Lindcott Armory Rifle · SAAMI
.222 Remington
The benchrest cartridge that dominated precision shooting for two decades.
- Caliber
- 0.224″ · 5.69 mm
- Introduced
- 1950
- Case
- Rimless
- Primary use
- Varmint, Competition
- Status
- Active
- Introduced
- 1950
- Type
- Rifle
- Origin
- United States
- Inventor
- Remington
- Manufacturer
- Remington
- Standard
- SAAMI
- Status
- Active
- Availability
- Common
- Case capacity
- 23 gr H₂O
- Twist (typical)
- 1:14
- Primer
- Small Rifle
- Case type
- Rimless
- Max pressure
- 52,000 psi
- Eff. range
- 300 yd
- Max range
- 700 yd
- Recoil
- 4–6.5 ft·lb
Ballistics
Real trajectory computed from a representative load — RUAG Ammotec Swiss P HPBT 50gr 50 gr, 3,140 fps, BC 0.254 G1 · 100 yd zero.
| Range | Velocity | Energy | Drop (in) | Drop (MOA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 yd | 3139 | 1094 | -1.5″ | — |
| 100 yd | 2934 | 956 | 0.0″ | 0.0 |
| 200 yd | 2735 | 830 | -2.5″ | -1.2 |
| 300 yd | 2543 | 718 | -9.7″ | -3.1 |
| 400 yd | 2355 | 616 | -22.3″ | -5.3 |
| 500 yd | 2174 | 524 | -41.2″ | -7.9 |
| 600 yd | 1998 | 443 | -67.5″ | -10.7 |
| 700 yd | 1829 | 371 | -102.5″ | -14.0 |
| 800 yd | 1665 | 308 | -147.8″ | -17.6 |
Point-mass G7/G1 drag model, standard atmosphere — within ~2% of reference solvers to 1000 yd; real barrels and conditions vary. Open in Ballistic Compare →
Performance
Buy links open .222 Remington ammunition at Rivertown Munitions.
Dimensionscase measurements · scale drawing · size vs familiar rounds
Case dimensions — the scale drawing at the top of the page is built from these.
CIP TDCC · verified| Measure | mm | in | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet ⌀ | 5.69 | 0.224 | ✓ |
| Neck ⌀ | 6.43 | 0.253 | ✓ |
| Shoulder ⌀ | 9.07 | 0.357 | ✓ |
| Shoulder angle | 23° | — | ✓ |
| Base ⌀ | 9.55 | 0.376 | ✓ |
| Rim ⌀ | 9.60 | 0.378 | ✓ |
| Belt ⌀ | n/a | ||
| Rim thickness | 1.14 | 0.045 | ✓ |
| Neck length | 7.94 | 0.313 | ≈ |
| Case length | 43.18 | 1.700 | ✓ |
| Overall length | 54.10 | 2.130 | ✓ |
Size vs familiar rounds
Drawn at true 1:1 — every case is accurate relative to the others. Absolute size depends on your screen's pixel density, so measuring one against a real ruler may be off. .222 Remington is highlighted below.
Factory loads
In production — 46 active loads across 21 brands. Top 15 shown · see all 46 →.
| Brand | Load | Grain | Bullet | FPS | ft·lb | BC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RUAG Ammotec | Swiss P HPBT 50gr | 50 | HPBT | 3,140 | 1,094 | 0.254 G1 |
| Barnes | Varmint Grenade | 30 | PHP | 3,750 | 937 | — |
| Nosler | Varmageddon | 40 | HP | 3,600 | 1,151 | — |
| Hornady | Varmint Express | 40 | V-MAX | 3,600 | 1,151 | — |
| Browning | BXV | 40 | Polymer Tip | 3,550 | 1,119 | — |
| Black Hills | V-MAX | 40 | V-MAX | 3,500 | 1,088 | — |
| Browning | BXV | 40 | V-MAX | 3,500 | 1,088 | — |
| Hornady | V-MAX 40gr | 40 | V-MAX | 3,400 | 1,027 | — |
| Barnes | Varmint Grenade HP 43gr | 43 | Varmint Grenade | 3,300 | 1,040 | — |
| RWS | HK | 46 | HP | 3,280 | 1,099 | — |
| Federal | V-Shok | 50 | V-MAX | 3,140 | 1,094 | — |
| Remington | Core-Lokt | 50 | PSP | 3,140 | 1,094 | — |
| Sellier & Bellot | Standard | 50 | SP | 3,140 | 1,094 | — |
| Hornady | Varmint Express HP | 50 | HP | 3,140 | 1,094 | — |
| Remington | Premier | 50 | AccuTip-V | 3,140 | 1,094 | — |
Velocities are manufacturer-stated (test-barrel). Discontinued loads dimmed.
Suitable powders
11 reloading powders listed for .222 Remington, fastest to slowest. Cross-reference in the finder →
Reloading costestimate cost per round vs factory
Estimate your cost per round and how it compares to factory. Inputs are yours — nothing is stored.
Cost estimate only — not load data. Charge weight is your input; follow published manuals for safe charges.
Firearms chambered in .222 Remington
12 models in the database chamber .222 Remington. Browse all →
Lineage
Connected reference
History
Remington designed it from scratch as a pure target and varmint cartridge. It swept the benchrest shooting world in the 1950s, setting records across all distances. The U.S. military studied it when developing a small-caliber military round — the resulting .222 Remington Magnum and ultimately .223 Remington trace directly to it.
FAQs
- What twist rate does .222 Remington use?
- .222 Remington typically uses a 1:14 twist rate.
- What bullet diameter is .222 Remington?
- .222 Remington uses a 0.224″ (5.69 mm) diameter bullet.
- Is .222 Remington still in production?
- .222 Remington is active; typical availability is common.
- What is .222 Remington used for?
- .222 Remington is primarily used for varmint, competition.
- What are the best powders for .222 Remington?
- Reloading powders commonly listed for .222 Remington include AR 2205, Norma R1, RS40, IMR 4198, among 11 suitable options.
Sources & provenance
- StandardSAAMI — SAAMI cartridge & chamber drawing — .222 Remingtonarchived
- StandardC.I.P. — C.I.P. TDCC — Tables of Dimensions of Cartridges and Chambers
Data & sources. Specs compiled from the Lindcott Armory reference; availability counted from 46 live factory loads; the trajectory is modeled (point-mass), not measured. See methodology. Spotted an error? Report it →