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Short Actions Sako L46 REM Mag

Sako Collectors Club Discussion Forum

Eddie

Member
Just signed up
Bought my second Sako and can’t find any info on this L46 mannlicher stock
New to sight so I will try to post up pics
Wondering if anyone has any info on it
Questions I have
Is it factory Sako ?
Referring to short stock and short barrel
Wondering if it has been modified by gunsmith if it has been modified looks like s great job to me but asking you all as I am new to sako
 

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None of the photos show the barrel markings, so it is not possible to say. However, the muzzle crown is not Factory Sako, so if markings show it is a Sako barrel then it has been cut and recrowned.
 
Your L46 is within the data base the club has factory records for. So, if you request the info from our Factory Records Service you can find out when & in what configuration it left the Sako facility. If it is not a factory barrel it may have been an action only that someone built the rifle on.
 
Your L46 is within the data base the club has factory records for. So, if you request the info from our Factory Records Service you can find out when & in what configuration it left the Sako facility. If it is not a factory barrel it may have been an action only that someone built the rifle on.
Thank you both for this extremely useful information with pics provided what do you think the value would be if it turns out to shoot well ?
 
It's worth more as parts than as a complete rifle. Even if it shoots well, it's in a chambering which ammo is very hard to find & not popular anymore. The stock is a style not popular today & it is a custom gun, which are always hard to sell. On the positive side, 222 Rem Mag magazines are selling for $200-$250. The complete action with bottom metal & mag could bring as much as $500 to someone looking to build a custom rifle. The rifle, as is, at a gun show with no Sako nuts roaming the aisles looking for a mag or action would be a hard sell @ $400-$500, IMHO. Like I said, if parted out & marketed it could bring much more. There are always people looking for bolts, mags, firng pins, ejectors, extractors, etc. etc. etc.
 
It's worth more as parts than as a complete rifle. Even if it shoots well, it's in a chambering which ammo is very hard to find & not popular anymore. The stock is a style not popular today & it is a custom gun, which are always hard to sell. On the positive side, 222 Rem Mag magazines are selling for $200-$250. The complete action with bottom metal & mag could bring as much as $500 to someone looking to build a custom rifle. The rifle, as is, at a gun show with no Sako nuts roaming the aisles looking for a mag or action would be a hard sell @ $400-$500, IMHO. Like I said, if parted out & marketed it could bring much more. There are always people looking for bolts, mags, firng pins, ejectors, extractors, etc. etc. etc.
Thank you again
I bought it for 950.00 with 3 mags so I guess if I part out I didn’t to to bad
It seems to be cut down to a youth purpose build
 
Thank you again
I bought it for 950.00 with 3 mags so I guess if I part out I didn’t to to bad
It seems to be cut down to a youth purpose build

Don't let the purists sway you. Try it, you may find it to be a great shooting rifle. The 222 magnum has almost been forgotten but not to those who shoot that caliber. The ammo really isnt hard to find. Parting out a custom gun to make another custom gun, to me, makes little sense.
 
Don't let the purists sway you. Try it, you may find it to be a great shooting rifle. The 222 magnum has almost been forgotten but not to those who shoot that caliber. The ammo really isnt hard to find. Parting out a custom gun to make another custom gun, to me, makes little sense.
Not planning on parting out and will shoot to see the fit for us my son loves it he’s the one who found it at local gun show just nice to know that I can recoup most of my moneys
Midway USA has ammo in 50rd box’s for 90.00 so it will be an investment needless to say but one that I will find my self great-full for as I will be spending more time with my son figuring out if it shoots well or not
Win win for me
 
Here's a factory L46/L469 in .222 Magnum with a Mannlicher-style stock. The actual designator for the .222 Mag version of the L46 is L469, but many if not most are stamped L46. The Magnum action is slightly different; it had to be modified to accommodate the longer round. I would place a higher value on your rifle than Paulson does; while the .222 Mag is not a popular cartridge, it has its adherents. A Mannlicher carbine, even a non-factory one, would have a certain appeal to a small but devoted following. I'd call it around $700 or a bit more on Gunbroker, where you would get a larger audience than at a local show or shop. That's plus the value of the extra mags. (I might be interested if you decide to part with one of those.)

You will notice that the nose cap on the factory rifle is different from your custom, the factory stock is a two-piece with a barrel band rather than one-piece, and the shape of the stock is quite a bit different. Also the factory stocks were always checkered. The factory nose cap wraps around the muzzle. The factory rifles were equipped with a front sight, to go with the removable Sako peep. If you post photos of any markings on the barrel and action, we can tell you if it's a factory barrel. It probably is; the unique stretch action was made in very small numbers, in .222 Magnum only, so it's unlikely that one would have a custom barrel.

If the ammo from Midway that you mentioned is the Nosler, it's good stuff. I've put some through my three .222 Mag Sakos and found it gives much better accuracy than the Remington. You can also find off-brand ammo from various local ammo makers for quite a bit less - just Google around for .222 Magnum ammo and it will pop up here and there. I think Graf's might carry some, but I don't recall for sure. I haven't tried any of the odd-brand ammo so can't comment on quality. And, of course, there's always handloading.

Enjoy your rifle.

