222 Comeback?

thats a nice looking drillings and funny too cause have one with a 222 over a 20g its one of my fav from when i was a kid

My father picked up a 722 in .222 from a pawn shop about 10-12 years ago; the bluing is a little faded but the rifle is rust free and the stock in very good condition, with a Weaver K10-C3 scope, and I think he paid about $200 for it. After he bought it I cleaned it really well then went shooting; it wouldn't set any records in my teenage hands but I recall it liked 50gr Remington PSPs pretty well.

Interestingly, my father collects but doesn't shoot and the 722 has sat in a case all these years, so I'm thinking restoring the 722 will make a fine winter restoration project next year (hopefully it'll be cheaper than building Savages).

longshot7.62x51 said:

thats a nice looking drillings and funny too cause have one with a 222 over a 20g its one of my fav from when i was a kid

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Actually, it's a combo gun. And generally combo guns have 2 bbls,



and drillings "always" have three.

Anyway, it's VERY accurate, and a lot of fun to shoot.

DM

thanks DM you learn something new and thanks for the pic too

I just purchased a Weirauch .222 rem and love it. Not the most popular round in the world over the pond here in Ireland but still available. It would be a crying shame for this round to disappear. The .223 is good but its no .222....

Zweilings are 2 barrel combos, Drielings are 3, you know einz ,zwie, drei, feir, funf, etc.

My dad bought a Remington 722 chambered in .222 Rem in the early 50's
It was the first new firearm he ever bought. He used it to control the ground hog population around our home in central New Jersey. The local farmers were happy to have him take out the rodents. (Today in central New Jersistan just the thought of a rifle would bring out the local swat team)
Dad's .222 resides in my safe now, I've refurbished it a bit, it shoots under 1" easily and with almost any ammo that will fit in its chamber.

Roger

The 222 rifles had/has a 1-13 to 1-14 twist and was renowned for its accuracy with light bullets. The 40gr went about 3200 fps. It was reccommended to use 55gr or lighter bullet. If you are getting great accuracy with heavy bullets, it should be outstanding with the lighter bullets. I have a M70 Winchester w/factory varmint barrel, circa 1980, that is very consistent with groups. I used 53 gr Sierra BTHPs and used them in a custom 22-250 with great results.

Zweilings are 2 barrel combos, Drielings are 3, you know einz ,zwie, drei, feir, funf, etc.

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You are kidding, aren't you?

You are kidding, aren't you?

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No, he's correct. Although German for four is spelled "vier". The English "drilling" is an adaptation of German "drieling", for a three barrelled combination gun.

The "P.V.D. plain vanilla deuce "222 was the benchmark for 22 accuracy in its day. It has been a victim of velocity lust and the .223/5.56 NATO. Accuracy comes easy with this round and 1/4-3/8 MOA is common for careful reloaders.

I too was bit by the 222 Rem bug. I dragged my feet for a while, unsure if I wanted to go with a Sako Riihimaki, or a Remington 799, or a CZ 527. I was just dickering around on Gun Genie when on a whim I did a search for 222 Remingtons and found this. It's a Ruger M77 Hawkeye All Weather. It was part of an overseas contract over run, non catalouged. When I spotted it that evening, there were 9 left in stock. The next morning when I called my dealer, there were only 2 left. I topped it off with a Leupold VX-II 4-12x40AO.


Picture2 007 by barlow.bum, on Flickr

This was the best group of the day. Measured .88". Ammo was Remington 50gr PSP Core-Lokt. Not bad for a sporter weight barrel and a stock that touches the barrel for its entire length.


Picture 136 by barlow.bum, on Flickr

It's a keeper. It needs a better trigger, and a free float. I havn't worked up any loads for it yet. I want to get the stock and trigger sorted out first. I'm hoping to cut those groups down a bit over time.

PzGren said:

You are kidding, aren't you?

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DM

For the lay man, I don't see the point.

A longer neck, less powder capacity, and brass is more expensive.

