Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 222 loads??

I just picked up a Sako Model 75 222. I am new to this cartridge, any suggestions for a jumping off point? I have plenty of 50 and 55gr BT's but open to other suggestions as well.

50 gr Sierra SP's over 22.2 gr of H322 have killed everything I've shot from deer to groundhog.

Easy to remember too.

About 3000 fps from my 22 inch barrel.

For Varminting, you will be pleased with the results you get with the 40 grain V-Max bullets...

Like Shrap, I prefer 40's for varminting in the .222. Plastic-tips like the V-Max expand more violently but others will work too.

Have gotten excellent accuracy with the following loads:
35-grain Nosler Ballistic-Tip Lead Free and 21.5 LT-30
40-grain Berger HP and 22.5 LT-32
40-grain Sierra BlitzKing and 22.0 A2015
50-grain Hornady V-Max and 22.0 H322
55-grain Nosler Varmageddon Tipped and 21.5 H322

I have helped John in so many ways, but he just won't use H-335 anymore because of his cracked windshield due to Ammo cooking off in the hot sun...

21.0 gr Imr 4198,
50 gr horn sx.
r-p case
cci 400
3280 fps (estimated)

Not mine, buddies old 721 hand-me-down rifle/load combo.

Watched that combo over the years take assorted vermin and one deer without fail

I've been feeding my Sako L461 23.3gr H322 with 50gr TNTs moly-coated. Mild load and ground squirrels hate it. H4198, XMR 8208, and Benchmark all also give ragged one hole groups with max data from the Hodgden website. My rifle has a relatively long throat (not from erosion) and doesn't like the 40gr bullets I think due to the long jump. The closer I move the 50's to the lands, the tighter the groups get.

sako mannlicher and a couple 700bdls. - lapua brass, 20.5 I4198, 50 ballistic tip ( or sx or sierra or berger or 52 berger) ; 205M. for 40s I use 21.5 I4198. enjoy. nice rifle. ron

OkieRifleman: My Sako L-46 heavy barrel just LOVES the Berger 52 grain M.E.F. bullets in front of 22.0 grains of H 322 with Federal 205 M (match) primers in Norma cases - this load is especially accurate and VERY lethal on all manner of Varmints.
These Bergers are pricey though and a little hard to find.
I own several other 222 Remington Varmint Rifles and the majority of them use/prefer the less costly but still very accurate and lethal Sierra 50 grain Blitz bullets (not the Blitz-Kings but the plain old Blitz's).
Be sure to try this in-expensive yet amazing Sierra 50 grain Blitz bullet!
Best of luck to you with the new Sako.
Long live "the deuce"!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Not top velocity, but excellent accuracy in three Sakos and a Rem 722: 50 Blitz, 20 grs. Reloder 7, Win. brass, CCI 400 primer; muzzle velocity about 3050.

Xterminator has a slight edge in mine in accuracy over imr-4198. But Hornady 50 gr sp and sx, and the 55 gr sp w/ cannelure as well as 45 gr tax's all shoot very tight. Best groups go to Xterminator and the tsx's. Winchester SR primers, R-P and Hornady brass. Book length and a half grain under book max for powder charge is the sweet spot for my particular older 700 BDL.

A recent trip to the range with an old 722 showed really good accuracy with 40 gr Nosler Varmageddon and 21.5 LT30. Several loads with heavier bullets and LT32 didn't do as well.

I'll be sticking with 40's and looking for more LT30.

Lots of good info here, thanks a bunch. I have quite a bit of H322, I think I will start there.

19.5 I4198 under a 50 gr. bullet is usually good. Lately have found 40 gr. V-max to be very good. Best accuracy I found to be with I4227. I will not give a powder charge as this powder is fast burning in this caliber and touchy to approach maximum.

Jim

I just won a match last month with 40 gr NBT's and Benhmark in Lapua Brass and Rem 7 1/2 primers. Different rifle from the one I shot the target below.

My coyote load is the 52gr Speer FB HP Varminter over Benchmark.

I shot one three shot group and shot another just to see if I could duplicate it.



My new Stevens 222 Rem.

Tagged. Torn between the 221 and 222 for my next rig.

The most accurate load in both my 222 is Hod 322 with the Sierra 53 gr Match FBHP and CCI BR-4 Primers. iF A 222 won't shoot well with this load you rifle has a problem.

various primers. 21 grains of sand..50 grains of wine cork shoots good in all three of mine.

Add....2.22 case length to that list if you really want to keep it simple....


I use 22gr of Benchmark behind 52gr SMK's in mine.....

I'm in the same boat. I have a left handed Charles Daly action still in the white and haven't made up my mind yet on a 222 or 221. I have one in a 6mmx222 and think it would be easy to confuse ammo between it and a 222 so may go with the 221 for that reason. I sure like the 222 though. I've had more of them than any other chambering and currently have a rimmed 222 in a drilling.

As far as a load for the 222 I used 4198 and 40 grain BTips for most of our ground squirrel shooting when we lived in the Northwest. Then I started swaging bullets from 22 RF cases and they shot so well in all my 222's that I went to them exclusively. They make a great fur bullet as well in the 222. I have enough annealed cases to make 222 or 221 bullets for the rest of my life.