I wish new .222 guns were more common

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uberkermit

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I've been thinking about a coyote rifle, and decided that my first choice of chambering would be in .222 Remington. I have a bit of a soft spot for that cartridge, as my grandpa has a gun that shoots it, and so does my dad. In fact, the .222 was the first centre fire rifle I ever shot: Dad was away, and I figured his .222 would be way cooler to shoot than my puny lever gun in .22lr. The groundhog I was after lived to see another day. :D

What is somewhat surprising to me is the lack of options for that chambering. Of the North American manufactured guns, I only see Savage offering the model 25. Frankly, I think the model 25 is kind of ugly.

There is a bit more choice from the European manufacturers. CZ makes a couple (527 Lux and 527 FS), but they are not quite what I am after. Too bad they did not make it in the 527 Varmint, as I would be all over that.

If I remember right, Sako offers something in .222, but those guns are a wee bit too expensive for my budget.

This leaves me with the Tikka T3 Varmint. It is pretty much what I am after: a detachable box mag, a heavier profile barrel, with the option of .222 chambering. The down side (as I found out today) is that I can order a Tikka in .222 but can expect to wait for at least six months, and maybe as long as a year.

So now I am thinking I will get something in .223 (heavily leaning toward the CZ 527 varmint; that set trigger looks excellent) at least for now, and think about ordering the T3 in .222 for later.

The crazy thing is that from reading threads on this forum regarding coyote rigs, it seems like the triple deuce is still pretty popular (and rightly so) amongst Canadian hunters. I still can't see why it is not offered in new guns, but then again I am not the guy who crunches the numbers for the rifle manufacturing companies.

So what do you all think? Any suggestions about my plan? Have I missed any obvious alternatives?
 
Buy a worn out .223 and have a stainless match grade barrel installed chambered for the .222 Rem. Even better make it a 700 and have the action trued before the barrel is installed. You will have one sweet shooting .222 after that.
 
Roger that! My 222 SAKO is 45 years old, and still shoots tiny, really tiny, groups all the way out to 300 yd.

A 700 done up like Dennis says would be the next best thing, even better, and wouldn't break the bank.

Ted
 
Why not? said:
Roger that! My 222 SAKO is 45 years old, and still shoots tiny, really tiny, groups all the way out to 300 yd.

A 700 done up like Dennis says would be the next best thing, even better, and wouldn't break the bank.

Ted
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Ted
Just how much would it cost for Dennis to get a new SS barrel, chamber it, true the action and what ever else he might do. are we talking less than $1000? FS
 
There's the Savage Model 25 walking varminter. Should be under $600 (U.S. MSRP $585).

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guntech said:
Buy a worn out .223 and have a stainless match grade barrel installed chambered for the .222 Rem. Even better make it a 700 and have the action trued before the barrel is installed. You will have one sweet shooting .222 after that.
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How much does the gunsmithing for chambering, install and truing on a Model 700 go for these days?
 
I had the good fortune to pick up a 700 "Classic" in 222 Remington.
This chambering has long been my favorite light varmint choice.
Knobby Uno accurized this one, and it is a very accurate rifle.
Likes the 50 grain V-Max best, but shoots everything from 40-55 grains well.
Takes a long time to eat up a pound of powder, too. lol.
Eagleye.
 
uberkermit said:
So what do you all think? Any suggestions about my plan? Have I missed any obvious alternatives?
Click to expand...

Finding 222 ammo on the shelves is sporadic, at best. Given the availability of 223 makes it a more logical choice. However, no big deal if you load your own, and 222 is a pleasure to shoot and a very accurate round. I've had my Tikka M07 222/12 combo for over 30 years, and it is great as a light weight utility bushgun. A removable scope with see-through rings makes it now even more versatile. And yes, it will stay in the family... If a single shot 222 would work for your varmint chasing, tradeexcanada has several reasonably priced used combo Tikkas, Voeres and CZs on the shelf...
 
guntech said:
Buy a worn out .223 and have a stainless match grade barrel installed chambered for the .222 Rem. Even better make it a 700 and have the action trued before the barrel is installed. You will have one sweet shooting .222 after that.
Click to expand...
Timely thread. I have a 700 223 action and factory VLS stock sitting unused in the safe right now and was considering that same thing.
 
Quality match barrels from $250 to 445
install $250
action work if needed $200 and up
exterior finish of barreled action/barrel alone - up to $400
stock work - bedding, barrel fit, refinish?

Or Savage prefit from $330 to $440

I have owned several 222's and they were wonderful and accurate. If cost is not an issue, build exactly what you want (I think a Bruno Fox with double set triggers would be great). Yes, yes, yes, never should have sold mine.

Otherwise, for a predator rifle, there are so many dirt cheap and accurate factory rifles on the market in that boring old 223, some may choose not to rebuild.

YMMV

Jerry
 
Prophet River Firearms has a great looking .222 CZ 527 on consignment. If you are serious I would talk to them asap.

'CONSIGN - CZ 527 - 222 REM - FULL STOCK - LIKE NEW'

There are several other .222 for sale there as well.

Contact information http://store.prophetriver.com/pages/Contact-Us.html
or just click on the link at the top left of the page here as they are one of the sponsors.
 
New is nice but don't discount the old classics. Watch for a used Remington 788. Was their economy line up until the mid 80's. Legend has it they discontinued them for out shooting the more expensive 700 line. Not the prettiest guns out there but I've never seen a coyote drop dead due to the breathtaking beauty of a rifle stock.
 
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