Thanks guys for all the info especially the bullet length info, I was thinking about that yesterday while looking at bullets availability online and I was looking at the barns TSX 45 and 50 and was wondering if the 50 would be too long especially the TTSX version !
222 rem
- Thread starter DGY
- Start date
How does their length compare to the length of your R-P FMJ's?
If you go to Barnes' web-site, click on the Resources tab, click on load data, go down to .22 caliber, open up the pick list, go to .222 Remington & download the data sheet. Barnes uses a 24" 1:14" twist Wiseman barrel for .222.
They list nothing above 53 gr. TSX FB for that cartridge & even then, state a 1:12" minimum twist is recommended for that bullet. Barnes lists that bullet as having a length of 0.795".
The longest [heaviest] bullet they recommend for 1:14" twist barrels in .222 Remington is their 50 grain TSX FB. Barnes lists that bullet as having a length of 0.736".
Barnes' .224" 50 gr. TTSX bullet is 0.812" long & Barnes' states "1:12" twist or faster" is required.
If you go to Barnes' web-site, click on the Resources tab, click on load data, go down to .22 caliber, open up the pick list, go to .222 Remington & download the data sheet. Barnes uses a 24" 1:14" twist Wiseman barrel for .222.
They list nothing above 53 gr. TSX FB for that cartridge & even then, state a 1:12" minimum twist is recommended for that bullet. Barnes lists that bullet as having a length of 0.795".
The longest [heaviest] bullet they recommend for 1:14" twist barrels in .222 Remington is their 50 grain TSX FB. Barnes lists that bullet as having a length of 0.736".
Barnes' .224" 50 gr. TTSX bullet is 0.812" long & Barnes' states "1:12" twist or faster" is required.
I agree.
I own a couple of 222's, and have had 3 or 4 others. The 52 and 53 gr jhp bullets have been my go to's in that cartridge. More often than not, they have been the most accurate bullets in those rifles. - dan
Last edited:
Don't bother.
Just shoot it until the groups start to open up, then clean back to the bare steel with a good copper/carbon solvent and start developing a load.
Kenney Jarrett was once asked how he came up with his "barrel break in procedure" He now wishes he'd never come up with one, but only did so because customers kept asking him to.
Same with the moa out of the box guarantee with a specified load, proprietary to that particular rifle/cartridge combo. It's only come back to haunt him.
IMHO, it is quite possible to shoot a barrel to the point, accuracy drops off and it's impossible to bring it back. Many match shooters of all venues have had this happen.
I had one barrel ruined by cupro nickel jackets, because the jacket compound welded itself to the steel in such a manner that when it was removed, it took bits of the rifling edges with it.
I believe, as others do, the composition of the bullet jacket material, along with the intensity of the loads, has more to do with initial accuracy than any other issues.
Most loaders I know try to wring out every bit of velocity for bullet weight they possibly can. Sometimes bypassing the best accuracy nodes in favor of speed.
Shoot ten to twenty cartridges with a starting load, see how well they group. That will give you a very good idea whether the rifle will shoot well or not.
Use your normal procedure for working up a load, considering what the rile will be used for. Hunting rifles don't need to be accurate for ten to twenty shots or more in a string. Shooting such strings only tells you what the rifle will do when the barrel is hot.
When you're hunting in the field, other than for Gophers, if you didn't bring the animal down with the first two shots, very likely you aren't going to harvest that animal. Those first two shots from a COLD barrel are the most important. Yes, it's nice to be able to say your rifle will deliver tack driving accuracy for the first 5 or 10 shots, but under 99.9% of field circumstances the chances of getting that many shots off at an animal are a pipe dream, and quite realistically, most rifles aren't manufactured with that kind of shooting in mind.
I have a large amount of variety of .224 bullets. Depending your location ect I could send you some test samples instead of buying bullets to see what it likes. My tikka t3x shoots speer 50gr tnt on top of h4895 better then I can. It shoots nosler 40gr ballistic tip and 40gr -max with h322 with real good accuracy and screaming speeds. 52gr Sierra bthp is a gooder as well.It shoots h322, benchmark and h4895 probably the best. I could never get w748 and i4198 or h4198 to shoot like a triple deuce should.
I sold my last 222rem, chambered in a lovely Model 70, factory built sporter with a medium weight profile, 23 inch bbl.
It was a special order rifle, from the factory, from one of my ghosts of "girlfriends past." I'm going to miss that rifle.
It had a 1-14 twist rate and wouldn't shoot bullets over 62 grains well and if they were flat base.
It liked two bullet designs, both were Hornady #22492 A-max and #22571 V-max
They both liked 24.0 grains of H335 over CCI450 magnum primers.
RL7 gets to max pressures long before filling the case to the base of the bullet when seated, and velocities start to become erratic quite quickly
IMR4198 works OK, but it's just too bulky IMHO.
The 222rem is a great cartridge. If you have one of the later barrels or a custom barrel with a 1-8 or 1-10 twist rate, RL7 and IMR4198 would likely do better.
The 223rem suffered from a similar issue, until manufacturers realized many of their factory barrels were being taken off and used for pillar bedding blocks, because the rifles were being rebarreled with tube having much tighter twist rates.
It took the manufacturers quite a while to offer tighter twist rate barrels, but by then, the 223rem had taken over.
My 222rem shot best with bullet weights between 50-55 grains, with flat bases.
Every time I tried boat tail shape bullets, no matter which weight, I couldn't get the same accuracy.
Maybe just a quirk of my rifle?
I will be trying what I have here, Speer varmint 55gn(they are really short compare to others) and nosler ballistic tip 40gn with the louder I have, is nothing work the way I want I will sell it and find a 223 with a faster twist barrel!
Good!
If it was me & you really want to see how good it can get [you may have stumbled on thee BEST load already, so bear that in mind!] try a different primer, if you've got some other brands on hand, and vary your seating depth a wee bit, both longer & shorter. BUT, do NOT change more than 1 thing at the same time. Keep your targets, cut them out & staple them in that rifle's own scribbler, along with notes on the load. That will allow you to see if something goes hay-wire or your barrel needs swapping out.
If it was me & you really want to see how good it can get [you may have stumbled on thee BEST load already, so bear that in mind!] try a different primer, if you've got some other brands on hand, and vary your seating depth a wee bit, both longer & shorter. BUT, do NOT change more than 1 thing at the same time. Keep your targets, cut them out & staple them in that rifle's own scribbler, along with notes on the load. That will allow you to see if something goes hay-wire or your barrel needs swapping out.
Got a 6.5X20X40mm AO Leupold on it for glass also at least 4-5 other types of SRP'ers . Minus 10 this am so shooting at the outdoor range ain't happening.Till spring this will do for smacking coyotes and the like. Also have some H322 unopened. Under 1/2" in a sporter is fine for my intended purposes. for now.It's glass bedded[free floated] , ceracoated and wearing a Timney. Want to try 55-64gr SP at some point for larger critters.1-12" twist target crown. The original barrel pitted in the middle may be able to get re-bored to 25x45 Sharps for another gun?
Last edited:
