New to me 222 Rem

[1948CJ2A]

Been a little challenging to find 4198 or 322 powders locally so far. Most of the big online vendors are out of stock too. I found some via AmmoSeek.com, which linked me to some sites I've never used prior but they all charge ~$40 hazmat shipping fees. Is that just what it is or do you guys have any better ideas?

 

[AJC1]

Been a little challenging to find 4198 or 322 powders locally so far. Most of the big online vendors are out of stock too. I found some via AmmoSeek.com, which linked me to some sites I've never used prior but they all charge ~$40 hazmat shipping fees. Is that just what it is or do you guys have any better ideas?

Then look for benchmark, reloader 7 or n130.

 

[GooseGestapo]

If you’ll sign up for email notifications, Mid South Shooters Supply and Grafs & Sons will run specials where HazMat fees are eliminated or substantially reduced.
There is an abundance of other powders that perform well in the triple-Duce.
IMR3031, TAC, ShootersWorld AR-plus, 1680, as well as 4198’s.
Practically anything useable in the .223/5.56 is useable in the .222.

 

[n2omike]

I have an old Remington 700 BDL Bull Barrel in 222 Rem. I've never reloaded for it. Have had it for 30 years. Insanely accurate, even with factory ammo. Shot some Hornady Superformance 222 in it. Supposed to give 100-200 fps over anything else. Shoots like a LASER. At 100 yards, it's dime sized groups. While ammo prices were bottomed out, I bought around 400 rounds of the stuff. However, the gun usually just sits in the safe.

Incredible accuracy potential in the round! Probably should take it back out for some exercise. Was gifted to me by a relative. Really have no use for it aside from shooting a tiny group once in a blue moon. lol

Any idea what Hornady uses for powder in those rounds to give the extra velocity? Is it some kind of controlled mix, compound burn kind of magic?

 

[Roverguy]

Should be 1:14. I have 2 x 222: a Savage 340 D and a Savage Walking Varminter. I have found that the WV will stabilize some 55 grs bullets but the 340 basically will not. I use the the Speer 52 grs HP in both and the same load works brilliantly in both, though the better trigger on the WV does tell. 22.2 grs N133 (VV). It’s not the absolute fastest - @ 3120 fps out the WV and 3085 out the 340 - but accurate and consistent.

 

[Litetrigger]

Ahhh the Triple Duce what a wonderful Cartridge and chambered in an amazing rifle!

Mr. Horsemen says it right. A Remington M-722 in .222 Rem is not just just amazing, but the two together was an astonishing combination, making the fabled 1/2 MOA a working reality back in the 1950's and still challenging today's best combinations. I had my first .222 back when I was about 14 and my standard load was IMR 4198 with the 50 gr Hornady with the then pecular profile. Later, when I learned to copy what benchrest shooters were winning with, switched to ReLoader #7 and Hodgdon BL-C. Today 4198 is my sentimental favorite and I've shot buckets of it in the dozen or so .222's I've had over the years. It is one of my five all-time favorite calibers and I'll never be without one. Attached are a few favorite sentimental .222's: at top is an early Rem 700 toped with a Unertil Ultra Varmint scope, which was THE scope to have a half century ago. A Rem 722 B-Grade with Lyman SuperTarget scope, A SAKO Varmint model, with Leupold scope and at bottom a sweet Manlicher style SAKO with Lyman Wolverine, which was the first 10X scope I ever had.

 

[1948CJ2A]

Mr. Horsemen says it right. A Remington M-722 in .222 Rem is not just just amazing, but the two together was an astonishing combination, making the fabled 1/2 MOA a working reality back in the 1950's and still challenging today's best combinations. I had my first .222 back when I was about 14 and my standard load was IMR 4198 with the then 50 gr Hornady with the pecular profile. Later, when I learned to copy what benchrest shooters were winning with, switched to ReLoader #7 and Hodgdon BL-C. Today 4198 is my sentimental favorite and I've shot buckets of it in the dozen or so .222's I've had over the years. It is one of my five all-time favorite calibers and I'll never be without one. Attached are a couple favorite sentimental favorite .222's: at top is an early Rem 700 toped with a Unertil Ultra Varmint scope, which was THE scope to have a half century ago. A Rem 722 B-Grade with Lyman SuperTarget scope, A SAKO Varmint model, with Leupold scope and at bottom a SAKO Manlicher style with Lyman Wolverine, which was the first 10X scope I ever had.View attachment 1172484

Great looking rifles! I agree, there is something special about the model 722 chambered in 222 Rem and I haven't even had my rifle a full month yet.

