I have just traded my brno hornet in for a tikka 222rem because you cant buy a left handed hornet here for love nor money.
I was was looking at the new micro hunter in hornet but browning would not ship these rifles here unless 10 were ordered in this caliber and left handed
So I brought the 222 and couldnt be happier.
Just as cheap to reload as the hornet since lil-gun is $20 a pound dearer here.
A lot more accurate and easy to reload.
How many still shoot the 222 as most here seem to shoot the 223?

milosmate

My most used target-fun rifle is a .222 Rem, a very accurate (<.2 MOA) Blaser R93, heavy fluted bbl., with a Swarovski 6-24x50 AO scope.

The .222 Rem is still more commonly seen in Europe than the .223. There are a ton of these guns seen on the ranges. Very accurate caliber. I shoot .222 in my Blaser BBF95 (over-and-under shot/rifle combination gun).

- mike

I WISH I still shot the .222 Remington. I stupidly traded it about 15 years ago for a .338 that I never got to hunt with before having to sell. The .222 is a wonderful little cartridge. I particularly like the Mannlicher stocked Anshutz's with the double set triggers and butterknife bolt handle. Mine was a Rem 700 BDL Varmint Special. It always stacked the bullets one on top of the other when I shot it at paper. I don't think squirrels can tell the difference between being popped with a 50 grain bullet that starts at 3000 fps and one that starts at 3200 fps.

Paul

The caliber is very common here for target practice and hunting style match competitions. It is much easier to get cases on the shooting ranges than for the .223 Remington.

I have an Ansch�tz repeating rifle and use it also for the occasional fox and feral cat. The precision with VV N133 is outstanding. For our roe deer it is legal but I prefer a heavier caliber, to be on the safe side, like 6,5x57 and up.

Hi DUK

I've just got some VV N133 and will start to load my Sako .222 Rem with it.

Could you share your loads please? Might save me some time...

jpb

quote:

---

Originally posted by DUK:
<snip>The precision with VV N133 is outstanding.

---

oh yes I do Ido Ido
an old brno and 222r it a real fun to shoot and sako's loading with 50 gr BX will penetrate as well as a 3030 soft point-. 222 is allowed for hunting roe deer here in sweden.
regards
danny

It is a great caliber for crows and groundhog, and it by far the most accurate rifle I own. I think it still holds the world record benchrest group. The .223 may have a slight edge in velocity, but the .222 to me is more fun to shoot. It is my second favorite behind the .22 Hornet. I am waiting for CZ American to roll out their 527 in .221 Fireball. That should be a sweet little package.

Jpb, work up to N133/22.5 behing a Sierra 52/53 MK.

I own a .222, .223, and .222 Magnum in virtually identical Sakos with identical Leupold scopes. The .222 is the easiest with which to achieve gilt-edged accuracy, and as far as practical range and power, I've never seen a prairie dog that could tell the difference.

I like all three guns, and you couldn't get one away from me with any reasonable amount of money. But when the .222 is loaded to the same pressures as are standard in the .223 (which is certainly reasonable in any modern bolt rifle), the velocity difference in the two shrinks markedly. Now if I could just get a Sako in .221 . . .

All of the .22 centerfires are fun guns. Serious too!
I have a TC Encore with a 26" barrel chambered in .221 Fireball. It shoots less than 1/2 inch groups with 55gr Hornady bullets.
I have used this combo to take white tail deer here, one shot and they don't go out of sight!
I also have a Rem. M-7 in .223Rem! With the added barrel length, the .221 out-does the .223 by an average of 50fps.
But for me, it all started with the .222Rem that my uncle had. I wouldn't even try to guess how many of us started out deer hunting with that rifle! It has really taken a lot of deer, and as far as I can remember, all were one-shot kills. That rifle is really a beauty! Also, it is still in use today.

I started out with a Remington 722 in .222 back in the mid-fifties and it was truly a tack driver. I sold it and went without for quite a few years, then "inherited" my father-in-law's Savage Model 340-C in the same caliber.

The Savage is decent, but it isn't in the same league with the Remington. So I don't shoot it so much. Now I rely on a .22-250 in prairie dog towns and I'm about to get a Hornet barrel for my NEF Handi-Rifle. Tell you about that later.

