labrador Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 im looking at a sako vixen in .222, it obviously isnt a new rifle im not bothered if the stock is scratched i will re-oil it. the action and trigger will nodoubt be pretty good being sako(i can clean them up and re blue if i need to. whats bothering me is the possible condition of the barrel i dont own a bore scope how can i check that the bore is ok. i wouldent be two bothered if i had to re-barrel after a few hundred rounds but at the moment i cant aford to. can you give me any advice on the bore and is there anything else i should look out for with this rifle thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 (edited) Based on the fact that the Vixen is probably the most solid Sako ever made, and that the .222 is pretty kind on barrels, there is a relatively decent chance that the rifle will perform. Is there no means of borescoping it (a friendly local RFD or riflesmith?) and/or test firing the rifle? Can you get an second opinion from an experienced and impartial source? If those avenues are closed, inspect the bore from both muzzle and action under a bright light, using an eyeglass or other lens. Pay particular attention to the crown, and the consistency of what you see in the bore: you're looking for any imperfection, particularly in the throat and the crown. Push a rod and patch through the bore, feeling for any inconsistencies. Copper and lead fouling is a remediable problem; damage to the rifling and land by running the rifle with hot loads, or by abrasion or corrosion are pretty permanent faults. Edited June 21, 2009 by Baldrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 If it is a good price, I'd probaby just pick it up and take a chance like Baldrick said. The vixen's are reputed to be some of the finest actions for the 222/223 based cartridges and are greatly sought after in the US for varmint guns. I intend to pick one up before I head back to the US for just that purpose (probably to be made into a 20-222). Thanks Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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