222 Remington Powder and Loads

[Slowshot]

Any day now, I will be taking possession of my custom .222 Rem. rifle being built by Russ Haydon. It is a BAT action, Krieger barrel, Jewell trigger, Kelbly stock benchrest special. It will be sporting a Leupold 36X target scope I have been saving for it. I decided on .222 for several reasons, including barrel life, inherent accuracy and mild recoil. While I am no high level competition shooter, accuracy is still everything to me.

I have experience in handloading for .220 Swift but I know little about optimum powders and loads for a .222. I would appreciate any information on handloads for accuracy in this cartridge that members of this forum experienced in .222 Rem. are willing to offer.

 

[JamesinAsheville]

If ya got a 12 twist barrel try 52gr SMK and 22.9gr of V133
You might start lower till you find what it likes
Fed 205's work very well with this load.

 

[Slowshot]

Thanks,

That is exactly the kind of information I am looking for.

 

[MrMajestic]

If ya got a 12 twist barrel try 52gr SMK and 22.9gr of V133
You might start lower till you find what it likes
Fed 205's work very well with this load.

What he said but add a Lapua case and change the bullet to a 52 grain Berger target. Runs in my 1 in 14" twist.

 

[Booter]

I've had very good results with the 50 Bergers and either N-133 or H322, Lapua cases in my CZ 222 14 twist. Could not get a decent group with H4198 no matter how hard I tried and anything heavier than 53 gr just would not group consistently.

Love to shoot the triple deuce.

 

[FryeGuy]

gotta love the 222. I just picked one up & so far I love it. So far mine is shooting best with the sierra 52hpbt with imr4198, and the 52HP berger varmint bullet, with N133. I have had mixed results with the sierra matchkings in the past when hunting varmints in a .223, so I really hesitate, in fact I won't use it hunting anything. The bergers have a great reputation hunting, and the accuracy is great. mine is a standard weight barrel in a rem700bdl. they are 14twist. I had really bad luck with anything heavier than the 52grain bullets.

 

[fdshuster]

One of my most consistantly accurate loads for my 1-14 222's ( have 2 chamberings) is the one listed on the Hodgdon H322 powder can label: 22.2 grs. of H322, any high quality 50 to 53 gr. bullet. Both of mine like a .020" jump. 53's ( Sierra # 1400) just a little less accurate than almost any good 50 gr. Hornady 50 gr. V-Max my favorite for g'hogs. Another excellent load is the old standard of 20.5 of IMR 4198.

 

[K22]

IMR 4198 with Remington 7 1/2 primers and 52 grain match bullets is a good place to start. Never saw one that didn't shoot under 1/2 minute with this load with a standard factory twist rate.

Shot one for years, it's a great caliber, extremely accurate, pleasant to shoot, and will punch teeny tiny holes in paper, and barrel life is very long. My Remington 700 had over 5,000 rounds through it and was still shooting a little over 1/2 minute. Shot tons of groundhogs with it and out to 200 yards it as good as anything I ever used.

I rebarrelled mine in 223 only because I wanted to reduce the number of calibers I was loading for since I'm primarily a varmint hunter.

 

[H2OBUG]

I used H4198 (don't think it is made anymore) and a Hornady 52gr BTHP--CCI SR primer
Never tried anything else

 

[5spd]

23g blc2 with a 50g bullet is what I ran for 10yrs in my rem 788 .222 bolt gun, very accurate and about 3200 fps if I recall.

 

[fdshuster]

" I used H4198( don't think it is made anymore)". I just bought a 1# can last week at my gunsmith's. Fresh off the UPS truck.

 

[Gary in MD]

My 222 was put together by Shilen, on a remington action. It shoots bugholes with a case full of IMR 4895 and Sierra 52 gr Matchkings or Bergers. I mostly use it for groundhogs in areas where I don't want to make a lot of noise, in which case I use varmint bullets.
Gary

 

[40X Guy]

I second the IMR-4895 powder, I ran anywhere from 23.5 to 24.0 grains in lapua brass with a Fed 205 GMM primer and Sierra 52 MK. It will shoot absolute bugholes all day long. I love the .222 and please keep us informed of your progress. You should be able to chase down a few PPC's and BR's with your rifle.

Frank

 

[GerryM]

20 .5 to 21 grs of IMR 4198 use to be our match laod with a 52 sierra in a 14 twist.
Work it up from 19.5 grs to find the best load for you. Usually we had the bullets missing the lands, The brass was neck turned remington, Primers were 7 1/2 remington or CCI br 4

 

[JLDavid]

I have had great luck with H4198 and 52 grain Berger flatbase bullets Lapua brass and BR4 primers. I am a lilttle over listed max with no pressure signs and accuracy is still improving. I was haveing trouble with group size until I switched brass. Got to love those 222's.

 

[Slowshot]

I have had great luck with H4198 and 52 grain Berger flatbase bullets Lapua brass and BR4 primers. I am a little over listed max with no pressure signs and accuracy is still improving. I was having trouble with group size until I switched brass. Got to love those 222's.

That is great news as my local supplier Russ Haydon stocks Lapua brass and Berger bullets. Though he does not stock powder, I have three local shops that do and I see just about everything between the three. BR4 primers may be a bit more difficult to locate locally and I really hate paying HAZMAT fees for powder and/or primers.

 

[Hammer]

.

The very first rifle I bought with my own money was a Sako in 222 Remington.

That was about a hundred years ago.

Have been shooting the Triple Deuce ever since.

Have had good luck with Sierra 52 Matchkings, a case full of WW 748, and a Remington 7½ primer.

Good luck and lots of fun with your 222.

.