I have recently acquired a Remington model 722 in 222 .It's a cherry not sure of exact year of manufacture but would say mid 50's maybe. It's been oiled and dry for over thirty five years . I even got the two original boxes of ammo with it of which a half a box is still with projectiles !. Got my dies set up in the dillon . So now I'm looking for the pet loads of others so as to obtain accuracy as quickly as possible. I don't want to bruise her just finesse the best groups with the least amount of trial and error violation . I know every barrel is different but you've got to start some where. I've got Sierra 52 & 53 grain bench projectiles along with some Hornady of different but lighter weighs . Can't remember them at the moment. I thought maybe BlC-2 or H332 or H335 ??. Any suggestions ?.

I like to ask others who have been down the road it makes for a smoother ride. As I can possibly reciprocate on other calibers . 37 years loading still got 8 fingers ,two thumbs, both eyes , although ears aren't what they used to be , and only 5 misfires , that I can remember and counting . Thanks

Dr. K, I have only loaded for one .222, and that was for a guy I worked with. Seems to me that his 788 liked 23.0 grains of BLC-2 behind the 60-grain Hornady, and I loaded a bit more for the 50s and 55s. I don't remember exactly what the loads were, but I do remember that the powder gave one-hole groups with the right charge.

There are those that say BLC-2 is too slow for the .222; maybe so, but the rifle I loaded for sure liked it...

Mine likes 20grs. of Reloder 7/ 50gr Sierra Blitz/ Rem 7 1/2.
Extremely accurate.

Stepchild

I have a sako that shoots 25gr of BLC-2 with 50gr V-Max and it shoots great

I have a Thompson Center Contender rifle in .222 Remington. Before I knew that heavy bullets wouldn't be stabilized in a barrel with that twist rate, I made up some loads with a compressed charge of Winchester 760 and Speer 70 grain soft nosed bullets that shoot well. If you want to try heavier bullets, Winchester 760 may work for you as well.

I've been shooting the same load in my 788, .222Rem for about 25 years. I use 24gr of IMR4895 behind a 52gr Sierra BTHP. Usually around 1/2" groups. It seems like the results have not changed since I started using this load. I usually load about 200 rounds at a time on my Dillon, which last me 2 to 3 years of groundhog hunting.

Nashcat

Thanks to all who posted on the .222 Remington. I shall pursue your suggestions and bench this rig. I'm going to swap out the Weaver K 6 scope that's on it now. I will replace it with a 6.5 X 20 target scope . This way at 100 yds. I can see the pen lines on my targets , so as to be as sure of the aim point as possible. Anyone know how to tell the difference in ADL as opposed to BDL in the model 722 . Wood on this particular gun is pretty fancy although according to a professional stock maker it does not appear to be custom made . Just curious is all ...

Dr.K, I've never met a .222 I did'nt like or one that would'nt perform well with IMR 4198. All of the powders mentioned will work well but I've always had my best success with 4198. VV 133 is also real good in the deuce. Jim

I have a Cooper M21 .222 Rem that'll shoot 53 gr Sierra MK's over 24gr of Hodgen Benchmark into the .1's and .2's with surprising regularity. Benchmark is also Cooper's powder of choice when accuracy testing their .222's.

Yes I've also heard IMR 4198 is very accurate in the 22 family . I must admit I have no experience with Bench Mark or VV, the latter of which used to be to say the least difficult to obtain . Now days I see it's readily available. I for one am a big fan of either brand of 4895 , maybe not so much for the .22 Cal but in the .30 cal family it is king at least wise extremely versatile .

A wise man once said ; The most expensive instrument of ones hobby , generally turns out to be the least expensive of the total components. I think he may have been a reloader !.