222 vs 223

[Johnybr]

222 and Cooper can't go wrong

 

[BoydAllen]

I have owned both calibers and currently have two .222s, one a bench rifle, the other a sporter barreled varminter. For varminting I would always go with the .223. (I got a heck of a deal on the sporter, and it is a great rifle.)There is no disadvantage, and you can load for a couple of hundred feet per second if you like. With either, I would make darn sure that the throat was compatible with being able to load 40 gr. V-Maxes and BTs slightly into the rifling, with sufficient shank in the neck, and that the magazine length was coordinated. The 40 grain plastic bullets have remade the .222 and .223. They have the same BC as the old 52 gr. FBHPs are accurate and go a couple of hundred fps faster, with spectacular terminal ballistics.

 

[drover]

I had a Cooper Classic in the 222 and after many, many rounds the groups were starting to get a little larger than I liked to see (on paper, in field use it was still doing fine), I had Cooper rebarrel it to a 223. The 222 did shoot slightly smaller groups, it was extremely easy to develop loads for, but often when gopher or PD shooting I was wishing for another 50 yards or so of reach and the 223 gives that.

However, since you have a 204 and a 223 you should own a 222, not that it will fulfill anything that the other calibers won't do, but just because you want one.

Of my Coopers the model 21 Classic is my favorite and the one that gets used the most, at the rate I am going in a couple or three years it will need another rebarrel and then I will have to decide what caliber it will become at that time.

I use the 40 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips in both calibers and they are very accurate and extremely devastating.

drover

 

[222 al]

Have savage 340d no problem with shots over 600 yds lots of hogs n. Dogs have fallen to that little gun wouldn't trade it for any other gun

 

[AckleymanII]

In a custom Remington, with a match grade barrel, with a zero freebore non turn neck 223, you will shoot groups with the accuracy nodes in the very low 2's at blistering velocity with the 50g at 3600 out of a 26" barrel and 3500 with the 55's. This gives you a serious accuracy advantage from 250-300 yards...you are talking varmints....right? You will need to have the bolt bushed also. If you shoot a Remington 700, send me a pM and I will give you the loads.

I won't push pressures in an action with itty bitty locking lugs.

I shot the barrels out of at least Four 222's during the P. dog wars(50g sierra blitz with 4195, 4895, H322 and the best was H335), the 223 is in another power range WITH extreme accuracy.

 

[Knotwild]

I have two Remington Mohawks in .222 (one is unfired) and the other has bee re-crowned and the lugs lapped. I think it has a 1-14 twist and I can't make it shine with anything over 50 grains and I stick to flat base bullets. I tried a few 40 grain and definitely prefers them. I guess the short barrel plays a role also with reduced velocity.

If I was going to spend Cooper type prices, I personally would like a twist in the 9-10 range.

 

[jds holler]

When I got my 222, life changed forever. The boss gave me a raise, my dog quit barking, and hot chicks wanted to hang with me everywhere I went. Coyotes came running to my every call, and ground squirrels seemed to be throwin a party in any field I stopped to shoot at. My rifle shot groups that made me wish I had more interest in competition shooting, and the barrel never seems to wear out. As a matter of fact, I never seem to age. 222's are truly magical. jd

 

[lpreddick]

If you don't handload, 222 Rem ammo may be hard to find...?Sako. Since Lapua starting making 222 Rem brass, I had to make one...slightly modified case to get more speed. I may rarely shoot my .223 Les Baer of. 223 Ackley again...this 222 is unbelievable!

 

[snert]

When I got my 222, life changed forever. The boss gave me a raise, my dog quit barking, and hot chicks wanted to hang with me everywhere I went. Coyotes came running to my every call, and ground squirrels seemed to be throwin a party in any field I stopped to shoot at. My rifle shot groups that made me wish I had more interest in competition shooting, and the barrel never seems to wear out. As a matter of fact, I never seem to age. 222's are truly magical. jd

And besides, everyone has a 223. Only uncanny guys like me and JD have 222's and until he wrote that post, enjoyed the magic without sharing with anyone else. way to go JD...

 

[littlebuddybr]

Digging up an old post. Lol. Gotta love the 222& the 222 mag

 

[Drop Port]

When I got my 222, life changed forever. The boss gave me a raise, my dog quit barking, and hot chicks wanted to hang with me everywhere I went. Coyotes came running to my every call, and ground squirrels seemed to be throwin a party in any field I stopped to shoot at. My rifle shot groups that made me wish I had more interest in competition shooting, and the barrel never seems to wear out. As a matter of fact, I never seem to age. 222's are truly magical. jd

Just wait till you take it out of the safe it gets even better

 

[Brians356]

bozo, the 223 has about 200fps more than the 222

With CFE 223 or Varget the advantage for 223 Rem is actually more like 250 fps, per Hodgdon's data. I own two excellent varmint rifles in both 222 and 223, and love them both. But for 250+ yard shooting the 223 has the edge, accuracy being equivalent.
-

 

[SpikeDiesel]

The .222 is what hooked me on shooting forever. I was 12 years old and my neighbors savage hit every target I aimed at. I had to have one and begged my grandfather to sell me his Remington 788 until he gave in. It is my most decorated woodchuck rifle and excels with 50g vmaxes. This rifle still with a factory barrel will shoot factory loaded vmaxes 1/2 MOA. With the new superformance ammo going 3345fps I don't see it dropping off the radar yet.

 

[nakneker]

I'm like spike, the first rifle I ever drooled over was my Uncle's .222, a Sako Vixen. A couple times a year he would let us fondle it, I still remember the smell of the gun oil he used. Later I traded for the rifle and have owned several since. I own .223s too, very capable caliber but the .222 wins the sentimental/cool factor for me. I still own and shoot that Sako often, plus a couple other triple deuces. You can't go wrong with either, you'll just be cooler with the .222

 

[hunter243sgk]

I not only like my 222 i like the looks and questions i get when people find out what caliber it is. Everybody knows what a 223 is but a lot of the younger ones dont know what a 222 is.

 

[SheepDog]

The 222 has a very slight velocity increase over the 223/556 but it is even less than the difference between the 3006 and the 308.
For all practical purposes they are too close to raise any concerns.

 

[Knotwild]

The 222 has a very slight velocity increase over the 223/556 but it is even less than the difference between the 3006 and the 308.
For all practical purposes they are too close to raise any concerns.

I think you got that backwards.

 

[SheepDog]

Well, I looked it up in two of my reloading manuals - I could look in the others if you like.

 

[jds holler]

I think you're maybe looking at data on the 222 Mag. jd

 

[SheepDog]

Could have been. If you like I can double check...