[i][/i][b][/b][color:#6633FF][/color]I just bought a Nib Rem. 700 Classic in 222 that I just couldn't pass up. I've got several 220 Swifts but wanted a lighter quieter 22 caliber rifle. I thought about the 221 Fireball but had already been given Forster 222 dies & other stuff including 300 new Norma brass. So, does anybody still like & shoot the triple deuce? Have a safe happy holiday season,
Jim D

Duh...

Got three of them in the house, considering building a fourth!......

Here you go, a LVSF 'build'..




And a Ruger #1




Third one is a minty vintage Rem 722 I bought for my wife...she wont let me play with it!


It has become my favorite gopher shooting round...which is saying a lot...

You bettcha......I morphed a cheap 223 SPS into a 222 and stuck it in a Boyds classic stock...
It shoots better than the Sako Vixen I had years ago....






I have a Classic in 17Rem....I'd love to have one in 222 but I doubt it would shoot better than this one...

Always wanted one. I would not turn down a CZ American so chambered if offered.

FieldGrade, awesome groups. I guess the BM is Benchmark? Other powders you suggest trying in my gun?
Jim D

Nice looking rifle FG !

222 BDL fanboy here.

600 mohawk

I had a 222 Classic, bought it new and when I got around to looking down the barrel it had pilot marks cut into the rifling. Sent it back to Remington and when it got back, it wouldn't feed. Sent it back again and this time it was perfect.

I used H322 and 50 grain NBT's to kill a ton of coyotes with it then traded it off for a 223 since I had a few of them. It shot 3 shot one hole groups pretty regular and I still regret trading it off.

I have a rem. 788 in 222. My boys and I kill about everything with it. It has made them great shots. No recoil,cheap to shoot, very accurate,what's not to love?

dad had an old savage 340 in 222 that was a tack driver



wish he didn't lose it

Not Fieldgrade, but 4198 is the old standby powder for the 222.
Between 19-20grs under a 50-52gr bullet has shot very well in all of my guns over the years as well as some friends guns.
19.5grs of 4198 under a 52gr SMK shot bug hole groups in a couple of them for me.
H-322 loads well in the triple deuce too.
Good luck,
-Ted

Yes...Bench Mark.....it works just as well with 40gr Vmax as it does with the SMK's....
I had eight pounds of BM on hand when I built it....needless to say...it shot so good I haven't looked any further...

Lots of guys seem to like 4198 in the Deuce....[oops PaleRider beat me to it]

Im relatively new to the cartridge after wanting one for almost a decade. I loaded up some 50 grain bullets and H4198 as suggested by several campfire members and was .5 MOA in no time. It was hell on groundhogs this summer. I like the mild report when shooting around smaller farms. Didnt get a chance to go after fall turkey with it though, maybe next year. Its a Tikka Hunter.

FWIW you guys I ran into a deal on CFE223 powder, stuff it in the deuce and am getting good speed out of it and good accuracy...gonna go shoot some pigs with it this spring...

I have two, a custom 700 and a custom Sako .. Love them both.. The 700 has killed thousands of varmints, the Sako is mainly a turkey rifle.. If a friend had not given me 400 trimmed .223's, I doubt I would have ever gone to the .223.. As it is, the old .222 is still the favorite.. I have used H335, BLC2, H 4895, and both I4198 powders.. All are very accurate..

ingwe - what bullet you use on pigs? what size pigs?

Thats good to know about the CFE223. I just bought a pound.

Was going to try it in a 22-250, might experiment now.

I'm not much of a Tika guy but if I was going to buy one it would be the Hunter...
That's a good looking well balanced rifle/scope package right there....
Very nice....

It does balance well and it is the right weight for a walking varminter for me, albeit feels heavy compared to a T3 lite. I boght this one from Europtic, think they are still on sale, considering a used 700 in the triple deuce goes close to $700, its a steal at $500, especially considering the tikka accuracy.

Thanks guys. Ya'll fellows are getting this 60+ year old as excited as my wife did 30 years ago. I have a HS Precision sporter stock & a Jewell trigger on my work bench just waiting for it to get here. I've got most of the powder listed including CFE 223 but I've got a bunch of X-Terminator & RL-10. Also I hope they shoot because I've got 500 each of Berger 40, 50, & 52 grain. Varmint & match both in the 52's. I think they will do fine. I just wish I didn't have so many powders to choose from, even have VV 133 & 135. Thanks,
Jim D

I wonder if 10 would be a little slow.

Maybe not, but I am compressing RL7 in a 221 fireball with a 40 grain bullet.

Find one that doesn't shoot. That's my challenge.

I'll guide you on gophers if you get it dialed in.




Travis

10x isn't too slow; IMR 4831 leaves some chunky residue...

That said, its pretty hard to mess up a 222 load that won't shoot.

Powder choices for highest velocity depending on bullet weight is about the biggest challenge, if it is one.

