Here comes Santa Claus

[Kurt]

Gussy I like the longer case neck the .222 has over the .223. The .222 is the only rifle I have Carolyn will shoot. I watched her hit corn bore moths on the white 200 yard target backer using that rifle.

[Don McDowell]

Those 222's have always been super accurate it seems.

[Gussy]

That new rifle of yours should be just as good (and it sure looks nicer than my 40++ yr old Remington). I've used BLC2 for powder ever since I got the rifle. The best bullet I used was a Hornady SX, the old ones. I'm not sure how good the new ones are. After I ran out of those, I went to CCI hollow pt for varmints.

[Kurt]

Ball C is a good powder with the SX. But don't drive that bullet to fast. When you get that old SX up to around 2900 fps you will see a gray streak going to about the 50 yard line and never see it kick up dust at 100

[Ironramrod]

I don't know about the .222, but my vote goes to the BLC-2 in the .223 for sure. I've used it in a couple of .223 rifles for close to 40 years, and it always performs w/ 1 exception. One thing I've found (the hard way) is that one shouldn't use Winchester primers w/ BLC-2 or other slower burning spherical powders (e.g. H414) in sub-zero temps, because my groups opened up to about 3" at 100 yds as a result. Changing nothing in the loads except the primers to Federal, Remington, or CCI and I would get 5 shot 1/2" groups in the same sub-zero temps. (e.g. -10 to -15*F).

Well who cares about shooting in those temps.? It's amazing how many $100+ bills are out running around on those kinds of days; or nights.

Regards

[Don McDowell]

Gussy this Hawkeye feels a lot like a 700 bdl.
I've had real good luck with rl 15 in the other 223's here for 55 gr and heavier bullets. 4198 and 45 gr hollowpoints really make for some spectacular prairiedog shooting.
I've got about 6 lbs of 4320 given to me, but I haven't looked to find any 223 data for that yet.
I do have a couple of cans of rl12, that was said to work very well in the 223, but it's the very best powder in the 405, so I think I'll just reserve those for that 40-70ss on steroids...

[Mike]

Hey Ranch, Do you have a .405? If so, please tell me about it. Shoot sharp, Mike

[Don McDowell]

Hey Ranch, Do you have a .405? If so, please tell me about it. Shoot sharp, Mike

Yup sure do, it's one of the recalled/rebarreled Miroku's that started life as a 270 but then they took those out of warehouse and turned em into something useful, shoots like a laser.

[Mike]

Wow! That's some doin's. I had one of the old .405s, made in 1931 and it was 77 from the highest number on a '95. It was a good gun to shoot but I never used it on any game. One time a friend of mine and I went out to sight-in a couple of rifles. I was using a Remington Model 141 in .35 caliber and also had the .405. We posted our targets on a huge stump and then I used the .405 just for starters. That gun sure tore holes in the stump but that's about all I can brag about. However, I do have some ammo should you run short. Shoot sharp, Mike

[Don McDowell]

Mike truth be told this 95 is probably my most favored rifle. I can load it mild with cast or I can kick 300 gr Northfork bullets at 2350 and just mash the snot out of critters. I did put a limbsaver pad on it, I needed the extra length of pull to keep my fingernails out of my lips when the gun went off, and it helped to be able to shoot more than 10 fullhouse rounds without getting a recoil headache.