The 222 has always been my own personal favorite centerfire 222.
I never owned one of my own until a few years ago. I always went with the "more practical" 223.
When I was a kid, my mom had a new L461 in 222, but my dad preferred the 222 Mag. He saw the writing on the wall and never chambered a 222 cartridge in it and, surprisingly, didn't re-chamber it for 222 Mag. He had it made into a 223. It's been a 223 since the mid-sixties. At some point in the late eighties/early nineties, the original barrel developed a weird rust formation in the bore we never figured out, but it ruined it. He sent it to John Pell and had a new, slender, 24" Douglas Premium octagon barrel installed and it's STILL light and handles amazingly well. It's in my safe now but I don't know who it belongs to. Immediately after my mom passed, he asked me if I wanted her guns. I put them in my safe and told him we'd talk about it some day after we'd had time to absorb the loss and could make clearer decisions. I won't bring it up, but if he ever asks again, I'll tell him I'd like to have here favorite - the L461. I can't believe she let me hunt with it when I was a kid because she liked it so much. That rifle is exquisite inherently, but it has a lot of sentimental value, and I'm not that sentimental.
My own 222, which is probably my favorite rifle, was a "compromise." When I decided I was going to have my own 222, even if I had to BUY brass, I knew I wouldn't be able to find an L461 I could afford. I snatched up a CZ 527 right about the time they did away with the 550 and went to a push-feed. I was afraid they'd do the same to the 527. and didn't want to miss out. Not that it's necessary on such a rifle, but damned if that tiny little Mauser extractor and ejector isn't the cutest thing. I've never liked plunger ejectors.
The 527 is an amazing little rifle in its own right. Not as smooth as the L461, a heck of a lot cheaper ($630 at that time) but it has its own appeal. I won't kid myself or anyone else though. For as much as I love that little CZ, the older SAKOs really are nicer guns.
Your SAKO is a beauty, Ben. I think the vintage of yours is even nicer than the ones which directly followed, but I'd take either in a heartbeat.