History of 222 Ammo

Welcome to the Leverguns.Com Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here ... politely.

Moderators: AmBraCol, Hobie

Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.

Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
Post Reply
ammodotcom

History of 222 Ammo

Post by ammodotcom »

Image

Designed by Remington benchrest shooter Mike Walker in 1950, the .222 Remington was initially sold as the cartridge for one of their bolt action rifles – the Model 726. Remington still produces rifles chambered for .222 today, as do Ruger and some European companies. It was the first varmint cartridge designed specifically for use in bolt action rifles, which is one of the reasons it set the bar for later varmint cartridges to come. The .222 was the second cartridge of this caliber to have a rimless case, the first being the .22 Newton.

Most of the .22 centerfires that preceded this round were modified cartridges from larger rounds, but not so of the 222 Remington. This was a totally brand new round. Originally, the cartridge came with 48-grain bullet standard. However, this proved ineffective against the varmints for which the round was designed. Soon after its introduction, the 48-grain bullets were replaced with 50 grain. Because it has a velocity of 3,200 feet per second, it boasts a greater range than the .22 Hornet as well as greater accuracy than the .220 Swift.

222 Ammo and Benchrest Shooting

Designer Mike Walker was one of the founders of International Benchrest Shooters. He first fired the cartridge in a competition at Johnstown, New York, in 1950. A Remington employee, the rifle he used eventually transformed into the 40X target rifle sold by Remington – one of the dominant rifles in benchrest competition until the mid-1970s.

If football is a game of inches, competitive benchrest shooting is a game of nanometers. High-precision rifles are mounted onto a bench, then fired at a paper target. Like most benchrest shooters, Mike Walker was a tinkerer who was always looking for ways to improve his round. The 222, which dominated the sport for decades, is arguably his crowning achievement.

Benchrest shooting is a sport dominated by gunsmiths. Much of the difference in competition is made by the skill involved in tinkering with custom firearms to get increasing amounts of accuracy. Unlike other forms of competitive shooting, however, handloading ammunition is strictly prohibited in benchrest shooting. Stock ammunition must be used, but the weapons can be modified in any way. The sport evolved out of varmint hunting, which requires incredible amounts of accuracy.

Despite the fact that it is no longer de rigeur in the world of competitive benchrest, it has a solitary achievement that can never be duplicated: It was the first round to ever be fired in a perfect grouping. On September 23, 1973, Mac McMillan shot a 0.0000" grouping, the first perfect one-hold grouping in competition ever recorded. The final verified grouping accuracy after being sent around to seven judges was finally measured at 0.009". This stood as a record for 40 years until Mike Stinnett beat it by 0.002" with 30 PPC rounds.

The Decline of the 222 Ammo

The .222 Remington was introduced shortly after World War II, and was the first new cartridge of the era presented by a large manufacturer. A unique characteristic about this round is that the case is original, as opposed to modifying an already existing case to become the new caliber. Since the .222 was introduced, however, it has become the inspiration for many other successful cartridges – including the .17 Remington, .221 Fireball and the .223 Remington. The last of these has largely eclipsed the 222 for dropping varmints, as rounds produced by the American military tend to perform a lot better than their civilian counterparts.

A leader in benchrest competitive shooting for nearly a quarter century, the accuracy of the .222 exceeded every other cartridge of the era, and established new standards for competitive shooting at long distances. It was only finally dethroned by the 6mm PPC and the .22 PPC. The .222 Remington is no longer used for competitive shooting, but it remains a well respected cartridge among varmint shooters.

Can You Hunt With 222 Ammo?

While mostly known as a competitive benchrest round and a varmint round, it has a certain audience among those who hunt medium-sized game. Medium-game hunters like the round because of its light weight and almost imperceptible recoil, as well as its high levels of accuracy – all things that make it perfect for competitive benchrest shooting. It’s often touted as a great round for women, young people or as a training round. However, not everyone is convinced. It has been said that the 222 simply does not have the stopping power and is not an ideal round for medium-sized game. Barring a head or neck shot, it might not be capable of actually felling an animal.

There’s an amusing anecdote about this worth sharing: A man became so in love with the 222 that he started using it on everything. He was knocking down deer, sheep and antelope with it. Then he tried it on a black bear who promptly chased him up a tree, where he sat until his wife came along with a 30-06 to finish the job. After this incident, he only used the round to drop gophers.

