Author Topic: Any of you "still" shoot the old .222 Rem....?????????? (Read 8948 times)

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **on:** January 02, 2010, 11:33:45 AM »

While I was out today I was thinking of guns I would keep, trade, sell, or give to my pals... Silly thoughts but it was cold...Anyway, I thought of my old .222 Rem. It is a custom job with a Douglas barrel and must be about 7000 rds old...It has been a super shooter all the years I have owned it..And still is ...I remembered a Savage 340 in .222 was the first center fire I bought....Had my Dad's 32 and Grandfather's 06, but this was the first I bought...I was 15..Since that time there have been only a few years I was with out the tripple duce...It has taken litterly thousands of varmits...For many years I think it was the most popular pure varmit round on the scene..The came the .22-250 and the .223.With the cheap ammo for the .223 the little .222 slowly seemed to fade..I still shoot a few p. dogs with mine, and some woodchucks if I get back to hunt them..but like others I have a .223 for most of my dog shooting...Still the little .222 doesn't give up much to the .223 except the cheap brass and ammo. Now I mostly use it for turkey. But it still is one of my very favorites..Anyone else still use it....

Cheesehead · « **Reply #1 on:** January 02, 2010, 11:37:19 AM »

I come close, a 222 Magnum, In a Model 700 carbine, made in the 60's.

Cheese

roper · « **Reply #2 on:** January 02, 2010, 04:20:04 PM »

I'm still shooting a 222 40x and custom also shooting a 222AI have that one set up for 55gr bullets. I've also got a 722 in 222mag still shooting pretty good and I had Rem 700 in 222mag unfired that some guy fell in love with that paid for my 22-250AI.

mauser98us · « **Reply #3 on:** January 02, 2010, 04:27:38 PM »

I'd love to have a .222 Mag. Thinking of a rechamber job right now.

Hairtrigger · « **Reply #4 on:** January 02, 2010, 04:46:38 PM »

My main go to gun for woodchucks is a stainless Ruger M77 mk2.
My first centerfire rifle (still have it) is a Ruger Mini - 14 in 222.
In the safe there is also a Sake L461 in 222.
I agree, cheep brass is the only reason to go with the 223

Manitobahunter · « **Reply #5 on:** January 02, 2010, 07:01:56 PM »

I also bought the 340 savage when I was 15. Can't even guess how may bullets have been through it since I got it. Thing it still shoots as good now as it ever did. Never mattered what you put through it the results were the same. If you put the crosshairs on something it was going to die. Probably my most favorite rifle I own.

Cliff

securitysix · « **Reply #6 on:** January 03, 2010, 03:10:42 AM »

My dad has a 14" .222 Remington barrel for his Contender that he still shoots from time to time. He's been known to shoot groups with it that will make guys with heavy barrel Remingtons in .22-250 pack up and go home.

I've considered a .222 barrel for my Contender as well, but just haven't gotten to it yet.

Autorim · « **Reply #7 on:** January 03, 2010, 10:03:41 AM »

I have a Browning/Sako .222 that is one of my favorites. It has one of the older 6x Weavers with fine CH and dot. I had the scope rebuilt. For many years I shot the 722 which I restocked with a M700 stock - glass bed and all that stuff. I cut and crowned the barrel. I gave it to my son and he still has it.

If you want cheap brass, you can easily make it from .223 brass.

I love the .222. I have a Hornet, two .223's and a 22-250, but the .222 with a 50 grain BT or 53 grain Sierra HP is still my favorite.

Ken

Swampman · « **Reply #8 on:** January 03, 2010, 10:11:53 AM »

At the last gun show I saw a Marlin/Sako in .222. It had a micro-groove barrel. I almost bought it.

Brithunter · « **Reply #9 on:** January 03, 2010, 10:04:10 PM »

Yes in fact it was only about a month or so ago that I acquired a second .222 rifle. A 1956 vintage BSA Regent

the other is a Baikal MH 18 single shot break barrel like the Remington spartan.

rbart · « **Reply #10 on:** January 07, 2010, 01:59:56 PM »

I still use mine it is a remington 760 that my grandpa bought and passed down to me. She wears a 6X bosch and lamb and shoots 3/8 at 100.

