Info about .222 Remington

G

Glock4ever

New member
I have a chance to buy a nice Tikka in .222 but I don't really know how well the round performs... I am interested in using the rifle to varmint up to 400 yards. I have a nice Leupold 6.6x20 to mount on the rifle but I don't know if the round will reach out effectively to 400 yards - bullet drop and kinetic energy being the main factors that I have been looking at. The reason that I am looking at the Tikka is that this particular rifle is being discontinued at my rifle store and the price for a new one is impressive to say the least. But if the rnd is too anemic I probably go with a .223. Any help would be nice - and I tried using the search engine but it seems .222 is a very unpopular caliber...
 
"it seems .222 is a very unpopular caliber..."

Pretty much. If I were you, I'd back off from the deal. The store has probably had that rifle for a long time with no takers, and that'll be you if you ever want to unload it. Getting brass will be considerably more expensive than brass for a .223 Rem, and that alone would end the deal for me.
 
Go for it. The "deuce" ruled benchrest for years, and still holds at least one record.
It'll do anything a .223 will do, and with style.
Prepped brass, a good Match/Varmint bullet, Remington 7&1/2 primer, Benchmark, and my old 700 shoots 1/2" aggs.
Some folks will tell you its a 250 yard round, but it'll reach out to rodentia at 400+. You just have to have good conditions and work at it.
If you're serious about 400 yards, you need to look for a .220 Swift or a .22-250, 'cause days the .222 won't do it, the .223 won't either. :D

Tom
 
I concur with Swifter. The extra velocity of the .223 doesn't really amount to a hill of beans, and the next step up would be the
.22-250. I have found .222 to be very accurate...I found and bought a Remington 788 in .222 some years ago and the first four handload recipes I tried all went under an inch at 100 yards. In fact, it seems like I can't come up with a reasonable load that doesn't shoot under an inch. Some of that could be the rifle, I suppose, but the round gets some of the credit too. If you're the kind of person who likes to have stuff that isn't common as dirt, .222 is a great choice.
 
I will have to disagree. I don't think the triple deuce is a 400 yard cartridge even on ground hogs, or I would not own a .22-250, which is.

Jim
 
222 Remmington

If yo get the rifle...
Load a 52 grain bullet in it and use one of the following loads:

19.5 grains 4198
22.5 grains Ball-C2

You should be able to cover the groupe with a dime.
 
Ok.... so the triple deuce does not have enough "ooomph" to effectively take game at 400 yards [While 400 yard shots will not be common I would still like the ability to take the shots at that distance.] I have been looking at .223s and .22-250s of varipus makes - the general consensus is that for varminting is thatt I need a heavy barrel. But what I want to know is if a heavy barrel is warranted in a hunting situation... I realize from the bench that a heavy barrel is really quite nice for extended quick shots but do I really need a heavy barrel for actual hunting??? I was looking at a beautiful Model 700vss with McMillan stock and heavy barrel but the rifle is over a grand up here in Canada...
 
If you get into a big PD town, you'll appreciate the heavy barrel because you'll be able to shoot longer before it get's hot. Besides, most varminting isn't in rough territory...the walking should be easy. If you were asking about hunting elk in Colorado, then no, a heavy rifle is not wanted.
 
Twist? I reloaded for a 14" twist, and there are a few 1-16" out there. A very different animal than the 223. If you want photon torpedo loads you will find that 40-45 grs shoot great, and with much less fouling problems than with similar loads out of other 22s with a 1-9 twist. If you want heavier loads to buck x-wind or for medium game, flat bases in the 50 range will be your limit. Key holes if you try to load much heavier than that.

My friend's Sako 222Rem was the most accurate rifle I've ever shot.

Tom
 
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