reloading 222 questions

[ReloadKy]

I am new to this site and fairly new to reloading (less than a year of experience). I was passed down (my wife actually was but I claim it) an old savage 340 in 222. I am attempting to find a good load for it. I am shooting 50 grain bullets and have two powders I want to try Varget and IMR 4320. Has anyone had any luck with these two powders for the 222?

[std7mag]

I haven't used either in my 223. Ballistic twin.

What does your reloading manual tell you?

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

[BBarn]

Reloader 7, IMR4198, and H322 are among the older favorites for the 222. Data for other powders including Varget and IMR4320 is available as well from the powder manufacturer's websites.

[Dufus]

The best I have used is IMR4198 and RL7.

I can load some and get 10 shot 3/8" to 1/2" groups with either powder.

There are lots of good powders for the 222, just pick one that will give the velocities you are looking for and develop some loads.

The 222 Rem is sorta like the 45ACP: easy to load for.

[old roper]

Welocme,

I never tried those powders in my 222. I've used IMR-4198/H-4198 is good powders and I've also shot IMR-8208XBR,H-322,N-133, mostly with 50gr/52gr bullets.

[jamaica]

The 222 is one of the first calibers I loaded for. Great little cartridge. Just pick a powder from the manual and go for it. 4198 is a good one. I like to shoot the 55 gr bullets.

[Unclenick]

ReloadKY,

Both the powders you named are really too slow for the triple deuce pressures and bullet weights. They work best at .223 pressures with 69-grain match bullets and heavier and those will be too long for your 14" twist to stabilize. Indeed, with my gun, even boattail 50-grain bullets shot wider groups than flat base 50-grain bullets did just due to the length difference. The flat base 53-grain MatchKing may work out for you, too. IMR 4198 always drilled cloverleaves for me with my Remington 600. Reloader 10X is another candidate that has gone unmentioned thus far.

[Don Fischer]

My favorite was BLC/2. Now I'd also give 4895 and W748 a try probably. All I shot in 222 was 50gr and 52gr match bullet's.

[Longshot4]

My older Rem. 700 varmint special has a 1-12 twist and it likes flat base 50gr. pills. Most any good 223 powder should work well. Although I have found Blc2 to be one of several choice powders.

If you have a different twist you might want another weight bullet. my 700 doesn't like 52-53gr. bullets.

[ReloadKy]

Thanks for all the great responses.

I have found a recipe for Varget in my manual and one for 4320 on the hodgon website. If I come across some 4198 I think I will give it a try too. Thanks again, I look forward to learning from some of you more experienced reloaders.

[Arteest]

I used to have 700 VS with a 1-14 twist that did best with 50 gr bullets, Re7 and CCI 400’s. I wanted to use 52 gr bullets but just could not find a good combo. Every rifle is an entity all it’s own and you jus have to find it’s sweet tooth. Good luck and have fun.

[ReloadKy]

I ran across some 4198 yesterday so I loaded up a handful of rounds. Anxious to try them out! Thanks again for all the help.

[ammo.crafter]

As you may know the .222 Remington was developed as an original round and not based on any existing round.

Try IMR 4198 at 19.0 gr under a Sierra 52gr BTHP and Remington bench rest small primer. Brass is Remington.

Mine is a Remington 600 with a Federal 22-inch barrel and a Redfield 6x18 scope.

.2 MOA groups are fairly common at 100 yards with this load.

[Scoits]

IMR 4198 for me

[hgmeyer]

My best accuracy (abiout 2900 to 3000 fps with 45 to 55 gr bullets in a 70s era Sako Heavy Barrel "Vixen") has been with BLC2 just my rifle your MMV. Sierra and Nosler bullets (Flat base have been less accurate than BT). I must confess that I no longer do BR competition (this rifles original urpose). It is now a smetimes choice for chucks at around 200 to 300 yds. At those ranges I only need 1'2 MOA loads so what I load and accept are not as finely developed as my old BR loads. BTW, this is one of my favorite rifles!

