222 Remington

[Charlie Sometimes]

Did some loading last week for a new rifle I traded up at the last gun show- Remington 700 ADL in 222 Remington. It had the high gloss wood, so I bought a Remington synthetic stock at the show, and swapped it out, then sold the wood! Believe it or not, it makes it look a whole lot better. :mrgreen:


Anyway, I had loaded several j-bullets and several cast loads of varying weights over the same charge (23.0 gr. of Varget), according to Hodgdon references. The only differences between the loads was the bullet seating depth.


I zeroed the gun with 55 gr. J-bullets, then proceded to fire for group on the rest of the ammo, without changing POA. 60 rounds total, and the day was perfect for shooting! :smile:


Here are the two best groupings with the loads tested. Info is on each card. The big thing to remember here is- THE ONLY DIFFERENCE between the results is THE PROJECTILES fired and the SEATING DEPTHS, besides the obvious copper vs cast!

Velocity of these rounds is around the minimum of 2860 fps, according to Hodgdon's material.
I do not have a chronograph, but suffice to say that the 225415 is moving faster than the FMJ is listed to be with that charge.


The rifle cleaned up very well at the end of the session, no fouling or leading from any of rounds. I let the rifle cool with open bolt, while I walked up to the targets and checked grouping. I did not clean between any groups either.


The Ace of Clubs shows the HP 225415 results. It weighed in at 45 gr., and isn't supposed to do very good in the 222 Remington according to some authors. I loaded it over a 55 gr. jacketed load- a charge of 23 gr. of Varget, and seated it to 2.054” COL.

I also shot some black walnuts at 50 yards with these and you could really hear them POP when they were hit with that HP!


The shot up in the corner on the “A” was on purpose! I couldn’t really see it, but wondered if I could hit the little club by guessing at it. That was the 5th shot- hit the “A” instead of the club!


The 5 of Diamonds - all the FMJ loads shot low and right from all the previous test shots, but this is the FMJ-BT load that shot tightest. Really, none of them were too bad, but his one was best.


I got excited and twitched on the last two- I had to walk up to the 75 yd. target to see where I was hitting to be sure, while letting the rifle cool between 3 shot groups, realized how tight the group was, then blew the last two trying to keep it small!

I do believe this rifle shoots better than I can see with my screwed up vision! :grin: Time will tell, but i think ai have a real winner with this one. :smile:

I can’t wait to try more of those HP’s on targets and varmints!
I could really hear them smack, and the regular 225415 FN’s didn’t sound to bad either- POP!!!


I really need to get a powerful spotting scope and a good chronograph, too. That would sure put more meat in the stone soup, wouldn't it? :bigsmyl2:


The 45 gr. 225415 with deep HP
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c164/BaptisteBrown/Charlie%20Sometimes/100_5477.jpg

The targets-
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c164/BaptisteBrown/Charlie%20Sometimes/5Diamonds55FMJBlue.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c164/BaptisteBrown/Charlie%20Sometimes/AceClubs225415HPBlue.jpg

[stubshaft]

:bigsmyl2:Definitely a keeper!

I thought that I was the only one too cheap to buy real targets and shoot at playing cards.:kidding:

[Bullshop]

Nice shootin!
I need bigger cards.

[Charlie Sometimes]

These are standard size playing cards- Bicycle, Bee, or other brands. The decks get worn out in play and they go into my shooting box in my shop! I blew them up so they could be read by all. :razz:
"Back in the day" I always tried to put a bullet in each of the hearts, etc. Even the little ones, like I did above, but my eyes aren't what they used to be. :sad:
Used to do it regularly with a little Springfield 22 single shot I had- shot the rifling out of it, or cleaned it to death! :lol:

[stubshaft]

Hey Bullshop, sounds like another idea for a postal shoot...

[rhbrink]

Hey Bullshop, sounds like another idea for a postal shoot...

Exactly what I was thinking. Been trying to come up with something interesting and "FUN" and easy target for score that everybody would have access too.

How about take one suit of cards and start with the ace and run up through the 10 spot put one shot on the card characters in the center part of the card. Meaning the 4 spot would have 4 shots one shot each on the 4 diamonds, the 6 six spot would have 6 shots each. From ace to 10 spot would equal 55 shots is this getting too complicated?

Looking at the playing cards that I have they measure 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 the characters are not that big maybe make this at 50 yards with scope, 25 yards iron sights?

Tie breaker would be the closest shot to dead center of the ace card.

Of course this would be after bullshop has his shootin contest over and done. OH! and 22 cast only what do you think?

Top score would win bragging rights.

