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Joined: Oct 2019
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I’d look at H322 or IMR8208 and whatever 50grainers you have on hand. I like Sierra 50gr and nosler 50 BT.

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Good score on a great shooter. H322 and 52gr shoot ragged holes in mine.

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I had a doctor friend who was sadly deceased in Mar 2003.... when he was a young man, he bought a Sako Vixen in 222....and went to Australia when he was 20 to work on a Sheep Station in West Australia for two years. When he got there, he was befriended by an old Australian WW 1 Veteran, who had the same gun and taught Damon how to hand load...

That was with an old Lee Loader.. after sizing and prepping the cases and seating the primer, the old Aussie, would pour a big pile
of 4895 on the table and scoop the 222 Case full of powder, and level it out at the brim.... flush with the case mouth opening... Then seat a 50 grain bullet...

they used the rounds for pest control, on the huge ranch....

Damon said no one was a better shot on the old sheep station, than the Aussie WW 1 Vet....

Told me that was how he learned to handload.


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ii have 3 - .222 sako vixen. i have only loaded I4198 in lapua brass. if i was going to try another. it would N-130 or N-133. i would think factory .222 would be easy to find

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i went to ammo seek and a bunch of factory ammo popped up.

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I load Sierra 53gr HPs with 22.0gr of H322 and a BR-4 primer for my BIL. It shoots good in his Anschutz, Sako, and Rem 660.


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I like 20 grains of IMR 4198 with a 50 grain bullet, or 21 grains of RL-7 with a 50 grain bullet. H322 is perhaps a bit more accurate, but I want speed for woodchuck hunting. I get 3,250-3,300 fps with those loads.

I also like N130 - 21.5 grains if memory serves - with a 50 grain bullet. I also used 24 grains of AA2200 with a 40 grain bullet for about 3,500 fps when I had that powder.

My Vixen is a 1958 model with safety on the bolt. It has a Hart stainless sporter barrel. I have had it for over 30 years.

Last edited by Jerseyboy; 04/22/21.

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Mine is on its 3 rd barrel so it’s now got a benchmark
Chambered in 222
Seems I can load cornflakes in that thing and it will shoot
My go to is surplus data 68 and 40 gr v max wasn’t a hard load to find
222 is probbly the easiest one I have ever loaded

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I have several 222’s (722’s, 722 B’s and a Model 7 Mannlicher) and with one exception 40 gr Ballistic Tips, 40 gr Tipped Varmageddons and 40 gr Sierra Blitzkings are the preferred bullets. The other likes the 50 gr Sierra Blitz soft point. I’ve tried several powders but I have gravitated to H-322 in all of them with the published max loads or very close to max.


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A local gun shop has a 1980’s Sako Vixen in 223 for sale NIB for an eye watering $2250. Although it’s probably the only one available in the country outside of private collections.

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Mine is chambered in 222RemMag, and it was made in 1963.

I have to say, it will shoot the majority of loads sub-MOA. It has been a very easy rifle to get very good accuracy from.

Enjoy that rifle!

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I have used H4895 with a 50 gr. bullet..


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With mine it really is harder to find a load that doesn’t shoot well
Matter of fact I never have
Mine is just for prairie dogs so don’t have a 222 coyote load but I load some 50 gr speers for the ocational badger
But only real load for it is 40 gr v max with data 68surplus powder
I worked up some loads the other days for an ADL
With old h 4895. All shot under an inch with 52 gr speer hp

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Originally Posted by Slope77


It's nice that you can read an article and think it is instantly the bible, Vandenburg used several powders that are less than ideal for the 222.........CFE223 is not even ideal for a 223 and I have had much better results with LT-30.
to finish off my rant I don't know anybody that uses 55 grainers in a normal 1-14" barrel, that leads me to believe that neither you or vandenburg really own a 222

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