.222 Remington into .222 Remington Magnum

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Chamacat

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I am curious..I just bought the Hornady 7th Edition Handbook..I notice that the case capacity has a slight edge over the .223 Remington..I did some online looking and the .222 Remington Magnum is not produced by any production gun manufacture...It looks like possibly Montana firearms makes the rifle chambered in the .222 Remington Magnum...So I was wondering if I could buy a Remington 222 and take the the rifle to a compent gunsmith/machinst and have the chamber made to fit a Remington 222 Magnum..those of you that have Remington .222 magnums how did you do it?..or has the rifles chambered in a 222 Remington magnum gone extinct...
 
I have an old Sako in .222 Mag. They are out there. I don't believe anyone is chambering guns in it any more the .223 (its near ballistic equivalent) pretty much killed it off with its cheap brass etc.

Keep an eye on gunbroker and you can find .222's faitly regularly, and an occasional .222 Mag will pop up.

Yes, a gunsmith can rechamber a .222 to .222 Mag.
 
OK...this may be a loaded question...Since I would be starting out with a new out-of-box .223...I know that I would like a heavy..{But not to heavy} fluted barrel..bolt action..What make and model number rifle would you recommend? I want to start off on the right foot here so I don't end up wishing I would have done something else..I really lean heavily on you guys opinions..because there are hundreds of years of experience on this forum..If the fluted barrel is not the way to go then that's OK also..I was thinking of a Kimber Pro Varmit and converting that rifle to a .222 mag..BUT..I'm more interested in your opinion..Ohh..one more thing what twist?...Thanks
 
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Well, you changed up on me. I do not know if the .223 can be as easily re-chambered, if at all, to .222 Mag, and personally, I would not do it. I would re-chamber a .222, or buy a .222 Mag, if a .222 mag is what you must have.

I love my .222 Mag, but there is a reason the .223 killed it off. :)

If you are simply looking for a bit more power than the .223 offers, the .222 Mag will do it, by a bit, but no huge increases.

The twist will be the same as .223 with the varying rates being chosen for the bullet weight or weights you intend to shoot.

If you want the benefits of a heavy barrel without the weight, fluted is the way to go. Fluted/non fluted etc etc can be a lengthy discussion (heated sometimes) by its self.
 
Factory .222 Mag ammo is a ballistic equivalent to the .223. You pretty much need to handload for it to get increases over .223. I do not try to hot rod it, just find an accurate load, which is easy in my Sako.
 
Check with Cooper Arms, they will make you a lovely .222 Mag, with fluted barrel and anything else your heart desires.
 
Yes...I did make a mistake in the above post...What I mean't to say was a new 222 out of the box to be rechambered to a 222 magnum...Not the .223 as stated..Thanks
 
I have a Kimber Longmaster Classic in 223 Remington. I was having the same thoughts about a 222 Rem Mag because I also have a 221 Fireball. The Longmaster has a 24" stainless fluted barrel that allows you to squeeze all you can get out of a 223. I've been real happy with it. This is it.

Kimber4.jpg
 
Or the .223 do better?

The slight gain in velocity over the .223 would not be worth the hassle of finding ammo, and cheap brass everywhere for a .222 Mag anymore.

For me at least, the next logical step up in power from the .223 is the 22-250.

Now you got something noticeable right there!

rc
 
OK...To answer the above question..I live in New Mexico and I do alot of predator hunting..In New Mexico one can almost on any given day have a 5-15 mph breeze..these are variables that I have to deal with..At the same time I want the most pelt friendly rifle that I can have..On still mornings I shoot the .22 hornet and .204 H-S Precsion..the hornet is fine till 175 yards or so...the...204 is fine for further distance but the 39 grain sierra blitz king is blown off course rather easy...the .223 is a good choice shoots alittle heavier bulllet and is probably a good 200 yard shooter..the .222 mag looks to be just a hair bit better shooter than the .223 based on case capacity only...I have had 22-250 and this is deadly on predatorsthat hang up at 225 yards and over and let's you have a second shot at 300-400 yards...BUT..a bad hit and your sewing up coyote hides till midnite..lol...So you see it's a yardage thing out here in New Mexico..Thanks
 
The slight gain in velocity over the .223 would not be worth the hassle of finding ammo, and cheap brass everywhere for a .222 Mag anymore.
For most people that is true, which is what has almost killed off the .222 Mag.

IIRC, the .222 Mag has about a 5% case capacity edge over the .223.
 
Chamacat,

Stick to your guns…or in this case your cartridge

I totally agree with your line of reasoning in regards to the 222 rem mag over the 223 or the 22-250. There probably is spit difference between the two smaller cartridges, but I always favored the 222 mag with it’s slightly longer neck for heavier bullets, 60grs+.

Not that it matters in terms of ballistics or accuracy, just the thought of that bullet seated down in the powder space always put me off. I try to use the slowest burning powder I can get the best accuracy from and don’t like to hear the powder crunching when I seat the bullet. I’ve tested both cartridges for bullet run-out and have found no discernible difference. It’s just a comfort in the back of my mind to know my bullets being held by a little longer neck. That’s’ all strictly a case of aesthetics and prejudice on my part.

