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Thread: .222 Remington

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
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    .222 Remington

    I am sick and tired of trying to get my .223's to shoot cast bullets with any accuracy that I am pleased with.
    I understand I need a rifle with a 14" or more twist to get the accuracy I want.
    I am torn between buying a used Rem 788 for inflated money or the CZ 527 LUX.
    I need this rifle to shoot very well. Would owners of either of these rifles reply with their experience.
    Thank you!

  2. #2
    Moderator Emeritus / Trusted loob groove dealer

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    I had a Rem 788, shot 1 5/8" groups at 100 yards, 2680 fps. with cast. What kind of accuracy are you looking for?
    The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
    John Taylor - "African Rifles and Cartridges"

    Forget everything you know about loading jacketed bullets. This is a whole new ball game!


  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy
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    Looking for 1" at 100 yds or less

  4. #4
    Boolit Master

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    I think a .222 will shoot in any makers rifle!! I have 3 of them ,,,sakos and a rem 700 sporter,,they all shoot wonderful,,,

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    I have a Rem 722 that I really love, haven't got around to shooting cast in it yet, but I'm content with jb's for now!

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    I have managed to get centerfire 22s to shoot reasonably well, but it has been way easier to make a 6mm work with cast. I finally gave up on my last 22 and now if I want a small rifle I use my 6mmX222. 75gr. at 2600 fps in less than MOA usually. Super easy to work with, accurate with everything I load it with, it has made me a convert. You could get Delta Gun Shop to rebore your 22 to 1:14 6mm, make a 6X45 out of it, and even use your same brass. NOE makes the 75gr. mould that is a winner in these little rifles. Just my opinion.....

    -Nobade

  7. #7
    Boolit Master GabbyM's Avatar
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    I have a CZ 527 LUX in 222 Rem since last year. My opinion is it is a sweet little rifle that is extremely well made. It's a lightweight rifle so under 1 moa is a stretch. but it shoots as well as any light sporter. Mine will keep cast bullets running 2,400 fps in a tight group at 100 yards. I've shot several ten shot groups at and under one inch at 100 yards. I need to bed it in epoxy soon this winter. I've not tried faster boolits to see how they'll do. Have a plan to load some up over AA4064 and see. Also will be trying the Bator mold bullet over a little 700X for about 1850 fps to see how that works. I have the Lyman #225646, NOE 55gr Egan and the 55 grain Bator. The Lyman comes in at 60 grains from 3:6 alloy and stabilizes just fine in the 14" twist. I have an old steel tube Weaver 3x9 TV view mounted on it in a set of Leopold rings. It's ungainly looking. However it's an iron sight hunter and the scope is not meant to stay there in the field.

    If you are looking to mount a large scope on a rifle the mini Mauser action does not lend itself to that very well. No real mechanical problems as you can even buy a rail. But you end up with a larger scope than you have gun. Rifle does feed from magazine well. Down side is the single stack detachable magazine is a pain to reload. Handy when out hunting however as you can unload the rifle very easily. It also had a good trigger and positive three position safety. I choked up $45 for an extra magazine so It could be reloaded in the field. But as long as you pull the bolt all the way back it will cycle a round in every time. Can't say that about my Remington 223 Varmint rig. It's claw extractor will easily snap over a round to single load. However as a practice I like to let it feed up from the magazine to save wear and tear. It feeds soft point J bullets and cast without denting the tips. I only shot 50 J bullets through it just for a test. It's a dedicated cast boolit shooter. J bullets did hit to the same sight setting. Which was the irons. Just a couple inches higher on paper and a tad off to one side. So inside of two inches at 100. Only other rifle I have that does that is my 30-06.

    Another endorsement is. My 14 and now 15 year old step grandson prefers shooting the CZ over any of the AR-15's. Overall it has turned out to be a far better rifle than I hoped for. It's a keeper.

    I never had any issue with getting my 223 rem heavy varmint rig with 1:12" barrel shooting cast however. At 2,200 fps it is a slightly sub MOA consistent rifle with it's weight and 6.5x24X scope. 222 just runs a lot faster with cast. Takes less powder and stays cooler.

