reloading for reminton 222 cal

[257robertsimproved]

hi just got a remington 222 in rem 725 bolt action rifle wodering what powder and bullets worked well . looking to target practice and wife mmay take small roe deer with

 

[Scott_N]

222 is one of my favorite rounds. My rifle (Sako Vixen) always liked 50 gr bullets best. I like to use ball powder because it meters nicely, and my pet load uses BLC2. I've had good success with Win 748 also, but there are a number of good powder choices. I usually use either Nosler Ballistic tips or Hornady SPSX bullets, neither would be a good choice for even small deer though. 222s never seem to be very fussy with appropriate bullet weights, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy shooting yours.

 

[prosper]

it's really easy to load for, there are a ton of combinations that work well. I like 40 grainers and H322

 

[Brutus]

Pussy cat rifle.....mine I shoot Winchester 46 grain hollow points meant for 22 hornet & WW 748 powder. Lots of fun, plenty accurate!
PS: Also did the old standby of 19 grains IMR 4198 & Hornady SX, 50 grain spire point.

If you can find them, Calhoon made, double hollow point bullets, are uber destructive too.

 

[Boomer]

Loading 25 grs of 748 with a 52 Sierra MK proved very accurate.

 

[Tick]

Rem. 222

Not suitable for deer, small bullets designed for varmints are designed for rapid expansion on small critters. Would not penetrate far enough to humanely kill a deer. Winchester does make a 64-grain hunting bullet, but with the slow twist of a 222 it would not stabilize and will not be accurate.

 

[Boomer]

Not suitable for deer, small bullets designed for varmints are designed for rapid expansion on small critters. Would not penetrate far enough to humanely kill a deer. Winchester does make a 64-grain hunting bullet, but with the slow twist of a 222 it would not stabilize and will not be accurate.

I tend to agree that small calibers are a poor choice for deer, but regardless of what some of us think, people keep filling their freezers with them. A pal of mine killed a caribou with a factory round from a .222 and it was a bang flop, go figure. I did find that heavy bullets could be pretty accurate in the factory .222 barrel as long as a round nose flat base bullet was chosen to minimize the bullet length. The two bullets that come to mind are the 63 gr Sierra and the 70 gr Speer. For shots inside 100 yards, these should do the trick. If you find the accuracy isn't there with the heavy weights, then a 53 gr Barnes TSX will certainly work.

 

[Brutus]

From what I remember of West Germany, between the states of 'oblivion' through these overhung eyes, the Roe deer were damn dog-like in size.

 

[gunbug]

222 for Roe deer?

Hi: Where are you hunting Roe deer? Just curious

 

[brownie]

I have a 725 Remington in .222. the best load I found is 52gr HPBT bullets and 24grs of 4895.

 

[manitou210]

I will second Bomers load 748win and SMKs one hole load

 

[mikeelliot]

Cant go wrong with IMR4198, 4895, BLC2, H322, even IMR 3031 and Varget worked for me with 40-55 gr bullets.

 

[mbogo3]

Too small for deer? Really? Ever tried it? Never seen a WT make it 25 yards after losing a heart or both lungs.The inuit have been using it for decades on caribou,seal,walrus and even polar bear! And it won't handle a 200lb deer?My dad ran up a string of 11 one shot deer kills never losing one.Handloaded Barnes X bullets or the old 55gr Hornady work flawlessly.Range needs to be kept under 125 yards and you have to be able to shoot.Harold

 

[Scott_N]

Too small for deer? Really? Ever tried it? Never seen a WT make it 25 yards after losing a heart or both lungs.The inuit have been using it for decades on caribou,seal,walrus and even polar bear! And it won't handle a 200lb deer?My dad ran up a string of 11 one shot deer kills never losing one.Handloaded Barnes X bullets or the old 55gr Hornady work flawlessly.Range needs to be kept under 125 yards and you have to be able to shoot.Harold

In some provinces, Alberta being one of them, it's illegal to use for big game.