I have always wanted a 222. Should I now consider a 223 instead?

But with all the great posts of the 223, and knowing myself as I do, I'll want a rifle chambered for 223 within 16 months time.
:thumbup:
You sound a bit like me - sort of! ;)
As I've posted before on THR, I had a 223 (one of those ugly, "boat paddle" Rugers) that I liked real well. Ugly or not, it worked great, and I killed a lot of ground squirrels, rock chucks and even a couple of coyotes with it. And back then, I could almost buy "remanufactured" 223 ammo as cheap as I could load it myself.
However, my wife went and got herself a 22-250, and I just couldn't stand the fact that my wife was shooting a faster varmint cartridge than I was. So, I sold my 223 and got a 22-250 of my own.
I'd love to have that ugly "boat paddle" 223 Ruger back again. It's one of the few guns I've sold or traded off over the years that I regret getting rid of. Not that I have any regrets about getting myself a 22-250. It's easy to load for, it uses the same ammo as my wife's, and it works just as well on varmints as the 223 did.
BTW, one of the sillier reasons I got myself a 22-250 was because I once watched through my binocular as my wife used her 22-250 to simply "evaporate" a vole (field mouse) that was running across about 40 yards out. That mouse disappeared in almost the same instant my wife's rifle went "BANG!" All that was left was a couple of pieces of hair that I saw come floating down out of the sky a few seconds later. o_O
 
Easy to decide:

-If you reload, buy whatever you want because .224 diameter bullets are cheap!

-If you don't reload, get a .223 for the cost savings!

I don't have a .222 but would just need some dies and brass if I were to get one. I've eyed up the CZ 527 and the older Remington 700 BDL Varmint models though.
 
For the OP, as good a reputation that the 222 Rem has, you can probably get the same performance from a 223 rifle.

Having said that, it's fun to have a firearm chambered in a cartridge that is not "main stream" if you have a liking to it.

I've always been interested in the 221 Rem Fireball. I never bought a XP100 pistol to fire it in but when funds were available, I bought a factory chambered Remington 700 in 221 Remington Fireball, I enjoy shooting it so I bought a Bullberry 221 Rem Fireball Contender carbine barrel and furniture and made a 221 Rem Fireball carbine.. Both rifles shoot small groups and make good 100-150 yard varminters.

To insure I always have cases, I bought some case forming dies. Factory cases have not been an issue yet, but I can always produce my own if necessary.

Bottom line, if you like the cartridge and have the funds to make sure you always have a supply of cases, go for the 222 Rem rifle.

Side note, 221 Rem Fireball cases can be made easier from 222 Rem cases than 223 Rem cases. I hope the case manufacturers keep 222 Rem cases in production if they finally stop making 221 Rem Fireball cases.:)
 
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borderline geezer here (70). a 223 rifle of today has a faster twist suitable for heavier bullets. not saying they cant shoot lighter weight bullets though. 223s have shorter necks and slightly larger case capacity.
...however saying that a 222 rem is not viable or very usable is just malarkey. 52 grain bullets and a case-full (book data of course) of 4198 is a marvel onto itself. brass is easily resized from 223. even once fired will do. put a 222 classic wood/steel gun on the shelf and a whole bunch of newer 223 rifles and i will leave with the 222 every time. jmho.
...heck even the cheapest 340/840 222 savage shoot well.
....about the only thing that might sit next to it, not replace it is a 6arc.....sorry for the mouthfull but what do you expect from a boomer.
I am early in my process of selling off 90% of all my firearms and have a very straight Savage 340 222Rem with 2 magazines in that 90%. My other 222 is my Valmet 12ga/222 combo gun; it's in the 10%.

I load for 222 and 223 and see absolutely no difference in ease/difficulty in reloading either. My tripple-duce guns are more accurate than my 223's.

If you're not a reloader, the 223 makes all the sense.
 
Back in the 1960s I graduated from a 22 hornet to a 222 rem and I was hooked, I quit rifle shooting and when I came back into it I hankered for a Ruger #3 which I got in 223.
As far as I'm concerned they are the same, I don't hanker after shooting heavy for caliber bullets as I bought a blow out of over a 1000 50 grain Barnes varmint grenades.
Looking at my reloading manuals there's a couple of 100 fps in it between the cartridges and I don't think that's worth getting my knickers twisted over. What is worth twisting them is the development that has been poured onto the 223 especially in the available powders and loading data and tbh I think that swings the balance in favor of the 223, but it's your cash and your perception both of them are worth having, but not both at the same time. ruger #3 in battery.jpg
 
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I vote .223 and I have had a few .222s. Nothing wrong with the .222 at all but there is much more support for the .223 than 30-40 years ago when I was into the .222. Plus making .222 from GI 5.56 gets old really really fast.
 
