222 Remington

sleddogg

New member
I've been on this board awhile now and rarely read much on the 222 Remington.

Lots of 223, 22-250, 204 posts etc. Also tons of interest in the 221 Fireball as well.

I've done a little reading, and the 222 Remington has a reputation as a reliable, easy handloading, and accurate varmint round.

Has the 222 fallen out of favor with fellas for a reason?

Also who is left chambering rifles in the 222 Remington? Seems like a fun round to own.

Thanks, Sleddogg
 
My favorite carry rifle is a .222 Remington with a shilen 4 contour barrel. Best loads have been with RL 7 and 40 or 50 Gr bullets. I have a Leupold 2 X 7 on it. Would probably shoot a little better group with a higher power scope but I like the lower powers for calling.

Picture084.jpg


I know that Tikka still chambers it in their T3.
 
Last edited:
Hi.... I used to have a .222 model 70 and a TC Contender in .222 , 10 inch bull barrel and super 14 bull barrel . It shot great and with the contenders , I cast .22 cal. bullets and used gas checks and shot the heck out of the little gophers around here . I has a load that was at the minimum charge that had the power of a .22 long rifle . Almost no report and no stretching of the case . They resized like they hadn't been shot . I shot a beaver in the head trapping at two feet and no exit and retreaved the bullet and no deforming..It was great to have loads to dispatch with and slide in a factory round right after that and have full power . I had a load the max a cast bullet could take and it smoked the gophers but still not as loud as the factory loads but lots of wack..low , medium , and high power loads in the same gun and all shot great . I got away from the shooting sports and just shot bow and arrows but the .204 seduced me back..... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
I've shot a 222 for 40 years and still love it. Naturally it isn't the only gun I shoot but its my favorite nite hunting rifle. Not too loud and really does the job with no chance of a ricochet. Night calling I usually get them in pretty close.

I'm shooting 40 gr HP Bergers now but over the years shot 52 gr HP Match and 50 gr Sierra PSP (Blitz). Got my best velocities with good accuracy with IMR 4198 powder. BL-C(2) is also good but 4198 a little hotter.

The 223 put the 222 on the back burner but it is still a great little cartridge

Pat.
 
I shoot an old savage 340 that I got for chuck hunting when I was a teen. I get good accuracy with the remington power lokt 50gr hollow pts. I love my .222, its my got to coyote rifle. Never tried any hand loads.
 
Ive owned a .222 before. Nice round, but so close to the .223, and since the military picked up the .223 everyone chambers a rifle for it. But theres nothing wrond with the .222. As far as "normal" hunting purposes it can do anything the .223 can do.

The popularity with the .204 stems from the fact that its new and its fast. Shoots as flat as the .22-250 with less recoil.

The .22-250, well I never owned one so I wont comment much. Seems like a more modern, short/fat version of the old swift. I do have one of those and dont need a .22-250. But alot of shooters like speed and longer range then they will ever need.

Now the .221 Fireball you mentioned... Thats something nice to have. Very "ecconomic" round. You can SAFELY load it up the min. .223 velocity or down to .22Hornet velocity. Tends to be more accurate and easier for most to load then the Hornet and in a sexier looking case. Its also my favorite of the rounds you mentioned. For my kind of predator hunting its a just right fit.

Also all the rounds you mentioned except the .22-250 are chambered in my favorite action. The CZ 527.

Dont mean to offend anyone, just my opinions, never said any 1 round was better than the other, because they all have they're own place. By no means is the .222 dead yet. Plenty of shooters out there use them. Not sure of who all still makes them but if you check some of the online gun sales sites theres plenty available.
 
I bought a Tikka T3 Lite in 222 2 yrs ago when my son was born. I will make sure to keep enough brass around for it so he can use it if he wants to hunt in 10 yrs or so. Even Tikkas are getting hard to find. Lately I have been leaving the 222 at home in favour of the 204 for the extra range.
 
I bought a brand new all weather Ruger 77 MKII in 222 last month.Man is it sweeet!! still breakin it in but I think I have a new favorite Ruger in the house !!!! Going out calling Yotes in the morning and I cant wait to bust one with it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
I own 2, One an old Sako with a heavy barrel and a new Ruger M77 stainless synthetic.
The Sako has proven to be a great shooter and the first 10 groups out of the Ruger are right at 1" for 100 yards, I think the Ruger will do better with the correct loads
 
Sleddog,
the 222 is a very fine round. I watched my granddad dispatch many 100's of groundhogs out of his soybeans with an old Remmington 722 and a 10X Unertle Scope. I got my first whistle pig with it and have shot a few coyotes with that rifle, too. My wife loves to shoot that old gun. But, you always wanting to ancor those large NE dogs and thinking the 223 is barely enough then the 222 wouldn't be your choice. It's a 223 that lost 200 or so fps. Plus, brass isn't nearly as easy to come up with as the 223.
I will say this, though, I am still using the brass my Grandpa had from the 70's or even the 60's. I've annealled them sometime back but they still load very well with no split necks or cases. I keep the velocity down to 2900 fps as the bore is not the prettiest anymore but still manage 1/2" 5 shot groups if I'm careful.
 
I just picked one up the other day in a savage 24v o/u, .222/20ga. Never been much of a o/u guy, but my beloved .223s are collecting dust now. You can get ammo at wally world. blue
 
Sleddog
You have been here along time
I to have a thing for the 222 rem like the swift it has stellar reputation I think that adds to its appeal(at least for me)accuracy is a very appealing part of the cartridge and you really can't say 222 rem with out saying or hearing how accurate the are or can be
I want to have one and my next rifle will probably be in that chambering /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
I SHOOT A REMINGTON MOD 788 IN 222 CAL WITH A 3X9X50 SCOPE ON IT LOVE THE RIFLE. THE RIFLE BELONG TO GOOD FRIEND OF MINE BUT HE GOT SHOT THREE TIMES WITH A 44MAG IN THE CHEST
I STILL MISS HIM HE WAS A GOOD GUY. BUT WHEN I FIRST GOT THE RIFLE IT HAD NO TRIGGER GUARD THE TRIGGER WAS FROZE ON IT SOME RUST SPOTS. I WORKED ON IT MADE A GUARD,REBLUED IT,REDONE THE STOCK LOOKS PRETTY GOOD NOW. I'M SHOOTING HORNDY CUSTOM 55 GRAIN SUPER EXPLOSIVE TIPS AT 200 YARDS A 16OZ COKE BOTTLE TOP DONT STAND A CHANCE.
 
Rifles chambered in 22 calibre will never die a sudden death, their is simply tons of bullet heads and componenets around to make a 22 hunter happy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-006.gif

I have a 222 Brno model fox, with double trigger, it is one of my most accurate guns I have ever owned. And as I said, heads, powders etc are a plenty - /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The triple deuce will NEVER die /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top