The Triple Deuce in the Military

Known as the “triple deuce,” the 222 Remington almost saw action in the military, as it was originally designed for the AR-15 with 20 percent greater powder capacity. It ultimately wasn’t accepted by the military as a standard round, but it has entered the commercial market. While this round is practically obsolete, it retains a core of followers in the handloading community. It also acted as the parent round of the .204 Ruger.

The 5.56x45mm NATO is likewise a stretched out 222 designed for the M16. It was built to satisfy the following parameters:

• 22 caliber
• Supersonic at 500 yards
• A six-pound rifle weight
• 20-round magazine capacity
• Semi- and fully automatic capability
• Able to penetrate .135-inch steel plate and a U.S. helmet at 500 yards

Several companies, including Remington and Winchester, quickly set to work trying to come up with the round NATO was looking for. The result was an international movement toward smaller, lighter weight, higher velocity rounds for military service. This allowed for a greater carrying capacity for soldiers in the field.

While the round is all but obsolete in the United States, it still enjoys popularity in Europe. Sako, Tikka and Sauer continue to produce the round regularly. One reason for this is that many nations in Europe ban civilians from owning “military” caliber rounds. The 223 is classed as a military-grade round and the 222 is close enough – but not as far as the law is concerned.

The .222 today is mostly employed to hunt varmints up to 250 yards out, as well as small deer in Europe. Its bullets commonly weigh between 40 and 60 grains in the common configurations of FMJ and SP, and muzzle velocity ranges from just less than 3,000 feet per second to more than 3,500 feet per second.

The best features of this cartridge include groups at less than MOA, gentle recoil, mild muzzle blast and lower operating pressures than similar cartridges – which extends the life of chambers and barrels. Rifles are not currently manufactured in volume for the .222 , but many companies still manufacture .222 ammunition.

Even though the competitive days have ended for the .222 Remington, it remains an excellent choice for hunting varmint and small game.
Larkbill
Levergunner 3.0
Posts: 704
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2010 4:31 pm
Location: St Peters, Mo.

Re: History of 222 Ammo

Post by Larkbill »

I guess the rules of benchrest shooting have changed since this was written. When I was at the International Championship a couple summers ago I didn't see anything BUT handloaded ammo.
___________________________________________________________________
I'm not paranoid because I carry a gun. Why should I be paranoid. I've got a gun.
shasta_steve
Levergunner 1.0
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2020 9:19 pm
Location: Sacramento

Re: History of 222 Ammo

Post by shasta_steve »

I have a .222 Sako my Dad had built in Germany, when he was in the Army, in the late 50's. It has a bull barrel and an really good looking piece of wood. I shot thousands of squirrels, rock chucks and coyotes with it as a kid. I have not shot it much the last 20 years or so but I was pricing a new scope for it the other day. Great little rifle and honestly for 90% of my shooting it is a better caliber than my 22-250. I do agree the .223 makes a little more sense now but nothing wrong with the .222
User avatar
6pt-sika
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 9466
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:15 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: History of 222 Ammo

Post by 6pt-sika »

I’ve got a trio of 222’s at the moment and have had close to a dozen others . And believe it or not they all shot extremely well . At present I’ve got a Remington 722 my maternal grandfather bought new in 1958 , also have a circa 1989 Remington 700 BDL Varmint Special that I put a six ounce trigger in and mounted a Leupold 36x BR scope and lastly I have a CZ527 HB that was a limited run a few years ago . The CZ527 had a single set trigger but I couldn’t get it as light as I wanted without sear issues so I put a RifkeBasix I think it is kit in the gun and now the trigger breaks at 8-10 ounces and this gun has a Leupold 36x BR scope on top as well . CZ made the 527 FS in 222 regularly a few years back and a limited run about the same time they made the CZ 222 I have now , anyway I wish I’d bought one of the CZ527 FS Guns in 222 as well . Had two Sako Mannlicher stocked rifles in 222 before and enjoyed them . I like both PPC benchrest rounds but I like the 222 more regardless of whether it’s considered obsolete or not .
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
User avatar
6pt-sika
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 9466
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:15 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: History of 222 Ammo

Post by 6pt-sika »

Larkbill wrote: Fri Dec 04, 2020 8:13 pm I guess the rules of benchrest shooting have changed since this was written. When I was at the International Championship a couple summers ago I didn't see anything BUT handloaded ammo.
I got plenty old Shooters Bibles and Gun Digests from back in the 60’s and 70’s with articles and pictures from BR matches showing folks hand loading at the matches .
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
User avatar
6pt-sika
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 9466
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:15 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: History of 222 Ammo

Post by 6pt-sika »

Think I’ve got 300+ pieces of Lapua 222 brass and about 5,000 various 52 and 53 grain match bullets as well as several thousand SR BR primers and enough acceptable powders to eventually load all that stuff . So I think I’m good for a few years atleast .
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
User avatar
Old No7
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 3573
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 9:06 pm
Location: Southern Maine

Re: History of 222 Ammo

Post by Old No7 »

Great info, some of which was new to me. Thanks for sharing!