I am one of those die-hard triple duece (sp?) fans and have had a number of bolt actions in this caliber over the years. I currently shoot a Sako varmint stainless model with the laminated stock and it is an accurate rifle with a number of loads. I have found a really good load with VVN133 and 40 gr.Hornady V-Max bullets that l use for paper, crows and other varmint shooting.

You have made a good choice going with the "duece".

Always wondered about that since I have a 222. Why are the SAAMI pressures so low for the 222 vs the 223? I agree that loaded to equivalent pressure levels the velocity difference should be minimal - I am not aware of rifles chambered for the 222 that were pressure limited.

i have a tikka 222 23.5 grains of h322 over a 40g nosler ballistic tip gives sub 1/2 moa at 100yds with standard 2.130 oal. you cant increase the oal if u want to use the magazine as it is quite short! i love to shoot foxes and crows with it it is much nicher to shoot than my havy barreled 22-250.

I've got two Rems chambered for the 222, a 700 and an early 40X. Both super accurate. With the right loads they will damn near do anything a 223 will do. I don't even own a 223.

Have a Sako heavy barreled varmiter in 222 and only shoot 50 grain bullets using H4198...into one ragged .6 inch group every time.

regards,
Gene

I have 2 .222's. Love 'em. Wouldn't ever trade. Low report, accurate and very efficient.

I have a .222 built on a Sako BR action,Douglas Premium barrel, in a Custom Classic stock.
This rifle gives meaning to the words "Tack Driver". 20gr.RL7, 50gr.Sierra Blitz,Rem 71/2, and most any brand case.
Stepchild

Wow! The old .222 Rem is still obviously very popular!

Many thanks for the advice above regarding N133! I'll load some this weekend (although rain will probably keep me from the range...

jpb

Next to a 22 or 6mm ppc the old triple deuce is my favorite small cartridge. Don't overlook H322 as a powder. Love that long neck. If you set your neck size die to only resize about 2/3 of the neck it will help your groups by holding the cartridge in chamber more concentricly to the bore.

This year, my 222 has seen more action than anything else in my gun safe. I went with the 222 because it was the only 22 centerfire on the gun shelf at the time. Turns out to be a handy little cartrige. Shot several wolves and a pile of coyotes with it this last winter. I would like to take it caribou hunting, but then that would be illegal. I bought the 700ADL used. It is not the most accurate gun I got but it sure is easy to shoot. It shoots anything that I have tried into an 1"-1 1/4" @ 100. nothing better. A sweet little gun.

Daryl

I do. Sako 75 with 8x56 Swarovski. I trust this more than any other rifle I own.

Took my son out a couple of weeks back, to get a few rabbits for a scout barbecue - so I told him they had to be head shots. He was using the .222, and took only head shots as requested - at 200 yards! The boy is becoming a bit of a smartass!!!

In the UK (part of Europe??) I believe .223 is more popular, probably due to availability of military components.

M/M
Congrats on not only a great little caliber but a also a superb rifle.
I'm sure it will turn out to be a weapon of mass enjoyment.

P.S. Keep that cup polished, we don't want it comming back to OZ all tarnished!

Cheers.

Have shot all types of powder in the .222 and am having my best groups with AA2230, if you can get it try with something around the 52 grain bullet. Good Luck

I'm another happy 222 user. I've been shooting a Rem 788 with various scopes for years. 20.2 grains of IMR 4198, CCI benchrest primers and R-P cases. 50 gr Speer Spitzers (1029) for coyotes, any fmj 55 grainer for foxes.

Never saw a need for a 223. It has been my primary fox/coyote rifle since 1980. The loads are mild and accurate. The best was with the Speers at .57", but I didn't look for any other loads as I was happy with that result.

I recently got 100 Lapua cases and will be starting work ups again with some powders that I haven't tried previously.

Safe Shooting!
Steve Redgwell
303british.com

Milosmate,
I own and still shoot the Rem.222...Still own my original that I bought when I was 14 years old a Savage 340...Have shot hundreds of groundhogs with it in Pennsylvania..Also own a Krico .222 which I shoot for groundhogs and whitetail deer But precise shooting for deer is a must, I neck shoot them only...Make the shot...

