What are the pro's and con's of a Sako AII action? I may have an opportunity to swap for one and I'm wanting to know any major pitfalls before I commit.

Sky,

Fancy meeting you here(grin).

The AII has a fully shrouded bolt(for gas protection,in the even of a ruprure),a slight trigger mechanism upgrade and a little extra knurling on shroud and bolt handle(as compared to the 579).

She's a Good 'Un...........

I just bought a L579 action (similar to AII) and I love it. I put a Rem 40X barrel on it and had the action trued. Buy the Sako, you won't regret it.

I don't know of any cons, unless you consider that it does not have CRF a negative. In my opinion Sako actions are what most actions aspire to be when they grow up, especially Remingtons. Custom actions notwithstanding, Sako actions are probably the best out there, IMHO. If you don't want it, I will take it.

the A11 or earlier Sakos are very nice indeed, my custom 6x45 is made on a L-461 RT with a dark red English stock and shoots tiny tiny groups and it just weighs 4.5 lbs, has a M-70 Safty custom made and scaled to size, by Tony Barnes...a masters touch for sure.

It does not have a control feed but that is only really needed in a DGR IMO...however the early Sako is the only non control feed rifle that I would own...

Early Sakos were very well made rifles.

There are few problems with the Sakos including the AII but there are some which occasionally rear their ugly heads.
Striker:
On the later models the firing pin spring is retained by a collar and a cheesy wire circlip in a groove on the pin. Sometimes they slip.
The firing pins are adjustable for protrusion (good)but sometimes the set screw will loosen allowing the pin to adjust itself (bad).
Trigger:
The trigger geometry was not very well thought out and following down can be a problem. I once went along the rack in the store and was able to fired ALL of the Sakos by rapping the receiver bridge with a soft hammer. I didn't like this although being rapped with a soft hammer seldom happens in the field.
Bolt:
The guide rib/gas block on the bolt is prevented from moving forward under recoil (usually) by a little flat spring clip. The design of this clip has changed periodically over the years but the problem still exists. It is wise to pin this rib behind the collars.
The cocking peice is retained by a lug which can gall badly if not lubricated.
In spite of these criticisms I think the Sakos are pretty good actions and the workmanship is certainly good. Regards, Bill.

I own, or have owned at one time, about a dozen and a half Sako-actioned rifles with the L- or A- series actions. Never a single problem.

I did have a case head separation in a .30-06 (my fault for re-using salvaged brass of uncertain origin), the escaping gas from which dislodged the extractor. There was no "external" leakage of gas to endanger the shooter, however, and the parts were found inside the action and easily re-installed. This was with a post-1972 two lug L-61R.

If building a custom gun, I wouldn't consider any other action. An often overlooked advantage of the Sako is that it usually holds one or two more rounds in the magazine than comparable actions, without using a drop magazine.