Good round between .22lr and .223

[baddarryl]

Reloder 7, power pro 1200, h4198, imr4198, h322, imr3031, benchmark. I’m sure there are others.

Fortunately I have some Aa2230 which Lyman lists as “likely accurate”. Thanks.

 

[Frankm]

+1 to Hohn comment. Reduced 223 loads are great. Plentiful brass, don't have to purchase another rifle/scope !

Don't hesitate to look at Blue Dot loads. Can get velocities from 22 Mag th close to 222 Rem. Accurate too! Google James Calhoun squirrel loads.

 

[Outrider27]

When i wanted a tweener between the .22LR and the .223, I bought a .22 hornet bolt gun and a .22 K Hornet reamer (local 'smith didn't have one) and delivered both to my gunsmith without ever shooting it as a regular Hornet. Really like the K Hornet in that niche. Easy to load for, and if you don't feel like reloading, just shoot some more factory Hornet rounds through it, fire forming more K Hornet brass in the process.

 

[BULLET 05]

.22 Hornet! Mic drop

 

[rockhound78]

22 K-hornet or 218 Bee!!

 

[Rdlningcltchdmpr]

22 tcm

 

[Outrider27]

22 tcm

My TCM is a 1911, and to say it makes quite a flash when fired is an understatement. How is it in a rifle? It does seem like an intriguing round for a rifle, especially for a handloader.

 

[Rdlningcltchdmpr]

My TCM is a 1911, and to say it makes quite a flash when fired is an understatement. How is it in a rifle? It does seem like an intriguing round for a rifle, especially for a handloader.

22tcm is really a great cartridge unlike the 5.7×28(not good) . the 22tcm is just a 221 fireball shortened down. It's easily reloaded , and doesn't heat the barrel up like bigger cartridge's. With a good 15twist barrel and 40 grain bullet's it will be impressive. I want to make a 20/22tcm wildcat and can't wait to get started. 32 grain bullet's at 3100 fps. No heat, no recoil, long barrel life.

 

[McFred]

As soon as we jump up to Coyote land my CZ 527 in .223 will obviously do, but has a 1:9 twist so I can’t go too light in bullets.

What's wrong with a 1:9" and lighter bullets? I have a 1:8" CZ 527 in .223 and it does just fine with the lightweight stuff:

 

[Clavius-Walker]

.19 Calhoon Hornet.

Fred's happy as a clam.

 

[dgeesaman]

On the subject of 17HMR I have read the .17 rimfires are even more finicky to find good ammo for. That is why I am veering away a little. Any truth to that?

Darryl

I use the TNT 17HMR ammo almost entirely and my accuracy is pretty consistent. The V-Max and VNT can be good, but vary depending on the lot and the rifle. I have shot a few boxes of Winchester brand and it's trash. The Remington and Federal is made by CCI.

Let me be blunt: if you expect 1/2" at 100y like you can with a good centerfire setup, you will not be happy with any rimfire. 17HMR is accurate, and with well chosen ammo an accurate rifle can consistently shoot inside of 1" at 100y. 1/2" on a very good day with a very good gun. But for $.20 per shot and no reloading that's still a very good option.

22 Mag is about the same but fewer ammo and rifle options.

17WSM is hotter and flatter but only one low-quality source of ammo and either the crap Savage B-Mag or a much more expensive semi-custom.

If you want more accuracy and power than rimfire then I'd be looking at a 20 practical because you have the 223 brass, 221 Fireball, or 222 Remington. 204 Ruger is a great cartridge but in many ways it's just a skinny 223.

 

[Ramblerman]

221 fireball... preferably on an L46 Sako

 

[Ohio Varmint Shooter]

Thanks everyone. I posted this mostly out of curiosity. This rifle would be mostly target, but occasionally for small varmints IE Squirrels etc. I like flatter shooting out to 150 than I can get with the .22lr. I also vote for easy ammo and factory rounds as I have no need to be eccentric. As soon as we jump up to Coyote land my CZ 527 in .223 will obviously do, but has a 1:9 twist so I can’t go too light in bullets. Maybe a deal on a slow twist one will come up. I kind of like that idea.

