walkinhorseman
Beginner
- Sep 28, 2010
- 147
- 102
I found this L-461 222 on GI for sale by Guns.com. Guns.com does not do a good job with pictures but I noted the orange wafers on the original swivels. I couldn’t get a better picture out of them but did get verification that they were paper. Having purchased Sakos back in the day of this vintage, I recognized what they were. The swivels are fixed, and during assembly, the swivels were inserted through the paper washers to protect the stock from the swivel bow during shipping. So, I jumped on this opportunity.
This L-461 variation has a significance to me as it was one that had become my grandfather’s favorite rifle. He used it for turkeys and deer. He passed at the age of 70, of his third heart attack, while turkey hunting. He was found in the driveway at camp by the neighbors, dressed in his hunting clothes and laying on the rifle. Apparently, he had been out hunting, started feeling badly and was trying to get back into the house for his nitro. He had his first heart attack while hunting deer. He had shot doe from the road with his 222 and went over to get the deer when he went down. Fortunately, some people happened to be passing by and saw him go down. He was 58 when that happened.
His rifle is still in the family as my younger brother inherited it. It spent a fair amount if time in the vinyl coated rifle hooks mounted on the dashboard of my Grandfather’s ‘57 Jeep. It was held floorplate up where the rifle mount rubbed the bluing on the barrel. The wood had few dings in it and was in good condition. As one of my gunsmith school bluing projects, I re-blued the rifle. My brother hunts turkey with the rifle which was Grandpap’s favorite hunt.
As for this L-461, from the moment that it arrived, I’ve been conflicted about shooting it. It’s 50 years old and doesn’t show evidence of being fired. I also have an A-1 222 that shoots really well and an L-46 Varmint 222 that I bought as a project candidate. It’ been re-barreled and partially inletted into a highly figured Circassian walnut blank. Over the years, I’ve had a number of 222’s and will always have one.