[old roper]

I used to shoot BR and this is something on 222 from BR

http://benchrest.com/showthread.php?...d-advice/page2

[ReloadKy]

Thanks for the link. I have another question that may seem “amateurish”. Why is their a noticeable difference between the flat base and the boat tail bullets?

[old roper]

As I post, I used to shoot BR and I start with 222 then move to 6ppc which I still shoot. If you read article post 17 they mention 222x35/222x45. I call it a 222AI but it is tight neck (.242) 222x45 and I own the reamer. I also shoot 22Br with .242 neck

I shot a FB 52 gr bullet with pressure ring 224.2" and hopefully this will explain it

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/thr...rings.3874147/

Lot of BR shooters make their own bullets. I used to buy from Bill Brawand in PA. Glad you asked.

[jamaica]

" I want to try Varget and IMR 4320."

Yes, these are good powders for 222. You may also want to try some H322?

[Reloader270]

Best choice powders are those that are near 100% case fill. If the load is still safe, use a long drop cube and Winchester cases. Winchester cases allow more powder in the case. Sorry I cannot give you data with American powders since we only have Somchem in South Africa. I had a very low extreme spread with Somchem S335 which is intended for 30 calibers. It gave me near to the same velocity than Somchem S321.

[jamaica]

"Best choice powders are those that are near 100% case fill."

Yes, I agree.

[Unclenick]

Originally Posted by ReloadKY

Why is their a noticeable difference between the flat base and the boat tail bullets?

There are several reasons. Hgmeyer's results are contrary to most, but it points out that you really have to try things to be sure what your gun likes.

The reasons flat base are usually found to be best are several. Bryan Litz puts it to the fact manufacturing a perfectly symmetrical profile is easier to do with a flat base. That is, it is easier to get a flat base square than to keep a gradual taper perfectly coaxial with the rest of the bullet. I have seen photos of some cheap Eastern European boattail bullets on which you could actually see the boattail meeting the bearing surface higher on one side than on the other even in the low res ad photo. Any slight misalignment of the formed boattail axis with the bearing surface axis of the bullet results in two drift components that gradually move the bullet off the mean point of impact. A flat base has nothing that needs aligning, so its an extra factor in a boattail. A boattail that is anything less than perfectly centered means the boattail meets the bearing surface higher on one side, as I described, and as the bullet emerges from the muzzle gas starts escaping on the high side first, and that's the source of a radial deflection that becomes drift. The drift velocity is low—typically on the order of less than a foot per second—so it doesn't cause enough drag to slow itself, and thus it pretty much stays with the bullet over the whole time of flight, causing the error in MOA to get bigger as the range increases becaise the TOF for each successive hundred yards becomes greater and greater as the bullet loses velocity. The same asymmetry will also cause drift by moving the bullet center of mass to the side of the bore axis during spin. That results in the rifling lobbing the bullet tangential to the muzzle at the angular velocity of that center of mass, which becomes a drift component as it exits the muzzle. It further proceeds to wobble slightly in flight due to eccentric spin from that off-center mass.

Another factor is that a flat base clears the muzzle all at once and with gas blowing off its base perpendicular to the bore axis, while a boattail has gas directed at an angle off the boattail as it emerges from the muzzle and a little beyond. That means any small imperfection in the muzzle crown or just uneven distribution of powder particles have a chance to contribute a little drift by deflecting off the taper which acts as a wedge for it to drive against.

Another factor is that, when a FB and BT bullet are the same weight and type of construction, the BT will usually be the longer of the two. Length is a bigger factor than weight in bullet stability, with the longer bullet being less stable for the same spin rate at the same velocity. When you have a gradual rifling twist that is optimal for a short bullet, you can get groups opening more for the longer bullet.

All that said, the makers of match bullets turn out some pretty awesome product these days and essentially perfectly symmetric boattails are much more common than they used to be. So if you have a really good crown and if you are shooting at longer ranges, and if your gun's rifling twist is on the short side of tolerance, they may still do best in your particular gun. You can but try!

[ReloadKy]

Very insightful information. Thanks a lot and makes a lot of sense.

[Reloader270]

This is why your name is UncleNick! You talk of experience and I agree with you 110%!