Short Actions Model L469 222 magnum in a maple stock

I have a L469 made in 1960 the looks to have a maple stock and I was wondering if sako offered them in maple.

 

Many Sako stocks, especially the Deluxe models, can be mistaken for Maple by those not familiar with European or "French" Walnut. It is much lighter than American or Black Walnut. If your stock is actually Maple it did not come from the Sako factory & is an aftermarket stock. There are many photos here on the forum that show these stocks. If you peruse the forum you can see how blonde they are, especially the L46 & L469 Models. If you post pictures of your stock we can confirm what you have.

 

It has the original factory stock on it. It is a heavy barrel with the wide flat bottom forend.

 

I just picked up my first Sako, L469, 450XX, in .222 Magnum, Bofors steel barrel. My stock looks like yours. The previous owner had sprayed some kind of sealer on it for protection! I'm having it professionally refinished. What I've seen of the original wood is absolutely gorgeous. The metal is nearly pristine, and the wood has only a few tiny dings. Not bad for a 60-year-old gun used in the field.

Any idea what the twist rate is? I tried running a patch through it, and the cleaning rod made about 1.5 revolutions, which would be 1/16", which sounds awfully slow. Will that stabilize 55 grain bullets?

Any suggestions for starting loads? I plan to take it on a rockchuck shoot in Idaho in May.

 

I thinking mine is a 1-14” twist. I haven’t worked up any loads for it yet but plan to this spring. I would be interested in some load suggestions myself.

 

I'll let you know when I get it back in a few weeks.

 

Most of my sako 222 mags do very well with 40 hornady v max and blc2.

 

Great! I've got WC846 (the surp equivalent of BL-C2) and some 40 gr bullets and will start there. Also have some XBR powder.