Thread: Sako Vixen stock restoration ?

Hello all,
I recently purchased a sako vixen 222.
I'd like to get peoples thoughts on whether I should look at getting the stock restored? The stock's got a few bumps and a couple of decent sized scratches on it. I know that these represent "history" etc, but I'm thinking it'd be nice to get it tidied up a bit as I wont ever sell it.
Thanks,

they would come out with a little bit of love....any woodworker worth thier weight in dried rabbit turd could do it reasonably easily....strip stock of varnish,steam out dents and either re varnish or apply many coats of the likes of danish oil rubbed in by hand and lightly sanded between sort of thing....
PERSONALLY I would leave them alone,nothing too serious there,you will use rifle as it is,get it too pretty and it would become safe queen.

I have done a similar rifle. I stripped the varnish off, raised any dents and oil finished the stock along with went over the checkering to tidy up any damage. Lastly I fitted a thin pachmayr recoil pad. Looks and shoots awesome. I also fitted Pachmayr streamlined swivel studs.

Great buy... if it was me... i'd leave it, whack a scope on it and go shoot it.

Your gonna put more dings and dents in it over time and then perhaps you can reassess as to whether you want to give it a make over but until then just go and enjoy what you have.

Yip, same as garyp above. Thats exactly what I did. Still gets the odd knock but an oiled stock seems to be more forgiving

Don't touch it, it belongs in a museum!

As a small time Sako L46/L461(Vixen)/75/85 collector (l have 11 in 222/223/222 Rem Mag) I’d strongly recommend you keep it original at this stage. Once it is unoriginal it will always be that and lose it’s appeal to some people. I of course acknowledge that Vixens are so sought after now that value may not be too adversely affected but I am equally comfortable saying that you are more likely to reduce rather than increase its value by refinishing.

Yours with original butt plate, rear sight, sling swivels and rings with original finish intact is a great example and I’d be sad to see it redone. I’d only refinish when it was best described as ‘rough’.

I have still touched up chips/dents that have ‘broken through’ in the original finish by carefully applying a spot of truoil to the chip/dent itself and doing no more than that.

Great feedback . Food for thought alright. I'll just leave it as is for now - unless of course it gets too bad. Many thanks.

Hope you have a nice period scope to compliment it

I used Dads Vixen for many years as a teenager, he had bought it brand new but by the time I bought my Finnwolf his Vixen looked the same condition (or worse!) than this one.

A great wee accurate high quality rifle.

@Mathias definitely ! Working on it .