Short Actions L461 222 REM

[Mineguy]

I have come across what appears to be a 1976 L461 in 222 REM. The gun appears to be in really good shape (only seen photos) with some minor dings and dents in the stock from hunting. The person selling it said two things:
1) Really heavy trigger pull
2) Receiver is purpling

I did some digging and it appears that Timney makes a trigger that allows the trigger pull to be in the 1.5 lb range. I have Tikka's with YoDave kits and my Anschutz's are very light so am used to a lighter trigger pull.
What are people's experiences with the Timney? Is it a viable option? As I have only looked at pictures I am going by what the person said about the trigger so do not know how heavy it is in terms of a pound measurement.

The purpling is something I am not familiar with. I assume it must be oxidizing and is this a concern other than asthetics? Is it worthwhile rebluing? As the L461's have been around awhile I am sure others must have run across this.

I currently have a Sako 75 in 222 REM but must have gotten the bug as I am thinking about buying this one also LOL.

 

[Spaher]

Check out TRIGGER TECH in place of Timney or Jewell Triggers. I have not used on a Sako or if they make one for a Sako, but I did an easy 10 minute trigger swap on 2 Remington 700 actions and easily set them at 2 lbs. with zero creep and quite crisp.
It is being used on the new Springfield Armory 2020 rifles that I recently test fired belonging to a friend of mine and I ordered 2 trigger replacements for the above the next day. I got a single and a double stage trigger to try and both rifles showed improvement at the range when re-sighting. My 2 cents.

 

[Chris Anderson]

Check out TRIGGER TECH in place of Timney or Jewell Triggers. I have not used on a Sako or if they make one for a Sako, but I did an easy 10 minute trigger swap on 2 Remington 700 actions and easily set them at 2 lbs. with zero creep and quite crisp.
It is being used on the new Springfield Armory 2020 rifles that I recently test fired belonging to a friend of mine and I ordered 2 trigger replacements for the above the next day. I got a single and a double stage trigger to try and both rifles showed improvement at the range when re-sighting. My 2 cents.

+ 2 for Trigger Tech.

I recently went round & round with the trigger on a 700 Mountain Rifle and finally replaced it with a Trigger Tech.

Mounted it on the rifle, shot great, no fiddling. Great Trigger!

Liked it so much I bought a couple more for some AR's I'm building.

Sadly I don't think TT makes a trigger for the L461.

Sako made a target trigger but finding one is tough.

The solution I hear most often is a quality trigger job by a competent gun smith.

The forum experts will have better answers.

Good luck.

 

[Mineguy]

Thanks guys on the Trigger Tech. Yes I was looking at them but nothing apparent in my search so far.

 

[stonecreek]

Trigger: Don't give up on the factory Sako trigger before you've given it a try. Sako triggers are adjustable and can often be adjusted to an excellent and light pull.

Bluing: Sakos often show a purplish tint due to the particular alloy of steel in the receiver which may be different from that of the barrel. The two alloys take bluing differently, so end up being slightly different colors. Unless the bluing is damaged by rust or corrosion then don't reject it because of its color (which is typically only visible in direct sunlight or other very bright light).

 

[bigcountry4me]

Agree with stonecreek 150% on both counts. The trigger has most likely been poorly adjusted and likely neglected. A thorough inspection, cleaning and proper adjustment will likely work wonders. If it’s to be used as a hunting rifle or casual target rifle, then it should be completely serviceable.

Nothing wrong with Trigger Tech, or Timny. I have a TT in a brand new Christensen Titanium, phenomenal, but the rifle is a specialized platform, built for very long range.

The purple hue is a non issue. I’ve had this action for 30 years and it hasn’t changed one bit. I believe it simply is a form of character.

 

[CVCOBRA1]

Purple,
I have two old Leopold scopes that the tubes are as purple as you can get. I know I could send them back and Leopold would replace them no questioned asked. The look keeps growing on me every time I dig them out because you know they are from the old classic era. The two tone Sako actions to me are the same way.

 

[Mineguy]

Thanks everyone. I put in an offer to buy the rifle and hopefully soon will have a chance to take a look in more detail.

 

[Bottom Gun]

I picked up an L461 on Gunbroker a while back. The previous owner had done something to the safety which made it unreliable and I didn’t trust it..

I wanted this rifle as a shooter rather than a collector piece so rather than try to find a gunsmith who could work on it, I found a good deal on a Timney trigger and installed it. I had to remove a small bit of wood from the stock and I also had to shorten the trigger a bit to clear the trigger guard.
It works fine now. I like it.

 

[Mineguy]

I picked up an L461 on Gunbroker a while back. The previous owner had done something to the safety which made it unreliable and I didn’t trust it..

I wanted this rifle as a shooter rather than a collector piece so rather than try to find a gunsmith who could work on it, I found a good deal on a Timney trigger and installed it. I had to remove a small bit of wood from the stock and I also had to shorten the trigger a bit to clear the trigger guard.
It works fine now. I like it.

Thanks. I bought the rifle last night so should have it in a week or so. May come back to you for advice if the trigger is really bad.

 

[icebear]

Most of my Sakos have trigger pulls around 2.5-3 pounds, which I think is just fine for a hunting rifle, or maybe even a bit light. The trigger on that L461 is undoubtedly out of adjustment and might well be gummed up internally. Every problem I've ever had with a Sako trigger has been due to gunk, old hardened grease, etc. Not surprising when you consider that the average L461 is fifty years old. I have one FN-Sako with a Timney trigger that some previous owner installed. It's a great trigger but I can't tell the difference between it and a properly adjusted Sako trigger.