ToadHill · « **Reply #11 on:** January 07, 2010, 03:52:18 PM »

I have a Marlin/Sako .222, my dad's old gun. Best darn woodchuck gun I've ever owned, hit them out at 300 yards and when you walk out to them they still have the grass they were chewing in their mouth.

moorepower · « **Reply #12 on:** January 15, 2010, 10:15:26 AM »

I have two L 46 Sako's, both in .222. I just shot some pd's with the "more seasoned" rifle. I have too many varmint guns, so the .222's don't come out to play very often.

Screwbolts · « **Reply #13 on:** January 16, 2010, 03:46:51 AM »

Just last Sat. a Old Remington 722 in 222 Rem followed me home. It has a manufactured date of 10-50. It wears a K6 Weaver in Redfield Junior Mounts ( these mounts are going down the road, to hard to remove the scope for cleaning and general maintenance). Like so many old rifles I do not think this gun was ever shot much.

The old rifle needs to be free floated, i currently have .027 of shims under the front and back screws to relieve some of the forends pressure. Just havn't taken the time yet.

This rifle will never ever have to endure the punishment of condom wrapped bullets again. I have now have 110 yard groups of less than an inch with NOE 22-055 FN boolitz of Lino, being pushed at over 2800 FPS with Mils surplus WC846. In cases I formed from WCC 69 surplus 223 brass.

Ken

PS: My Mini Mark X in 223 is looking scared and thinks it is going to go on the auction block. :-)

Hairtrigger · « **Reply #14 on:** January 16, 2010, 04:08:42 AM »

I just sealed a deal for a Rem 700 bdl in 222

Always room for another varmint gun!

moorepower · « **Reply #15 on:** January 20, 2010, 05:37:59 AM »

I would love to be in a dog patch where I could shoot all ten of my varmint guns, but I think they may start to duck after about the first four!

S.S. · « **Reply #16 on:** January 22, 2010, 05:12:24 AM »

Friend of mine is a SWAT sharp shooter in a large city,
his rifle is in .222. He has larger cal. rifles of course,
but the .222 is his go-to gun. In his hands, caliber
is really a non-issue, He is that good of a shot.

gonetocamp · « **Reply #17 on:** January 23, 2010, 03:53:22 AM »

I still shoot a Rem. 600 Mohawk in .222.

Redford Bohica · « **Reply #18 on:** January 24, 2010, 10:50:26 AM »

I have two; a Remington 788 that I bought new back in 1974 and a Springfield 840 (a derivative of the Savage 340) that I inherited back in '98.

With full power loads, one is just as accurate as the other. But where the Remington outshines the Springfield is in the use of reduced loads. Back in the mid 80's I played around with the reduced loads for small game hunting and had a lot of fun in the process. The primary load I was running was 4.0 gr. of Unique with a 40 gr. bullet at the time. The 788 will easily put 5 shots of this reduced load into the size of a dime at 50 yards; but for some unknown reason, the Springfield 840 just sprays them all over the place.

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #19 on:** January 24, 2010, 11:53:50 AM »

RB, when you made your reduced loads, did you need a filler of any type????How did they preform on small game...excellent I would suppose,,,

OLDHandgunner · « **Reply #20 on:** January 24, 2010, 11:35:43 PM »

The 222 is probably my own personal favorite small bore. The Savage 340 was my first rifle back in the late 60's. It has a 6x Leupold mounted on it and has taken alot of game over the years. I also have a few others that I have purchased and use. A Remington 600, Remington 788 and most resent a Custom Bullberry barrel for my G-2. This one is the most accurate small bore that I have ever shot. The 222 is easy to load and shoots most 50-52gr bullets very accurately with a number of powders.

Screwbolts · « **Reply #21 on:** January 25, 2010, 02:58:45 AM »

Quote from: Redford Bohica on January 24, 2010, 10:50:26 AM

With full power loads, one is just as accurate as the other. But where the Remington outshines the Springfield is in the use of reduced loads. Back in the mid 80's I played around with the reduced loads for small game hunting and had a lot of fun in the process. The primary load I was running was 4.0 gr. of Unique with a 40 gr. bullet at the time. The 788 will easily put 5 shots of this reduced load into the size of a dime at 50 yards; but for some unknown reason, the Springfield 840 just sprays them all over the place.

