222

[JamesnTN]

James, Nice Group... Where did you get the targets you shot from? I need some different targets and like the ones in your pic.. I sure miss my .222 also. Shot really well with IMR 4198.

They should be here on the target download section. I made these many years ago and they have worked really well.
The only 2 powders that I could make work in my 222 was vv133 and benchmark

 

[lpreddick]

These are from my 222 5 shot groups with Berger 52 grain bullets





View attachment 1000983 View attachment 1000982

Very nice! You can see why this cartridge held the world record for 40+ years.

 

[lpreddick]

Very nice! You can see why this cartridge held the world record for 40+ years.

I am amazed how this Lapua 222 brass is performing. I am pushing loads and no pressure signs, yet. LT 30 is producing impressive speeds and nice groups. It's granules are small and my modified 222 case still has room for more. It's pressure curve must have something to do with fact that cases rechamber nicely without shoulder push back...primer pockets are tight. I got 3700+ fps with a custom 50 gr bullet that printed 3/8" and no pressure signs. I'll nudge this one till pressure.

 

[lpreddick]

I am amazed how this Lapua 222 brass is performing. I am pushing loads and no pressure signs, yet. LT 30 is producing impressive speeds and nice groups. It's granules are small and my modified 222 case still has room for more. It's pressure curve must have something to do with fact that cases rechamber nicely without shoulder push back...primer pockets are tight. I got 3700+ fps with a custom 50 gr bullet that printed 3/8" and no pressure signs. I'll nudge this one till pressure.

Nosler makes 222 Rem brass and I just got 200 pieces to try in my modified 222. The Lapua brass I currently use is great BUT this Nosler has the tightest primer pocket i'v ever seen! I can't get my primer pocket uniformer in them. I'm shooting the Lapuas hot and very few have loosened. I weighed these and the spread is smaller than the Lapua. Noslers come chamfered and flash hole deburred...i'm impressed.

 

[centershot]

I have a coffee can full of mostly reformed LC .223 brass if anyone is interested.

 

[moorepower]

I could not let the winter go by without a new build and the 222 Rem was it...sort of. I noted Lapua was making brass and I love their product. I hunt varmints and wind is a given, so speed is aiways needed. The 222 Rem's inherent accuracy is noted, but MV is not as I need, so I decided to modify the case with proven accuracy inhancing changes. Shoulder angle to 30° and body taper reduced by .010" at body/shoulder junction. New shoulder moved forward .055", shortening neck to .266". Case volumn is increased and I hoped with fast powder I could achieve 3500 fps with 52 gr bullets. Ordered reamer from JGS and dies from Whidden(based on reamer print). Kreiger heavy varmint, 14 twist finished at 30"...25fps/1". After fireforming brass, initially with COW...not adequate, so ff with full load. This gun is ACCURATE! H 4198 and IMR 4198 are excellent. Latest testing achieved 3500 fps and very small groups. Bolt lift easy and primers look unfired. Reloaded and primer pockets are still very tight. I will test some 55 gr bullets, just for fun, but damn, the 52s are lasers. The target is busy, but has loading data.View attachment 999911

I would like to see one of your wildcat .222's next to a .223.

 

[moorepower]

I am amazed how this Lapua 222 brass is performing. I am pushing loads and no pressure signs, yet. LT 30 is producing impressive speeds and nice groups. It's granules are small and my modified 222 case still has room for more. It's pressure curve must have something to do with fact that cases rechamber nicely without shoulder push back...primer pockets are tight. I got 3700+ fps with a custom 50 gr bullet that printed 3/8" and no pressure signs. I'll nudge this one till pressure.

Your getting .22-.250 velocity in a case size less than a .223? Any guess on psi? 80kpsi? Western powder lists 62,350psi loads for .223 with LT-30 and they are getting a touch under 3500 @ 62,108. Add 200+ fps and a smaller case, and....., it is "safe" in "your" gun??

 

[lpreddick]

Your getting .22-.250 velocity in a case size less than a .223? Any guess on psi? 80kpsi? Western powder lists 62,350psi loads for .223 with LT-30 and they are getting a touch under 3500 @ 62,108. Add 200+ fps and a smaller case, and....., it is "safe" in "your" gun??

Safe in my gun...yes. I failed to.mention my barrel is 30" long...not intentional. I thought barrel price was up like everything...it was 31". This accounts for some of the mv. Case capacity is + 2 gr easily over parent with imr 4198, even more with small granule LT 30 and Norma 200, which is doing well.

 

[lpreddick]

View attachment 1006315
Safe in my gun...yes. I failed to.mention my barrel is 30" long...not intentional. I thought barrel price was up like everything...it was 31". This accounts for some of the mv. Case capacity is + 2 gr easily over parent with imr 4198, even more with small granule LT 30 and Norma 200, which is doing well.