99% of people who shoot would be better served by a .223, which is typically more accurate than they are.

for the layman, no, i guess that there isn't really a point. but, then again, most people on this board aren't really laymen.

the long neck of the 222 is a boon for the reloader. it makes for consistent neck tensions and bullet alignment. less powder capacitity isn't really an issue. anything a person would care to shoot with a 223 probly won't mind the 200 or so less fps generated by the 222. as was noted above, the 222 fell victim to the great velocity chase. brass for the 222 is more expensive than 223. measured out over the life of the brass, i think the cost is minimal. plus anyone choosing the 222 over the 223 has probably taken the additional cost into account. a dedicated handloader can also form 223 into 222 closing the cost gap.

for most shooters the wide availibility and lower cost of the 223 would probably make it a better choice. as for me, i chose the 222 because it is less common. it's quieter, has less pressure, is easier to load for, and is every bit as capable as the 223.

Zweilings are 2 barrel combos, Drielings are 3, you know einz ,zwie, drei, feir, funf, etc.

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Zwillinge haben zwei Läufe, Drillinge haben drei Läufe. Eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, usw.

Yours kindly,
Panzergrenadier

OK PzGren let it go, I probably spelled it all wrong its been a very long time since high school german class.

Shoulda had my daughter bumblefish it.

You two guys failed to state the name "isn't" just about how many bbls the gun has, it's also about how they are configured and if they are rifle shotgun, double rifle shotgun ect... The Germans are more exact that just counting the number of bbls!

DM

Bockbüchsflinte, Bergstutzen,... I know. I grew up with it.

RugerMcMarlin,

I hope you don't mind ... but I had to pull your leg. I am in sales and lived my mean streak out with that. Sorry.

You two guys failed to state the name "isn't" just about how many bbls the gun has, it's also about how they are configured and if they are rifle shotgun, double rifle shotgun ect... The Germans are more exact that just counting the number of bbls!

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Yes well, I figured that a thread about the .222 probably wasn't the best place for a comprehensive rundown of all possible configurations of combination guns with proper German nomenclature. Unless your intent is just to let everyone know how smart you are, rather than adding something meaningful to the conversation.

Absolutely! so I had this 788 in 222, that was a awesomely accurate
poodle puncher, as long as the wind wasnt blowing. But the cartridge is one of the most reponsive, and intresting to expirement with, I have a Lyman 310 tong tool I reload it with. It's a blast....is that better?

Seems like all you guys speak latin too. nice motto collection

I also enjoy the 310 tool but use it for .38 Special. I started reloading with it more than two decades ago. The .222 Rem is indeed an intrigueing cartridge and I love my old Sako L461 that is chambered for this round. The accuracy is more than satisfactory.

Waywatcher At the time 222 was considered an improvement over the 22 Hornet. 22 K hornet was a wildcat 22 hornet with blown out shoulders, and it tried to duplicate that, the 222 was THE benchrest cartridge for 3 or 4 decades. Not until the 22PPC and 6PPC did anything surpass it. The 223 came along years later. If you dont see the advantage of the neck on a 222 go load about 100 22 hornets, you'll probably ruin 4 cases and throw them away. I just dont agree that the 223 is more accurate than the 222. Show me even one bechrest record with the 223.The .223 started life as a military cartridge. The main reason a 223 case is different is because of the CUP
difference. how i'd do oldtimers? what did I forget?

PzGren, sorry to here about your Pz I only do that after St Patrick's Day

RugerMcMarlin said:

Waywatcher At the time 222 was considered an improvement over the 22 Hornet. 22 K hornet was a wildcat 22 hornet with blown out shoulders, and it tried to duplicate that, the 222 was THE benchrest cartridge for 3 or 4 decades. Not until the 22PPC and 6PPC did anything surpass it. The 223 came along years later. If you dont see the advantage of the neck on a 222 go load about 100 22 hornets, you'll probably ruin 4 cases and throw them away. I just dont agree that the 223 is more accurate than the 222. Show me even one bechrest record with the 223.The .223 started life as a military cartridge. The main reason a 223 case is different is because of the CUP
difference. how i'd do oldtimers? what did I forget?

PzGren, sorry to here about your Pz I only do that after St Patrick's Day

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Looks like you got it covered pretty good, and i agree!

DM

Ruger , you pretty much nailed it. The 22 PPC is basically a necked down 7.62x 39 and the 222rem case is pretty much a 30-06 case scaled down for 22 cal. Both leave the 223-5.56 far behind so far as accuracy inside of 200 meters.