.222 Remington

Type

Rifle

Place of origin

United States

Production history

Designer

Mike Walker

Designed

1950

Manufacturer

Remington

Specifications

Case type

Rimless, bottleneck

Bullet diameter

.224 in (5.7 mm)

Neck diameter

.253 in (6.4 mm)

Shoulder diameter

.357 in (9.1 mm)

Base diameter

.376 in (9.6 mm)

Rim diameter

.378 in (9.6 mm)

Rim thickness

.045 in (1.1 mm)

Case length

1.700 in (43.2 mm)

Overall length

2.130 in (54.1 mm)

Case capacity

26.9 gr H₂O (1.74 cm³)

Rifling twist

1 in 14 in (360 mm)

Primer type

Small rifle

Maximum pressure

50,000 psi (340 MPa)

Ballistic performance

Bullet mass/type	Velocity	Energy
40 gr (3 g) HP	3,583 ft/s (1,092 m/s)	1,141 ft·lbf (1,547 J)
50 gr (3 g) SP	3,168 ft/s (966 m/s)	1,115 ft·lbf (1,512 J)
55 gr (4 g) SP	3,095 ft/s (943 m/s)	1,170 ft·lbf (1,590 J)
60 gr (4 g) VMax	2,937 ft/s (895 m/s)	1,150 ft·lbf (1,560 J)

Test barrel length: 24"
Source(s): Hodgdon

The .222 Remington, which is also known as the Triple Deuce/Triple Two/Treble Two is a centerfire rifle cartridge. Introduced in 1950, it was the first commercial rimless .22 (5.56 mm) cartridge made in the United States. As such, it was an entirely new design, without a parent case. The .222 Remington was a popular target cartridge from its introduction until the mid-1970s and still enjoys a reputation for inherent accuracy. It remains a popular vermin or "varmint" cartridge at short and medium ranges with preferred bullet weights of 40-55 grains and muzzle velocities from 3000-3500 fps.

The .222 Remington was introduced in the Remington Arms Model 722 bolt action rifle. Factory rifles often produce groups of one minute of arc (0.3 mrad) or less with no tuning. The accuracy and flat trajectory of the cartridge resulted in the adoption of the round for varmint and benchrest rifles. The faster .220 Swift and .22-250 Remington provided more reach than the .222 Remington. These larger cartridges have more power (roughly 50 percent more) than the .222, but also more muzzle blast and barrel erosion.

The .222 Remington is popular in Europe where it is known as 5.7×43. Sako was one of the first European makers to introduce .222 Remington rifles and cartridges, and German and Austrian hunters quickly adopted the .222 Remington for hunting smaller deer sized game.

The .222 Remington was finally eclipsed in benchrest competition by the 6mm PPC.

When the US military was looking for a new smallbore rifle cartridge, Remington started with the .222 Remington, and stretched it to increase powder capacity by about 20% in 1958 to make the .222 Remington Magnum. The greater powder capacity put the velocities between the standard .222 Remington and the .22-250. The cartridge was not accepted by the military, but it was introduced commercially. In 1963, the 5.56×45mm NATO, also based on a stretched .222 case, was adopted along with the new M16 rifle. The NATO cartridge had a capacity only 5% less than the Magnum. The new 5.56×45mm cartridge was commercialized by Remington as the .223 Remington. Given the close performance to other cartridges and military acceptance, both the .222 Remington and the .222 Magnum faded quickly into obsolescence, being replaced by the .223 Remington.

...
Wikipedia