Remington 722 in .222 Remington

[elktrout]

My Dad recently gifted me his Rem. 722 in .222 Remington. It was the first centerfire rifle I shot when a kid. I have a few questions for forum members who have these:

1. What is the rate of twist on the barrel?
2. Serial number is 3385xx. What year was it manufactured?
3. The loading manuals list IMR4895 as a good powder for it. How will this powder do with 50 or 55 grain bullets?
4. It has a 10x Bushnell scope on it with a reticle that is off-center. Is this normal for these old scopes, or should I replace it?

Thanks,.

 

[Fyrstyk]

I don't have that particular rifle, but do have a few .222's. I have found that IMR 4198, or Ball C2 performs well with those weight bullets. IMR4895 may be a bit slow. Sounds to me like the scope has been knocked out of adjustment. You might send it back to be refurbished by Bushnell.

 

[MarshallDodge]

A good friend had one of those years ago. They are a nice rifle and 222 is a great cartridge. He now has a custom 222 built by Dan Dowling that is one of the most accurate guns I have ever shot.

The 722 is most likely a 14 twist. You may get away with a 55 grain bullet, but most are shooting a 50 with 4198, H322, or N133.

 

[Jim Watson]

A 52 gr SMK crunched down on a case full of 4895 shot well for me, but 4198 was pretty much the default. A friend has a 788 that is more accurate than my long gone Sako or 700 but I don't know what powder he used.

 

[Hookeye]

My Little Rem 660 liked 55 gr Hornadys (SX then switched to reg SP).
I forget what powder was used.
Was over 40 yrs ago LOL

 

[Litetrigger]

It is not uncommon for scope reticles of that era to be off center. That was before perma-center reticles were introduced and sighting-in a rifle normally caused scopes's crosshairs to move. Gunsmiths did considerable business adjusting mounts to keep crosshairs in center of field of view. Putting shims under the mount was a common way to level the horizontal wire, and much practiced by professional gunsmiths and amateurs like myself. Ajustable mounts were popular, which is why Redfield and Leupold mounts with lateral adjustments were so succesful. The Classic Bausch&Lomb scopes had centered crosshairs and were paired with B&L mounts having both verticle and horizonal adjustments. I still have vintage scopes that had, and still have, off-center reticles after sighting in. One in fact being on an old favorite .222 Rem. That rifle, by the way, is one of the most accurate factory rifles I've ever shot, even with crosshairs almost bumping edge of field. IMR 4198 the powder of choice.

 

[elktrout]

Thanks for the replies.

 

[ThomasT]

It has a 10x Bushnell scope on it with a reticle that is off-center. Is this normal for these old scopes, or should I replace it?

I have an old Bushnell 3x that is not "Optically Centered" and it has an egg shaped view to it. I had it on my Marlin 30-30 and it bugged me. So I ground down the mount as much as possible then added a shim to get the rear end up and used accraglass gel for a filler and made a base with a slant to it. It worked but I just replaced the scope with a Nikon 2-7 and called it good.

 

[tmd16556]

I’ve got a Savage 340 in 222. I’m having decent performance with 50gr Hornady soft points and Ramshot X-Terminator

 

[W.E.G.]

Twist rate:

788 twist rate - The Firing Line Forums

788 twist rate The Art of the Rifle: General

thefiringline.com

 

[jdsingleshot]

I've not tried 4895 or 4198, but shot lots of sub 1 moa groups and dozens of woodchucks with Reloader No. 7. This out of a rebarreled '93 Spanish Mauser.

 

[MacAR]

1. What is the rate of twist on the barrel?
2. Serial number is 3385xx. What year was it manufactured?
3. The loading manuals list IMR4895 as a good powder for it. How will this powder do with 50 or 55 grain bullets?
4. It has a 10x Bushnell scope on it with a reticle that is off-center. Is this normal for these old scopes, or should I replace it?

1. What is the rate of twist on the barrel?
Can't help you there, pard. I'd guess 1:14 as that's fairly common for the old 222's, but can't be sure.
2. Serial number is 3385xx. What year was it manufactured?
Remington uses date codes to determine year of manufacture, and they will be stamped near where the barrel meets the reciever. Usually two or three letters.
3. The loading manuals list IMR4895 as a good powder for it. How will this powder do with 50 or 55 grain bullets?
It's not bad, but not my favorite. My Savage 340 does real well with just about any 50 grain SP varmint bullet and 22.2 grains of H322. Might be worth a look.
4. It has a 10x Bushnell scope on it with a reticle that is off-center. Is this normal for these old scopes, or should I replace it?
As the other's have said, it's completely normal. However, if you do decide to replace it please let me know. Old scopes belong on old rifles, and I have an old rifle that needs one.

Mac