Im in the process of having a 222 put together. Basic specs are a SA700, bedded into a McMillan classic stock with a 12TW Hart barrel finished at 22”. Rifle will be used for woodchucks, crows and coyotes. I had originally planned on running the 52 speer HP, but it seems to be unobtainable and has been for awhile. I’d like to stay in the 50-60g weight of bullet.

Bullets I have on hand and in good supply of are the 40gNBT, 55g Sierra gameking, 60g hornadySP and the 63 Sierra SMP.

Powders on hand are varget, cfe 223, benchmark, h322, h335, RL7, and IMR 4895.

Still have a brick of CCI....BR4s as well

Of the bullets I have I’m leaning more toward the 55g Gameking....what are you guys running in your 222s and do you have any experience with the above bullets out of the triple deuce ?

I shoot a 222mag a good bit. My go to bullet for and small CF 22 is the 55gr Hornady spire point with second place going to the 55NBT and third the 53Vmax. They all shoot well and my preference is pretty much listed from toughest to softest. I use all of the above on coyotes, bobcats, and pigs with the occasional crow or deer thrown in.

No experience with the Sierra you have but I bet it will be fine at the speed you’re going to be working with.

The 222 deserves a Sierra bullet. The Gameking is great for Coyotes. Good idea to stay below 60gr.

My favorite bullet in the 222 Rem is the 52gr Speer Varmint bullet (HP FB) sorry you can't find it. My second favorite is the 40gr NBT and have found it more than adequate for coyotes, run them fast.

I'd be shooting the 40 nbt and RL7 to start. I was impressed with the combo and it will get another look when I add another 222 Rem.

When stepping up to 50-52 grain bullets I like the 50 grain TNT. H335 is my powder of choice there, but many will work.

Good luck and good choice with the 222 Rem!

50 gr Horn. SX.. Several powders work well..

I am using the Hornady 50 sp in my .222 Rem. Till I run out of them (or find some more) then I am going to try the Berger 52 grain Target.

Dis one got it with a Horn 50 gr SP...

Nice!

The 222 (triple deuce) is my favorite cartridge and I have tinkered with it for years..............of the powders you list I would use H335 to fertilize my garden, CFE223 is a no-go. Benchmark, H322 or RL7 will be worth trying but by far my favorite powder is VVN130.
Of the bullets you have the 40grNBT works awesome in my rifles, all of mine even custom are the traditional 1-14" twist and my favorite bullet is the Sierra 50gr Blitzking, with your 1-12" twist the Sierra 55gr gameking should work well

Mine is still pretty new and I am still figuring it out, but getting great accuracy with 55 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips and LT-32

https://www.bergerbullets.com/articles/rh-vandenburg-222-remington.pdf

The only bullet I've used of the ones you mentioned is the 40gr NBT and then only very little. I've used the 40 gr Sierra BKs more than the 40 NBTs. My fav prairie dog bullet for my CZ 222 Rem is the 50 gr V-Max followed by the 50 gr NBT. Those two 50gr poly-tipped bullets work GREAT - very accurate and explosive using powders like X-terminator, H322, H4198, and Benchmark - all with standard SR primers. Plus, the 50gr poly-tips have worked perfectly on larger critters like coyotes, foxes and badgers. BTW, I grew up shooting woodchucks and I would expect the 50 gr polytips to work just as well on them as it does on P-Dogs.

Thanks for all the suggestions and insight gentleman. And Tom——nice pig. You still need to use the .275 on one or three.

I should mention that I run the 40NBT exclusively through my 221FB and have been very pleased with its performance. It’s a tough little bullet.

The Sierra 40 gr Blitzking, the 40 gr B/Tip and the Nosler 40 gr tipped Varmageddon have all done well for me with the Blitzking doing a little better. I like a near-max load of H-322. I tried IMR-4198 but got a little better results with H-322 and it’s not that IMR-4198 did badly; it’s just that H-322 in generally did better.

I used it on one....

I've tried many bullets in .222 rifles. Best overall has been the Sierra 50 Blitz. In fact, I use this bullet in all centerfire .22s from .222 to .220 Swift. Accuracy is comparable to the MatchKing bullets. In the .222, best powder in four rifles with this bullet has been Reloder 7.

i have four .222 currently. never fired a factory round . 3 sako and a rem 700. ( i believe are all 14 twist) l load 50 ballistic tips, 205 gm , lapua brass, imr 4198. i have shot others berger, speer, sierra , hornady. they all shot good. the .222 is the least finicky of all cartridges inlcuding the .308. my dad killed over 50 coyotes with bhis sako mannlicher with 55 sx. i still prefer the 50 ballistic tip , even out of that rifle. i have tried 40 grain both vmax and ballistic tip. i have not shot the 53 hornady vmax. i would for sure try it in your rifle

in all my loading 6 .222 ; i got groups the hovered near an inch on rare occasion. hard pressed to find a undesirable load.