And you’re right about the pelt damage, just make sure your bullet isn’t so heavy it’s shooting through the other side. I used a 17/223 wildcat on coyote for awhile and had a hard time just finding the entrance hole. You might want to try one. Longest shot was about 230 yds, (not made by me) in about 10-15 mph breeze. Shot more ground hogs with it than coyotes, but they all had the same reaction; they would freeze and then just lay down. When you picked them up, you could pour them from end to end. There’s something about that four thousand feet per second little bullet if you’ve never experienced it.

Midway has 222 mag on sale from their clearance shelf if that will help close the deal:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=1601168657

Ciao,

kerf
 
Flashole

That is one beautiful rifle. Have you KILLED anything with it today?

And, just out of curiosity(sure glad they have spell check on here) what scope have you got mounted there?

Ciao

kerf
 
The major problem with loading for a .222 Mag would be finding brass, I would think. For my money, I'll stick with .223. If I just have to own something different, maybe a .223 Ackley Improved.
 
Chamcat, I agree with kerf, stay with the .222 Mag. No problem with brass. There's plenty of it available, same with loaded ammo. But that isn't the point anyway: be different. The .223 is plenty good of course, but in today's context it's just a "me too" round. Everybody has at least one, some of us have several, but so what? The .222 Mag stands out in the crowd and offers some pleasant performance benefits. You'll be happy with it. As I said in earlier post, check with Cooper Arms, they have a list of options that will at least give you some ideas of what is available regardless of what brand you choose.
 
I have a Win 70 that is chambered in .222 RM. Also have a ton of factory ammo for it, all SAKO, they are still producing the ammo. Personally havent shot it in over a year, mainly due to the fact that it is lacking a scope.
 
It's a toss up on these .22 caliber guns between bulet weight, velocity and case capacity. I own two .222 Rems and a 22-250 and find the .222 fun to shoot. No recoil and easy on the powder bill. BUT I would like to be able to reach out past 250 yards reliably. Maybe a .223 Ackley Improved could fill the bill but can it be done without being a barrel burner.

The .222 Rem Mag is right in between their and I always like to have something different than the other guy.

Here is a good link: http://www.reloadbench.com/cartridges/222rm.html
 
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As long as there are a few .222 Mag fans like us out there, it won't die completely. We are sort of like .41 Mag fans in a sense. :)
 

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That is one beautiful rifle. Have you KILLED anything with it today?

And, just out of curiosity(sure glad they have spell check on here) what scope have you got mounted there?

Ciao

kerf

Not today but I'm heading out to the range to check out a new RMR 60 grain bullet load. It's absolutely devastating on varmints like crows and chucks. A quick story, over the summer I was working up a load for this gun at the 100 yard range and the gun and ammo were shooting really well. I was letting my barrel get completely cold between shots and I was examining the brass on the round I'd just fired for pressure signs (none to be found) when I caught something moving out of the corner of my eye. I looked down range and a huge fat chuck had run directly under my target and was standing there looking at me. Talk about a death wish. I calmly reached over and chambered a new round, I didn't even have to move the gun side to side, just tilted it down a bit and drew a bead on the center of the chest cavity. It almost cut the thing in half and flipped it about 10 yards onto the back-berm. The range managers strongly encourage ridding the range of burrowing varmints because they really do a lot of damage to the berms. That day I got to do my part. The longest/best shot I have made with the gun was on a crow about 280 yards out that was sitting in the top of a tree with a breeze that was moving him about 2 feet side to side. I timed it just right and all you could see was a huge puff of black feathers.

As to the scope, what's shown in the photo is a Redfield 3-10x50mm with the wide field of view eyepiece (that's a nice feature). I've since changed the scope out with a Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14x44mm scope and wish I had higher power. I moved the Redfield to my Fireball. Even at 14 power I feel a bit scope limited with this gun. With the long barrel it can really reach out and touch something, especially with my handloads.
 
Cannon steel they use to use to make Sako barrels. Supposed to be good stuff as far as accuracy and wear resistance. I know mine shoots lights out. Sako collectors know all these little things way better than I do.
 
OK...I have been looking around at gunamerica..{Thanks For The Info}..I didn't even know the site existed..Now I'm registered..I looked into the Cooper Firearms site and yes they do make the .222 mag in a "Model 21"..But only a single shot..Don't know about the price of the rifle yet..Anyways...I'm a person that will not buy a used rifle..with that being said...It looks like to me that that rechambering a .222 into a .222 mag is going to give one more rifle manufacture availbilty...I tried to look up SAKO but couldn't see where they make a .222 mag new...I will get ahold of a custom rifle maker tommorrow...I have looked at the Kimber Longmaster in a .223 and yes that is a beautiful rifle..I also like the kimber pro-varmit...
 
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