SAKO .222 Remington
- Thread starter Ben
- Start date
CZ93X62
Official forum enigma
What is NOT to like about this thread? Superb rifle--superb caliber--and Ben's SUPERB photgraphy.
The 222 Remington gets a raw deal due to the 223 Rem/5.56 x 45 wide acceptance as the cartridge of the using services of many countries. More efficient than the 223, it gets 3% less velocity using 10% less powder. Velocity COSTS--the 17% speed uptick the 22-250 gives a 55 grain spitzer over that of the 223 Rem requires a 40%+ uptick in powder weight, assuming same powder used in both calibers. And we haven't broached the subject of throat erosion and barrel wear posed by all of the propellant gas running down that tiny bore. Kinda like a drag race--selling out all options for the sake of speed. I dare say, a 222 barrel's service life will be at least twice that of a 22-250's tube.
I like the 222 Remington. I had one for about a year--a Rem 40XB-BR. Boy, could that critter SHOOT. It was the most accurate rifle I have ever owned. It would stack 52 grain Matchkings right on top of each other at 100 yards--high .2s to low .3s. If winds were calm, it would put 5 shots into .75-.9 MOA at 200 meters.
I enjoyed THAT part of owning the beast, for sure. I wasn't doing the hayfield/open country varmint shooting back then that I do now, so humping around a 12# single-shot bolt varmint rifle was kinda counter-productive, even I was still immortal and in my mid-thirties. So, down the road it went for a lot more money than I had in it. And that is my sole venture into 222 Land. It was a good trip, though.
The 222 Remington gets a raw deal due to the 223 Rem/5.56 x 45 wide acceptance as the cartridge of the using services of many countries. More efficient than the 223, it gets 3% less velocity using 10% less powder. Velocity COSTS--the 17% speed uptick the 22-250 gives a 55 grain spitzer over that of the 223 Rem requires a 40%+ uptick in powder weight, assuming same powder used in both calibers. And we haven't broached the subject of throat erosion and barrel wear posed by all of the propellant gas running down that tiny bore. Kinda like a drag race--selling out all options for the sake of speed. I dare say, a 222 barrel's service life will be at least twice that of a 22-250's tube.
I like the 222 Remington. I had one for about a year--a Rem 40XB-BR. Boy, could that critter SHOOT. It was the most accurate rifle I have ever owned. It would stack 52 grain Matchkings right on top of each other at 100 yards--high .2s to low .3s. If winds were calm, it would put 5 shots into .75-.9 MOA at 200 meters.
I enjoyed THAT part of owning the beast, for sure. I wasn't doing the hayfield/open country varmint shooting back then that I do now, so humping around a 12# single-shot bolt varmint rifle was kinda counter-productive, even I was still immortal and in my mid-thirties. So, down the road it went for a lot more money than I had in it. And that is my sole venture into 222 Land. It was a good trip, though.
Rick H
Well-Known Member
I had a Remington 700 BDL Varmint, heavy barrel in .222Rem and competed in local bench rest shoots. It was bone stock and was competitive. I loaded it with a Lee Target Loader (the one that reamed the necks) IMR 4198 and Hornady 53 gr. match bullets. Sub 0.3" if I could judge the wind right. I sold it to a guy I worked with who just had to have it. I loved the 222 Rem. Now I own 3 223R's and a 5.56.
Love the Sako Vixen, they just never made one with the bolt on the correct side for me.
Love the Sako Vixen, they just never made one with the bolt on the correct side for me.
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Pistolero
Well-Known Member
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/790790142
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/792053879
I think you could make a few bucks if you wanted to sell.
Bill
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/792053879
I think you could make a few bucks if you wanted to sell.
Bill
oscarflytyer
Well-Known Member
OH MAN!!!! I qual'd Bronze hunting medal using a borrowed Sake 222 when I was in Germany 30 yrs ago! Perfect Reh deer caliber! I recently got a Savage 340 in 222 Rem, looks like it had been set up for BR, but bore has some pitting. Think it is ok, can hold 100 yd 1" my old eyes and shakes! Perfect fox/'yote/crow gun! And mine has a gorgeous piece of wood!
Uncle Grinch
Active Member
It’s funny how you go back to things after you have gotten older. I’ve had two 222’s, one a Rem 600 and the other a Rem 700. In my quest for bigger and better, I had the 700 rebarreled to a 223 Ackley. Still have it and although it is devastating on prairie dogs, I sure do miss the 222. I find myself looking for a deal all the time. Hoping to find someone who wants something “bigger and better”, so I can take advantage of their wants.
The 222 has always been my own personal favorite centerfire 222.
I never owned one of my own until a few years ago. I always went with the "more practical" 223.
