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Zig11

Zig11

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I am about to trade some bullets with a gentleman from GNZ. I have .224 and he has .223. As all my bullets are .224 (for 22 Hornet and .223) for the rifles I have. Am I able to shoot .223 bullets? It seems strange to me that they would change the bullet diameter by one thou. Some history for this would be interesting as well.

I am new to the reload game so I was wondering if the bullet would tumble or something similiar due to the one thou.

While I am at it, I have cleaned, sized and primed hundreds of cartridges for 22 Hornet and .223. Until I can get the loads and bullet size correct they will sit like that. They are in plastic cases but not airtight. Is there any harm in leaving them like that? I am assuming that they can be treated the same as a full cartridge but these are open. All rounds are stored in a cool dry place. I have loaded several rounds (probably more than necessary) to try to find out what powder and bullet size and type works.

Thank You in advance for any input.

Regards,
Zig11
 
Last edited:
History. The early 22 centerfire guns were made on mostly rimfire barrels. The .223 bore diameter became the 'standard' size. The .224 bore was adopted as the 'standard' later in the game.

.223 is reportedly still used for the Hornet chambering in some European guns. .224 is the standard for centerfire guns and the 22WMR, in North America. Rimfire barrels vary a bit.

Cheers
Trev
 
I am interested in the same question, but don't have any .223 yet to try.
I would like to see you try groups with each bullet and see how they compare. (Then tell me!)
You can shoot either size in your rifle, it shouldn't matter, except one size may shoot better than the other.
 
Well, I've shot bullets measuring everything from .307 to .312 out of my Mini-30 (.309/.310-ish bore), and I also regularly shoot .308's out of my .303 British (.312 bore) with plenty of success. It's true, that I tend to loose a little accuracy with the small-for-bore bullets, but very little. My 303 that shoots pretty consistent 1 inch groups with 180 grain .312 bullets shoots pretty consistent 1.25 to 1.5 inch groups with 180 grain .308 bullets. That's small enough difference, that I don't know if you could blame that entirely on the undersized bullet, or if it's just rifle preference for one over the other.

Your mileage may vary -- but I'd expect you probably won't notice any huge difference.
 
My advice would be to not trade for those small bullets unless you know your bore is smallish or the older Hornet bore from long ago.
 
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