Most likely the rate of twist in the 840 is different than the 788. At the reduced velocity the 840 wouldn't stabilize the 40 grain bullets.

Ken

Redford Bohica · « **Reply #22 on:** January 25, 2010, 11:20:53 AM »

Wyo. Coyote Hunter:
I never used a case filler with the reduced loads. Two other powders I tried were SR4759 and Hercules (now Alliant) 2400. The 4.0 gr. Unique/40 gr. jacketed bullet (which I later upped to 5.0 gr. Unique) load performed very well on small game. I go for head shots if I can, but I did punch two squirrel through the ribs just to see what the result would be.....just a bullet hole in & out with NO bloodshot meat. In fact, in the fall of 1990, I took my turkey with that load; the bird was at 50 yards and was starting to run off. I hit it right where the wing joins the body. The turkey dropped right there, and meat damage was negligible!

Screwbolts:
I would tend to agree with you on the difference in rifling twists. Two twist rates for the .222 I've seen used in various reloading manuals are 1-in-12 and 1-in-14.

38-55 · « **Reply #23 on:** January 25, 2010, 11:50:25 AM »

Have a M722 Rem. in 222. Wore out the barrel and had it rebarreled and bedded again to 222. If I did not have it I would buy a 223. Having the 222 I would not buy a 223. There is not enough difference between the two for me.

Darrell Davis · « **Reply #24 on:** February 12, 2010, 12:16:48 PM »

One of those "wish I hada"!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back a few years ago, a fellow was selling off a bunch of guns' etc. for the wife of a friend.

In the collection was a Remington tripple duce with a Timney single set trigger.

The fellow selling the guns didn't even know what he had until I told him about the trigger and how it worked.

Don't recall the price, but I wish I hada-------------------------

Keep em coming!

CDOC

Bullshop Junior · « **Reply #25 on:** February 12, 2010, 12:40:29 PM »

My dad has two, a Brno and a Sako, and they both get shot from time to time. I had a 223, and like the 222 better. Works better with cast boolits.

Screwbolts · « **Reply #26 on:** February 13, 2010, 01:54:10 AM »

Quote from: Bullshop Junior on February 12, 2010, 12:40:29 PM

My dad has two, a Brno and a Sako, and they both get shot from time to time. I had a 223, and like the 222 better. Works better with cast boolits.

I totally agree with Daniel!

Ken

leather5to1 · « **Reply #27 on:** February 28, 2010, 04:56:06 PM »

The most enjoyment I ever got out of shooting a gun is a 722 in 222. It was my great grandfather's go to groundhog gun while he was alive (he died ten years before I was born). My grandfather also used it to shoot his biggest buck, talk about a caliber that shouldn't be taken deer hunting. The barrel is as ugly as they get. Looking down it all you see is craters, I'm told this was due to corrosive primers of the time. I have never seen a more pitted barrel. I loaded up half a dozen loads of all different stuff and took it out for fun. I couldn't believe every load shot under an inch at 100 yds. Truly a wonderfully designed cartridge and rifle.

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #28 on:** February 28, 2010, 05:12:35 PM »

5 to 1, while the rifle may certainly be pitted, it was not due to corrosive primers..when the .222 hit the market those were not loaded in that little caliber.. what happened is called neglect...sorry...this is the lesson we learn from not cleaning our rifles after use...while it may be accurate today, think of what it would be if it had been cared for... this is common with our older hunters..sorry to say...I have seen a number of rifles ruined from lack of care...it is still a fine action. and as long as it shoots to suit you fine... a new barrel can be purchased in the event it crashes....good shooting...it is a sweet caliber...

leather5to1 · « **Reply #29 on:** March 01, 2010, 07:02:36 AM »

Oh I know it was neglect, but current neglect is better than the neglect of 40 years ago. Because of the sentimental value of this gun I will never alter it, after all how much better do I need it to shoot. I have plenty of other guns to play with so I won't get the urge and hopefully one day my son will get to shoot his great great grandfathers groundhog gun just like it was when he used it.