 

[blackjack]

I Have a Canjar trigger on my L461 .222 Rem. Sako. I would never change back to a Sako trigger, although there is nothing inferior with Sako triggers. I waited a long time for the Canjar trigger, as they are very difficult to find. Sad to say that Canjar are no longer with us.
Let us all hope that 2022 will be kinder to us all. We the Pink family have all just got over the dreaded Covid 19 which we all had the first time in January 2021.
Blackjack

 

[A11swift]

Congratulations on your purchase. Trigger pull is a very subjective issue, but when you are used to a lighter trigger pull there is nothing more off putting than an overly heavy trigger pull.
I have just been through the process of fitting a Timney to my A11 220 Swift after not being able to satisfactorily adjust the Sako trigger, some just won’t adjust light.

This site informed me of the issues I would encounter fitting a Timney to a L579/A11 action and I encountered all of them. Check out my post. The good news is the Timney fitting to the L461 is supposed to be a much simpler process.

The Timney is much better than my Sako trigger for my shooting needs. I am used to using Krico’s with double-set triggers, I am yet to find better. Hope this helps.

Scott

 

[Mineguy]

Most of my Sakos have trigger pulls around 2.5-3 pounds, which I think is just fine for a hunting rifle, or maybe even a bit light. The trigger on that L461 is undoubtedly out of adjustment and might well be gummed up internally. Every problem I've ever had with a Sako trigger has been due to gunk, old hardened grease, etc. Not surprising when you consider that the average L461 is fifty years old. I have one FN-Sako with a Timney trigger that some previous owner installed. It's a great trigger but I can't tell the difference between it and a properly adjusted Sako trigger.

Well the gun finally arrived today and thought to measure the trigger pull. Ranges between 4.5 and 4.75 lbs. But looking at the overall gun I think you are right, a good cleaning and adjustment is in order.
Ran a bit of wipeout through the barrel and a couple patches and think it will be soaking overnight to clean it up. Lots of old grease around the action so I think taking this apart and spending some time cleaning and adjusting is warranted. The bolt is in good shape and the head cleaned up with just a quick pass with a patch soaked in wipeout.
The varnish is bubbling in a couple small spots and looks to be worn or faded a bit. The odd ding but not too deep and likely can be sanded out. A little Ballistol on the wood made the grain pop out so I think I will give a go at refinishing it.
It is missing the little red dot indicating the fire position on the stock. Not a big concern as it is push to fire.
The rings that came with it I have not seen before and am a bit puzzled on how they stay on other than a friction fit. I am used to the Optilock with the base that tightens to the dovetail but this had nothing of the sort. Will likely still put a set of Optilocks on this as I like the liner in the newer style rings. Leaning towards a Zeiss V4 4-16x50 for this gun which is a 30 mm diameter and the existing rings are 1" so will just go into my inventory.

 

[A11swift]

Well the gun finally arrived today and thought to measure the trigger pull. Ranges between 4.5 and 4.75 lbs. But looking at the overall gun I think you are right, a good cleaning and adjustment is in order.
Ran a bit of wipeout through the barrel and a couple patches and think it will be soaking overnight to clean it up. Lots of old grease around the action so I think taking this apart and spending some time cleaning and adjusting is warranted. The bolt is in good shape and the head cleaned up with just a quick pass with a patch soaked in wipeout.
The varnish is bubbling in a couple small spots and looks to be worn or faded a bit. The odd ding but not too deep and likely can be sanded out. A little Ballistol on the wood made the grain pop out so I think I will give a go at refinishing it.
It is missing the little red dot indicating the fire position on the stock. Not a big concern as it is push to fire.
The rings that came with it I have not seen before and am a bit puzzled on how they stay on other than a friction fit. I am used to the Optilock with the base that tightens to the dovetail but this had nothing of the sort. Will likely still put a set of Optilocks on this as I like the liner in the newer style rings. Leaning towards a Zeiss V4 4-16x50 for this gun which is a 30 mm diameter and the existing rings are 1" so will just go into my inventory.

Hi, I hope a good cleanup and trigger adjustment is all you need.

The scope rings appear to be Redfield.

Let us know how she comes up.

Scott

 

[icebear]

As noted in the previous post, the bases and rings are the Redfield style. They do not require a clamp or set screw, as the recoil of the gun tends to force them farther onto the dovetail. To reinstall them, just push them as far forward as possible and give them a couple of good whacks in the same direction with a soft-face hammer or mallet, or use a hammer and a drift punch with a plastic face to avoid marring the surface. That should set them far enough that they won't come loose, and continued firing will set them even deeper.

 

[stonecreek]

What Icebear said.

I use a small block of hardwood set against the rear of each base and tapped smartly with a mallet. When properly seated the only way to get them off is to reverse the process and hit them from the front. They just get tighter as time (and shooting) progresses.

 

[kevinlg]

Leupold makes a very wide variety of rings that will fit those Redfield bases......my g0-to combination....especially on L461 or AI actions.

Just re-fit the bases.....and pick the Leupold rings you need.

Hope this helps.

 

[Mineguy]

Tried to take some pictures of the rifle but with a cloudy day outside it does not really show it well. Some of the scuffs and dings are visible and also some of the grain.
Ordered a scope for it this morning. Decided to go with a Leica Amplus 3-18x44 with the L-Ballistic BDC reticle. Have not owned a Leica scope before but have used their survey instruments. Will be interesting to see. In the end my selection was between the Zeiss V4 and the Leica. Did ponder the Nightforce NX8 but the weight I did not think was appropriate for the rifle so dropped it from consideration.

 

[CVCOBRA1]

I went back and skimmed all the posts in this thread and didn't see where it was mentioned you picked up an HB varmint version. Should shoot very well. All of my HB's are of the 57-579 action length. Though this does make them heavier to tote around they are great shooters off of the bench and field tables for pd shoots. I do love my Vixens for the reason that they carry like a man's sized .22.