I have a Rem 600 in .222 that I had an extra stock for. I cut the extra stock down about 3 1/2" for my twin great grandsons. They have moved to a different town and have not shot it. Yesterday my nephew came in and brought his 10 year old son. We took him out and set up my Workmate work bench and let him fire the rifle. He was doing pretty good and they went on a deer stand. About sunset a nice eight pointer came in and he got his first deer. He dropped it on the spot, but it did require a finishing shot. This was a 55 grain cup and core bullet.

Used to have a Mohawk 222 back in the 70’s. Killed plenty of fox at night with it and even a couple of does. Sold it off in a quest for more velocity (foolishly I may add). Finally came to my senses and picked up a Howa mini action 222 this year. A fine little caliber that 222 is.

Traded mine off too, and now can't find a .222 to replace it.

I bought a Rem 600 in 6mm Rem and traded it off for the 600 in .222 I think before I ever shot the 6mm. Then I traded a Ruger .44 mag revolver for another Rem 600 in .222. I gave that one to my grandson. Several youth have taken deer with them.

quote:

He dropped it on the spot, but it did require a finishing shot.

My son had exactly the same experience with the deer he shot dropping on the spot but requiring a finisher. This was on this past Friday afternoon. However, my son is now 44, has been deer hunting for over 35 years, and was using a .30-06. I relate this story just to remind folks that a .222 can be just as effective on deer as any larger caliber -- and that Carpetman's little nephew's shot was probably as good as they come.

I always wanted a 222. Saw A few ay auctions but they went for more than I could afford.
I saw a Stevens 200 in 223 for a pretty good price and got that.
Been thinking I could get the barrel set back and rechambered, then I would have a 222 but haven't done it yet. It shoots pretty good as a 223.
As far as using one on deer, it can do the job if you work within it's capabilities.
Same with most cartridges.
Leo

The first real varmint rifle I shot was a 222.

Really see no reason to buy one today unless the price was very right.

The 223 fills all the needs.

Now a’days, I suspect most 222 buyers are doing it for nostalgic reasons. Myself included as I already have a 223AI and a 22 Magnum.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
The 223 fills all the needs.

That's largely true. However, the same can be said of the .222: When loaded to .223 pressures it is only about 100 fps behind its larger offspring. And although I'm not much of a believer in cartridge shape, neck length, etc. having all that much to do with accuracy, it does seem that with the .222 is easier to build accurate loads than with the .223. Remember, the .222 was the "ultimate" benchrest round for many years after its introduction.

I own multiple rifles in both calibers. On the whole, the .222's happen to be more accurate. But I can happily and effectively use either caliber to do what the other one does. The same can be said for the .222 Magnum, of which I also own multiple examples. 'T'ain't no practical difference in any of them.

By the way, did I mention how close the .221 Firball comes to . . . nah, let's save that for another thread.

I have both .223 and .222 and can't tell a bit of difference in their performance on deer. I have seen several shot with both. My .223 is the most accurate gun I have (it's a Win model 70) with jacketed bullets, but will not shoot any cast bullet loading I have tried. My .222's seem to shoot any loading cast or jacketed. I'd like to try a .204 Ruger and for what purpose I don't have a clue. I like the weight and feel of the Cz but the backwards safety has kept me from getting one.

My nephew mentioned in this post is a pharmacist. He served 6 years in the Army. He had been deer hunting a few times but had never got a deer. He brought his oldest son here (older brother of the one mentioned in this post) and he too got a deer with my .222. (Dad had still never got one.) That week he bought his son a Cz .223 and we mounted a scope and son got his second deer with it. Then dad comes back and used my .243 and finally got his first deer. After the first one, he got a few more using his sons .223. He bought the son mentioned in this post a youth carbine Cz in .223 but didn't buy a scope yet. We decided my 600 with the cut down stock was a better fit.

Stonecreek, my experience has been the same. Some require finishing shot and some don't. The ratio seems about the same if shot with .22 cals or larger cals. This time a .380 ACP at the base of the skull was used and it was instant lights out.

Have rem 600 mohawk 222 in brown stock old 10x redfield, regularly shot smaller groups than my 40x 222 with 24 x leupold .

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman1:
I have both .223 and .222 and can't tell a bit of difference in their performance on deer. I have seen several shot with both. My .223 is the most accurate gun I have (it's a Win model 70) with jacketed bullets, but will not shoot any cast bullet loading I have tried. My .222's seem to shoot any loading cast or jacketed. I'd like to try a .204 Ruger and for what purpose I don't have a clue. I like the weight and feel of the Cz but the backwards safety has kept me from getting one.