    NOBADE has a good point with his 6mm-222 with 1:14" twist. Read his write up on it last year or whenever it was he built it. Makes sense to me. I shoot cast in a 243 AI with 10 twist and it's an easy gun to shoot slow around 1850fps with shotgun powder. I'd not get to excited with a 6x45mm however with it's short neck.

    6mm bullets are a lot easier for me to cast. I even have a Saeco 87 grain mold converted to my Magma Master caster machine and it runs very fast at it's stabilized temperature with the little boolits in the big blocks. Mold fills well from the bottom poor setup. While my 22 mold I ladle pour using the pressure method of holding the ladle nipple on the mold. Which I also tend to do for long rifle bullets. Another thing I like about the 243 with shotgun powder is with the larger bore and 26 inch barrel. By the time the bullet exits pressure is way down so you get a crack like a 22 win mag rim fire instead of a boom that is similar to a full house 223 load. Been shooting the 222 with 14.0 grains of AA5744 and it has a sharp crack to pierce the ears.

    No question the 222 with Lyman 60 grain 225646 kills and blows inanimate objects to pieces at 2400 fps. I made up the alloy with 1% lead free solder, which has a tad of Cu, added to 2:6 foundry alloy. Will be using #3 Babbit with 2:6 this winter casting 22's and 6mm's. Bullets didn't fragment. Just mushroom and plow through. Hence the Bator mold bullets over 700x at a reduced velocity.

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master pietro's Avatar
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    I ordered, sight unseen, a new .223 CZ-527FS (full stock/mannlicher) through my FFL, and I couldn't get it to shoot any better than 3"-4" @ 100 yards, no matter what I did - so I sold it.

    A year or so later, I ran across a .22 Hornet CZ-527 Lux that shot like a house afire, right out of the box. (Both rifles were scoped)


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  9. #9
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    Thanks pietro and GabbyM. This is the kind of input and information I was looking for. I did like the stock style on the 527 LUX but this will not be a hunting rifle. I plan on using it for cast bullet target shooting, so I guess the 527 American is what I will look for.
    I do have one question yet. I plan on topping it off with a Bausch & Lomb 6 X 24 scope. It has big bells on both ends. Will this still work?
    Thanks again!

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master pietro's Avatar
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    The CZ-527 needs at least medium (height) rings, for the bolt handle to clear a smaller/normal ocular bell, so with larer bells, I would think you'll need either "high' or "extra high" rings.

    I would recommend Burris CZ rings from www.swfa.com


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  11. #11
    Boolit Master GabbyM's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by buggybuilder View Post
    Thanks pietro and GabbyM. This is the kind of input and information I was looking for. I did like the stock style on the 527 LUX but this will not be a hunting rifle. I plan on using it for cast bullet target shooting, so I guess the 527 American is what I will look for.
    I do have one question yet. I plan on topping it off with a Bausch & Lomb 6 X 24 scope. It has big bells on both ends. Will this still work?
    Thanks again!
    That scope would be larger than the rifle. Seriously the CZ 527 is a carry about lightweight. I know they sell one with a fat barrel but it is a mini Mauser action. Just for targets and load development I have an old Weaver 3x9 mounted. It's pretty lopsided looking. Also the mini Mauser is a great hunting action. But you aren't looking at a bench rest rifle action. IMHO: as much as I like my CZ 527 for what I use it for. You would be far better served just having a 222 built on a standard Rem 700 or Savage action. I have here a Remington 700 Varmint laminated stock in 223. Barrel is almost shot out and would be a good candidate for a 222 target shooter as it will shoot .300" groups at 100 yards to this day. Will run .875" with cast. Has a 24X scope mounted and weighs in at over ten pounds. No fun to carry around and without the bench and sand bags the accuracy is unobtainable anyways. So I have the CZ walk about in 222 and the cast boolits will reach out as far as I can hit anything from a slung up rifle.

    While you are at it. Just go ahead and build the 6x222 with 14" twist. It's not that much of an anomaly. Dies and load data are standard items. Not that I think you'd gain much over the great shooting 222 Rem. But in competition it's only a tad that makes the difference. After all. How much does the 6mm BR have over the 22 PPC or older 222 Rem? Answer is BTW just the size of the hole at 100 yards not the dispersion of holes.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check