Back in the 1970s, my father had a Sako (possibly Vixen model but not 100%) with a manlicher stock. It was chambered for 222 Rem Mag. He sold that rifle to his brother (my uncle) who still has it. After that, I always thought I wanted a 222 Rem Mag. Don't get me wrong, I still dig the 222 Rem Mag and who knows... I may end up with one down the road some day. But, I slowly became more intrigued with the original triple deuce.

 

[lightman]

For what its worth Starling has 222 brass in stock right now.

 

[Jim Watson]

Back in the 1970s, my father had a Sako (possibly Vixen model but not 100%) with a manlicher stock.

I am not your Father, but I had one of those at the time, too.
A distributor was blowing them out at a discount and it was just too pretty to let get away. Short barrel and full stock were not the best for accuracy, I should have gotten the varmint model at the same price. I went through a couple of .243s but ended up with a .22-250 Ruger.

 

[1948CJ2A]

I finally made it out to the range earlier in the week. I picked up a couple of boxes of factory ammo just to get the rifle sighted-in, in lieu of buying brass, which was more expensive than this loaded ammo. The rifle shot very well. I didn't take a picture of the target but I was pleased. Most of the groups were inside of an inch and the couple that weren't were on me... not the rifle.

I'm going to take the box I shot at the range and create a new load maybe tomorrow or next week sometime. I'll post my results here afterward. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[nettlle]

222 Remington at one time was the 800 pound gorilla in the forest as far as bench rest shooters go. It's no slouch and a perfect varmint caliber. In my experience .222 is more accurate than .223. IMR4198 was my favorite for .222 with IMR3031 being a close second.

 

[Litetrigger]

Another winning combination for the .222 Rem is/or was Ruger's No.1 single shot rifle, which was one of the calibers available in the rifle's first listing. However, there were few orders for the No.1 in .222, so they are now one of the rarest of No.1's. This low number .222 is not as accurate as the bolt action rifles pictured earlier, nor did I expected to be as No.1's tend to be somewhat finickey, but still delivers respectable 5-shot groups in the .800" range and a delight to shoot.

 

[Anchorite]

222 Remington at one time was the 800 pound gorilla in the forest as far as bench rest shooters go. It's no slouch and a perfect varmint caliber. In my experience .222 is more accurate than .223. IMR4198 was my favorite for .222 with IMR3031 being a close second.

I once called the Sierra Bullet tech line. During the conversation the Tech told me that in all of their testing, the 222 was consistently the most accurate .224 they ever shot. Mike Walker was obviously onto something.

 

[Litetrigger]

Please excuse me for continueing to butt in on this thread, but previous mention of the success of the .222 Rem in benchrest competitions caused me to remember this beautiful .222 benchrest rifle built by Shilen back in the 1960's. Bench rifles tend to be rather ungainly affairs with little thought to appearance so long as they shoot well. However, Ed Shilen, who was a consistent winner in BR competitions, also had an eye for a rifle's contour and finish seen in the attached pics. I haven't shot this rifle in competition for decades but keep it around because of its sculptured contours and craftsman finish. The barrel, stock and action sleeve were made in Shilen's shop. The action is a Rem 40-X single shot (no magazine cut). BTW, the .222 faded out of BR competition not because more accurate cartridges were developed, but because a then new BR classification and rules made it inpractical to compete with the 222. Otherwise I'd still be shooting this rifle.