Thanks, Darryl

I've read/scanned several responses here...but not all of them. My opinion may have already been covered and may ruffle some feathers from other responders.

You're looking for something in between a 22lr and a 223..."mostly for target, but some small varmints out to 150 yards"? Hands down the winner to me is the 17hmr. Considerably flatter shooting than the 22lr out to 150 yards with much higher energy. It's very cheap to shoot compared to anything centerfire. It has a reputation of being incredibly accurate. (Mine's just a stock Savage, and it will consistently shoot .5" @ 100 yards if there's no wind)

Limitations: Don't plan on shooting past 150 yards. I know shooting forums are littered with posts from guys who shoot them out to 300-400 yards. But doing that is more novelty than anything else. (just because you can, doesn't mean you should) Also, not good in high wind.

You could look at a 22 hornet or a 17 hornet...or some of the other 17's out there, but if you're target and small varmints within 150 yards....clearly the winner in my opinion is the 17hmr. So many of the other suggestions (again, in my opinion) are far too close to the 223. (204 ruger, 20 practical...etc)

-----------
EDIT

If you were going to shoot further than 150, or were going after game larger than small varmints, then I'd agree with some of the other calibers mentioned here....especially the 17 hornet.

 

[Dolomite_supafly]

I built a 6 fireball and it is pretty amazing. I am launching 55g bullets at 3,200 fps out of a 22” barrel. I am using 16g of Lil’Gun and have zero pressure signs. Out of a 9” barrel the same load goes 2,800+ fps.



Here is my 115 DTAC load.

 

[JAlfred]

Great, now I want a fireball. This site cost me so much money.

 

[STOMP442]

I have two options. One is the 22 mag. I have a Marlin 922 that shoots the 40gr CCI Maxi Mag HPs very well. I have bought two different 17HMRs over the years because everyone raves about them. I have yet to be impressed by that cartridge. My 22mag shoots just as well if not better and it delivers way more thump on Jack Rabbits and anything else you want to shoot with it. I have killed a couple coyotes with it as well. I hardly ever carry a normal 22 around anymore for anything other than just plinking. The second option is the 17 Remington. I picked up an old Remington 700 a couple years ago and that rifle is just plain fun to shoot. Very accurate, efficient, and a laser beam with plenty of power for serious varminting.

 

[mmcu]

Great, now I want a fireball. This site cost me so much money.

You won't regret it!

 

[BronzeArcher]

It's so easy to use Blue Dot to download a .223 from 2800 fps or so all the way down to 1100 fps that I don't see a need for intermediate rounds. Dial up from 4 grains to 14 grains of Blue Dot and you can span the whole range. Very accurate too with most 50-55 grain varmint bullets. Some of the early work is here:

http://www.jamescalhoon.com/tobee2.php

I've done a lot of work with it also.

 

[hpshooter]

"I have sometimes thought about a “.22 Jet “, set-up as a true .224” calibre gun. That would greatly expand bullet choices vs the stock “Jet”. It would only require a very minor case neck ID expansion to true .224” cal."

Interesting idea. My first centerfire ground hog rifle was a H&R Topper with a .22 jet barrel and a K-4 Weaver. Your idea would make a nice set up in a small action Martini.

 

[4xforfun]

I didn't read all of the posts, but I shoot a 17 HMR and love it. Friend of mine stepped up 1 notch to a 17 WSM. More of a good thing!!

To find a load I simply set up an indoor 47 yard range in my shop and fired five 5 shot groups of 7 different kinds of ammo. Found one that shot great every time and bought 4000 rounds.

I kind of like having at least one gun that I do not need to save brass and reload for.

Tod