Mike

Milosmate: I also started out Varminting with a Remington 722 in 222 Remington! What a superb Rifle that was! I rue the day I let that one get away! So I replaced it with a bunch of other 222's over the decades! Today I still have a Remington 40XB-BR (single shot) in 222 Remington along with these other 222's - a Remington 700 Classic (accurate beyond all reasonable expectations!), a Remington 700V, and a Sako L-46 Heavy barrel. All are impressively accurate! I have never owned an inaccurate 222 Rifle!
I also treasure several other Rifles currently in my arsenal from the 222 family of cartridges! These include two Rifles in 221 Fireball, one in 17 MachIV, one in 6X47, three in 223 Remington, one in 222 Remington Magnum and two pistols in 223 Remington.
My 222 Remington 40XB-BR is the Rifle I give to someone when I want to assess their shooting ability! It is simply exquisitely and consistently accurate! By reviewing someones groupings that has shot this Rifle I can usually pin down any shortcomings in a persons bench markmanship! I use this method of assessment on my children, shooting buddies and adults who have good equipment but poor range results. I let them shoot five shots through it and I can usually evaluate their trigger technique and/or their bench technique for problems.
Long live the 222!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

P.S. Keep that cup polished, we don't want it comming back to OZ all tarnished!

Thanks for all the replies, looks like the 222 will be be round for many years to come.

Boofhead
That cup will be here for a looooong time so get used to it
Just one more piece of silver that should be here but its only a matter of weeks now

Regards Milosmate

[ 08-17-2003, 02:34: Message edited by: milosmate ]

I had a Rem Model-7 in .222. Wish I still had that one.

SC.......out

First rifle thirty years ago was a custom built left-hand Sako in 222. The action had been expertly converted from right-hand to left-hand. Had custom barrel and the best polished blue job I have ever seen. Had a beautiful, highly figured walnut stock. Had a Redfield 6x18 scope on Sako rings. Would shoot 1/2 inch with Sierra 52 HPBT and WW 748. Bought the whole rig at an estate sale for $225. Learned about reloading with it from a benchrest shooter back in Tennessee. Still have the rifle and all the benchrest parafanalia.

Have added a left-hand Remington 700, left-hand Kimber, and a Savage 112 in 222.

Also have left-hand Remington 700s in 221 Rem Fireball, 222 Rem Mag, 223 Rem, and 17 Remington.

Those little cases are a bunch of fun.

Hammer

I have a Remington 40XBBR in .222Rem. It will reliably print in the .2's. I liked it so much in fact that I bought another .222Rem. in a Sako Varminter because the 40XBBR was too heavy to tote around the fields. It shoots most groups in the .4's which is plenty accurate for woodchuck. I think the .222Rem. is in a class by itself except for the PPC's. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

And I thought the world gave up on the .222 and fell in love with the .223, at least that what the gun scribes say. I got my Rem 700 Varmit Master back in '73. in the 30 yrs of expirementation my gun has shown a preference for 20.0g of IMR-4198, 50g Hornday SX, Federal Match Brass (yes, I still have a stash) and CCI BR-4 primers. I can get .55" if I can do my part. Glad to see others still love the triple duce as much as I do.

Scout Master 54

How many?

Why 22,222,222 of course!

1950's version of the Sako Vixen (?), I inherited from my Dad.

It looks like a miniature big-game rifle, with the long sloping, English style, grip. Cute.

I've shot it maybe 6 rounds worth and it is an accurate little thing. H4895 seems to work.

On my very short list of " Guns I NEED to get" is a CZ full stock in a small centerfire caliber.
The 222 is the caliber of choice, as it goes with the Continental look to me.

A dear friend who passed away in March, had a Saco Vixen in 222 with an 8 round magazine he got working in a gun shop in about 1960. With a 4 x scope on it, it was his favorite rifle. He was a doctor, so any gun of choice was not a financial obstacle for him.

As the post above from the gentleman from Kansas, my friend took his Sako to Australia with him when he worked on a sheep station in Western Australia for two years before he started college. A number of the other guys on the sheep station also used 222s for shooting kangaroos etc. ( the ones that did not have some sort of 303, or 375. He mentioned one OLD Aussie bush guy, use to load his with 4895. He would just pour it on the table, scoop up the case full and seat a bullet. Damon said this old Aussie always had longer shots and was the best shooter in the bunch.

Think that attests to the practicality of the old backwoods or bush guys. They were more concerned with just what worked, and simply and reliably. I think that is also an attestment to the old 222.