.222, .223 or .222 Rem Mag

[Peter M. Eick]

From a purely reloading standpoint for a bolt action rifle, which would you prefer?

I was reading and thinking about a lighter caliber target/varmint gun. Probably 95% target shooting and 5% prairie dog blaster. I have a 25-06 Sendero for varmints, but I need something to bridge the gap between the 25-06 and the 22LR.

I am going to reload it. I will not be firing surplus 223 ammo so it has no bearing on this thread. I will be going for a bolt action rifle only. Thus no semi's.

What I am curious about is if you have 2 or even all three calibers. Which is the best from a reloading only perspective.

 

[LeonCarr]

From a reloading perspective, .223 due to the large amounts of inexpensive military brass available.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Jim Watson]

Which means zero point zippo. Dang few target shooters use surplus brass. I use match-weighed Winchester commercial. Might go Lapua next purchase.

I'd still get a .223; the .222 is fading and the .222 Magnum is about dead, per your other thread. Selection and availability of RIFLES is what governs.

Good components and dies will make very little difference in ammunition quality and accuracy.

If other than .223, how about a nice .22-250?

 

[db_tanker]

223

More components than you can shake a stick at.

With that, you could also say the same for the 22-250.


the 22-250 has more top end due to a larger case.


But...with what was listed, go with the 223 and don't look back.

D

 

[Grumulkin]

For target work, go with the 222. It has won bench rest matches for years and the world record 1 hole 5 shot group is still held by a 222. I shoot a 222, 223 and a 22-250 and of the 3, the 222 does the best at 100 yds. The 223 and 22-250 have similar accuracy but I had to play a bit more with the 223 to get an accurate load. I think it will be a very long time before the 222 fades away.

The 223 is known for being a little finicky to load and, in my opinion, does not have the accuracy potention of the 222; perhaps because of the shorter neck. The 222 Rem. Mag. is ballisticly very similar to the 223 but has a longer neck so may be better (I have no personal experience with it). Brass for the 222 Rem. Mag. may not be as readily available as that for the other two but I've never shopped for it so don't know for sure.

For target work, you might also consider the 22 PPC; another bench rest favorite.

If you want longer range options, the 22-250 is a good suggestion. It has excellent accuracy potential and negligible recoil.

 

[toecutter]

Of these options, I would say the .223 is the most ideal. Aside from military surplus ammo, there is a lot of different loadings available on the shelf in .223. There's nothing like showing up at the prarie dog hill realizing you forgot your ammo, and then realizing that there is no .222 or .222 rem mag for 100 miles.

However, I might also suggest the .17HMR as a stop gap between the two. Sure it's rimfire and not reloadable, but it's flat shooting out to 100 yards, and packs serious punch out to 200. Has no recoil, is deadly accurate etc. The only down side is the ammo cost, it's about $10 for 50, I've never been able to do any better than that. But I sure love shooting the thing. I usually core out golfballs and apples at 100 yards to impress my friends.

Also, as far as rifles, I might suggest the savage 10FP, I bought one last year in .308 and in some ways I'm kicking myself for not buying it in .223 (perhaps I'll get that next year).

 

[Peter M. Eick]

You mentioned the 17hmr. I had on my list originally the 17Rem. I have always liked one but frankly the hassles involved in cleaning and loading such a small bore shied me away from the 204 and the 17rem.

I shot the swift for years before moving up to the 25-06 for longer ranges. I had to let the swift go during college for food and so therefore I have a bias against the 22-250. I could never see stepping back to a slower round since I shot the swift.

Reading the posts over crystallized in my mind that I want to go the 222 route.

As a handloader I could care less about scrap military brass. I tend to buy large blocks of brass and then carefully cull out the good pieces and make them last a long time. I weigh them, trim them, neck turn, primer pocket ream, flash hole uniform etc so brass tends to last a long time. Thus I see little advantage of ex-military surplus.

The driving force behind this is an offer to help clean out a bad infestation of prairie dogs out in the panhandle. The landowner has been after them with a 22lr pistol and done a reasonable job, but I think my 25-06 is going to be too much overkill most of the time. Thus a 222 would fill the gap between a bolt 22lr and the 25-06.

Thanks for the insights.