When I was in my early teens, I would dream of some day owning a 222. But back then, I did not have the means to acquire one. I was an avid small game hunter, and my trusty Remington 22 LR Scoremaster was OK for squirrels at short distance, but I wanted something with a bit more punch and distance for slightly larger game with improved accuracy over longer distances. I was never able to get a 222 when I wanted one. But now, I am in the market for a 222.

Now the question is, should I reconsider the caliber and go for a 223 instead? I have of course Googled this topic and I know that some consider the 222 obsolete. But you can still get ammunition, dies and components. I'd like comments and suggestions from the members here to help me decide. And if you have a favorite brand/action rifle, please let me know. Once I decide on caliber, then the next step will be to choose a brand of rifle and type of action. A few "bullet" points to consider;

+ I am an avid reloader, and I will be reloading for either of these calibers. I am not sure of availability of components, cost, and other reloading issues for each caliber.

+ Because I'm a Western aficionado, lever action would be nice, but bolt action would also work well for me. Nothing automatic interests me.

+ I no longer hunt. The rifle will initially be for range use only. But you never know. Hunting may come into play at some point. Preferences change over time.

+ Cost of factory ammunition should be mentioned. I can not guarantee that I will reload all ammunition, so factory ammunition cost may come into play at some point.

+ Finding a new 222 rifle for sale may be challenging, but I am not opposed to purchasing a used rifle for either caliber.

+ I currently have rifles chambered for 303 British, 357 Magnum, 22 caliber, 9mm and 45 Long Colt.

Any and all comments are welcome. Thanks in advance for the help with this.
From one shooter to another, I say you would be better off in the long run to satisfy your curiosity and life long desire and buy the .222. And make it a good one; don't go cheap.. You can always buy a .223 in every imaginable configuation. I have three of them and have killed 1,000s of prairie dogs with them. Still like shooting them, a lot. Let us know what you find
 
Our local Walmart had 4 boxes of .222 in stock this afternoon, with more on re-order....so I guess it's less than a disappearing caliber than I thought. Still, for the sheer convenience of components, it'd be hard to turn down a .223 in a rifle you like. Regards, Rod
 
When I was in my early teens, I would dream of some day owning a 222. But back then, I did not have the means to acquire one. I was an avid small game hunter, and my trusty Remington 22 LR Scoremaster was OK for squirrels at short distance, but I wanted something with a bit more punch and distance for slightly larger game with improved accuracy over longer distances. I was never able to get a 222 when I wanted one. But now, I am in the market for a 222.

Now the question is, should I reconsider the caliber and go for a 223 instead? I have of course Googled this topic and I know that some consider the 222 obsolete. But you can still get ammunition, dies and components. I'd like comments and suggestions from the members here to help me decide. And if you have a favorite brand/action rifle, please let me know. Once I decide on caliber, then the next step will be to choose a brand of rifle and type of action. A few "bullet" points to consider;

+ I am an avid reloader, and I will be reloading for either of these calibers. I am not sure of availability of components, cost, and other reloading issues for each caliber.

+ Because I'm a Western aficionado, lever action would be nice, but bolt action would also work well for me. Nothing automatic interests me.

+ I no longer hunt. The rifle will initially be for range use only. But you never know. Hunting may come into play at some point. Preferences change over time.

+ Cost of factory ammunition should be mentioned. I can not guarantee that I will reload all ammunition, so factory ammunition cost may come into play at some point.

+ Finding a new 222 rifle for sale may be challenging, but I am not opposed to purchasing a used rifle for either caliber.

+ I currently have rifles chambered for 303 British, 357 Magnum, 22 caliber, 9mm and 45 Long Colt.

Any and all comments are welcome. Thanks in advance for the help with this.
There is nothing that .222 Remington can do that .223 Remington can't do better, and cheaper.
 
I should dig out my 222 Remington 700, i was going through stuff yesterday and come across a stash of 222 brass.
I haven't shot this gun in decades, i will be going back yo New York the first two days of May. I can take that rifle back and shoot some woodchucks.

20250207_073940.jpg
 
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