 

[1948CJ2A]

Please excuse me for continueing to butt in on this thread, but previous mention of the success of the .222 Rem in benchrest competitions caused me to remember this beautiful .222 benchrest rifle built by Shilen back in the 1960's. Bench rifles tend to be rather ungainly affairs with little thought to appearance so long as they shoot well. However, Ed Shilen, who was a consistent winner in BR competitions, also had an eye for a rifle's contour and finish seen in the attached pics. I haven't shot this rifle in competition for decades but keep it around because of its sculptured contours and craftsman finish. The barrel, stock and action sleeve were made in Shilen's shop. The action is a Rem 40-X single shot (no magazine cut). BYW, the .222 was fazed out of BR competition not because more accurate cartridges were developed, but because a new BR classification and rules made it inpractical to compete with the 222. Otherwise I'd still be shooting this rifle.View attachment 1180937View attachment 1180938View attachment 1180939View attachment 1180940View attachment 1180941View attachment 1180942View attachment 1180943

That's a cool story and a cooler rifle! Thanks for sharing. What's extra cool to me is that its a wood-stocked competition rifle and not some synthetic variant. Long live wood-stocked rifles!

 

[Anchorite]

Please excuse me for continueing to butt in on this thread, but previous mention of the success of the .222 Rem in benchrest competitions caused me to remember this beautiful .222 benchrest rifle built by Shilen back in the 1960's. Bench rifles tend to be rather ungainly affairs with little thought to appearance so long as they shoot well. However, Ed Shilen, who was a consistent winner in BR competitions, also had an eye for a rifle's contour and finish seen in the attached pics. I haven't shot this rifle in competition for decades but keep it around because of its sculptured contours and craftsman finish. The barrel, stock and action sleeve were made in Shilen's shop. The action is a Rem 40-X single shot (no magazine cut). BYW, the .222 was fazed out of BR competition not because more accurate cartridges were developed, but because a then new BR classification and rules made it inpractical to compete with the 222. Otherwise I'd still be shooting this rifle.View attachment 1180937View attachment 1180938View attachment 1180939View attachment 1180940View attachment 1180941View attachment 1180942View attachment 1180943

Beautiful rifle. And although I have no room to talk as an active competitor (haven’t shot br in more than 25 years), I believe the 222 could well be competitive even today, but you’re absolutely right. The rule and class changes really are what killed the 222, not any other cartridge.

 

[P Flados]

Been a little challenging to find 4198 or 322 powders locally so far. Most of the big online vendors are out of stock too. I found some via AmmoSeek.com, which linked me to some sites I've never used prior but they all charge ~$40 hazmat shipping fees. Is that just what it is or do you guys have any better ideas?

I played with 222 long ago and used 4198 as best I can remember. In the current situation, availability matters a bunch. If I were buying for this application, BL-C2 (mentioned above) and H335 (same as BL-C2 but a little faster) seem to be among the most available / reasonable priced Hodgdon offerings. Accurate has some powders made in Belgium (2015, 2200, 2520, etc.) that are also worth looking for. Shooters world also has some that show up.

I have been buying online for quite a while. Unless you hit a "free hazmat special", small online orders do not make much sense. I tend to make orders with a number of the larger jugs.

The 222 is actually in a "sweet spot" for having lots of powders that should work well. I did a Quickload run looking for powders with good fill (90% to 105%) and got lots of choices with good performance.

Cartridge          : .222 Rem.
Bullet             : .224, 50, Hornady V-MAX BT 22261
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 2.130 inch = 54.10 mm
Barrel Length      : 22.0 inch = 558.8 mm

C A U T I O N : any load listed can result in a powder charge that falls below minimum suggested
loads or exceeds maximum suggested loads as presented in current handloading manuals. Understand
that all of the listed powders can be unsuitable for the given combination of cartridge, bullet
and gun. Actual load order can vary, depending upon lot-to-lot powder and component variations.
USE ONLY FOR COMPARISON !