I shoot the 40gr BT most but also shoot the 50gr BT & 50gr Hornady Spsx.

A load I was given to try with the 40gr BT with 28gr of H335. This is over book max but shows no pressure signs, is a screamer and produces tiny groups.

I have a 722 that you really have to work to get it to shoot over an inch with anything 50 grain but the load it loves is the Sierra 45 gn. SPT Varminter over BL-C2. It shoots these in the threes.
My 788 prefers the 40 gn. NBT’s. I use IMR-4198, BL-C2 and H335. I just got a pound of LT-30 that I’m looking forward to trying out. I’ve heard good things about it.

My 722 really likes 40gr Nosler tipped Varmageddon and LT30.

Ive had up to 4 222s and presently have 3 here.

I usually just use 40gr. BlitzKings with LT32 and a Fed 205. Coyotes arent on the menu with that bullet, but Id imagine it would work inside 200 yards if kept in the soft spot (lung area).

For the smaller varmints, it pops nicely out to 300.

+1 here

I use a 50 gr Blitz King. This was with a load of VV133, 23 gr. I used CCI 450 with this load for kicks. Shot out of Remington 700 Varmint Special (1967)

Gary...you know me...Ive used pretty much all the bullets mentioned in my .222s...it just depends on what application you are talking about. Frangibles for buck toothed colony varmints ( and maybe coyote fur saving) and 40 NBTs in the brain for pigs...but you knew that!

I have shot literally truck loads o deer with my 222 using 55 gr Sierra game kings , and imr 4895. A great combo, and the bullet performs really well on deer.

That’s a good looking pig Tom. Was that on the most recent TX trip? Makes me miss my 77 .275. Then again, I remember why I sold it and it’s ok lol.

The most accurate load I've found for my 788 is 21.0 grains of LT-32 under a 50-grain V-Max. Five-shot groups average well under 1/2 inch. Velocity is a bit lower than what I got with H322, H4198, and X-Terminator, but I don't care.

JB likes LT-30 with a 40-grain bullet. I have not tried that.

I'm changing over to 50-grain Ballistic Tips when I load my next batch and I'm confident it will be every bit as accurate.

BLC2 powder produces 1/4" groups all day long using a Rem 700 ADL bought from Walmart discounted to $119.00 clearance. I lucked out on that one. Went in to buy a combination license and saw the deal. 25 years ago. 50gr SX .

x3, shoots better than the Sierra Blitz in my Tikka. I use 4198, both H and IMR. The Hornady 50 SP (non SX) also does very well.

40s over Lil Gun ended up my go to........50-52 if you want to pop a deer, but the 40 BT might do if thru lungs or neck.....again, IF you want to take a deer. The 40s will do in about any critter Coyote and down.

IIRC, that Lil Gun runs 40s about 3600, maybe more. Flies flat

Thanks for all of the insight. Gives me a place to start. I really wanted to shoot 50-52s but 40s will do just fine for my intended uses.

I’d still like to find some 50g spitzers and maybe I will before this rifle is completed.


Has anyone used the 40g Berger flat base hollowpoints? I ordered a couple hundred from midway to try out. Good bullets are hard to come by right now and these were available.

In the past, Sierra 50 gr. Blitz and/or 52 gr. HPBT Match (and 55 Hornady SP's) were my go-to's for .222, .223,, R2 Lovell, and .22 Maximum Lovell - all in the low 3000's fps. I'm currently enamored of another one - the Berger 40gr.flat base varmint/target. That little bugger sizzles out of the barrel of my 26" .223 Browning Low Wall at nearly 3600 fps and prints boringly repeatable sub-1/2MOA groups at 100 and 200 yards. I can't attest to how well it carries out beyond that as our suburban Maryland range doesn't extend past 200, nor have I shot any creatures big or small with it, but I should imagine it would be effective on small ones given the bullet's construction and velocity.

...a 50 grain Speer TNT over H322 has always worked for me, enough powder to get @ 3200 fps and rock on.

