.222 Rem Review: Pros and Cons of the Infamous .222 Rem

So, you're looking at the .222 Remington... well then, you've come to the right place! This classic cartridge has been around for decades (since the 1950s actually) and lately has seen a big resurgence. Designed to be the perfect varmint hunting cartridge, it proved its worth and is still killing critters today, over 70 years later. 

But if you want to know if this round is the right choice for you, let's take a look at some quick pros and cons of the .222 Remington. Then you can decide for yourself if this is the one you want to take on your next coyote hunting trip! 

Pros:

1. Excellent Accuracy: Let's start by talking about the accuracy. The .222 is a small, fast cartridge that provides some excellent accuracy. It can produce some impressive groups at longer ranges, which can be important for varmint hunters and target shooters alike.

2. Lower Recoil: Varmints don't require a lot of gun to kill, and it's always nice to shoot a rifle with lower recoil. The .222 Remington provides just that. It has very low recoil, making it a ton of fun to shoot. Not only is it fun to shoot, but you can call your own shots while hunting or have someone who is recoil sensitive comfortably shoot your rifle. A win win! 

3. Flat Trajectory: Going back to the accuracy, the reason the .222 has such great accuracy is because of its flat trajectory. If you've ever hunted coyotes, you know how they sometimes love to hang up at longer distances. Well, this is one cartridge that can reach out there and put them down. 

4. Versatility: While primarily designed to be a varmint killing machine, the .222 Remington can also double as an effective long range target platform. It's increased speeds and flat trajectory help it excel at this, not to mention the lower recoil so you can shoot all day without hardly feeling a thing. 

Cons:

1. Limited Applications: While virtually the perfect varmint cartridge and not half bad at long range target shooting, there's really not a lot else that the .222 can do. It is much too small for larger game animals or self-defense situations. If you want a caliber that can do more than one or two things, you may want to find something else. 

2. Limited Availability: Although it's been around for quite some time, the .222 Remington is not going to be easy to find. Whether it's ammo in the store or rifles chambered in this caliber, good luck on your search. Because it never caught on as much as other similar cartridges (such as the .223, .22-250, etc.) it is going to be hard to find!

3. Short Barrel Life: The higher velocities of the .222 Remington are awesome to shoot but will wear out your barrel faster than you might think. If you're someone who shoots fairly often or use the .222 for target shooting, you'll most likely need to replace your barrel more often than if you went with another caliber. 

4. Wind Drift: The flat trajectory of the .222 Remington makes it super accurate, but the smaller bullets are very sensitive to wind. While no cartridge is immune to some wind drift (especially at longer ranges) the .222 will definitely struggle more than others. Just something to keep in mind!

And there you have it! What do you think of the .222 Remington now? This classic cartridge may not be on everyone's radar, but the fact that it is still around today goes to show just how effective it can be. Whether you're considering the .222 as your primary varmint cartridge or maybe diving into the world of long-range shooting, this is one that might deserve a look! 

And if you do happen to get yourself a new .222 rifle, don't forget to order a rifle sling that's customized to your firearm!