Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 222 Rem Primer Issues

Hope someone can point me in the right direction. Couldn't find anything in the search bar...if there is a past post please direct me to it!

Just started reloading for a 788 in 222 using Barnes 45 grn tsx's and H335 and the Barnes load data and CCI small rifle primers.

All brass was R&P and most once fired. Started at 22 grns and worked up to 24 grns. COL of 2.13" Most cases did not need trimming, all were chamfered and de-burred.

RCBS hand primer and cleaned the pockets too. Each was seated below flush.

Every primer was backed out after firing, for all charge weights.

Can't imagine pressures were too low at 24 grains, no signs of excessive pressure, all opened and extracted normally.

Unfortunately I did not have the chrono up - dead battery.

Factory Winchester 50 grn loads were fired at the same time and the primers did not move.

It definitely liked the factory loads better but the 24 grain charge shot under an inch at 100 and I'm just looking for a good load with a little tougher bullet.

I haven't had time to play with different loads yet and just picked up some CCI BR small rifle and AR primers and different powder.

Anyone have this issue before? If so, what's the deal? Thanks.

Mike

Excessive headspace caused by over sizing the brass.

There are many ways to adjust the die so the cases aren't over sized. I prefer the Hornady headspace gauges. You can also smoke the neck and shoulder of a case, back the die out a full turn, and incrementally screw the die back in until the carbon is wiped off the neck but the die doesn't touch the shoulder. Try the case in the rifle and make sure that it is not difficult to chamber. If it is, screw the sizer in small increments until it's obvious that the shoulder has been touched. Try it again. If it's difficult to chamber, repeat until it isn't.

I prefer to barely bump the shoulder because, if you don't, it will eventually become difficult to chamber.

Thanks MichiganScott - I full length sized them b/c they hadn't been fired in my 788. Must have bumped them a little too much. Next batch I will do that.

Still learning the little things. I don't do a lot of shooting with this one so I could probably get away with neck sizing most of the time.

For neck sizing I highly recommend the Lee collet die.

Thanks Mathman, first time reloading with these dies and this caliber. Set the dies up per Lee's set up but didn't think the check the head space.

Correcting this will probably significantly help with accuracy as well. I know the 222 can perform better than i can!

First thing I thought too.....

Agree with Mathman, get a Lee Collet neck sizer and see what gives. You'll probably load your most concentric, most accurate ammo ever.

Over time you may need a body die to slightly set the shoulders back.

This is a Lee FL die that got converted to a body die by grinding out the die neck to clear the case neck.

Carefully set the shoulder back just enough for easy chambering, no more.

DF

I'm not sure you need to go to all the trouble. I load for four .222s. I don't segregate brass for each rifle. However, I size all brass where it fits the tightest-chambered gun (a mid-'50s Sako) snugly and requires a slight bolt effort when chambering. Works fine in the three other rifles as well. Accuracy, lack of runout, and brass life have been fine.I have no idea how many times the Winchester brass has been loaded.

I use a CO-AX press and either Forster or CH dies, usually the CH.

Yep. Same here. Four 222s and seven 222 Mags; dies adjusted to the snuggest critter works like a champ in all the others.

When primers back out there is usually a flurry of posts about excess headspace. It's NOT excess headspace. Primers back out because pressure is too low. Head separations occur with too much headspace.

A 222 Remington should also be capable of doing under an inch at 100 yards. Groups around 0.5 to 0.75 inches or less should be obtainable. Increasing the powder charge will probably help the grouping.

There is also an infatuation with chronographs. A chronograph gives an indirect measurement of pressure and not a very good one. When working up a load, as the powder charge is increased, groups usually tighten up to a point and then start to widen again. The place to stop is where the groups are the smallest. This, of course, is in a gun with an inherently strong action like an Encore, a bolt action rifle, etc.; for guns with weaker actions like shotguns and most handguns you need to go by a load book.

Update -

I measured the fired cases last night and the primers have uniformly backed out 0.01" to 0.0105" on my re-loads. I had a few reloads left over from the first run and I measured them as close as i could compared to some winchester factory rounds and they are very close. I don't have head space gauges or much in the way of measurement tools except for micrometer and vernier calipers. I'll see if I can get some good pictures and post them.

I'm going to neck size some and see what the results are and eliminate one variable.

Probably went a little overboard on the load prep but I kinda want to see what it will do.

Factory Winchester 50grn loads were dime size at 100 yrds so i know this 788 can shoot.

Thanks all for the comments, still learning and appreciate the responses!

788's do tend to shoot and the .222 is a classic for accuracy.

Sounds like a nice rig.

DF

if it helps i run remington cases...cci br4 primers...25.5 grains of h335..

seat that 45 grainer so that you can barely see that front drive band.

buzzes downrange at 3350 to 3380 anywhere between 30 and 65 degrees. I'd think that 24 grains of powder would have decent pressure but just for laughs i'd throw 25.5 grains in a case and see if your primers stay in the case better. You have to remember that those drive bands on that bullet do lower pressure.

For a little background on measuring shoulder bump, link here
Measure your sized cases at the shoulder and your fired cases at the shoulder.
How do they compare with the fired factory cases?
That'll tell you if you need to raise your sizing die and back away from the shoulder.

Your Max load is right where the Hodgdon site tops out and your bullet is harder than the one they used for establishing Max loads so I'd not add more powder.

alternatively both 4198 powders seem to throw that 45 grainer pretty quickly.

One other thing you might consider, besides watching how much you size, is to seat long, with at least kissing contact if not a bit more into the rifling. This is a little touchy to do, but if you've got "short" cases, a light bullet over fast powder can be helpful in fire-forming cases to a good size.

Also, if you're on a single stage, it might be worth the investment for the sized case-holders, to make sure any FL sizing is done in a way that won't let the case "wander" off center.

If you need a "quick & dirty" neck only sizing, you could drop a washer on the shell holder as a spacer. That would stop you from pushing the shoulder back and let you make a quick check on the head space issue. I used to do this with a specially made spacer to size only 1/2 the neck before I got a neck size only die.