What happens if you shoot .222 Rem in a .223 Rem rifle?

As both rounds headspace on the shoulder, the 222 should move too far into the chamber to fire unless restrained by a mauser type extractor.

I believe the .222 shoulder diameter is too big to get into a .223 chamber isn't it?

Never tried but the .222 shows to have a larger diameter than .223 but it's close.

That's why you can ream the .222 out to .223 but not the other way around I think.

Interesting question.

The 223 is longer.

What happens?

People point and giggle.

Seriously, the 222 is too short. It should just fall in the chamber out of reach of the firing pin. It would be like trying to shoot a 9mm luger in a 38super.

If it did somehow go off, it would probably ruin the case, and maybe not extract very good.

There is a good chance you will split the case on the .222 and have it stuck in the chamber. Not Good...

Alway use the caliber that's recommended by the manufacturer.

The 223 is longer.

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Yeah but my reloading book here shows the .222 to be bigger around at the shoulder but I guess it's not enough to keep it from chambering.

If you try it, be sure to videotape it.

Seriously, the 222 is too short. It should just fall in the chamber out of reach of the firing pin.

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Not if, as MMCSRET noted, you had a rifle with a controlled round feed extractor like a CZ-527, or BRNO Mini-Mauser, or the new Remington 799 Mini-Mauser.

The extractor would have the rim in control when it came out of the magazine, and it would fire if the bolt closed on it.

And it would close on it.
Case diameter is .358", one inch forward of the rim, which is identical to a .223 Remington at the same one inch from the rim.

What happens then is anyones guess.
But for sure you would have an extreme case of excess headspace.

My guess is though, it would just fire-form.

rcmodel

What happens? You get a YouTube worthy video.

I'm thinking it would be a non-event.

Or we would have heard of a whole lot of blowed-up .223 rifles over the years from it.

And we haven't.

Besides, they probably wouldn't fire in most rifles like the Remington 700 series, AR-15, or others with a "snap-over" extractor.

rcmodel

A .223 will chamber in a .222 rifle, but if fired the .223 case will blow.

"my reloading book here shows the .222 to be bigger around at the shoulder"

He's right. I just checked it. What this means is that the 222 might not fall into the chamber. It looks to me like the 222 and the 223 have the same taper. The 222 has a larger shoulder because it's shorter. If you were to extend the 222case to the length of the 223, I'm guessing they would have the same shoulder width.

So maybe the 222 will chamber and fire in a 223.

A .223 will chamber in a .222 rifle, but if fired the .223 case will blow.

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No, a .223 Rem will not chamber in a .222 Rem rifle.

The .223 case will not begin to go in the .222 chamber all the way.

It is .170" longer to the shoulder on the .223.

rcmodel

I've seen both of them interchange, but it probably depends on the rifles used. I'm sure they don't in all rifles.

This is about .222 Rem and .223 Rem

NOT .223 & 5.56mm.

.222 Rem is way shorter then .223, and they simply cannot interchange in any rifle.

rcmodel

As an aside, about two years ago I found one cartridge of .222 Rem in a 50-rd box of WWB bulk .223 Rem (55gr FMJ) that I had purchased. Had I not been paying attention to magazine loading, I would be able to answer the OP's question from experience.

I've still got that box and single .222 Rem cartridge somewhere. I have nothing that shoots .222 Rem. The experience didn't inspire confidence in WWB quality control.

Yeah but my reloading book here shows the .222 to be bigger around at the shoulder but I guess it's not enough to keep it from chambering.

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but if this were the case you couldn't ream a .222 to .223

I believe that the shoulder diameter on .222 is as big around as that same point on a .223 case when measured from the case head forward, remember that both cases are tapered and the shoulder is farther out on a .223 thus it will be smaller. This may also offer enough of a wedge fit for a 222 round to fire in a .223 chamber without a mauser style extractor.

A hazard could be that the claw extractor wouldn't hold the .222 tightly enough against the bolt face to prevent primer blowout. That's not always horrible, but it's not good.

This is about .222 Rem and .223 Rem

NOT .223 & 5.56mm.

.222 Rem is way shorter then .223, and they simply cannot interchange in any rifle.

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I'm wasn't referring to the .223 Rem & 5.56. I was referring to the .222 Rem, but upon further research it seems the .222 I saw interchange was probably the .222 Rem Magnum, and not the standard .222 Rem.


Here's the article I found that cleared it up:

http://www.reloadbench.com/cartridges/223.html

The 223 Remington is nearly identical to the 222 Remington Magnum, the only difference is the 223 has a slightly shorter case. The two are not interchangeable although the 223 will chamber in the 222 Remington Magnum rifle.

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Let the speculating cease

You guys are a horrible influence on me! I have 1000 things I need to be doing, but I see this post and have to trot over to the shop to try it.
I have an old beater Rem. 788 in 223. I loaded a .222 cartridge with a mild load of 23 gr. of H4895 under a 50 gr. Remington SP. I initially seated the bullet for an O.A.L. of 1.30", but when I chambered the round and attempted to fire it, the firing pin couldn't reach the primer, so I pulled the bullet and reseated it long so that the bullet would engage the rifling thus holding the base of the cartridge against the bolt face. That did the trick and here are the results:



Quite predictable. A small amount of primer protrusion. Anyone shooting the rifle would've never known they'd fired any cartridge other than the one for which the rifle was chambered.

35W

Hmm...well maybe it was a regular .222 Rem after all. This was years ago so I don't really remember if it was a .222 Rem or the .222 Rem Mag.

Thanks for the test 35 Whelen, I knew I wasn't going crazy...yet.

.223 will not chamber in a .222, but it will chamber in a .222 mag. If a .223 is fired in a .222 mag chamber, it will turn out to look like the .222 case pictured above..

I have an old beater Rem. 788 in 223. I loaded a .222 cartridge with a mild load of 23 gr. of H4895 under a 50 gr. Remington SP

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And thus is born "The .222 Remington Whelen Improved."

P.O. Ackley is laughing.