222 Remington
The .222 Remington was created by Mike Walker,
who also developed the button process for rifling barrels and the Models
721, 722, 40X, and 40XBR rifles. Introduced in 1950 in the Model 722, the
.222 couldn't have come along at a better time. Varmint shooters were yearning
for a new cartridge and a relatively new game called benchrest shooting was
growing in popularity. Within ten years after it was introduced, the .222
was literally dominating both shooting sports.
Until the PPC cartridges came along during the mid-1970's, most experienced
shooters considered the .222 to be the most inherently accurate cartridge
ever to designed. Some still feel that way but the fact remains, few benchrest
matches are won today with the .222 Remington. Sadly enough, at the rate
old man fate is dealing cards to the .222, it's popularity will probably
decline to the point where it enjoys little more limelight than the .222
Remington Magnum.
But the .222 Remington had its days of glory and is still tough to beat as
a medium range varmint cartridge. A shooter who chooses the .222 over the
.223 really
isn't giving up as many yards in effective range as many would have us believe.
Best bullets for varminting with the .222 are the 50 grain
Sierra Blitz,
Hornady SX, and
Nosler Expander. And a rifle in .222
that won't shoot tiny groups when fed H4198,
H322,
BL-C(2), or
RL-7 definitely
has a problem that needs looking into.
Source: Hodgdon Data Manual, 26th Edition
Historical Notes:
The 222 Remington was introduced by Remington in 1950 for their 722 bolt
action rifle which was later superseded by the current 700 series. For a
short time, the Remington Model 760 slide action repeater was also available
in this caliber. Much of the credit for the 222 Remington is due to Mike
Walker, a longtime Remington employee. The Cartridge became very popular
with the benchrest competitors in the 1970's and varmint hunters also found
its performance excellent. But by the early 1990's the 222 Remington had
lost much of its popularity to the
223
Remington.
General Comments:
The 222 Remington is in about the same class as the 219 Zipper, but is rimless
and adapted to modern bolt action rifles. It is not based on any older case
necked down, but is of original design. It is a more or less scaled down
version of the
30-06, and
fills the gap between the
218 Bee and
the 220 Swift.
It is well suited to the needs of the average person who desires a high velocity
22. A great many benchrest matches have been won with the 222 Remington and
it has a reputation for superb accuracy. It is an excellent 200 yards cartridge
for the full range of varmint and small game in many of the 50 states because,
like the 220
Swift, you can't always depend on it to kill large animals humanely.
This caliber is offered by all large domestic ammunition manufacturers and
several foreign companies.
Source: Cartridges of the World
| 222 Remington Reloading Components & Accessories | |
Hornady Shell Holder #16
 |
RCBS Case Trimmer Pilot, 22 Caliber |
| 22 Caliber (.223, .224) Bullets | RCBS
Trim Pro 3-Way Cutter .22 Caliber
 |
© www.reloadbench.com 1999 - 2005 All Rights Reserved
|
|
 |
|