L469-222 Mag 1.JPG L469-222 Mag 3.JPG
 
Here's a factory L46/L469 in .222 Magnum with a Mannlicher-style stock. The actual designator for the .222 Mag version of the L46 is L469, but many if not most are stamped L46. The Magnum action is slightly different; it had to be modified to accommodate the longer round. I would place a higher value on your rifle than Paulson does; while the .222 Mag is not a popular cartridge, it has its adherents. A Mannlicher carbine, even a non-factory one, would have a certain appeal to a small but devoted following. I'd call it around $700 or a bit more on Gunbroker, where you would get a larger audience than at a local show or shop. That's plus the value of the extra mags. (I might be interested if you decide to part with one of those.)

You will notice that the nose cap on the factory rifle is different from your custom, the factory stock is a two-piece with a barrel band rather than one-piece, and the shape of the stock is quite a bit different. Also the factory stocks were always checkered. The factory nose cap wraps around the muzzle. The factory rifles were equipped with a front sight, to go with the removable Sako peep. If you post photos of any markings on the barrel and action, we can tell you if it's a factory barrel. It probably is; the unique stretch action was made in very small numbers, in .222 Magnum only, so it's unlikely that one would have a custom barrel.

If the ammo from Midway that you mentioned is the Nosler, it's good stuff. I've put some through my three .222 Mag Sakos and found it gives much better accuracy than the Remington. You can also find off-brand ammo from various local ammo makers for quite a bit less - just Google around for .222 Magnum ammo and it will pop up here and there. I think Graf's might carry some, but I don't recall for sure. I haven't tried any of the odd-brand ammo so can't comment on quality. And, of course, there's always handloading.

Enjoy your rifle.

View attachment 20744 View attachment 20745
Guys once again thank you very much for all the info and the acceptance this has been a very pleasant experience.
I am planning on taking out and shooting to se what it is capable on accuracy glad to hear that the ammo is choice and not just what is out there
At this point I’m not going to part with any magazines but will keep you win first op if I do
As to pics
That is what I have found online and nothing like I have I do notice the end caps where different and with out the front sight so figured it had been modified as my luck doesn’t work with me rather against me most time
At least I do like the gun with the mods just hope it shoots like an un modified sako
You mentioned barrel stamps where and what am I looking for to help find out if it is a sako barrel
 
You mentioned barrel stamps where and what am I looking for to help find out if it is a sako barrel
A factory barrel will usually have Sako and the caliber stamped on top, just ahead of the action. Somewhere on the side of the barrel, not too far forward of the action, you may see "Bofors Steel" or some other identifying stamp. There will be a lion's head somewhere; that's a Finnish proof mark. The left side of the action should be stamped with "Sako Riihimäki" and the serial number. Post photos of the barrel shank, top, left, and right, and we'll help you interpret what is there.
 
Nosler is making ammo for the 222 Rem Mag and if you know where to look even factory Remington ammo can be found at a decent price.I sell my Remington headstamped,once fire brass to offset the price of the Factory ammo cost.So far,so good on shooting mine just as cheap as guys with 223's I expect.
 
A factory barrel will usually have Sako and the caliber stamped on top, just ahead of the action. Somewhere on the side of the barrel, not too far forward of the action, you may see "Bofors Steel" or some other identifying stamp. There will be a lion's head somewhere; that's a Finnish proof mark. The left side of the action should be stamped with "Sako Riihimäki" and the serial number. Post photos of the barrel shank, top, left, and right, and we'll help you interpret what is there.
Here are the pics
 

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The barrel is factory. The trigger shoe, of course, is not. If you keep it, make sure it's on tight - those things have a nasty habit of coming loose. I'd also advise checking the action screws to make sure they are tight, as that can affect accuracy. Be sure to use parallel-ground drivers or bits; standard taper-ground screwdrivers, as found in most American homes, are guaranteed to mess up gun screws.
 
The barrel is factory.
Yes, it's a Sako barrel, but it is contoured like the very earliest L46 barrels from the late 1940's with the sharp ridge against the action ring, whereas the serial number on the action makes it one of the very latest L46 actions from the early 1960's. This is a very unusual combination. In fact, I've never seen a Sako .222 Magnum barrel with this contour before. I would have said there was no such thing. Interesting. Would love to know more about the origin of the barrel.
 
Yes, it's a Sako barrel, but it is contoured like the very earliest L46 barrels from the late 1940's with the sharp ridge against the action ring, whereas the serial number on the action makes it one of the very latest L46 actions from the early 1960's. This is a very unusual combination. In fact, I've never seen a Sako .222 Magnum barrel with this contour before. I would have said there was no such thing. Interesting. Would love to know more about the origin of the barrel.
Nice catch. I thought there was something odd about the barrel but couldn't place it. That really is an old barrel - my flip-safety .222, which as you informed me is one of the first 100 .222's made, doesn't have that style of barrel. I did check the stamping against my two L469's and it matches, right down to the unusual ".222 REMMAGN." abbreviation for .222 Magnum. The only thing I can figure is that as Sako was getting to the very end of L46 production, they found this barrel in the back of the rack, or stashed in a corner somewhere, and being the type to never waste anything, chambered it in .222 Magnum and put it on a gun. Probably at the time they found the barrel, they happened to be making .222 Magnums and so that's what they cut the chamber for. Or maybe they dug it up as a replacement for a defective barrel. As you say, it's hard to know this far after the fact.
 
Wouldn't it also be possible that the builder recontoured the barrel removing the SAKO stamp just forward of the caliber stamping when he cut & recrowned it???? Who knows, once he chucked it up in a lathe he might have felt nostalgic. Does make one wonder.
 
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