Ky221: Several of my 222 Remington Rifles prefer the wonderful yet humble (and its a Spitzer) Sierra 50 grain Blitz bullets (not the BlitzKings).
I have shot amazingly small groups with these bullets especially from my Remington 40XB-BR in 222 Remington.
They also perform wonderfully well in the Colony Varmint fields (Rock Chucks on down) along with spectacular results (terminally) on Crows and some other types of flying Varmints.
Have not done as much in the way of Predator Hunting with them but have on occasion with no complaints.
Be sure and try these out in your 222 - and they are a bit cheaper than many other bullets.
Good luck with whichever you choose.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

For pdogs I usually shoot 40 vmax or BT. For yoties I used to shoot 50 Sierra blitz. I had a few of the yoties run off.... don’t know if the blitz was blowing up or what. I switched to the regular 50 gr Sierra and no yotie has escaped since. I just bought a bunch of the discontinued 50 Sierra SMP and will probably feed those to my 222 till I use them all up. I generally use H322 in the deuce.

Of the bullets you list, I would use the 40 grain ballistic tip. Though I don't own a .222, I have used them in .221 FB and .223.

My favorite bullets for a classic like the .222 would be 45 grain hornet bullets (Sierra or Hornady ... Hornady's is a pointy bullet, Sierra's is a round nose) and the 50 grain Hornady SX. Before the introduction of the polymer tipped bullets, those were my choices for the .223. I wore out my first .22-250 shooting the 50 grain SX and H380.

Another bullet that would be interesting (for short range because of the very low BC) would be the 35 grain VMAX which seems meant for Hornet use. I've pushed them out of a .22-250 and they'll hold together but whatever they hit surely does not.

The 40 gr Nosler BT and 40 gr V-Max open a whole nother dimension in the 222, they go together like bread and butter.

drover

40 vmax for me, always seemed to make varmints “pop” a bit more than NBTs in my experience. A bit cheaper too

40 VMax (or similar) for me as well. RE7 or one of the 4198s will shoot pretty good in my 700V. And fast too (if you are into that kind of thing).
Cheers

Never knew that, hmmm. I woulda thunk 0ne of the 4198's.....

Tag.

Thinking about building one of these critters.

Ive got another one in the works. Waiting on a 9 twist barrel to arrive, and planning on wrapping it around 55 grainers for a variety of game.

Stock, barrel length and contour?

I can't decide between trying to build a 700 with a 24" varmint contour barrel on an old BDL VS stock with scrolling or something like a 21" barreled synthetic Mountain Rifle.

Like your way of thinkin Hank.....

I don't shoot a 222, but you certainly can create the same thing by loading a 223 using 222 load data....

I do a fair amount of that, and also down to 221 Velocities using its load data...

I burn a lot of H 322 annually and usually buy 2 or 3 of the thousand round boxes of 50 grain TNT's each year...

That little pill performs real well, and even better with H 322....

The stock is a B&C Mountain Rifle stock, I may have to open the barrel channel a tad. Action is 700, barrel is Rem Sporter Contour, 22 inches. 9 twist

Pretty plain vanilla stuff, but my current .222 is almost exactly the same configuration. I absolutely love it but it is a 14 twist which is limiting it somewhat.

It has a mag contour fluted barrel...same Mtn. rifle stock

Ever tried a 55 grain boattail soft point in it to see if it would stabilize?

No, but a flat base 55 gr. Hornady will...just barely, but it shoots good.. Tried some NBTs 55 gr and up...no dice, they are kind of a boat tail.. Shot like crazy out of my 9 twist Ruger #1 though!

My current 14 twist gun is used primarily for daytime colony varmints and some night predator hunting with 50 grainers. I want the flexibility of being able to shoot predators at night and larger game, primarily pigs at all times.

What we run into here ( in Montana) we are shooting at what many would consider high altitude, and some of the bullets that are considered Marginally stable work well. When I go down to Texas-which I do frequently- at lower elevations, they are no longer stable.

Sounds like I would want a 12 twist at minimum and the 9 would probably be most useful.

I would mainly be using a 40 grain polymer tip of some flavor for maximum mist factor but don't want to paint myself in a corner if I want to go with a 55 grain bullet.

Yeah 9 or 12 would do it, 9 for surplus it gives the little 40 grainers a few more RPMs which increase the splatter factor!

Blasphemy !!!!!!!!!!!!! screw around with the twist on a 223 all you want leave the 222 alone with a 1-14" twist so it puts 50-52gr bullets all through the same hole

Scroll up to my earlier posts..Im keep the 14 twist in the stable...couldnt live without it!

I shoot 40g hollow points and RL7 in both of my 222’s.

For years, all I shot were bulk Remington 50 gr. PSPs. When I had extra money, 50 gr. Speers. With 4198, both shot an inch or better at 100 yd. I was quite pleased. For years I have used 40 gr. VMaxes

That was using a Rem 788 and a 4 power or 3x9 scope. These days, I use a 2-7 Burris. The rifle wasn't magical, like the 788 storytellers would have you believe.

