222 Rem

The only exterior dimensional difference I see below the shoulder is the extractor groove in the 223 Rem is 0.005" wider. I doubt that will affect anything significantly, though it does imply the thickness of the 223 Rem head is at least that much greater. I don't know if 223 Rem brass has an internally thicker head for the 223's greater pressure, but if so, that is something that could impact the capacity of your converted cases as compared to one manufactured as 222 Rem.

You have to extrude the shoulder area down almost three sixteenths below its starting point, and you would want to anneal the brass at least that far back before starting. The next question is, does the shoulder needs to be formed in steps to avoid buckling the case wall? You'll have to experiment to see. If so, a special die would be needed for the intermediate step. You will also be running brass into the neck from the original shoulder that will likely form an internal donut that will have to be reamed out, so be prepared for an inside neck reaming step after trimming.
 
i do the same for my 340/840 savage 222. however not sure if those rifles are known to have tight chambers. fwiw
 
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Additionally once you turn a .223 into a .222 on the outside you should check the inside (case volume) against a commercial .222. And probably work up loads specifically for the converted brass.

Especially if you are forming from GI brass.
 
I have converted .30-06 into .308, 7.7 arisaka, 8mm Mauser. It should work, if you don't mind the trouble. The neck wall will need thinning out, by reaming or turning. The die will squeeze down the head. If the going is too hard, I did remove some brass from that area. The internal volume will be different from the real deal. But you have no business converting brass if you don't take that into account.

Haven't loaded 222 Remington. Is the brass that difficult to come by? I'd avoid converting if I have a choice. Pay more may not be too bad. That's unless you actually enjoy the trouble.

-TL

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The die will squeeze down the head.
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Going by the dimensions on the case drawings in my reloading books, both cases head size is 0.375" so there shouldn't be any "head squeezing"

.223 to .222 you're pushing the shoulder back about 0.2" and the .223 case is 0.06" longer than the .222 so you'll have to trim a bit for correct length.

Other than the thickness issue already mentioned, it should be a fairly straight forward operation. I would remove the expander/decapping stem from the die when forming, but that's just me...
 
I also remove the expander ball for forming. After forming, I would down stroke the expander ball into the neck to push out the extra thickness. The outside of the neck may look steppy because of that. Then I would trim the brass to length, and turn the neck to make uniform thickness. The final step is annealing the neck.

-TL

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This is what I would do. First I would buy 222 Form/Trim die.
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This is what I would do. First I would buy 222 brass......:D

Old Roper's method certainly will work, but seems to me to be extra work, and in my case, doing it his way would involve buying several dies and an extended shellholder that I don't have.

I looked at the link, the trim die requires an extended shellholder, and the form die is a separate die from the trim die. Also, to do it the way he would, I'd need to buy a .223 small base sizer die, which I don't have, and really don't know if it would be needed.

The OP didn't say what tools and dies he has, nor even mention what .222(s?) he would be using. He just asked if .223 could be re-worked into viable 222 Rem brass. To which I would say, "YES".

While I have never had the need or desire to perform that particular conversion, based on having formed .30-06 into .308 Win, 7.7mm Arisaka, and 8mm Mauser, I'm certain .223 to .222 can be done, done simply, and would produce "viable" cases.

All my case forming of the 06 brass was done on a single stage press (O frame, because that's what I have) and done using only the .308, 7.7 and 8mm FL sizer dies. Trimming was done on a Lyman case trimmer, and the formed brass works perfectly in my rifles.

I have two .222s, a Rem 600 and a T/C Contender, so I'm not be trying to feed a match gun with a super tight chamber. TO date, I've never needed a small base die for any of the rounds I reload, including .223 and .308 in semi autos.

Compared to forming '06 brass, .223 to .222 is moving less brass a shorter distance, so it shouldn't be a problem.
 
222>223

Thanks for all the excellent info.

I do have a lot of .222 brass but also s sxxx load of .223 as well and was just wondering re the possibility of conversion.
 
I have some that were converted (not by me, so that’s a limitation here). There are lots of dents and some splits, so it seemed to work on about 4 of 5 cases. These were also older mixed brass of unknown quality and no clear signs of annealing.

So it can be done, but I found buying 100 pieces of new 222 brass from Grafs was easier. It’s not a cartridge known for wearing out brass.
 
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