What do you guys think?:coffeecom

[NHlever]

Those are some fine results with that .222. I just learned that a gunshop I go to sometimes has a Remington 788 in .222 on the rack. Now if it will stop snowing long enough to make the 100 mile one way drive more pleasant, I just might check that out. What alloy were you usiing? I like my 225415 mold too, but it is not hollowpointed, and the bullets weigh closer to 55 grains.
Charlie

[Charlie Sometimes]

Did I forget to mention that we used to do it with muzzleloaders too? 25 yd. offhand open sights.

Even turned them edge ways and split them; and would put one on either side of a double bit axe, and split the ball on the edge to hit the cards on either side? A perfect split would hit both cards in approximately the same place, but off on either side a little puts the pieces off center.

On the royalty cards (J, Q, K) you can pick a certain point to attempt to hit- Suicide King (heart) in the head (2 shots); King & Queen of Clubs, King & Jack of Spades, Diamonds, Hearts, dead center of their coat; Jack of Clubs, and Queen of Hearts, Diamonds, & Spades would be two head shots too.

Not all decks are conducive to your above plan- Bicycle Jumbos have boxed reduced center patterns that would make 25 yards only more likely with a scope. The deck I was shooting is a STANDARD SIZED deck, and it was shot at 75 YARDS with a scope set on 9 power. Don't get too easy, or you will have trouble scoring. Make sure all the cards are from th same deck, too. Backs should be all same color/pattern. That will prevent shooting same card from different decks over and over for better score- unless of course, someone buys several deck of the same pattern, etc., and if they want to go to that trouble and expense to win a postal match, then more power to them! :lol:

I've got all kinds of targets that we used to shoot at for BP fun at regular matches. The idea on some was that you posted your target and would have to remember where you exact target area was; sometimes we even turned them over and shot at the blank back for score! Had to keep it interesting and challenging :bigsmyl2:

Gun Loads has free targets that present unique shooting experiences, too. Try other sights for different options too.

[Charlie Sometimes]

I have several molds that I can utilized in different 22 loads- 225438, 225415, U225415 HP (3 different tips), and RCBS 22-55-SP. Weights range through 44, 45, 46, 48, 50, 55, and 60 grains utilizing those 4 molds. Buckshot did the HP on this mold. Kudos to him for that- excellent job! :grin:

My alloy is Lyman #2 usually- a little harder or softer doesn't seem to matter too much. Good lube, and proper barrel fit is the most critical, IMHO. Have yet to try heat treated boolits in this rifle yet- another future testing session.

I try to select loads from all the powder data that provide the highest velocity for the lowest pressure in the MAX load columns, or next best one sometimes. Then I start with the minimum load and work up from there until I find the sweet spot. Sometimes I get lucky real early in the game- like these.

I get a gut feeling about some rifles and loads- I guess from all the years of loading and paying attention in my head with what has worked. I try not to over think things, too. I end up back at square one when I get carried away weighing all the options. :sad: I think you can know too much about particular aspects and let it bias/influence your decisions subconsciously. I try to keep it more FUN than WORK! :lol:

I'll try to post a picture of the rifle later today.

[Charlie Sometimes]

I neglected to mention-

These were full length sized. Once all I have are shot, then they will be neck sized only after that. Hopefully, doing that, groups will tighten up more. :smile:
These were not crimped, I did use a Lyman expander M-die on the necks before seating, with a very slight flare. Just enough to get the GC to set in.

Picture today! Got side tracked yesterday on "honey-dew" jobs! :roll:

[NHlever]

Thanks for the update. I'm finding that the .22, and .25 caliber guns are a lot of fun to work with if shooting medium game is taken out of the picture. I actually have had very good luck casting .22 caliber boolits that are pretty consistant. Now getting those little bullets to all shoot in the same place with the .22 Hornet, etc. can provide many hours of "interesting" play.

[Char-Gar]

I have long been a fan of the triple duece, but have not had one since I sold my Rem 722 down river many long years ago.

[Charlie Sometimes]

My intentions are purely for varmints and predators with mine.
22's up through 6mm fill that niche very well, IMO. :grin:

[Charlie Sometimes]

FINALLY! Got a picture.
I like the way it looks and feels now, but once the weather warms up, I'm goning to give it a serious camo paint job. Maybe something to match the sling. :grin: I've got a couple of pattern/texture ideas that I want to try on something else before I decide on what will exactly go on it.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c164/BaptisteBrown/Charlie%20Sometimes/Rem700ADL1.jpg

[NHlever]

Charlie, my .223 looks a lot like that :D. Mine shoots both cast, and jacketed loads very well, and has been a lot of fun to work with. Very little powder, and lead, and lots of shooting.....