.222 vs .223

pazzo

pazzo

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here's my dilemma... i will NOT be using this rifle for hunting anything larger than Coyote. if i am to ever hunt larger game, i will use one of the larger caliber rifles i own. i will mostly be doing plinking/ small game hunting...

i was shooting my friends Brno Fox in .222 Rem yesterday, and i absolutely love it. it was incredibly accurate.
on the way home when i went to the local gun shop to get some supplies, i asked the guy if he could get one in for me. his reply was "sure, but why don't you just get a .223 instead." i was thinking how i didn't want one, cause i wanted something that was super fast, had minimal recoil and was very accurate. well, now i don't know what i want... the only time i shoot .223's is in an AR15, and they don't kick at all.

so my questions are:
which is cheaper to shoot? more accurate? (keeping in mind the .223 is more powerful), flatter trajectory? and overall better??
now i can't decide cause i've been doing research and i'm totally confused as which one will be 'better' for me... if we could list the pros/ cons of both cartridge that would help a lot.

thanks:)
 
factory 222 ammo is hard to find, usually only available at larger shops or by special order. ammo selection is limited.

223 is redily available in a wide variety of loads. cheaper ammo is available.

223 has a slight velocity advantage 100-200fps.
 
A 222 is typically slightly more accurate but depends on a lot of factors, the neck is slightly longer which makes it slightly easier to reload.

The 223 rifles with a faster twist can shoot heavier bullets if you want to try shooting at longer distances. Most 222's can handle up to 55 grains, some will shoot 60 grain bullets, but the 1:8 223's will stabilize 69 grain or heavier bullets - these have been used in 1000 yard matches. However, not all 223's have the fast twist.
 
if i choose the .223, would i be better off just getting a .308? this is what i didn't want. i can keep upping the size until i get to .300 win mag... the only problem w/ the .222 is locating ammo for cheap!
 
you can't notice a difference between a 222 and 223 shell unless you hold them side by side. recoil and noise are the same.

i think TOOMANY was trying to say a 223 is a little more versatile than a 222. i shoot a 222, but if i had the choise again i'd get a 223.
 
If your choice is between 222 & 223 then in my opinion the 223 is far the better choice. You will have a much choice of guns and also ammunition.
The 223 was developed out of the 222 & 222 magnum and won because it is better.
If you should ever get into reloading, you will really see the difference having a 223 will make upon the availability of components.
Go to a gun store & check what is available.

Good luck.
 
I have both.A coyote at200 is dead. my 222 is more accurate.(rem.hbv)but 223 has slight edge on power.both are great for gophers. Something to remember is if you want to resell in the future there is a lot more demand for a 223.I love my tripple duce and cant see me without one,but,I am set up to reload with lots of brass. You will injoy the rifle witch ever way u go. A J
 
so that settles that! i will go w/ the .223!!
 
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colinjw said:
The 223 was developed out of the 222 & 222 magnum and won because it is better.
Click to expand...

Not exactly the facts. The 223 won because the military adopted it, making it far more popular than its cousins, the 222 and 222 Mag. Had the military not been looking for a cartridge ideally suited to Semi-auto & full auto, the 223 would never have been developed. There is little that the 223 does that the 222 will not do, but the rest of the comments are true. The 223 is easy to get a vast plethora of ammunition for, the 222 Mag is basically obsolete and the 222 is a reloaders proposition. Regards, Eagleye.
 
The story of .222 being more accurate than .223 is BS.
There is no good reason to purchase a new rifle in .222 unless you are already sitting on a pile of ammo or already handload for that cartridge.
 
does anybody want to trade their .222 or .223 for my S&W 29-2 .44 mag (8 3/8" barrel)???
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1443593#post1443593

IMG_2666.jpg
 
yea, that's why i want the .223! it's so much more affordable. especially for people like me who like to shoot lots.
 
The .223 does have an edge in case capacity, but with it's short neck, heavy bullets extend deeper into the powder capacity, so the advantage is not so much as one would think. I was not terribly impressed with the factory .222 ammo which was available when I had mine, and I quickly began reloading for it - I would of anyway. If cheap factory ammo is your single motivation, the .223 is the one for you, but military surplus .223 might not meet your accuracy expectations. On the other hand, bulk brass , primers, powder and bullets all cost the same for either caliber if you choose to handload. Either cartridge will produce excellent accuracy from factory rifles with bullet weights under 60 grs, but with heavier bullets you will need a fast twist barrel.
 
what twist is most efficient(?) for speed/ distance in the .222, and what grain bullet would i use?

and accuracy!
 
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