I still have that rifle - it was a gift from my wife - and two others.

The Hornady 50gr SX & about any of the 52gr HP match bullets worked well in mine over a number of powders. H4198 was, on average, the best.

40 Grain Nosler varmageddon
20.5 IMR 4198

3300 fps in my CZ

Putting the cart ahead of the horse.

Found 480 pieces of old blue bag Winchester brass.

Think he has some 4198 as well. May stick w RL-7 if I ever get something put together.

Leaning towards a SS Model 7 action for a build.

IMO the 222 is The best centerfire 22 ever made.
I have several & the wife’s favorite as well.
Perfect balance of bore to case capacity. Very efficient and inherently accurate. Long neck good shoulder for smooth feeding. Very forgiving. I like 50 grain billets but have shot some 60 nosler partitions in mine. Shot a hog yesterday with 50 gr tsx. But no expansion. Heym combination gun.
I use several powders., 8208xbr is good, blc2 even varget.
I’m looking for a tough 50 grain bullet now. The 55 gr game king is OK but will come apart on bone. Any suggestions welcome.
I Prefer RWS brass, if you can find it.

i have three flavors - a Higgins 52 with 1:16, a Rem 722 with 1:14 and a Cooper with 1:12. The 722 taps out at flat base 50 grain bullets. beyond that, the bullets keyhole. the higgins is relegated to 40 grain bullets, and the cooper will shoot 60 vmax well. i have no experience with 222 with faster than 1:12, but 223/556 with 1:9 and 1:8 will handle about anything within reason.

Snooping on the net for powder recommendations and possible bullets for a 222 I may be getting into.

Ran into this.........again!!

Found some Speer 52 grain Varmint bullets on Gunbroker.com for less than $15/box today. There are multiple sellers offering them.

Ordered 500 of the Hornady 50 grain SXSP.

The recommendations are endless, and not many are wrong.

I picked up an old 700 BDL Varmint last year. Just shooting some IMR4198 in it for now with odds and ends lightweight bullets (under 55gr) and have not been disappointed yet.

RL-7 and IMR-4198 in the cabinet right now.

I figured with those two powders and 3 or 4 different primers I should be able to find something that will shoot "one hole" groups!!

Back in the '70s I used the Hornady 50 grain SX with IMR 4198. Today I would probably use the 40 grain VMax with a ball powder like 2230 or Tac.

Now I think the 40 grain Vmax gets the nod. Used to be 50 grain sx - guess the same as LeonHitchcox.

For 40s I have Sierra, both BK and HP plus some Nosler 40 grain Varmageddon HP.

Wanting maximum explosive effect.

Late to this thread, but IMO, the 222 is the best 22 cf ever designed. I have 3 at the moment. A Krico copy of the Brno 465 is my favorite. Most have twists that favor shorter bullets. Most of mine shoot 50 grain jacketed lead well, but all copper bullets above 45 grain tsx don’t do well. I like 8208 powder, but they’re all pretty forgiving of any powder in that burn range. My wife has a Heym combo gun 16/222 that she hunts hogs with. Use Sierra game kings in hers (50gr).

I'm pretty sure I got this recipe here back around 2018. It appears you have all items needed (per OP 1st post.)

50 gr Hornady sp over 22.2 gr of Hogdon 322 with br4 cci primer COAL 2.135

I shoot this load from my old Sako built the same year I was - 1952

Here's a light bullet load that my 722 likes:

222 Remington 722, 35 grain Hornady V-max, 7 ½ BR, 23 grains H322, 0.44 MOA

This thread is sort of like "what gas will a VW Bug run best on?" Pretty much anything....

What load will a 222 shoot best? Pretty much anything.. pick one.

Its harder to fine a load the 222 won't shoot well, then is to find one that beats all the rest.

same with the 223.l

Seafire: I currently own and shoot 6 Rifles in caliber 222 Remington and have owned 7 or 8 others over the past 55+ years.
And I concur with your contention that it would be difficult (if not next to impossible!) to find an "inaccurate loading" for a good shape 222 Remington Rifle.
One of my all time favorite cartridges.
I still shake my head at the idiotic decision, made some time ago, by the idiots at "Big Green" (Remington) to quit making Rifles in this wonderful caliber???
Long live the "Deuce".
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

My guess is the .223 is too close to the .222 to mess with making that chamber anymore. I have always wanted one but I was never in the right place at the right time with cash in my pocket. I see the Speer 52 grain varmint bullet is very available right now. They do shoot good in my 12 twist .223. It would be nice to see the .221 Fireball and the .222 rifles on the shelf again. I have the Remington .221 in the bolt action pistol. For a hand gun it is a screamer.

kwg

There used to be a number of bullets available that seemed to be designed specifically for the 221 Fireball and 222 Rem relatively low speeds for game. The old Sierra SX and several others of this type were constructed with very thin jackets to expand quickly on game at relatively low velocities and were extremely effective and accurate. Sadly, most of these bullets have been discontinued. I see them at gun shows occasionally but my 223, 223AI, and 22-250 are quite happy with the Nosler Bt's and Hornady Vmax bullets these days...

Hornady SX and Sierra Blitz are still available. They are what I shoot in my Triple Duece.

It's pretty much all been said already, I'll just repeat "40 gr Nosler BT and 40 gr V-Max" are best for me, with either H or IMR 4198 powder and Rem. 7-1/2 primers. I'm down to only two .222 rifles at present, but that combination has been good in four or five others.

I wish I had an AR chambered in the 222

I am currently 222less. I have a 6x222 and 25x222 and a lefty Mini Mauser action begging to become a 222. I normally don’t have multiple rifles of the same chambering but for a while had three chambered for 222. I got to be pretty fond of my home swaged 22LR jacketed bullets. They never gave the gilt edged accuracy of commercial bullets but 1/2-3/4” groups were pretty normal. And they spanked coyotes well. And they made ground squirrel shooting a little cheaper and plenty colorful.

Here's 3 loads my 222 likes:

222 Remington 722, 35 grain Hornady V-max, 7 ½ BR, 23 grains H322, 0.44 MOA
222 Remington 722, 40 grain Hornady V-max, 7 ½ BR, 26 grains H335, 0.65 MOA
222 Remington 722, 50 grain Sierra, 7 ½ BR, 22 grains H322, 00.72 MOA

Shooting 40 grain ballistic tips, something in the neighborhood of 22 grains of 2200 in the 222. Easy to remember. Mine likes 21.7 grains. Top rifle.

Any idea as to velocities?

How is the report compared to a standard load of rifle powder?

for my . 222 savage model 25 its H 4198 and 50gr NOS BT

Just barely worked the load up, haven't hunted the .222 yet. I wear hearing protection so the report is...muted.

The Hornady 50 grain SP on top of 20 grains of IMR-4198 always shot well in my Remington 722. Sadly I don’t have that rifle anymore. Fun little gun!

Mine's a Zastava barrel and action (mini Mauser) with a 20 inch barrel. I tossed the Zastava stock and replaced it with a American Black Walnut one. The rifle is there to shoot wild dogs and foxes, and so far the good load is a 40gn Nosler Varmageddon CCI BR Primers, Winchester brass and 21.8gn 4198. I've Chronoed the load and it's getting out at about 3,450fps. In Australian foxes are not native animals and have to be shot on sight.

not much difference in loading 222 data in a 223....gives pretty close to the same velocity.
I do that often....same with using 221 FB data in a 223. Just lower pressure.

I shoot 40 v max but found about every load I shot with other bullets shot 1/2 inch or less

20gr of IMR-4198, 205M Primer, Starline brass and 52gr Speer HP's @ 3100fps shoot 1/2" or better out of my Howa Mini. Trajectory matches perfectly with the BDC in my scope to 300yards. 222Rem is my favorite small centerfire.

I use the 50 grain Sierra BlitzKing -extremely accurate. I'd like to re-barrel with an 11 twist so I could use the 53 grain Vmax, but no one makes an 11 twist. I think the 53 Vmax would be ideal in a .222.

I really like the 50 gr VMax over RL 10x in my Sako. 10x was about the only powder I could find locally when I got the rifle and it has worked so well I didn't bother trying anything else.

Shot the new to me 700 ADL on Sunday.

40 grain Ballistic Tips and can't remember now if RL-7 or IMR-4198. Out of the truck window, forearm on mirror with left hand holding it and right elbow buried in steering wheel.

100 yards and no group was over 3/4 with one going about 3/8" center to center.

It will work for now until I can get time and set up a bench.

I also have some 50 grain SXSP loaded and want to try some 40 grain Blitzkings.

The Trigger tech trigger is very nice.

Just bought another .222 (BSA CF2) and looking forward to loading for it. Last triple deuce I owned was 37yrs ago and also was a BSA CF2 (HB instead of the current one with sporter barrel) and the best load was a 52gr SMK over BL-C(2)

We have been shooting 40gr vmax with H335 and CCI primer. So far the combo seems to shoot well in our savage 340 with 24” barrel. 55gr bullet is max for our rifle. It won’t stabilize properly anything heavier than 55gr.