"New" Rifle in the Safe (Updated with Pics)

[antsa]

Hi All,

This is my first post here after lurking for a while. A newbie to the site but not to the game. Been around rifles since I was about 8 yrs old on a cattle station back in the day when things were much simpler.

These days I'm a "self-financed retiree" and small-scale cattle farmer in the South Mount Lofty Ranges, south of Adelaide. Lived overseas in Europe for many years and there hunted roe deer, fallow, red and moose as well as wild boar. Down here we have fox, fallow and roo (on a permit, of course). Have seen a rabbit or two but they're quite scarce.

I'm a Sako freak and only have this brand in the safe, except for the Beretta shotty. My present line-up is:
- Finnfire II, .22LR
- 85 Hunter Laminated Stainless, .223 Rem; my Quad rifle that follows me everywhere around the paddocks,
- 85 Varmint Blued Walnut, .223 Rem; gets a lot of roo work in the late afternoons on both my property and the next door neighbour's as I shoot for him as well,
- 85 Varmint Laminated Stainless, .260 Rem; an indulgence that gets a lot of range work at the rifle club and some fallow work now and again,
- 85 Hunter Blued Walnut, .308 Win; my goto deer rifle - anchors them on the spot.

After lurking on here and as well as reading on other sites all the posts on .20 calibre conversions I was inspired to have a go at it. I've never delved into used rifles or wildcat calibres before so it is all quite exciting. I managed to score a Sako AI .222 on Used Guns. The seller lived about 15 minutes up the road from my property! Anyway, got the PTA the other day and picked up the rifle yesterday. My first used one and my first "classic" Sako. It was owned by a farmer who had it as a fox rifle on his sheep property. About 750 rounds down the tube. A few dings and scratches in the timber as could be expected in a working rifle but a bit of steaming and some tung oil and 0000 steel wool will take care of most of them. Blueing rubbed off by the ute mounts in a few spots.

Think the proportions of the rifle are amazing. What a beautiful little rifle. The .222 action is even shorter than the 85 XS one. It's a sporter and the bare, unloaded rifle weighs in at 2.96 kg.

I'll be putting the .20 calibre on hold for a while. Don't have the heart to redo this one.

Have stocked up on Lapua brass and have the dies on order. Bought some factory loads in order to get a scope sighted in.

Will add some pics forthwith

Cheers

[Camel]

G'day Antsa, good first post mate, you will get plenty of support for the other Sakophiles on here, we know they are a little strange, but they're not bad blokes really. Hang around and enjoy the place, and you will soon find that you really do "Need" a 20 cal.

[Dunderi]

Welcome

Looking forward to the pics

[frakka]

Welcome aboard antsa,

I'll be putting the .20 calibre on hold for a while. Don't have the heart to redo this one.

With this sentiment and your "no bs" logo you already exhibit too much sense to get mixed up with the 20cal tragics that flourish around here

[Sako 22-250]

Welcome antsa
Nice collection
Looking forward to your future pics and posts
Cheers Mark

[The Raven]

Welcome aboard. We have quite a few Sako tragics around here.

[antsa]

G'day Antsa, good first post mate, you will get plenty of support for the other Sakophiles on here, we know they are a little strange, but they're not bad blokes really. Hang around and enjoy the place, and you will soon find that you really do "Need" a 20 cal.

Thanks mate. It was you, Branxhunter and Onehump that got me started. Will have to start looking for a more suitable donor. One problem here is that my "12 firearm safe" is now full. Another rifle also means a new safe.

Cheers

[Camel]

G'day Antsa, good first post mate, you will get plenty of support for the other Sakophiles on here, we know they are a little strange, but they're not bad blokes really. Hang around and enjoy the place, and you will soon find that you really do "Need" a 20 cal.

Thanks mate. It was you, Branxhunter and Onehump that got me started. Will have to start looking for a more suitable donor. One problem here is that my "12 firearm safe" is now full. Another rifle also means a new safe.

Cheers

HA HA HA, once the idea of a little 20 cal on the 222 case has wormed its way into your brain, its gunna stay there gnawing away until you just have to scratch it. I have shown the light to a few now, Marcus and Jack Saligari are two that i can recall off hand. An article in Guns and Game perked up my initial interest, then Johno nagged and nagged, Missed also had something to do with egging me on.

Let you in on a secret, Camel and Onehump are one and the same, when I tried to join AHN as Camel I stuffed up the registration and it wouldn't let me, so I used Onehump.

[antsa]

HA HA HA, once the idea of a little 20 cal on the 222 case has wormed its way into your brain, its gunna stay there gnawing away until you just have to scratch it. I have shown the light to a few now, Marcus and Jack Saligari are two that i can recall off hand. An article in Guns and Game perked up my initial interest, then Johno nagged and nagged, Missed also had something to do with egging me on.

Let you in on a secret, Camel and Onehump are one and the same, when I tried to join AHN as Camel I stuffed up the registration and it wouldn't let me, so I used Onehump.

There ya go. I didn't associate camel and onehump. Was thinking of something completely different.

It's already gnawing mate. Good thing is I'll have the brass and the dies. Just need some bushings.


Cheers

[Camel]

HA HA HA, once the idea of a little 20 cal on the 222 case has wormed its way into your brain, its gunna stay there gnawing away until you just have to scratch it. I have shown the light to a few now, Marcus and Jack Saligari are two that i can recall off hand. An article in Guns and Game perked up my initial interest, then Johno nagged and nagged, Missed also had something to do with egging me on.

Let you in on a secret, Camel and Onehump are one and the same, when I tried to join AHN as Camel I stuffed up the registration and it wouldn't let me, so I used Onehump.

There ya go. I didn't associate camel and onehump. Was thinking of something completely different.

It's already gnawing mate. Good thing is I'll have the brass and the dies. Just need some bushings.


Cheers

Now you're talking.

[antsa]

Hi All,

Promised some pics. Took a while but here they are, courtesy of my iPhone:

From left to right:
Finnfire II Blued Walnut .22LR
AI Blued Walnut .222 Rem, 1:14"
85 Hunter Stainless Laminate .223 Rem, 1:12"
85 Varmint Blued Walnut .223 Rem, 1:12"
85 Varmint Stainless Laminate .260 Rem, 1:8"
85 Hunter Blued Walnut .308 Win, 1:11"

The walnuts are pretty much "Plain Janes" but I have managed to get a rather nice finish on the .308. Lots of CCL stock oil and elbow grease over the years. The new girl, the AI, is starting to come around bit too.

Cheers

[The Raven]

That's quite a collection!

I think only two of my rifles are the same brand...

[MISSED]

Yum they are looking good

And I have a Sako A1 Varmint in 222 that would look good in that line up.