since the bedding job was done. If that is the case, the barrel could be shifting point of impact as it heats up. The fact that it shoots two good shots and then goes bad suggests that this might be the case. If changing ammo doesn't work, I'd consider floating the barrel if it isn't already floated.

Second, different guns shoot different ammo. I once loaded up some 50 grain Hornady bullets and tried the ammo in a Sako that shoots consistent half-inch groups with Sierra 52-grain match bullets. I got shotgun patterns. I wrote Hornady for advice and got a reply from Steve Hornady himself, basically accusing me of trying to get Hornady to refund my money. I didn't want a refund (a box of bullets isn't exactly going to break the bank); I wanted professional advice. You might try Sierra 52-grain match bullets; that bullet gives me consistently good results with a number of different Sakos.

Finally, I endorse everything Sean said above. I'm confident you will get your heavy barrel L46 to shoot like it should. Good luck.

 

[Stephen Cea]

All good info Icebear. I did tried sliding a dollar bill between the stock and action and was not able to do so (however the bedding job looked very professional done). I have some new Lapua brass and three or four bullet weighs/ shapes to experiment with along with OAL and powers. If that does not do the trick I guess it might be plan B creating space between action/stock to make certain it is free floated. The issue on Long Island is the lack of local competent gunsmiths to get work done. I will keep all in the loop.

regards

 

[kirkbridgershooters]

You are limited with OAL with that detachable mag. Unless you want to shoot it as a single shot, bullets can't be seated out very far and still work in that magazine. Here is another bullet to consider, Sierra is making 22 hornet bullets in 224 diameter. Hornets were originally 223, but these are 224 and short enough to fit easily into your magazine...

 

[Stephen Cea]

Helpful info about the 40gr .224 Hornet bullet. I usually shoot single shot when wood chucking so OAL might not be a factor but good to know.

Regards

 

[icebear]

All good info Icebear. I did tried sliding a dollar bill between the stock and action and was not able to do so (however the bedding job looked very professional done). I have some new Lapua brass and three or four bullet weighs/ shapes to experiment with along with OAL and powers. If that does not do the trick I guess it might be plan B creating space between action/stock to make certain it is free floated. The issue on Long Island is the lack of local competent gunsmiths to get work done. I will keep all in the loop.

regards

The lack of good gunsmiths is a problem in a lot of places. Fortunately, floating a barrel, or cleaning up a float that has developed a point of contact, is pretty simple for anyone with basic woodworking skills. Brownell's has the tools - a simple round scraper is a good starting point. Sometimes you don't even need the special scraper - if there's just some slight warping that creates unwanted contact, sandpaper is often enough, either wrapped around a dowel or just backed up with finger power. For bigger jobs, there is a special barrel channel tool. The key is understanding exactly what you need to do and how you plan to do it before you start removing wood or bedding material.

 

[Stephen Cea]

All good info, I plan on taking the action out of the stock again and putting up pictures if the reloading does not go as planned.
Regards,
Steve

 

[temozon]

I have also had the same experience as you (and Icebear) have described. My 222 L46 HB which is about the same vintage as yours, has the same problem with the Hornady 50gr Vmax, i.e. a couple of tight 2 shot groups, and scattered for the rest, but yet it gets good, groups with other factory ammo (Winchester, Remington, Federal, even PPU). Hope to hear how your rifle performs with different ammo.

BSmith

 

[icebear]

Kirk
Have you hunted with those Hornet bullets in a .222? I don't have personal experience with this combination, but I have read that Hornet bullets, which are designed to expand at Hornet velocities, tend to fly apart when they hit something at the much higher velocity of a .222 or .223. Just curious.

 

[kirkbridgershooters]

No, I got them to shoot in my 218 Bee...

 

[Stephen Cea]

BSmith, I will keep you and the rest of the forum updated...I have some BLC2, N133 and I believe 4198 to try with several different bullets/weights...Also some new Lapua brass....Plan on some reloading and testing in the next week if the weather holds.

Regards

 

[Stephen Cea]

Tried some 52grain Barts bullets seated 0.010 off the lands, N133, New Lapua brass, fed 205 primers. The results were slightly better than min of barn, the hotter load grouped about 6" at 100 yds. I have other bullets on the way including some 4198 to work up some other loads. I will report back after a range visit next week.

Regards

 

[icebear]

That is just plain bizarre. That load in that rifle shouldn't be shooting shotgun patterns. You sound like a very careful reloader who knows his stuff. I can make a couple of suggestions, but frankly I'm baffled. First, I assume that you cleaned the barrel with a good copper remover. Excess copper in the barrel could cause accuracy problems, but as good as that gun looks, I have to say it's unlikely that it's got a horrendous copper buildup. Second, you could mike and weigh a sampling of the bullets. Now, since Barts are boutique benchrest bullets, it's pretty unlikely they are out of spec, but you never know. And finally, there's the whole question of the barrel fitting in its channel. If there's off-center pressure on the barrel or odd pressure points, that could cause the dispersion you are seeing. Or, could there be some kind of damage to the crown? If the crown is damaged, that would throw things off. If you haven't done so already, a close examination with a magnifier would be a good idea. Brownell's sells various tools to lap or recut the crown, if you're having trouble finding a gunsmith.

My best guess is the bedding of the barrel, but at a distance that's what it is, a guess. I will say that both of my short action heavy barrel Sakos, an L461 in .222 Magnum and an L46 in .222, shoot very well with fully floating barrels.

 

[stonecreek]

I always get drawn up in a knot when someone starts messing with the bedding on a factory Sako by pouring some synthetic slop in there. I'm not saying that the problem is necessarily the bedding, but you may have to root it out with a rotary tool and re-do the job.

 

[Stephen Cea]

A lot of good knowledge above, thanks for taking the time. Yes I am very slow and accurate when I reload but by no means an expert. I did thoroughly clean the bore until all the "Blue was gone" but quite frankly it wasn't in bad condition. I also checked the action screws and the crown as best as I can tell it looks unmarked. I did not weight the bullets but to be fair I'm not a benchrest shooter and have never had any issue once I got a load down pat and Barts makes great bullets. I have some 4198 on the way and 40, 45 and 50 grain bullets incoming so we will see if that makes a difference. I will break the rifle down and take some pictures of the barrel channel...funny thing the bedding looks very professional which of course the seller did NOT reveal prior to the sale...My bad I didn't ask for a picture with e stock off. One way or the other I am stuck with this rifle and have to make it shoot...I just wouldn't pass it off to anyone else with this shotgun pattern issue.

Regards,
Steve