222 Rem load for deer?

[rdp123]

Hi all,
I have a good friend who has inherited a rifle chambered in 222 Rem and he was asking if this enough gun to shoot Texas whitetails and hogs. I have zero experience with this cartridge. It looks like 1:14 twist is standard, which I'm seeing manufacturers say is too slow to stabilize even 60g+ bullets. I've seen a couple expensive factory big game hunting loads on Midway, including one from Lapua with a pictures of some kind of foreign deer on the box. Mostly I'm seeing varmint loads.

I suggested rebarreling to .223, which would make things easier, but he has some sentimental attachment to this gun as configured. I'm happy to load the ammo for him if factory offerings are either too expensive or not available. Does anyone know of a good bullet, good load, or good factory ammo that would work for 222 Rem for deer? Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[rabbithuntr]

Speer 22 Cal (224 Diameter) Bullets 70 Grain Semi-Spitzer Cannelure

Speer offers a variety of reloading bullets ideal for hunters, plinkers and varminters. Speer Varmint Soft Point bullets feature a soft nose that...

www.midwayusa.com

this bullet is so short it should stabilize, really any 55 gr sp should work too.

 

[rabbithuntr]

 

[HandgunHTR]

Hi all,
I have a good friend who has inherited a rifle chambered in 222 Rem and he was asking if this enough gun to shoot Texas whitetails and hogs. I have zero experience with this cartridge. It looks like 1:14 twist is standard, which I'm seeing manufacturers say is too slow to stabilize even 60g+ bullets. I've seen a couple expensive factory big game hunting loads on Midway, including one from Lapua with a pictures of some kind of foreign deer on the box. Mostly I'm seeing varmint loads.

I suggested rebarreling to .223, which would make things easier, but he has some sentimental attachment to this gun as configured. I'm happy to load the ammo for him if factory offerings are either too expensive or not available. Does anyone know of a good bullet, good load, or good factory ammo that would work for 222 Rem for deer? Any help greatly appreciated.

Any of the 50-55 grain Soft Point offerings will work.

BTW, the deer on the Lapua box is a Roe Deer, which is about 1/2 the size of a whitetail. That being said, if it will kill them, it will kill a whitetail. Honestly, they aren't that hard to kill if you hit them in the vitals.

 

[digger]

A 222 that won’t shoot a 50 or 53 grain bullet into half an inch is for sale. Easiest cartridge
In the world to load for

 

[Superx3]

50 grain Barnes TSX is a deer killing little bullet out of a .223. .222 shouldn’t be any different.

 

[RS3579]

222 TC encore barrel. Im looking for this info also.

 

[Deere_Man]

50gr soft point would do the trick. But I think I would try these Lapua 55gr:

Lapua 222 Remington Ammo 55 Grain Jacketed Soft Point Box of 20

Lapua ammunition is world renowned for accuracy and performance, making use of high quality components and adhering to the strictest of tolerances....

www.midwayusa.com

 

[TradLife406]

Think grandpa just used a soft point Sierra. Probably 50 grains.


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[Big_wals]

I’ve shot several hog with a hornady 55 soft point out of a 223. They work great

 

[Thegman]

I’ve shot several hog with a hornady 55 soft point out of a 223. They work great

That's what I was thinking; I've heard nothing but good reports about those.

 

[AZ_Hunter]

Another route is the 44gr Hammer Hunter. Should get around 3700 fps out of it.

 

[rbaney]

Mine is loaded with 52 Gr Sierra HPBT. It is what got me my first deer but as others have said most any bullet from 45-55 Gr should do the trick , just use care in aiming and watch the distance. Best of luck.

 

[3gunyotehtr]

I have had phenomenal success with the Hornady 55 sp. The are my go to for deer in any slow twist 22.

 

[Wilderlife]

I've shot close to 100 deer with a .222 or .223. With my .222 I was either using 40gn Nosler BT, or 55gn Sierra Gameking. Most of the 40gn BT were head shots but some were in the lungs.

The 55gn Sierra Gameking at the slightly lower velocities the .222 produces is a great bullet choice for deer. It's already a fairly tough bullet compared to other 55gn SP and in the .222 it penetrates better.

 

[rdp123]

Thanks everyone for sharing, I appreciate it!

 

[TradLife406]

Anyone built a modern 222? I've got Grandpas Sako but thought it'd be fun to have a newer gun I could suppress. Probably pointless when a guy can buy a tikka 223.


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[Deere_Man]

Not pointless at all. If I had one put together, I think I would get it in 1:12 to make sure it was good enough for most 55gr. A used Weatherby Vanguard or Howa mini action may be a good starting point.

 

[Wilderlife]

Anyone built a modern 222? I've got Grandpas Sako but thought it'd be fun to have a newer gun I could suppress. Probably pointless when a guy can buy a tikka 223.


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I haven't built a modern one specifically, but my L461 is fairly clapped out now. It's a 1976 model and I bought it in about 2012. Not sure how many rounds were put through it before I bought it but it was my workhorse for quite a few years here, especially from the ute. Anyway, I bought a new .223 with a 1:9 twist to muck around with at the range and be my new workhorse from a vehicle or with a thermal, so I'm going to get a new barrel on my L461. I did think about putting a .223 barrel on it but I've decided to do a .222 again and have it as a nice classy walkaround fox rifle.