10x will get 40's to 3,600 without worry and 50/53's to the requisite 3,250 with ease as well with fine accuracy. One could even go 3,450 and 3.050 and still be satisfied with 10x.
Assuming one has a decent shape double lugged bolt action rifle, the 222 will be 100-200 fps. under 223 speeds at the same pressure.

IMO, 10x is a better 222 powder than a 223 powder, if top velocities within standard pressures are the goal.

Does anyone know what twist rate the Ruger hawk eyes in 222 came with.

I will most likely be using the 50 grain Barness TTSX...the rifle has a 1 in 9 twist and stabilizes it well.Otherwise it will be a 55 Grain Hornady SP....maybe both! Pigs will be up to 150 pounds. Brain shots...I don't wanna hafta track anything..havent had to yet and don't want to start!

Couldn't find a .22 Hawkeye on their website...enlighten me! Id love to get my mitts on one!

My 700 BDL likes Ramshot's Xterminator just a little more than IMR4198. But I'd not complain about group size from either powder.

special run in 2009. If they have that 1 in 9 twist like the ruger number one that you have i'll be buying one. Then again if I can find a light sporter number 1 for under 700 I might buy that as well.

I have an old 788 that was my dads gun. Then I have a 700 adl that a previous owner stuffed in a classic stock.

Only ones I could find were stainless, which is OK, but couldn't find any specs....

Got enough deuces already anyway......

My go to mid range dog gun a Sako 461

"222 Remington"? You mean the .221 Fireball magnum?

Perfect cartridge in every way.

I had this .222 built by Dennis Olson and received it a month or two back.

Sako Rhiimaki action. Douglas #2 finished at 19". 8" twist.

Have not bloodied it yet but I'm going to call dogs after some ice fishing this morning.

YOU SUCK!!!

I shoot X-Terminator and 40's (BT and Vmax) in mine.

I shoot 4198 and 50gr TNTs. You'd be hard pressed to find a bad load for the Deuce unless you really went out of your way.

Yeah, it and the 308 are likely the 2 easiest cartridges to work with.

That is a beautiful piece of wood. Congrats!!!

I probably wouldn't tell Clark he has a beautiful piece of wood if I were you. He might show up on your doorstep.

Hey Clark, looks like a nice rifle, what's the story brah?

Literally.

It still hasn't killed anything!




Dave

If I had a nickel...




Dave

On the rifle itself? I bought it on the classifieds here but when I got it in hand I saw it was not an original barreled action. And it had been put in a Fajen stock. A horribly hideous Fajen stock.

So I sent that stock off to get reworked (McMillan doesn't inlet for these) but I never heard back from that guy. So since it wasn't original, I said to hell with it, and shipped it off to Dennis Olson with a note and $500.

His wife called back about 18 months later. Said it was done. I'm very happy with it.



Clark

i'd really like to know how that 8 twist handles different weight bullets. My one slow .222 only goes to 2940 with the 60
to 64 grain bullets. Do you have any plans on loading any of the heavier bullets in it?

Well, not really. The Rhiimaki is very limited by COAL length due to the magazines they use. I'll probably try the 62gr. TTSX at some point. And maybe some Hornady 68gr, BTHP's.




Dave

made lemonade out of lemons. Looks like a beautiful stock.

It is exceptional.


And that's his idea of "middle of the road" for lumber. The trigger on it is unreal. You can hand it to even novice shooters and milk jugs at 250 are in very real trouble when shooting offhand.

Ok. I'm done blowing myself now.



Dave

1-8 twist?


Kirk probably hasn't spoke to you this much since April....

I was curious if Dennis would object but he did everything I specified. And some extras. I just let him do what he wanted outside of barrel specs and LOP.

7lbs as it sits.



Travis

My only objection is that he didnt use a Liljee.

All of Montana will ship your polock ass outta state.

If Dennis did that stock for $500 you got a bargain!

That stock came to $1,100 I believe.




Dave

He usually does. I've just never had a reason to not go Douglas.





Dave

OK...even THAT looks like a bargain!

You know, I honestly think it is.

If you really break it down I provided the action and nothing else.

He yanked the old barrel, installed the new one, did the bluing (which is flawless) made the stock, installed a steel grip cap, the ebony forend cap, modified the mag latch, made the trigger a wet dream, installed the red Decelerator. Checkered it....

And it shoots factory ammo well under an inch.

I don't know. I think 2K out the doors isn't bad at all.




Travis

Dammm Clark, that is sweet.

Outstanding!!

Geez you coulda got a Kimber. It might have shot ok too.

Anybody can buy a Kimber, that custom .222 is super cool..

Agreed....I'm just jealous because I thought I had the coolest non factory 222 on the board until Clark showed up with that beauty...

True.

I'm batting 1,000 with Kimber. But I don't think they're doing the deuce.