Powder type          Filling/Loading Ratio  Charge    Charge   Vel. Prop.Burnt P max  P muzz  B_Time
                                      %     Grains    Gramm   fps     %       psi     psi    ms
---------------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------------
Alliant AR-Comp *C *T              105.0     22.9     1.49    3188    99.0    44435    6994   0.967
Winchester 748                     102.0     24.8     1.61    3173    91.4    46956    7164   0.955  ! Near Maximum !
Alliant Reloder-10x *C             100.1     21.3     1.38    3173    98.3    46956    6788   0.967  ! Near Maximum !
Hodgdon H322                       102.7     22.5     1.46    3173    95.2    46956    6924   0.952  ! Near Maximum !
Hodgdon BL-C2                      105.0     25.9     1.68    3166    90.0    46825    7240   0.961  ! Near Maximum !
Hodgdon H335                        96.9     23.9     1.55    3161    94.0    46956    6980   0.958  ! Near Maximum !
Norma 200 *C                        96.3     21.3     1.38    3159    98.9    46956    6692   0.984  ! Near Maximum !
Accurate 2015                      103.3     22.3     1.44    3147    97.6    46956    6679   0.973  ! Near Maximum !
Accurate 2520                      105.0     25.0     1.62    3137    92.3    44524    7086   0.984
Vihtavuori N530 *C                 102.3     23.2     1.50    3134    90.5    46956    6896   0.961  ! Near Maximum !
IMR 4198                            98.1     19.9     1.29    3133    99.0    46956    6300   0.950  ! Near Maximum !
Alliant Reloder-12                 101.9     23.4     1.52    3129    95.3    46956    6682   0.961  ! Near Maximum !
Ramshot Wild Boar                  104.3     25.1     1.63    3127    87.9    46956    6969   0.962  ! Near Maximum !
Alliant Reloder TS 11 *C *T         94.8     20.6     1.33    3126    99.1    46956    6300   0.959  ! Near Maximum !
Accurate 2460                      100.6     24.4     1.58    3125    91.9    46956    6848   0.979  ! Near Maximum !
IMR 8208 XBR                       104.2     23.5     1.52    3119    90.3    46956    6789   0.964  ! Near Maximum !
Vihtavuori N120 *C                  96.5     19.9     1.29    3110   100.0    46956    5871   0.965  ! Near Maximum !
Alliant Reloder-7                   92.8     20.3     1.31    3109    98.7    46956    6337   0.974  ! Near Maximum !
Shooters World AR Plus              98.8     23.9     1.55    3109    91.7    46956    6711   0.976  ! Near Maximum !
Hodgdon H4895                      105.0     23.7     1.54    3107    88.4    44757    6989   0.985
Vihtavuori N125 *C                  90.7     19.0     1.23    3102   100.0    46956    5864   0.967  ! Near Maximum !
Vihtavuori N130 *C                 102.0     21.5     1.39    3100    98.1    46956    6324   0.970  ! Near Maximum !
Accurate 2230                       99.5     24.3     1.58    3088    89.3    46956    6637   0.975  ! Near Maximum !
Norma 202 *C                       105.0     23.3     1.51    3077    92.7    42825    6824   1.000
Accurate 2495                      105.0     23.2     1.50    3076    95.4    39282    7173   1.057
Hodgdon Benchmark                  101.9     22.7     1.47    3072    91.3    46956    6485   0.973  ! Near Maximum !
Ramshot X-Terminator *C            100.3     24.2     1.57    3067    87.9    46956    6575   0.975  ! Near Maximum !
Shooters World Tactical Rifle       96.9     23.3     1.51    3063    89.6    46956    6434   0.972  ! Near Maximum !
Hodgdon H4198                       93.8     19.9     1.29    3059    94.8    46956    6142   0.963  ! Near Maximum !
Accurate 2200                      102.7     23.5     1.52    3056    85.2    46956    6511   0.971  ! Near Maximum !
Shooters World Match Rifle         105.0     24.4     1.58    3054    90.8    40852    6914   1.022
Ramshot TAC *C                     102.7     25.0     1.62    3053    83.7    46956    6582   0.976  ! Near Maximum !
Norma 201 *C                       105.0     23.2     1.50    3028    88.9    42727    6692   1.021
Hodgdon CFE BLK *C                  92.4     22.1     1.43    3025    90.4    46956    6223   0.980  ! Near Maximum !

 

[Walkalong]

If a .222 won't shoot with H-322 or IMR-4198, it isn't a powder issue.

 

[1948CJ2A]

I played with 222 long ago and used 4198 as best I can remember. In the current situation, availability matters a bunch. If I were buying for this application, BL-C2 (mentioned above) and H335 (same as BL-C2 but a little faster) seem to be among the most available / reasonable priced Hodgdon offerings. Accurate has some powders made in Belgium (2015, 2200, 2520, etc.) that are also worth looking for. Shooters world also has some that show up.

