rechambered Savage 222 to a 223 or 5.56 or Wylde?

[Nick Nielsen]

My father had bought a Savage model 842 222 that was rechambered some years ago. He passed on 3 1/2 yrs ago. I decided I would like to shoot something other than a 22 so I pulled it out of the gun cabinet. I couldn't find any 222 ammo, just some 5.56. Finally I tried the 5.56 in the gun, and it fit perfectly. I realized that it had been rechambered, just not marked on the gun what it currently is. I don't know the details of the gun as far as the rechambering goes, and my father is not around to inform me. I have read the stuff on not shooting 5.56 in a 223, and that if you have, you may have marks on the spent shell from the throat where the dimensions are not the same. There are no marks on any of the spent casings that I have shot thru the gun. I have also read about the 'Wylde' chambering that can use both 223 and 5.56.

I would like to know what this gun has been rechambered to so I can safely shoot the gun with the proper ammo. Is there a way to have that determined? I was not sure since the gun was a 222, not a 222 mag, if that alone should keep me away from the 5.56 ammo and only shoot 223 in it.

Thanks for any info or guidence on the next step I should take.

Nick

 

[rcmodel]

The Savage 340 / 842 was made in .22 Hornet, .222, 223, and 30-30.

All develop less pressure then 5.56 NATO.
30-30 = 42,000 PSI
.22 Hornet = 43,000 CUP
.222 = 50,000 PSI
.223 = 55,000 PSI

The only way to figure out what the chamber is to make a chamber cast using Cerrosafe alloy and measure it. A gunsmith should be able to do that, as well as check the headspace and see if it is right.

And I would strongly suggest you have the headspace checked, or buy the guages and do it yourself.
That it was re-chambered without marking out the old caliber and remarking the new caliber casts suspicion on the quality of the reamer job.

I would almost bet though that it is a standard .223 chamber, as 5.56 NATO and Wilde chamber reamers didn't used to be found in very many gunsmith's reamer collections.

PS: The .222 likely came from the factory with 1/14 rifling.
It won't stabilize anything heavier then 50-55 grain BT spitzer bullets anyway, so that rules out a lot of 5.56 NATO ammo..

rc

 

[Nick Nielsen]

Thanks for the details RCmodel.

Is it possible to overstress just the barrel since those pressures that you listed are all below the 5.56? In other words, even if the rechambering happens to be for the 5.56 would it still be a bad idea to shoot 5.56 because all the barrels were for lower pressure chambering? I am forgetting for the moment the twist rates are different. I understand that limitation on the accuracy.

Nick

 

[Jim Watson]

The barrel is not the limiting factor.
The weak point is the single locking lug bolt design.
But since they built it in .223, they obviously thought it strong enough.
If it were properly rechambered, I would not worry about shooting USGI 5.56 in it, but would be wary of some of the imported stuff. You would be limited to M193 55 grain hardball; it should do OK unless you took it out in sub freezing weather, which was what drove the military from 14 to 12 twist barrels.
I think I would just buy it some WWB 45 gr hollowpoint; that is to commercial specs and has a good Internet Reputation for accuracy at a moderate cost.

Oh, by the way, for all the Internet Consultants who would send you to a gunsmith for evaluation of any used, surplus, or altered gun; Brownells's survey shows the shop charge for a chamber cast to run from $50 to $90. Might be time for the old spare tire and string we used to use to evaluate such guns.

 

[Nick Nielsen]

Jim,

Thanks for the further information. I was also going to add, and forgot, I do have several micrometers, inside mics, venier calipers, depth guages, and another device that when you turn the knob, it expands the ball at the end for purposes of measuring I.D. You place it in the hole, tighten the knob and a wedge spreads the ball on the other end apart. When it tightens in the hole, you pull it out and use a micrometer and measure its radius. Could I use that tool, place it down a given distance and measure something that would tell me what it was chambered to? Or with a depth guage, measure to a shoulder depth?

Nick

 

[rcmodel]

No.
Headspace is measured from the bolt face to an imaginary datum line on the chamber shoulder.

Fixed steel GO & NO GO headspace gages are used to measure headspace.

Cerrosafe or sulfur Chamber casts are used to measure chambers & throats with a micrometer, once you take the hardened casting out of the chamber.

rc

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Another possiblity. Maybe it's still a .222 as you can make .222 brass from .223 or 5.56.

 

[Nick Nielsen]

When I took the gun for the first time, I stopped by a gun dealer to get some 222 ammo. When I mentioned to him about the 5.56 ammo that would drop in the chamber, he told me to bring in the gun. We got both 222 and 223 off the shelf, and the 222 dropped further into the chamber enough that the extractor groove would not engage on the extractor on the bolt. If I recall the shell dropped in like around 1/8" too far in the chamber.

Nick

 

[Adair]

In that case, it is most definitely NOT a .222. I can't speak for the differences in 5.56 and .223 though.

 

[Jim Watson]

5.56 is the military version, chambers are a little bigger for hot dirty full auto fire, and throated out for what our allies think comprise good ammo. There is also a subtle little contour so a tracer bullet whose compound cavity has "riveted" will be funneled down the barrel with little increase in pressure.

I would not mind shooting US peacetime or even the present GWOT product in a commercial chamber on a strong action but some of the foreign stuff out there might want the military chamber.

I'd shoot the commercial stuff in a light duty gun like the Savage.

 

[Nick Nielsen]

RCmodel, I saw your post on the Cerrosafe chamber casting. Since I have the micrometers and venier calipers, Do you believe I would be able to find some Cerrosafe and do the cast myself and then measure it? I do have a Lyman's reloading handbook, so I have the 223 specs. I would have to find the 5.56 specs to do the comparison, it is an older book (1982.) Are the differences clearcut that I would be able to easily differentiate what the chamber is?

Nick

 

[rcmodel]

The cartridge drawings in reloading manuals are for the SAAMI Max cartridge case specs.

That is not the same thing as the SAAMI min & max chamber specs.

Cerrosafe is available from Brownell's.

Chamber drawings used to be available online for the reamer manufactures like Clymer, etc.
But I don't believe they are any longer.

Once again, I would suggest that the chances are very very slim of some old gunsmith reaming your Savage? .222 for 5.56 NATO.
I would bet anything it is a standard .223 Rem chamber.

rc