Dave

Using a Kimber Select as a donor for a Deuce rebarrel wouldn't suck much. I'd still rather have Clark's rifle though.

Dave, I really love that gun. I'll trade you a Remington Classic 222 & a box of feathers to stick in & tickle your azz for you. Beautiful firearm & a deal.
Jim D

Thanks.

I may need one more... grin.




Travis

There is a Savage 340 in .222 in my local gun/pawn shop. They put it out this past Thursday.

Don't recall what the price was but i remember thinking that it was very reasonable. Looked like it hadn't been used much.

Ed

I think most of them perform well.

If you go after it, make sure there is a magazine or a discount on the rifle.

Gonesouth: I am a BIG fan of the 222 Remington cartridge.
Currently I am down to just six Rifles in that caliber.
The 222 Remington is a splendid and efficient cartridge.
Why, on earth, the cretins at Remington quit offering this caliber in their Rifles is beyond me - and I cannot find any foregiveness for them in that regard.
I bought my first Rifle in 222 caliber back in 1966 (a Remington 722) and I was immediately impressed with the accuracy I could obtain with that "basic" Rifle.
A little later I bought a new Remington 700 Varmint Special in 222 and I REALLY became impressed with the accuracy of that cartridge.
My favorite Rifle in 222 though is a Remington 40XB-BR with a 24 power Leupold scope on it.
This is a single shot with a 2 ounce trigger and whenever I want to impress myself I get this Rifle on over to my local range on a calm day.
Some years ago I bought a Remington 700 Classic in 222 (like yours) and set it up as a "walking Varminter".
I was SO impressed with the accuracy of that thin barreled Remington Rifle that a year later I bought another one, mostly to try and turn a profit.
Curiosity soon got hold of me and I scoped that next 222 Rifle up and shot it, mostly for curiosity/comparison.
It shot every bit as good as my first Classic in 222 - so its still with me.
I have never owned (or shot) a Rifle in caliber 222 Remington that I considered to be less than impressively accurate.
I hope your 222 Classic shoots as well as mine do!
Good luck.
Thanks for your Holiday wishes by the way.
Same to you.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I bought my 222, a Rhiihimaki, for hen just about every kind of powder was hard to find. I was able to grab a couple pounds of RL10x at the time and so far with both 50 & 40 gr V-Maxes it has been well under MOA. Pretty easy on fur, too.

I don't think your's could've turned out any better. That stock is pretty dang nice for what it is/where it is from.

And all this talk of a 222 has me thinking I "need" one. Dang it Charlie!

VarmintGuy, dang, there must not be a limit on them. Guess I'd best get looking for more. I'm impressed with mine now. 52 grain Berger + X-terminator = 1 hole! I want a heavy barrel 222 now. Thanks everyone for all the feedback. I love my 220 Swifts but dam if this ain't fun.
Jim D

Started life as a Rem. Model 7 .222 (they only made them for a couple years when the Mod 7 first came out) with a pretty thin barrel.
After one heavy use on the PD towns of S. Dakota I had the action trued and a heavier stainless barrel installed by Hart. Installed a Timney trigger myself.

Heck of a good shooter, helped reduced the dogs around Murdo.
.

Back in the 90's, Remington chambered their Model 700 VLS in the triple deuce. I bought one. Heavy contour 26" barrel. I've only shot factory ammo through it, but it is still easily the most accurate center fire rifle that I have. It's also a pleasure to shoot.

Those bone stock Rhiihimaki's are cool. Nice rifle.




Travis

Gonesouth: I have not tried that X-Termintor powder as yet but those 52 grain Bergers have been SO accurate in so many Rifles for me that I must classify them as "inherently accurate" bullets!
They remind me of the WONDERFUL old Remington 52 grain "Bench Rest" bullets of long ago - I simply never found a Rifle that did not shoot them REALLY well!
The old Remington 52's were not as lethal (explosive) on Varmints as the Berger 52's but I still killed a lot of Rock Chucks with them (head shots).
That is one thing about the Berger 52's they are a little hard to find at times.
Long live the 222!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

What about a Mark II??
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/610086003

Never seen one of those before!

Fat fingers...missed the extra '2'....

Oh yea......I have 2 461 Sakos, one in 222 the other in 20 tac..

I'm in for fun - 1986 700 24" w/sights 222 Rem
and to add to the fun - 1969 700 24" w/sights 222 Rem Mag.

Ken

I have a 600 that is my daily calling rifle. I mostly use BM and TAC. 50 grain Blitzkings are my go-to bullet for coyotes. It is a 14 twist I think so I am limited somewhat on modern bullets. 40 and 50 plastic tips all shoot good-kill good.

The most accurate factory rifle I ever owned was a Rem 788 in .222. It was about as pretty as a pipe strapped to a fence post, but it could put 5 shots in one ragged hole at 100 yds. And that was with a trigger that felt more like exercise equipment. Dang I miss that one.