the .222/.223 Hunters among Us

WhelanLad

WhelanLad

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hey fellas, ive just recently began loading for the 222, previously only ever used factory stuff-- you would hope after 15 years of shooting factory that one Kid might have saved a few cases.............. not the Case LOL :bangHead::wave:

Got enough Brass to do me though so no dramas, Although i jus made my first rounds with a 55gr Z max (zombie stuff) as it was Cheap per 500 projies..

I would like to know what GR you are using for Everyday shooting and then some projie weights you have loaded for some sort of 'other game hunting'
also would like to note some velocities if we could, even if its just a book suggestion..


i loaded with a min charge of AR2207 to get me under way without messing around as i have 0 loaded rounds for the Pesky Red Foxes........ so that was all good and well, sighted in and is ready to go.

looking at Velocity from the loading book it shows I'm around 2700 FPS--- a fair far cry from a 50gr @ 3000FPS

(this is where the difference between computor numbers and real numbers can come to play)


Is this a bit too much to leave on the Table for Fox out to 300m??
the extra FPS flattens trajectories which is more user friendly/easier to line up i guess......

Has anyone else loaded accuracy and not Velocity ? how did it go for you in the field?

the Farmer had a handful of Roo Tags left over so I was able to do some hunting with the rifle, a big buck roo shot fair in the heart, didnt blink an eye an fell over stone dead, a smaller Doe Roo bounded off and paused also about 150m away, neck an down.

projectile didnt exit but expanded well even from that velocity, the box does say will expand at lower velocity too.......

Sounds like it should be fine at 2700 yeah?? or next time work a few more GR into it.

Min 17.5
Max 19.5.
 
The z bullet is a vmax. Great bullet. In my 223 i load 40gr nosler varmiter. Never put it over a chrono but its a mid charge of reloader10 if i remember right. The vmax will rip a fox apart pretty good at 2700. I wouldnt worry about it. I use 17mach2 or 22mag when targeting red fox.
 
I've shot foxes with 50 gr TNTs, which I've found to be very accurate by the way, and the foxes looked like a baseball had been shot through them, so not a good pelt bullet, but an excellent makes foxes dead bullet. As for roos, I would think they are similar in weight and bulk as some big game animals, so a big game bullet is appropriate, just choose the heaviest bullet that your rate of twist will stabilize. Around here, the .223 and .22-250 are commonly used for big game, and typically both are loaded with 55 gr Remington bulk bullets at around 2700, so you might be on to something there. Back when I was shooting a .222, I favored the Sierra 52 gr HPBT match over 25 grs of Win 748 as my go to load.
 
I load my Tikka T3 222 with Hornady the 50 SP 20 grains of IMR4198 one hole 5 shop groups, but haven’t shot a critter yet.
 
Sweet, good responses FEllas!

this IMR4198 is actually the AR2207 that I am using! so thats cool!
the data also listed for "Vargt"/ AR2208 which i couldnt get to fit MIN charge inside of, to the tip.... so im not sure what that is about lol.

Boomer- Roo are typically smaller than what you guys might see on mainstream TV , im imagining a big buck Red Roo from the desert , standing over a man etc!! these Grey ones are smaller on avg and the truth is the .222-.223 is a perfect Roo cartridge an the .223 is the choice of the "pro roo shooters" down here, some may use the 22-250 for bit more range in the spotlight.. sierra do "super roo" packs or something along those lines, 55gr bltzk like 1000 for bugger all.


keep the info coming, it kinda cool talking hunting that doesnt involve "magnums" nd Big game
 
Not sure exactly how big or tough the roo's you are hunting are, but I suspect any number of 55 grain expanding bullets from a .222 launched at around 2700fps would perform acceptably if placed well. I don't have a lot of experience with foxes as they require a trapping license here. I'd lean towards a 55 grain Hornady soft point with cannelure my experience with it is its a fairly tough little bullet that still expands well and kills quick and locally is cheap and easy to source.
 
My brother and I loaded 19gr of imr 4198 over a 52gr Berger FB varmint for a long time for coyotes (2850 fps). Now switched to 20-21 gr of H4198, same bullet, we should be able to get that 3000 fps now. It's very fur friendly on coyotes (as we've shot a lot with them), but have also taken multiple beavers, gophers, my brother put down a cow once for a farmer with it while out hunting. The .222 is now big game legal in Sask, so if we ever get drawn for mulie does again, we might try a different 50gr bullet (better for big game) and try shooting a deer with it at under 75 yards.... I love the .222. Imr 4198 and 40gr vmax would be an awesome combo for foxes though....
 
Mark222 uses the same load as myself. 52 gr shoot well too. Have killed a number of coyotes with 52&53 gr bullets. As we can’t hunt game here with a cf22, but was used by many poachers, I can’t say how they work. I have pulled 22 bullets from 2 different mule deer years ago. Both had a cyst formed around bullet. There are some very good bullets now I would use on anything over about 50 lbs.
 
it may seem a bit strange but i load my 222 fairly light with a 40 gr vmax and it has become my main coyote gun out of the 4 coyote calibers i own. 18 gr of imr4198 for a speed of aprox 3100. im not sure how it would work on a large roo but i know for coyote/fox i have had success on a downright mystical scale as far as pelt damage and lack of runners.
 
I use 25.3gr of BLC2 and a 50gr Sierra Blitz. (not the Blitzking) Sickening accurate at 200 yards in my Remington model 78. (not the 788) I used to use the 50gr Hornady SX withe great results on anything it hit but found the Sierra was more accurate in my rifle
 
gobigorgohome said:
My brother and I loaded 19gr of imr 4198 over a 52gr Berger FB varmint for a long time for coyotes (2850 fps). Now switched to 20-21 gr of H4198, same bullet, we should be able to get that 3000 fps now. It's very fur friendly on coyotes (as we've shot a lot with them), but have also taken multiple beavers, gophers, my brother put down a cow once for a farmer with it while out hunting. The .222 is now big game legal in Sask, so if we ever get drawn for mulie does again, we might try a different 50gr bullet (better for big game) and try shooting a deer with it at under 75 yards.... I love the .222. Imr 4198 and 40gr vmax would be an awesome combo for foxes though....
Click to expand...
My 222 Sako Varmint won't shoot 40 VMax as tight as I'd like. Haven't messed around with powders too much though... as my standard is plain old IMR 4198. Old stand by is the 50 Sierra Blitz pushed by a whopping 20.5/4198. Half inch groups all day long. Bang-flops coyote but messes smaller stuff like fox up good.
 
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