I have a Model 70 Winchester in 223 and it has the 26 inch heavy varmint barrel. It's very accurate and I'm happy with it. Mine shoots cast fine, but it has a very short freebore and I have to shoot the lighter cast bullets.

Nothing nostalgic about the 222 Rem. I have a rem 600 and a Sako L-46 in that caliber..I shot a simi full of does culling over the years..My kids, have all shot their first deer with the 600, and my great grandkids will follow in suit soon enough...Its a varmint rifle deluxe and tops 3000 FPS, its cheap to shoot and reload and won a ton of benchrest trophys over the years...Ive shotthe 223, 22-250, and others but I kept coming back to the 222 Rem..It will always be my go for varmints and even now I will cull does with it...Lots of new calibers out there that will beat it and the add guys have sold the Koolaid and they beat 222 by so little its ridiculas..

The best deer load is the 60 gr. Holnady SP or HP, both work great up to 200 yards with a behind the shoulder shot..most of the time you will get a very short run and recover a little mushroomed bullet, other times complete penetration,,I drive that bullet 2800 fps to hold that bullets integrity and it works..

I've only tried 58 grain RCBS cast bullets---only .22 cal mold I have. It concerns me not, that my .223 will not shoot cast, thus I'd not buy another mold.

You can use 223 for deer! You need a 300 Win Mag so you can shoot it in the arse at it will still die!

Scott---They die laughing at you if you use a .223/.222 the very thought of killing a deer with one.

Carpetman1

I am wondering if you have shot a deer with the 204 Ruger. I am a small caliber person and have shot 5 deer with 17 cal. rifles. A 150 lb Buck was shot by a friend with a 7 mm Rem Mag. and the buck got up and headed into the thick brush.
After he shot again and didn't kill the deer I helped in the search for the deer and the next time the deer got up I used my `17 Rem for a neck shot at 50 yds to nail the buck finally. A friend collected deer for research from ranch's with a 17 Rem. with lots of deer. I had customer that used 17's for deer AND turkey and said that each deer he shot would have a heart that was split when he opened the chest.

There was test done in the past that show a 17 Rem would go thru 3/8 in plate steel. I would like to see tests on steel with the 204 Ruger. The 204 Ruger is one of the best small caliber rifles and if you look at the charts it is the flattest shooting to 500 yds of all rifles tested.

The people that think you need a cannon to shot deer don't use common brains. Shot placement is the name of hunting and the neck shot is the best with these small caliber rifles.

I made stocks to fit small kids by cutting the old stock off to say 3 inches shorter and place a pad on the butt end buy making a couple of quick inserts that would allow the pad to be removed and replace the old section for adults with this quick attachment set up. I made this set up to make some shotguns for a person that taught shooting to kids and smaller women. It worked very well about 1970 for his training of people.

Les Brooks--I don't have a .204 Ruger but have procrastinated for years about getting one. I like the weight and feel of the CZ but the backwards safety has prevented my buying one. Your story goes along with my thoughts. You don't know till you pull the trigger. You are correct shot placement is the key. Take out heart, lungs or liver or combination thereof and you have a dead deer.
I read on here by someone that when you are cutting a stock down, before you cut, drill a couple holes deeper than the cut. You will then saw through the cuts but will have holes that align and dowel pins can be inserted should you ever want to reattach the cut off piece.

I wanted to see what could be done with the CZ safety with one that was priced cheep at a pawn shop a couple of years ago. I went back the next day and it was gone. I keep a 7X12 mini lathe in the motorhome and have lots of extra tooling to play with including a milling attachment. I like to play around with action to improve how it works. This little lathe is the one I used to fit up a barrel blank to a mini Mauser action and it is the most accurate hunting rifle I own. I have changed over to the 204 Ruger and will have lots of 17 cases and bullets for sale soon.

I can't imagine a better nicer gun than my old Sako L-46 clip model carbine, its just fun to shoot and draws attention from all and it matches my pretty little brno mod 1 22..

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
I can't imagine a better nicer gun than my old Sako L-46 clip model carbine, its just fun to shoot and draws attention from all and it matches my pretty little brno mod 1 22..

(1) I have one of those, too. (2) I wouldn't think of trading it off. (3) But I like my Sako L461 Mannlicher .222 even better: Double the magazine capacity, no clip to lose, and a higher stock comb that does better with a scope.

I’m having a custom 222 built. Rem 700 action, Shilen sporter barrel, Trigger Tech trigger, Mcmillan stock. Metal is done, stock shud be here in 45 days. Putting a Zeiss 3.5-10X on it.
I have several 22H, a 221FB, several 223s, 22-250, 22ppc, 220 Swift. Can’t have too many 22 centerfires

I'd post a pic of one of my favorite 222's.....an H&R 317 with nice wood.....but tinypic dot com wiped out all of my old pictures.

