All,

I need some pointers on this problem: I bought a barreled action (via Internet) that was advertised as a Sako Vixen 222Mag “re-chambered to 223â€. I had always wanted a 6x47 in the Vixen action, so I had the seller, a gunsmith, re-barrel it to 6x47. Now it turns out that the action was a 222 caliber not a 222Mag and I’m having problems with the magazine. I can only get two rounds in it without binding and it will not feed with more than two rounds in the magazine. I surmise that the width of the magazine box is too narrow where the shoulders are lining up and the follower is shaped wrong for the Mag case. Has anyone had this problem before and what did you do to solve the problem.

I am hoping that there is a way to fix this without having to grind on the action rails. By the way I can seat bullets so that they are not too long for the magazine so it appears to be a problem with the shoulders being too far forward?

Thanks in advance for any help and suggestions.

Marcos (elalto)

Dear Marcos,
I just did a rebarrel of a Vixen from 222 Mag to .17 Rem. As the Vixen was chambered for the 222 Mag I think a call to Jim Lutes[Kansas]might be in order. Discuss your problem with him. If ANYONE has the proper magazine box it`ll be him. His phone # is:::
[316]799-2509.

Good luck and Aloha, Mark

Marcus -

There seem to be a lot of fake "new" Sako Vixen magazines appearing on the market right now. I have recently received what I believe to be two of them, for my .222 L-46. They are being sold as "New, & Sako", but I suspect in fact they are mags made either in China or by some of the cut-rate aftermarket mag outfits here in the 'States.

The ones I have gotten vary from my "real" Sako mags in several ways.

1) They do not have the cartridge for which they are intended stamped on the floor plate.
2) They have one slot in the right side rather than two.
3) The obverse "dimple" in the front plate of the box is neither as wide, nor as long as in the real Sako mags...therefore they usually only hold two rounds instead of three. Sometimes three rounds can be forced in, but then it becomes very difficult to make the first round feed.
4. The rear plate of the magazine is too short...it does not keep the floorplate from sliding back over it. Original Sako mags have that rear plate long enough to act as a stop for the floorplate, which is pushed on from the front.
5. The internal sheet of the floorplate is thinner and of improper width...which allows it to "cock" a tiny bit, which in turn misplaces the magazine spring, which then does not provide sufficient pressure at the rear of the follower to position rounds correctly for proper feeding.
6. The dimple in the floorplate is also slightly improperly located, furthering the tendency of the floorplate to "cock" to one side.
7. The front of the mag floorplate is completely square shaped...the magazine well/triggerguard in most Sako Vixen rifles has slightly rounded corners where the magazine fits in place. As the square mag corners will not fit into the rounded corner recess, the magazine will often not go far enough into the mag well to lock into place correctly. This can result in a lost mag (probably a blessing with these pieces of junk), or simply an unusable magazine "sorta" stuck in place.

I hope you do not have one of these, as you will have to almost completely re-engineer it to make it truly useful. At least, that has been my experience.

Alberta Canuck

Marcos:

It sounds like you have the fixed magazine (L461) and not the removable clip model (L46).

I have the L461 in all three calibers -- .222, .223, and .222 Magnum. I won't be going home before leaving town for the weekend, so I can't compare them until I get back, but I'll do some measuring and get back to you.

However, offhand I would swear that there is no difference at all between the magazines and feed rails in any of the calibers. .222 Magnums have to be held to no more than 2.30 or possibly 2.305" in order to fit in the magazine, but I'm guessing that I can load my .222's magazine with six .222 Magnums and cycle them perfectly. The same should hold true for 6 x 47's.

I'm mystified by the problem you are experiencing, but maybe a close comparison will reveal something.

Along the same lines, will an L461 action work OK for .204 Ruger? Mine is in .222 right now, and it never did feed particularly smoothly in that caliber. The barrel is shot, and I have thought of rebuilding it as a .204.

Clemson

"Stoney".....once again you are correct. All L461 magazine boxes are the same size.

Over the years I've found, with my 17-222 Magnum rifles, that I must hold the maximum over-all cartridge length to 2.280" or less.....or cartridge binding in the box will result.

Hope this helps....

Friend Of The 17
Kevin Gullette

Hi All,

Well I think I've figured it out! the actual magazine box on my L461 has raised areas on each side that line up with the neck area on a 222. These raised areas line up with the body/shoulder area on the 222Mag! The raised areas are vertical, narrow and run at the correct angle to help the cartridges maintain proper alignment but for a 222 not 222Mag. I have another Vixen but it is a 222 also so the mag boxes are the same.

I am now convinced that the only difference between a 222 and a 222Mag may be the magazine box and the position of the raised bars. I would really like to hear what Stonecreek finds out in comparing his Sakos. I don't know anyone who owns an original L461 in 222Mag so I'll have to wait.

If it turns out that the problem is the mag box, then I can start looking for a replacement box even if it is a 222 I can grind the raised bars off then it should be fine.

Any comments anyone?

Thanks to all for your help, I appreciate it.

Marcos (elalto)