Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 223 vs 222 ?

what ya got ?

all this talk of french toast

In the varmint field ?

cost per round ?

brass availabilty ?

8 twist vs 9 twist ?

53 V max or the 50 V max ?

Powders H322 vs H4895 ?

Sako/Tikka or Savage ?

P/dogs or G/hogs ?

Forgot to add sage rats.

Started hunting chucks as a kid w a 660 in triple deuce
Id rather have a 700 VS in that than 223, just for old times sake.
But since I have a 243 I just nuke the fuggers

I remember many years ago seeing a Colt AR15 at a gunshow chambered in .222. I think it was a French overrun because civilians couldn't own guns in a military caliber. I should have bought it...just because.

.001

I have several 223s and one 222. Both great cartridges. All are custom REM 700s. Brass galore for the 223, not hard to find for 222. At least that was true pre the current component shortage. I shoot lighter bullets, 40 and 50 grain. Twist 1:12 and 1:14.
I’ve tried to reduce the number of powders I use, and have settled on Benchmark for these two.

Started out with a 222 but the cheap ammunition of the 223 made me switch. Back in the olden days you could buy 223 ammunition cheaper than it was worth to reload them, imagine that!!!! Looking forward to them days again.

I think there were some Mini 14's made in .222 also. I didn't know about AR's in that caliber.

222

Ruger #1A 1-9 twist

Sako AI custom 1-12 twist 22" Bench Mark barrel Mcmillan stock

Steyr SBS 1-8 twist

223

Remington Custom Shop #7 Mannlicher Stock 1-12 twist

223AI

Cooper Model 51 Classic

I like both. Have a pair in some junky ol 788s that are capable of sub-half inch for five shots. A 70HV in .223 t the that'll do the same. I like LT32 in the .222 and X-Terminator in .223, but Benchmark, TAC, H4198, H322, and other powders get it done too. I like 50-grain Ballistic Tips across the board, but V-Max is plenty good too.

2x.5 IMR4198 in a 26" Rem 722 w/a 52 grain Sierra BTHP. Gave me wonderful groups. But the 223 gave me a bit better point blank range for a walking varmint rifle.

Ahh, trade offs, no free lunch. For just killin as far as I could judge, the 22-250 won out. No thoughts at the time about barrel life, but learned about that too.

The good ol' days.

The first really tight group I ever shot was with my uncle’s rihiimaki in deuce. Finally bought an old 700 bdl off the classifieds here a number of years ago. Most accurate gun I own. I just shoot 50 grain soft points. Though I do have a load for 45 tsx that it’ll bughole, just haven’t killed anything with that load yet. I love the gun and cartridge, was planning on a shorter barreled, more handy one for gophers, but I don’t have as much opportunity over here for that. Xterminator is my powder of choice, though imr4198 is a close second.

Which one puts a cleaner hole in a waffle?

Rem 40x in 222 with an unertyl 10x.... 60’s vintage. 22 grains of 4895 pushing Sierra 55 gr sp. THOUSANDS of California ground squirrels retired.

Given the powder debacle, 221 for sure.

French toast should have vanilla and cinnamon in the batter

The .222 is the shizz in the varmint fields..

Cost per round ever so slightly less due to less powder

Brass availability can suck

9 twist

50 or 53...up to 55 if you go 9 twist

H4895

Tikka or Sako

P/Dogs and G/Hogs.



Easy Peasy...ask me anything...

Yup. No 223 sold south of the border so 222 it was

223 but only own AR's.

For simplicity if choosing, a bolt would be 223.

But a deal on used? IDGAD.

222... 788

Kent

.223, Tikkas

Yesterday I had three, now I have 2, a T3 stainless 1-10” I bought from shortactionsmoker and a 1-8” blued Varmint T3x.

Handloads, of course.




P