Convert .222 to .223 ?

[Captain Capsize]

Would reaming a .222 rifle chamber to .223 be a functional modification? Would it result in a poor performing rifle? If I had the reamer could I do it myself or would it require a gunsmith? Thanks for your reply.

 

[gunner69]

In 1965, while stationed in Arizona, I had a gunsmith rechamber my .222 Remington 600 to .223. Worked great and I was able to use all the free military brass when reloading. I killed a lot of gophers, jack rabbits, 'yotes, and even a deer or two with that rifle. I think it would make a cheap shooting rifle for you.

 

[Kp321]

That is a very straight forward conversion that you could do yourself with a finish reamer, headspace gauges, and reamer extension handle. Might be cheaper to have your local gunsmith do it. Some rifles such as Savage 340 or others with detachable magazines might need some modifications to feed properly.

 

[Jim Watson]

It would be a tight fit in a Sako L46 with detachable magazine, too.

 

[velocette]

It is a change that could be done fairly easily. However, the wisdom of
doing it is questionable.
First, you would be trading a round with known gilt edged accuracy for one known for good accuracy. The .222 was a bench rest winner for many years and is known for excellent accuracy.
Second, the twist of the .222 barrel is usually 1:14, too slow for any bullets heavier than 55 grain, leaving out many fine bullets that the .223 is offered in.

Roger

 

[Captain Capsize]

.222 to .223

Thanks for the reply gents, it sounds doable. Maybe not the smartest thing to do so I will give it some more thought.

 

[FROGO207]

I would look into a new barrel for the rifle in .223 with a 1 in 9 twist if I was going to do this. Then you still can put the rifle back to .222 if you ever wanted to.

 

[Old Shooter]

What is the make of the gun? Some rifles may or may not be able to easily switch barrels back and forth. In some it may be more than a kitchen table chore on a Friday night.

 

[Captain Capsize]

.222 to .223

I am looking for a rifle/shotgun combo so a barrel switch probably wouldn't be a worth while mod. I find more .222/12 ga. then .223. I don't want a .222 as I have plenty of .223 ammo and load dies for it. Don't want to have to load a new caliber.

 

[jmorris]

A friend of mine got tired of not being able to find ammunition for his .222/12ga Savage 24 and converted it to .223. No problem, except for maybe the next owner, it still has .222 on the barrel.

 

[mnrivrat]

I reamed the chamber in my Savage V model .222/20ga to make it .223 . It worked out just fine for me and since the Savage combo guns were not tack drivers anyway I realy didn't worry about the twist rate.
You can rent the reamer and head space gauge for about $50 so not a real expensive change. Some gunsmiths would do the job for about that money as well.

 

[WardenWolf]

I am looking for a rifle/shotgun combo so a barrel switch probably wouldn't be a worth while mod. I find more .222/12 ga. then .223. I don't want a .222 as I have plenty of .223 ammo and load dies for it. Don't want to have to load a new caliber.

In that case, you might as well do it. It's already a single shot rifle, so there's no magazine to worry about, and it's an over / under, which means it's not a precision rifle. You lose nothing.

Incidentally, there's various good loads at 55-grains and lower in .223, including Varmint Grenades at 45-grains. It will be fairly easy to find something your barrel will like.

 

[Captain Capsize]

Thanks all. I found several .222/20 ga. at a local gun show this weekend but had to pass on them all as they were either too rough or in one case way out of my price range.

 

[jmorris]

I didn't know you didn't own one yet. About the same time you posted this thread there was one for sale in the classifieds.

 

[jmorris]

Looks like you missed it.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=677369&highlight=Savage