Really like a 222.....or 222Mag.

Kevin

Stonecreek,
I like the L-461 and have a custom stocked 6x45 on that action..The L-461 was the last of the good sakos IMO...but the A series wasn't all that bad, but definatly the last of the Sakos.

quote:

Originally posted by Kevin Gullette:
I'd post a pic of one of my favorite 222's.....an H&R 317 with nice wood.....but tinypic dot com wiped out all of my old pictures.

Really like a 222.....or 222Mag.

Kevin

In my experience the .222 has to be the scarcest of all calibers in the H&R 317 Ultrawildcat. I've got a 16 gauge Mossberg bolt with C-lect choke and a J.C. Higgins .22 Auto with a gold anodized tubular magazine housing that I'll swap you for it -- and won't ask any boot.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Stonecreek,
I like the L-461 and have a custom stocked 6x45 on that action..The L-461 was the last of the good sakos IMO...but the A series wasn't all that bad, but definatly the last of the Sakos.

How about that? Just in the last couple of months I came across a real beauty of a custom L461 in 6x45, styled much like a Dangerous Game Rifle, if you can believe that. I probably paid too much for it, but it tickled my fancy in an irresistible way.

The A-I are fine, too. They seem to have a slightly longer bolt handle, which I like, but I don't much care for the sharp protruding cocking indicator which can painfully jab the web of your grip hand if you're a left-handed shooter.

Stone,

Sweeeeet offer......but.......

Kevin

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

quote:

Originally posted by Kevin Gullette:
I'd post a pic of one of my favorite 222's.....an H&R 317 with nice wood.....but tinypic dot com wiped out all of my old pictures.

Really like a 222.....or 222Mag.

Kevin

In my experience the .222 has to be the scarcest of all calibers in the H&R 317 Ultrawildcat. I've got a 16 gauge Mossberg bolt with C-lect choke and a J.C. Higgins .22 Auto with a gold anodized tubular magazine housing that I'll swap you for it -- and won't ask any boot.

Interesting. I just bought a 317 in .222. Was not aware that it was rare. Was a gift for someone. He said it’s really a tack driver.

Isn't the H&R 317 on a sako action with a rather large monte carlo stock..

I like the Speer 70gr semi-spitzer in my 222 for larger critters; I get 2800 ft/sec with it, which pretty much duplicates the 22 Savage Hi-Power, which has long been effectively loaded with the same Speer bullet in .228 diameter, same 70 grains. It's a little less accurate than the 50gr and 55gr offerings, but still outshoots the Savage: usually about 3" groups at our 185-yard range. That keeps 'em on the pie plate at any range I'm likely to tackle a blacktail.
windy

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Isn't the H&R 317 on a sako action with a rather large monte carlo stock..

Not really. I’d say the stock is well proportioned to the small Sako action.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Isn't the H&R 317 on a sako action with a rather large monte carlo stock..

The H&R 317 stock is actually rather petite -- but it might look large compared to the tiny 20" pencil barrel of the 317 in that it has a full length pull.

Inspiration from the O'Brien Rifle Company is probably the reason H&R built the Model 317................and the fact that H&R bought Vern's business in the summer of 1967.

O'Brien's 17 Mach IV, and 17 Javelina, had even trimmer stocks with skinny 18" barrels.

Both of them made nice rifles.

Kevin

Stonecreek,
My SAko L-461 in 6x45 is one I built and copied a Holland and Holland stock on a small scale, its my African walk about rifle..I have yet to install the barrel band front sight and barrel swivel and the quarter rib because it shoots in the .200 range, and I fear messing with putting heat on the barrel to install the remaining parts..Maybe some day I'll finish that part.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Stonecreek,
it shoots in the .200 range, and I fear messing with putting heat on the barrel to install the remaining parts..Maybe some day I'll finish that part.

That's like the 1939 Savage 99 .300 that I bought in well-used condition. It shot under an inch without doing anything to it. My friend exclaimed "Don't ever clean that barrel!" Damn good advice; I would be satisfied with your 6x45 in its current configuration -- barrel band and quarter rib be damned.

Yes sir, when they shot like a benchrest rifle don't mess with them, don't even turn a screw in the wood, metal or the scope mounts, don' let your best friend fondle it..

I've got several 22 centerfires including a couple of swifts, a 22-250 and all are heavy barreled varmint rigs. The most accurate rifle I own though is a late '70's Remmy 700 ADL with factory sporter barrel and a Tasco 4-12 scope. It'll shoot cloverleafs all day long if I do my part!!