AusVarmint

Fellas after a bit of totally unbiased advice I have a sako l461 vixen cal 222rem .Love the Rifle but want a different cal any suggestions.Have an as yet unfired (by me) ruger 77swift, mod 70 308 So I do not need a 223(have a 222)had a 17rem (3 ) so will not go there again any suggestions

204 perhaps. gee I bet you didnt see that coming.

At least then you could do an honest side by side comparrison of the 204 v 220.

I will be in the same position with my 223 once the 204 arrives. spoke to shane about opening the bolt face but he reckons its not worth it. This is with a sps rem though not a nice sako action.

If I do anything with it it might be to get it rebarreled to a 223AI or most likely it will sit in the safe to be used by Mel whenever she wants it.

Honest DrG thought that would have come from Trevort

MISSED,

What do you want to do with this new calibre ????
L461 does not lend itself to many options, so need to know what you hope to achieve.

cheers
Rinso

20VT

Rinso,It would be mainly used under a spotlight Having said that a bit of fox whistling would be thrown in as well.It would have to be reasonably quiet for small acreages.IN the mix my wife has plans to use it and my two sons will I hope grow into it
AI,20Vt is that a 221 fireball necked down

short chambered 204 Ruger VT barrel fitted and have the chamber trimmed to suit using 223 or 222 brass-

plenty of brass options- unlike the 221 Based cases
a bit more grunt but not much more noise

closer to a 204R than it is to a 20VT
use a set of trimmed to length to suit 204R dies

and a 222/3 based case will work through the shorter magazine length of a 461

Later
P

What Ogre said, use 222 brass and shortened 204 dies. Cheap way of doing a 20/222 improved without the added cost of custom dies or reamer. Will slot in nicely with the swift and do the job your 17rem did. The wife and kids will love it.

I have a swift and will use my 20max for the smaller stuff and shorter ranges.

Jethro has a 204/222 at the gunsmiths so you should be able to get some info on it soon.

Cheers

Yes mate, as CB said Im just waiting on the smith to clear his backlog so he can start on my tikka M55 "204shortish". Many thanks to OGRE6br for the idea and cranky for the guidence on the die mods for the initial case neck reducing operation. Easy as falling of a log.
I Reeeally wanted a 461 action for this project but couldn't find a decent one for under a grand. Also you need to check your magazine length before deciding on a parent case. Im not sure if the sako mag can be modified easily to feed the 204 length round. You may have to seat the projies very deeply to fit in the mag and this will limit the amount of projie options.

Jethro again

you misjudge me. I would go the necked down 223, 222, 20Vt or 17mach 4. toss a coin over those. I've just done a 17m4 since i have a 204 on the way but have a soft spot for the 20/222. Doubt the 204 would fit the mag with much of the projie sitting out of the case

unless you have the 222 Magnum factory magazine you cannot feed 204R from a 222/223 magazine box on a 461 without modifications.

222 Magnums in 461 are rocking horse poo rare

later
P

MISSED,

It would be mainly used under a spotlight Having said that a bit of fox whistling would be thrown in as well.It would have to be reasonably quiet for small acreages.IN the mix my wife has plans to use it and my two sons will I hope grow into it

As you have a 220 then I would make the L461 into either a 17 MachIV or 17 Fireball which are virtually the same. Its the perfect size for the action and magazine as well from memory.

They offer excellent accuracy and muzzle velocity, are outstanding on small critters under a light or whistling and have no noticeable recoil which is great for kids and the wife.
The added advantage of seeing bullet impact which is very good for anyone learning to shoot.

cheers
Rinso

Thanx Fellas,
Ogre6br is a sporter weight barrel so dont want to modify stock would like to keep it as
original looking as poss(had It for 32 years)
CB like the idea what sort of dies would you suggest Jethro what sort of press did you use and dies? how many passes etc
Trevort sorry to miss judge have had 17mm in the past and only sold the last one 6 years ago (sako) so something different now
Rinso there was a sako 17 mach4 for sale on used guns recently but i dont want another centrfire rifle yet Might seem a little strange to be seen to want to change but keep it as close to as original as possible but it was the rifle my Dad used regularly before he died so it is sentimental to me

MISSED,

Rinso there was a sako 17 mach4 for sale on used guns recently but i dont want another centrfire rifle yet Might seem a little strange to be seen to want to change but keep it as close to as original as possible but it was the rifle my Dad used regularly before he died so it is sentimental to me

No need to explain mate .. you asked for ideas, you got ideas. Which if any you choose to go with is up to you. Nobody on here takes anything to heart or gets upset if you choose a different path, that one of the things I like about this forum.

My preference would be to keep it original or as close as possible to original as I always thought they were a great little gun. What matters is what you want to do.

cheers
Rinso

G,day MISSED
As far as the necking down operation goes I went to CBs place ( on his invite) and used his 204ruger FLdie that has been shortened to suit his project 20-222rimmed martini. (jump in cranky if Ive got that wrong). One pass and the cases were ready to be loaded and fireformed. THe only thing that may be cause for concern is the false shoulder. cranky suggested that I neck up to .243 over the total length of the .222rem neck then down to .223 and 204 on the shorter neck length of the 204rug if I have a headspace problem. Press used was a RCBS Partner, the same as the one I have.
Just got my Lee die set in 204ruger to send to the smith for him to shorten using the go/no go gauge he is going to make for the chambering work.

Jethro again