Is there a "classic" or "best" powder for loading the .222 Remington?

Thank you.

4198

The best load I ever came up with for an (old man) Hart barreled Sako is Federal match brass, 20.3 grains 4198, Sierra 50 grain HV, Rem 7 1/2 primer. OAL 2.230 This load routinely shoots sub 1/2" 3-shot groups from a sporter weight rifle. Accounted for several hundred Wyoming p'dogs. Also a couple coyotes and one bobcat.

Tried 748 and BLC(2) (am I dating myself?) 'Tis a great caliber. But were I to do it all over again I'd go for the .223

Your mileage may vary.

M.Norman
NRA Life
SCI Life

Thanks Matt!

I considered the .223 but the .222 is my thing.

Best regards,

B

quote:

.222 Remington: Best Powder?

IMO it's BL(C)-2

I've used 3031, 4198, and others including BL(C)-2. Best 5 shot group off the bench with my vintage 40X measured .206" and the load that does it is 24.3grs BL(C)-2 under Berger 52's. BL(C)-2 just plain works in the triple deuce.

I don't own a trip deuce (yet, have to get the Whelen finished first...) but I loaded seven boxes for a co-worker about five years back. Used BL(C)-2, and loaded everything from 50s to 60s. I had the luxury of having his rifle to work up the loads in, and I found a powder charge with all three bullet weights that would shoot to one hole at 100. I want to say it was somewhere around 22-23 grains, but don't hold me to that...

I later read (somewhere) that BL(C)-2 isn't the right powder for the .222. Wish I had found that out earlier...

Unfortunately it is discontinued, but AA 2200 was a real "hummer" among powders, when used in the .222 Remington. Try 20.5 grains with anybody's 50-to-53 grain bullets and you've got a winner!

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:
Unfortunately it is discontinued, but AA 2200 was a real "hummer" among powders, when used in the .222 Remington. Try 20.5 grains with anybody's 50-to-53 grain bullets and you've got a winner!

You've got that right! I've only got a little over 8lbs left!

My favorite 222 load is a Speer 70 grain Semi-Spitzer over a compressed load of Winchester 760. Nothing I've ever hit with it, including a deer, has lived.

Hodgen Benchmark

Lots of powders work nicely in the .222, and as rifles vary, no one powder can be called the "best".

While their performance is satisfactory, I shy away from long-grained powders like 4198, 3031, and 4064 simply because they don't meter as smoothly.

H-335 (and it's military clone WC-844) do great in my gun, as does either H- or IMR-4895.

Since either of these work so well, and since I use them in other calibers also, I really haven't needed to try many other powders, although you'll get no argument from me that a number of other powders are great in the .222. In fact, it's hard not to get excellent accuracy from any reasonable load in a .222!

Thanks for the comment on metering. Are the Winchester Ball powders candidates for the .222 Remington?

ww760 all you can stuff in the case with out puhin the bullet out and 40gr vmax shoot gret in my ole sako
Dave

Buliwyf: I presently own and load for 5 (five) different Rifles in caliber 222 Remington.
3 (three) of the 5 (five) Rifles shoot "best" with H 322 powder!
Other powders that I recommend you try in your 222 Remington are: IMR 4198, AA 2015 and BLC 2. Best of luck in your load development.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

quote:

Originally posted by VarmintGuy:
Buliwyf: I presently own and load for 5 (five) different Rifles in caliber 222 Remington.
3 (three) of the 5 (five) Rifles shoot "best" with H 322 powder!
Other powders that I recommend you try in your 222 Remington are: IMR 4198, AA 2015 and BLC 2. Best of luck in your load development.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Do your H322 loads perform best at near maximum or does the performance of each rifle vary when using the same bullet?

Regards...

...Titan

quote:

Originally posted by Buliwyf:
Thanks for the comment on metering. Are the Winchester Ball powders candidates for the .222 Remington?

WW 748 is the commercial version of WC-846, which is in turn the same spec powder as Hodgdon BL-C2. Yes, WW 748 should work nicely in the .222.

For "Classic" powder my vote would be IMR 4198, and 3031. However I would now look to the V V 130 or 133 powders for the best accuracy possible.