My pillar-bedded Timney-triggered Rem 700 with a Leupold scope is the most accurate rifle I own -- and a real pleasure to shoot.

Here's an honest 5-shot group, shot at 100 yards in zero wind...

Old No7

Rem700 222 - 5 Shots.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
"Freedom and the Second Amendment... One cannot exist without the other." © 2000 DTH
JRD
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 142
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2007 11:28 am

Re: History of 222 Ammo

Post by JRD »

Dang. I’ve been searching for a Remington Model 726 chambered in 222 but they are quite elusive...

I’ve got fond memories of shooting a 222 with a now departed mentor/ friend on California ground squirrels.
JOG
Levergunner 3.0
Posts: 600
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2019 5:04 pm
Location: southern Maine

Re: History of 222 Ammo

Post by JOG »

Last year I came across a 1953 customized Remington 722 in 222. It had been converted for a lefty, which I am. It has a custom target barrel made by Gartman of Mass. Beautiful walnut stock. She has quite a bit of weight to it. I have a old Redfield 3x9 scope on her. Before the big ammo shortage I found some Hornady superformance varmint vmax 50 g. At 100 yard's if I'm steady, all shot's will touch each other. I'm not the greatest shooter in the world but this old bolt action makes me think I am! I for one really enjoy the old triple deuce! Long live the 222!
User avatar
AJMD429
Posting leader...
Posts: 31939
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 10:03 am
Location: Hoosierland
Contact:

Re: History of 222 Ammo

Post by AJMD429 »

I have a Contender pistol barrel in 222 Remington, but I’m sure I can’t shoot nearly accurately enough to take advantage of the inherent accuracy of the cartridge, particularly with a handgun... :oops:
Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws
"first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.


Want REAL change? . . . . . "Boortz/Nugent in 2012 . . . ! "
User avatar
Sixgun
Posting leader...
Posts: 18566
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:17 pm
Location: S.E. Pa. Where The Finest Winchesters & Colts Reside

Re: History of 222 Ammo

Post by Sixgun »

Who is "ammo.com"? Sounds like an advertisement from a hacker to me. There's a bit of BS in the story too. Except for the Olympics I've never heard of factory ammo only...plus, what the hell is a Remington 726? :D
Model A Uzi’s
Image
User avatar
gamekeeper
Spambot Zapper
Posts: 17326
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: Over the pond unfortunately.

Re: History of 222 Ammo

Post by gamekeeper »

Sixgun wrote: Sun Dec 06, 2020 1:08 am Who is "ammo.com"? Sounds like an advertisement from a hacker to me. There's a bit of BS in the story too. Except for the Olympics I've never heard of factory ammo only...plus, what the hell is a Remington 726? :D
The OP has been zapped for spam. Likewise the links at the bottom of his post.
If more men loved and cherished their wives as much as I love bacon the world would be a much better place.
User avatar
AJMD429
Posting leader...
Posts: 31939
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 10:03 am
Location: Hoosierland
Contact:

Re: History of 222 Ammo

Post by AJMD429 »

Nice little write-up but the “not allowed to handload for benchrest competition” didn’t make sense....was that ever the case...???

This looks like the original post someone copies from:

https://ammo.com/rifle/222-ammo

Looks like a reasonable website, philosophically:

https://ammo.com/articles
Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws
"first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.


Want REAL change? . . . . . "Boortz/Nugent in 2012 . . . ! "
User avatar
6pt-sika
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 9466
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:15 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: History of 222 Ammo

Post by 6pt-sika »

AJMD429 wrote: Sat Dec 05, 2020 11:02 pm I have a Contender pistol barrel in 222 Remington, but I’m sure I can’t shoot nearly accurately enough to take advantage of the inherent accuracy of the cartridge, particularly with a handgun... :oops:
I just bought a 6.5 TCU barrel but several times I’ve contemplated a 222 barrel . 222 was THE FIRST centerfire cartridge I ever fired . Needless to say I have a rather large soft spot for it !
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
Post Reply