Since I'm a ghog hunter, I took this gun afield today. This little cartridge did not disappoint! I'm shooting a custom varmint hollowpoint that shoots in the ones off the bench, and at 3500+ fps. I prefer upper chest/neck shots since these animals do not crawl away...i'v shot some thru chest(no heart/lungs left) and they crawl. Took 3 and no exit wounds. Longest at 248yds and largest was 9# 6oz.

 

[JamesnTN]

Pulled out the 222 today blew the dust off and added a scope (4.5-14) and loaded up 40 rounds of virgin brass to fire form. I didn't weigh anything I dropped each charge and seated the bullet.

This rifle just amazes me, no wind flags and the 14x scope was lacking for seeing and holding same POA shot for shot but it still did well considering not much of prep.

Five 5 shot groups at 100 yards.

 

[centershot]

Pulled out the 222 today blew the dust off and added a scope (4.5-14) and loaded up 40 rounds of virgin brass to fire form. I didn't weigh anything I dropped each charge and seated the bullet.

This rifle just amazes me, no wind flags and the 14x scope was lacking for seeing and holding same POA shot for shot but it still did well considering not much of prep.

Five 5 shot groups at 100 yards.


View attachment 1008234

What powder did you use?

 

[JamesnTN]

What powder did you use?

VV N133

 

[BoydAllen]

One comment...I have a couple of .222s, a bench rifle and a varmint rifle. For field use I much prefer the plastic tipped 40 grain bullets to target 52 and 53 gr. FBHPs. they have about the same BC, (.221 in the case of the Nosler BT, and they move a lot faster, at least a couple hundred FPS. IMO these bullets have given the old cartridge a new lease on life. In the field the difference in accuracy between match bullets and these is lost but the increase in performance with regard to trajectory and wind drift is not.

 

[Phil]

One comment...I have a couple of .222s, a bench rifle and a varmint rifle. For field use I much prefer the plastic tipped 40 grain bullets to target 52 and 53 gr. FBHPs. they have about the same BC, (.221 in the case of the Nosler BT, and they move a lot faster, at least a couple hundred FPS. IMO these bullets have given the old cartridge a new lease on life. In the field the difference in accuracy between match bullets and these is lost but the increase in performance with regard to trajectory and wind drift is not.

Boyd,

What kind of velocity are you seeing with the 40`s???

Powder used??

Phil.

 

[BoydAllen]

It has been a while since I ran anything over the chronograph so I have no data for you but if you look at reloading manuals I think that you will see what I am referring to. Recently a friend built a .222 specifically to shoot the 35gr Nosler no lead BTs. Their BC is .201 surprisingly good for a bullet that light. LT 30 has turned out to be the powder of choice. He loads to over 3,700 and can easily go well over that, but he has no need. We live in California, which leads the nation in the creation of stupid shooting related laws. Back in the day, my varmint load for the 40s was Benchmark about half way up the case neck, with the bullet about .006 into the rifling. I was not chasing velocity, and the workup that I used was just about nonexistent, on the other hand the accuracy was quite good and it shot like a laser, with extreme terminal performance. These days I would probably do an investigation with Xterminator or AA 2230 which are the same powder with different labeling. The advantage of the 35 is that it works with 14 twist barrels. For my 12 twist .22-250 I have tried the 40 grain no lead BTs and found them to be as accurate as a lead core bullet.

 

[VaRandy]

They should be here on the target download section. I made these many years ago and they have worked really well.
The only 2 powders that I could make work in my 222 was vv133 and benchmark

James, did you get my PM from a few days ago?

 

[Brians356]

It's hard to beat venerable H4198 in the 222. Both N133 and LT-30 seem ideal by all acocunts, but they weren't on my radar when I worked up my 40-gr V-max load a long time ago (3500 fps from an original Sako Vixen, 1/4 MOA generally.) The wizened rangemaster at our local county facility told me to start with a caseful of H4198, and that's as far as I felt compelled to look. Behind both 35- and 40-gr bullets, it's tops for velocity in Hodgdon's data, besting even the redoubtable CFE 223. And the accuracy is simply excellent in my rifle.
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[nakneker]

I've always loved 222s. I have a couple Sakos, an old BDL thats pristine and this rifle. A winchester Heavy Varmint. The group posted is the only 10 shot group I had handy but it has shot the same 10 shot groups without the flyers. Nothing like some of you guys on here but plenty good for what I do. I haven't seen too many loads that do not shoot well from the 222s I've owned. I just sent off a 222 788 that I picked up cheap. Gonna make a short truck rifle out of it. One of the easiest, most enjoyable calibers ever made!

 

[Barlow]

I had a 722 and a older Tikka 455 (iirc), sold them to buy other stuff. Wish I had that Tikka back, the stock was a better fit than the 722. I used BLC2 with 50's and accuracy was 1/2 moa and better no matter how bad you tried. Barlow

 

[JamesnTN]

After a little fine tuning here's the best I can do with the Winchester HV
Each group is five shots.