Just picked up this old Vixen and with reloading supplies being precious and factory ammo nill. I was looking for advice. Have some 50 grain TNT plus a mix of other 50 gainers and 40s but don't want to waste what little there is. The barrell is being recrowned so I plan to shot some coyotes soon. Open to any suggestions from someone who has loaded for a 222 Vixen with success and something other than IMR 4198, since I don't have any. Thanks

Congratulations on a beautiful rifle. You probably already know but there’s a Sako collector’s site (https://sakocollectors.com/forum/) that is a great source. I’ve loaded for 222 quite a bit but never a Vixen.

I've had a Vixen .222 for a long time and a very accurate varmint bullet has been the 50 grain Sierra Blitz or the regular high velocity version of the same bullet, especially with Reloder 7. This bullet is a good one in all the slow twist .22s including the .220 Swift. I realize components are hard to find and the 50 TNT is certainly worth trying. My notes show good accuracy with this bullet using Reloder 7; it didn't do so well with H4895 and IMR4198.

Look at some manuals. Lots of good .222 loads and you'll find this cartridge among the easiest to work with when it come to accuracy. I've never had much interest in bullets under 50 grains, but one of the few I've work with was the Sierra 45 grain. It will shoot about as well as the 50 grain.

I use Benchmark powder, 25.0 grains and 40 ballistic tips. It will tip over coyotes quite effectively.

My favorite powder for 40, 50 and 52 grain bullets is H4198.
I mostly shoot 40 Vmax or Ballistic Tips these days.
As has been said many times, the 3 deuce is a very forgiving cartridge.
Any of the loads suggested here will probably give good results.

Appreciate the feed backs. Will take a look at the Sako site. Have some H322, RL10 & Xterminator to try. Anyone have a load recomendation or experience good or bad with one of these?

To me the best powder for the 222 is VVN130........of the powder and bullets you have look no further than H322 with the 50gr TNT (that will be a tough combo to beat)

I have NEVER heard that said !!!!!!!!!!!!!!, most refer to it as the "Triple Deuce"

H335 is the fastest and super accurate in the vixen. If the leade is long, then go to the sierra site, they have the 50g semi point on a close out, they shoot like berger bullets. I use Rem 7 1/2 with H335. Walt Berger shot a lot of tiny groups in his 222's before he went to a 6 PPC.

Lots of great bullet in the Vixen. Some were throated long and this is where the 50g Sierra semi point will shine, and they sure dump coyotes hard!

AA2230 is another great powder that will get some serious speed with tiny groups.

Speer 52gr FB HP with Benchmark

Nice rife and yote! I'm excited to hunt with the 222 & the Vixen. Have just enough variety of 50 gainers that if I hit a load I could load a few extras for an occasional hunt. If we get it dialed in quick I'll be happy. Thanks

Bowlseye: My heavy barrel Sako L-46 shoots the wonderful Berger 52 grain Varmint bullets so well (and so lethally) I have never tried anything else in it!
I use Norma brass, Federal 205 M (Match) primers and H 322 powder to attain excellent accuracy in my Sako 222.
Best of luck finding a "good" load and if you run across any Berger 52's give them a try.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I've owned a number of 222's over the years and it seems harder to find a load that doesn't work.

Very true.

My Sako A1 222 Rem Varmint loves the Sierra 50 grain Blitzking over 22 grains Accurate 2015. Chews out 5-shot one-hole groups at 100 yards. Have taken taken chucks at well over 300 yards with that rig (8x Leupold).

Mine loves 55 Nosler bt. 24.2 gr 748. One holer. Also loves 40 gr XLC’s but can’t find them , tried various 50 gr but never better than 5/8”

I checked out the Sako site and it looks like the rifle was made in 1965. I was also able to print off the trigger schematic so I can adjust it. Looks like you all are using what I can try so I am anxious to get to work on it soon. Thanks again for any suggestions.

I have a Sako L461 Vixen with a Canjar trigger in 222.
Mine loves 26gr of 748, Fed 205M primer in Rem brass with 50gr Nosler SHOTS. My real accuracy load is the same with Nosler 50gr BT’s.
I have also used Benchmark with 53gr SMK’s for wild dogs and this rifle shoots so well it really is remarkable.
I prefer my 22-250/22-250AI for dogs, but the Sako gets her done in a pinch.

Cheers.

Have owned a few .222s, but only one Vixen. It was the most accurate of all, and after trying the usual powders, the most accurate loads I found used Accurate LT-30 and LT-32.

I have a 1950s Vixen with a stainless Hart barrel. It is very accurate. When I got it in the late 1980s, I tried many powders to find the most accurate one with 50 grain bullets. The most accurate powder was H-322. However, I used IMR 4198 or RL-7 as they were only slightly less accurate and produced more muzzle velocity, which I wanted for woodchuck hunting. In the early 2000s I used AA-2200 with 40 grain bullets. These days I use Vhitavuori N-130 and 50 grain plastic point bullets. My rifle also has a Canjar single-set trigger.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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

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

https://www.bergerbullets.com/articles/rh-vandenburg-222-remington.pdf

LT-32 with 50-55 grainers.

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