I have been buying online for quite a while. Unless you hit a "free hazmat special", small online orders do not make much sense. I tend to make orders with a number of the larger jugs.

The 222 is actually in a "sweet spot" for having lots of powders that should work well. I did a Quickload run looking for powders with good fill (90% to 105%) and got lots of choices with good performance.

Cartridge          : .222 Rem.
Bullet             : .224, 50, Hornady V-MAX BT 22261
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 2.130 inch = 54.10 mm
Barrel Length      : 22.0 inch = 558.8 mm

These calculations refer to your specified settings in QuickLOAD 'Cartridge Dimensions' window.
C A U T I O N : any load listed can result in a powder charge that falls below minimum suggested
loads or exceeds maximum suggested loads as presented in current handloading manuals. Understand
that all of the listed powders can be unsuitable for the given combination of cartridge, bullet
and gun. Actual load order can vary, depending upon lot-to-lot powder and component variations.
USE ONLY FOR COMPARISON !

63 loads produced a Loading Ratio below user-defined minimum of 90%. These powders have been skipped.
Powder type          Filling/Loading Ratio  Charge    Charge   Vel. Prop.Burnt P max  P muzz  B_Time
                                      %     Grains    Gramm   fps     %       psi     psi    ms
---------------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------------
Alliant AR-Comp *C *T              105.0     22.9     1.49    3188    99.0    44435    6994   0.967
Winchester 748                     102.0     24.8     1.61    3173    91.4    46956    7164   0.955  ! Near Maximum !
Alliant Reloder-10x *C             100.1     21.3     1.38    3173    98.3    46956    6788   0.967  ! Near Maximum !
Hodgdon H322                       102.7     22.5     1.46    3173    95.2    46956    6924   0.952  ! Near Maximum !
Hodgdon BL-C2                      105.0     25.9     1.68    3166    90.0    46825    7240   0.961  ! Near Maximum !
Hodgdon H335                        96.9     23.9     1.55    3161    94.0    46956    6980   0.958  ! Near Maximum !
Norma 200 *C                        96.3     21.3     1.38    3159    98.9    46956    6692   0.984  ! Near Maximum !
Accurate 2015                      103.3     22.3     1.44    3147    97.6    46956    6679   0.973  ! Near Maximum !
Accurate 2520                      105.0     25.0     1.62    3137    92.3    44524    7086   0.984
Vihtavuori N530 *C                 102.3     23.2     1.50    3134    90.5    46956    6896   0.961  ! Near Maximum !
IMR 4198                            98.1     19.9     1.29    3133    99.0    46956    6300   0.950  ! Near Maximum !
Alliant Reloder-12                 101.9     23.4     1.52    3129    95.3    46956    6682   0.961  ! Near Maximum !
Ramshot Wild Boar                  104.3     25.1     1.63    3127    87.9    46956    6969   0.962  ! Near Maximum !
Alliant Reloder TS 11 *C *T         94.8     20.6     1.33    3126    99.1    46956    6300   0.959  ! Near Maximum !
Accurate 2460                      100.6     24.4     1.58    3125    91.9    46956    6848   0.979  ! Near Maximum !
IMR 8208 XBR                       104.2     23.5     1.52    3119    90.3    46956    6789   0.964  ! Near Maximum !
Vihtavuori N120 *C                  96.5     19.9     1.29    3110   100.0    46956    5871   0.965  ! Near Maximum !
Alliant Reloder-7                   92.8     20.3     1.31    3109    98.7    46956    6337   0.974  ! Near Maximum !
Shooters World AR Plus              98.8     23.9     1.55    3109    91.7    46956    6711   0.976  ! Near Maximum !
Hodgdon H4895                      105.0     23.7     1.54    3107    88.4    44757    6989   0.985
Vihtavuori N125 *C                  90.7     19.0     1.23    3102   100.0    46956    5864   0.967  ! Near Maximum !
Vihtavuori N130 *C                 102.0     21.5     1.39    3100    98.1    46956    6324   0.970  ! Near Maximum !
Accurate 2230                       99.5     24.3     1.58    3088    89.3    46956    6637   0.975  ! Near Maximum !
Norma 202 *C                       105.0     23.3     1.51    3077    92.7    42825    6824   1.000
Accurate 2495                      105.0     23.2     1.50    3076    95.4    39282    7173   1.057
Hodgdon Benchmark                  101.9     22.7     1.47    3072    91.3    46956    6485   0.973  ! Near Maximum !
Ramshot X-Terminator *C            100.3     24.2     1.57    3067    87.9    46956    6575   0.975  ! Near Maximum !
Shooters World Tactical Rifle       96.9     23.3     1.51    3063    89.6    46956    6434   0.972  ! Near Maximum !
Hodgdon H4198                       93.8     19.9     1.29    3059    94.8    46956    6142   0.963  ! Near Maximum !
Accurate 2200                      102.7     23.5     1.52    3056    85.2    46956    6511   0.971  ! Near Maximum !
Shooters World Match Rifle         105.0     24.4     1.58    3054    90.8    40852    6914   1.022
Ramshot TAC *C                     102.7     25.0     1.62    3053    83.7    46956    6582   0.976  ! Near Maximum !
Norma 201 *C                       105.0     23.2     1.50    3028    88.9    42727    6692   1.021
Hodgdon CFE BLK *C                  92.4     22.1     1.43    3025    90.4    46956    6223   0.980  ! Near Maximum !