When I was a kid, my mom had a new L461 in 222, but my dad preferred the 222 Mag. He saw the writing on the wall and never chambered a 222 cartridge in it and, surprisingly, didn't re-chamber it for 222 Mag. He had it made into a 223. It's been a 223 since the mid-sixties. At some point in the late eighties/early nineties, the original barrel developed a weird rust formation in the bore we never figured out, but it ruined it. He sent it to John Pell and had a new, slender, 24" Douglas Premium octagon barrel installed and it's STILL light and handles amazingly well. It's in my safe now but I don't know who it belongs to. Immediately after my mom passed, he asked me if I wanted her guns. I put them in my safe and told him we'd talk about it some day after we'd had time to absorb the loss and could make clearer decisions. I won't bring it up, but if he ever asks again, I'll tell him I'd like to have here favorite - the L461. I can't believe she let me hunt with it when I was a kid because she liked it so much. That rifle is exquisite inherently, but it has a lot of sentimental value, and I'm not that sentimental.
My own 222, which is probably my favorite rifle, was a "compromise." When I decided I was going to have my own 222, even if I had to BUY brass, I knew I wouldn't be able to find an L461 I could afford. I snatched up a CZ 527 right about the time they did away with the 550 and went to a push-feed. I was afraid they'd do the same to the 527. and didn't want to miss out. Not that it's necessary on such a rifle, but damned if that tiny little Mauser extractor and ejector isn't the cutest thing. I've never liked plunger ejectors.
The 527 is an amazing little rifle in its own right. Not as smooth as the L461, a heck of a lot cheaper ($630 at that time) but it has its own appeal. I won't kid myself or anyone else though. For as much as I love that little CZ, the older SAKOs really are nicer guns.
Your SAKO is a beauty, Ben. I think the vintage of yours is even nicer than the ones which directly followed, but I'd take either in a heartbeat.
I never owned one of my own until a few years ago. I always went with the "more practical" 223.
When I was a kid, my mom had a new L461 in 222, but my dad preferred the 222 Mag. He saw the writing on the wall and never chambered a 222 cartridge in it and, surprisingly, didn't re-chamber it for 222 Mag. He had it made into a 223. It's been a 223 since the mid-sixties. At some point in the late eighties/early nineties, the original barrel developed a weird rust formation in the bore we never figured out, but it ruined it. He sent it to John Pell and had a new, slender, 24" Douglas Premium octagon barrel installed and it's STILL light and handles amazingly well. It's in my safe now but I don't know who it belongs to. Immediately after my mom passed, he asked me if I wanted her guns. I put them in my safe and told him we'd talk about it some day after we'd had time to absorb the loss and could make clearer decisions. I won't bring it up, but if he ever asks again, I'll tell him I'd like to have here favorite - the L461. I can't believe she let me hunt with it when I was a kid because she liked it so much. That rifle is exquisite inherently, but it has a lot of sentimental value, and I'm not that sentimental.
My own 222, which is probably my favorite rifle, was a "compromise." When I decided I was going to have my own 222, even if I had to BUY brass, I knew I wouldn't be able to find an L461 I could afford. I snatched up a CZ 527 right about the time they did away with the 550 and went to a push-feed. I was afraid they'd do the same to the 527. and didn't want to miss out. Not that it's necessary on such a rifle, but damned if that tiny little Mauser extractor and ejector isn't the cutest thing. I've never liked plunger ejectors.
The 527 is an amazing little rifle in its own right. Not as smooth as the L461, a heck of a lot cheaper ($630 at that time) but it has its own appeal. I won't kid myself or anyone else though. For as much as I love that little CZ, the older SAKOs really are nicer guns.
Your SAKO is a beauty, Ben. I think the vintage of yours is even nicer than the ones which directly followed, but I'd take either in a heartbeat.
I'm not sure of your personal tastes, but the CZ527 is a good surrogate for anyone who missed the little SAKOs before they cost as much as either of my car's are worth. Some people detest the single-stack magazine hanging out the bottom and the "backwards" safety, but I find the safety sort of natural - like cocking a hammer as you shoulder the rifle. I'm not a fan of detachable mags, but the rest of the gun makes up for it.
Speaking of getting older, as I reconfigured my own personal battery, I found it easy to sell two guns I liked to acquired one I really, really liked. I sold more than one gun to get that CZ and I'm very happy that I did. I like it enough that I'll keep it even if I end up with a SAKO and even though I have committed to reduce the number of guns I keep. I like it as MY 222 that much.
Brother_Love
Well-Known Member
I purchased a SAKO 222 in the early 80’s, a really nice rifle. I took it to the range and whenI extracted the first case it was straight walled. Yep, it had been converted to 223. I used it a long time before selling it. I now have a Remin goon 722 in 222 and it shoots much better than me. It shoots cast really well and that’s all I use in it now.
Ben, your SAKO is a beaut, and as they say, “they ain’t making them no more!”
Ben, your SAKO is a beaut, and as they say, “they ain’t making them no more!”
DOH! I LIED! I forgot that I had a Remington 722 just before the CZ527. I hate to admit this, but the 722 shot cast slightly better than I've gotten the CZ to yet, but I haven't goten to shoot the CZ much - just using the same load I worked up for the 722.
My mom's SAKO had a "3" over-stamped on the last "2," so no one should get fooled on converting 222 brass to "350 Legend SPECIAL."
