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 Arms
- Standard
- SAAMI
- Status
- Active
- Availability
- Common
- Case capacity
- 26.9 gr H₂O
- Twist (typical)
- 1:14
- Primer
- Small Rifle
- Case type
- Rimless
- Max pressure
- 50,000 psi, SAAMI transducer
- Eff. range
- 300 yd
- Max range
- 3400 yd
- Recoil
- 2.9–4 ft·lb
Introduced by Remington Arms
Ballistics
Published velocity/energy data isn't available for .222 Remington.
Performance
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
Being verified
Advertised FPS, energy, and BC are withheld until loads clear verification.
Suitable powders
18 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
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 N110, AR 2205, Norma R1, RS40, among 18 suitable options.
Sources & provenance
- Standard SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute) — ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4 – 2015 (Centerfire Rifle) — Velocity & Pressure / Cartridge & Chamber Drawings · representative_gun, grain_ballistics archived
- Standard C.I.P. — C.I.P. TDCC — Tables of Dimensions of Cartridges and Chambers
- Standard SAAMI — SAAMI cartridge & chamber drawing — .222 Remington archived
- Manufacturer Prvi Partizan — .222 REMINGTON | PPU USA Ammunition (PP2.1) · grain_ballistics, representative_gun
- Manufacturer Sellier & Bellot — 222 REM. – SP 50 GRS (SB222A) · grain_ballistics, representative_gun archived
- Manufacturer Remington — High Performance Rifle, 222 Rem, 50 Grain, Pointed Soft Point (21303) · grain_ballistics, representative_gun
- Manufacturer Hornady — 222 Rem 35 gr NTX Superformance (#8309) · grain_ballistics, representative_gun archived
- Manufacturer Norma — Norma Oryx .222 Remington 55gr (20157042) · grain_ballistics, representative_gun archived
- Manufacturer Nosler — 222 Rem 40gr FB Tipped Varmageddon Ammunition (65135) · grain_ballistics, representative_gun archived
Data & sources. Specs compiled from the Lindcott Armory reference; availability counted from 44 live factory loads; the trajectory is modeled (point-mass), not measured. See methodology. Spotted an error? Report it →