Yep, I ended up doing a medium-sized order a month or two ago and figured I'd try some Accurate 2015 until I can find some 4198.

Thanks for sending this... very informative.

 

[MacAR]

I know you already have your powder, but I like H322 in my Deuce. My pet load is a 50 grain Sierra Varminter over 22.2 grs of H322 in Winchester Super X cases and Winchester primers. Shoots around 1/2 an inch at 100 yards out of my Savage 340 if I can hold it still and does a number on varmints too. An old pal of mine (now deceased) used to dip his cases in a bowl full of BLc-2, tip out just enough to seat the bullet, and put lots of fur on the ground with it out of an old single shot Savage. Of course, I don't recommend loading ammo without measuring the powder first!

Mac

 

[Roverguy]

I know you already have your powder, but I like H322 in my Deuce. My pet load is a 50 grain Sierra Varminter over 22.2 grs of H322 in Winchester Super X cases and Winchester primers. Shoots around 1/2 an inch at 100 yards out of my Savage 340 if I can hold it still and does a number on varmints too. An old pal of mine (now deceased) used to dip his cases in a bowl full of BLc-2, tip out just enough to seat the bullet, and put lots of fur on the ground with it out of an old single shot Savage. Of course, I don't recommend loading ammo without measuring the powder first!

Mac

Love that you can get such accuracy out of your 340! My 340 D does 1” at my best but that’s down to my ability. It’s amazing how good the triple deuce is out of that rifle given the trigger. Super cartridge !!

 

[MacAR]

Love that you can get such accuracy out of your 340! My 340 D does 1” at my best but that’s down to my ability. It’s amazing how good the triple deuce is out of that rifle given the trigger. Super cartridge !!

Bear in mind that 1/2" is benched in a vise, and I've done some work to the trigger. It is a super little cartridge and an excellent rifle.

Mac

 

[1948CJ2A]

I know you already have your powder, but I like H322 in my Deuce. My pet load is a 50 grain Sierra Varminter over 22.2 grs of H322 in Winchester Super X cases and Winchester primers. Shoots around 1/2 an inch at 100 yards out of my Savage 340 if I can hold it still and does a number on varmints too. An old pal of mine (now deceased) used to dip his cases in a bowl full of BLc-2, tip out just enough to seat the bullet, and put lots of fur on the ground with it out of an old single shot Savage. Of course, I don't recommend loading ammo without measuring the powder first!

Mac

I just got the Accurate 2015 because I found some in stock. Haven't found and H322 or 4198 in stock... but I haven't looked hard in a few week. If the 2015 doesn't impress me, I'll try and hunt some of these down.

 

[Jim Watson]

Crunch a bullet down on a case full of IMR 4895 and it will shoot, too.

 

[AJC1]

I just got the Accurate 2015 because I found some in stock. Haven't found and H322 or 4198 in stock... but I haven't looked hard in a few week. If the 2015 doesn't impress me, I'll try and hunt some of these down.

I've seen benchmark lately probably still a good choice.