This thread is of specific interest to me, as I recently found a very nice lightly used Sako A1 in 222 online, and couldn't resist the temptation. Looking at the photos online, I was pretty sure the stock is a custom one, and when I received the rifle just after Thanksgiving, looking the stock over up close & personal, there's no doubt about that. It's made on a very nice blank of what appears to be English walnut, with a shadow line cheek piece, very find checkering, custom checkered steel butt plate with widow's peak & matching checkered steel PG cap. Whoever made the stock did a fine job, even to the point of indexing the action screws, PG screws, and buttplate screws so that they're in line. The metal finish is in excellent condition - not a scratch on the bbl, action, nor bottom metal. There are some very minor compression marks just ahead of the widow's peak on the top of the stock, one little ding on the checkering of the forearm, and a small ding on the rear edge of the cheekpiece.
Though I've never owned & fired a rifle in 222, I did find a NIB set of RCBS 222 Rem dies in my reloading room, with the date of 1971 engraved on the die tops. I have no idea why I'd bought those dies all those years ago, since the only 222 I've ever owned was a Howa Mini that I bought 4-5yrs ago, and immediately pulled the factory bbl & replaced it with a Bartlein 1-9tw .204 blank that I chambered in 20 Tactical, without ever firing that OEM bbl. I had one fired 222 case - and don't even recall where it came from - so was hoping to find some factory ammo in another small town with three guns shops only 30mi from here. Struck out looking for ammo in the 1st shop, but the 2nd one had a variety of 222 ammo, including Nosler Varmagedden, PPU, and a couple of boxes of old R-P. My intentions were to get a box or two of something - didn't care much what it was - just so I could zero a Weaver K6 scope on the rifle, while waiting on an order for a small quantity of Hornady brass that I'd found on Grafs to arrive. So I bought two boxes of PPU 50gr SP ammo, and did manage to get the scope zeroed. But judging from the feedback I got on PPU ammo, it seems obvious that I probably should've sprung for either the Nosler or R-P ammo, as everyone seems to agree that the bullets that PPU uses in their factory ammo leave a lot to be desired where accuracy is concerned. I'd love to have a photo of a target that I'd shot with ammo loaded in some of the Hornady brass with Hornady 52gr BTHP match bullets, but I've been on the tractor every day since FedEx delivered the rifle - with the exception of having an hour to zero the K6 scope with the PPU ammo - and it only took 6 shots to get that done at 100yds. So instead, I'll attach a photo of the little Sako sitting on my portable bench the afternoon I got the scope zeroed.
I'd like to remove the bbl'd action from the stock to see if there's any trigger adjustment left, but haven't gotten around to trying that yet - and besides, based on my experience with a Sako L461 Vixen in 223 that I had ordered in clear back in 1971, I doubt I can adjust it any lighter. But what the heck - it's a really nice little rifle, and when I finally finish the field work, I'm very much looking forward to getting out with some fresh handloads to see what it's really capable of!
