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20vartarg, 222 or 22ppc?

I guess I'll chime in now since the coyote thing became involved. I've been using my 222 for paper, squirrels, and coyotes for almost forty years now. Even shot a couple deer with it. It was absolutely great for all of this, and you could NEVER go wrong by owning one. (although I wouldn't recommend the deer thing except in very controlled situations)

After eleventeen thousand some rounds though, my little triple duce was burned in the barrel, and needed a new tube. I've been hearing guys raving about the 20's for pretty much everything I've used the 222 for, and in the interest of trying something different I turned my rifle into a 20-222. My logic was that I can mimic Vartarg velocity OR darned near 204 if I want to. I twisted the barrel at 1/11 to handle 40 gr bullets, which is what I've been using in the 222, and am pretty sure that it will handle coyotes which I call. It's rare for me to shoot coyotes (or much of anything) further than 200 yds.

My new rifle is shooting pretty good, mostly sub .5 MOA , and I've got a few groups in the .2's now. I haven't got on the coyotes yet, but squirrels fear me.

I'd like to say that getting this little 20 up and running has been EASY in the reloading department. Our fellow Snert helped get me set up with the basic bushing die for my sizer, and I've made use of the many 222 dies and accessories that I've acquired over the years. I'm using a lot of old 222 brass that would be worn out by anyone elses standards, and they're shooting fine.

I'm a lazy bastard about a lot of the minutiae that guys talk about on this forum, and I think I'm still shooting this rifle better than I have a right to. I'm not the only guy who has fallen for the .20 thing. jd
 
The .222 is hard to beat. 40 grain plastic tipped bullets with the right powders have made it a whole new cartridge in the field, and match bullets in the 50.53 grain range have always shown excellent accuracy at the range. I have two, a tight necked full house bench rifle, and a factory sporter that is my favorite squirrel rifle. Your bullet selection is large, and the pedigree is indisputable.


This is exactly why there is a .222 in my future, it should make a nice companion to the .20-222 AI.......;)
 
I have several 222s, it's an easy round to fall in love with. Easy to load, easy to tune and very effective. One of the nice thing about 222s is the fact that many of the older classic bolt actions were chambered in that round. The little Sako Vixens actions are a joy and the rifles are sleek, fun to handle and shoot. The old Anschutz and styers are fun too. If your a Remington fan you can choose from 722s, 600s and 700s. CZmakes a neat sized down bolt action, Tikka chambers the round. The choices are plentiful and the round seems to keep on ticking, standing the test of time.

I own a 20PPC, it will out perform the 222 with 55s. Everyone should have a Vartarg too. However if I had to choose one it would be a 222 and I would wait until I found a killer deal on the used market for one of those sleek little Sakos.
 
I am really late coming to the .222 party. I have 3, all Sako's 2 L46's and an L461 varmint. On my recent trip, the .222 was my go to gun in the dogtowns that ranged from 100-325 yds. The older I get, the less I like recoil, muzzle blast and such. The .222 with 20.5 grains of H4198 and a 50 grain Vmax is a sub 1/2" shooting pussycat, that got me 11 in a row in a swirling Wyoming wind. 35 shots in before the barrel got to a point to where I switched rifles, and it was far from hot, but it's a factory Sako varmint, so I am being nice to it. I was over 50 before I got my first, and then it was more a novelty, but at 55, NOW, I get it!
 
I am really late coming to the .222 party. I have 3, all Sako's 2 L46's and an L461 varmint. On my recent trip, the .222 was my go to gun in the dogtowns that ranged from 100-325 yds. The older I get, the less I like recoil, muzzle blast and such. The .222 with 20.5 grains of H4198 and a 50 grain Vmax is a sub 1/2" shooting pussycat, that got me 11 in a row in a swirling Wyoming wind. 35 shots in before the barrel got to a point to where I switched rifles, and it was far from hot, but it's a factory Sako varmint, so I am being nice to it. I was over 50 before I got my first, and then it was more a novelty, but at 55, NOW, I get it!
And to save money on PD rounds, try the Speer TNT. 1 or two more clicks on vertical, 1/3 off the price of Vmax.
 
And to save money on PD rounds, try the Speer TNT. 1 or two more clicks on vertical, 1/3 off the price of Vmax.


Might try some day! I also have a large stash of 50 grain sx bullets that are probably more explosive than the Vmax, but with the wind, I wanted all the help I could get. There are lots of great choices for varmint bullets anymore. It's a great time to be shooting varmints!
 
Might try some day! I also have a large stash of 50 grain sx bullets that are probably more explosive than the Vmax, but with the wind, I wanted all the help I could get. There are lots of great choices for varmint bullets anymore. It's a great time to be shooting varmints!

Well heck, those SX are a great bullet. More power to ya and use em!
 

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