222 REMINGTON MAGNUM BRASS
The brass shortage for many cartridges, perhaps most, has been ongoing for several years. An administration in Washington D.C. that does not provide a clear and ongoing message of support of the 2nd Amendment has shooters in an uneasy position, to which they respond by purchasing inordinate amounts of supplies. Ammunition manufacturers have been working overtime to keep up with demand, and production has been focused on products most needed to satisfy the majority of orders. Loaded ammunition makes more sense for the strapped manufacturers, who in turn have the opportunity for greater profits. They know full well that the years of intense production will, in time, be followed by a somewhat similar period of low demand.
One of the forgotten cartridges during this period has been the 222 Remington Magnum. Loaded rounds have not been made for several years, but there has at least been adequate supplies of brass from Remington, even though such supplies have not been steady. Now it appears that they are non-existent.
The 222 Remington Magnum is a superior cartridge. It is well balanced, and highly accurate with several canister powders, something that cannot be claimed for many other bench-rest-capable cartridges. Further, the wonderful 6x47mm wildcat, easily made by one-pass necking-up of the 222 Remington Magnum to 0.243", is still an honored cartridge by some older shooters who understand its capability, me included. It has been replaced as a bench rest winner by the 6mm PPC and 6mm BR, which both shoot very well with very little load-development effort, but the 6x47 is capable of equal accuracy if the shooter is willing to go that direction with conviction. All that is needed is the development of a load that has two characteristics a bullet that finds favor with the barrel, and a load that produces minimal shot-to-shot velocity variation. But today that isn't done. The 6 PPC and 6 BR are all the rage. The reasons why seem to elude today's competitive shooters, as they don't wish to spend near the time on preparing brass as we used to a few decades ago. That statement may be denied by some, but I think it's correct and that, in and of itself, has been a problem with the 222 Remington Magnum and its offspring wildcat, the 6x47. You see, match-quality brass has not generally been available for the 222 RM. Probably over 90% of users had to be content with sorting Remington brass and maybe finding 15 or 20 choice pieces capable of ultimate accuracy out of 100 pieces carefully inspected in every category. In contrast, there has continually been outstanding brass available for the 6 PPC and 6 BR.
Several years ago, I read what was supposed to be a highly technical and unbiased comparison of the 6x47 and 6 PPC. Most anyone reading it would have come to the same conclusion as the author the 6 PPC is a more accurate cartridge. However, I saw what I believed to be several errors in the comparison and, with a background that included statistical quality control, I saw through the author's efforts to shut the door on the 6x47. He was able to get his particular 6 PPC to shoot smaller groups more consistently than he was his 6x47, with which he had not been particularly successful in sanctioned matches. As it was, his new 6 PPC was a superior rifle in construction from the start. I have a 6x47 sitting in a safe about 50 feet from me as I write this, and it shoots boring little groups in the 0.14" to 0.17" range. My best 6 PPC is almost as accurate, but not quite. The trick with the 6x47 was to work to find the right load, and work to have what is now 27 pieces of "perfectly matched" brass from about 200 inspected.
So what are we going to do about the brass problem? With a case of 2000 pieces of 222 RM yet unopened, and several hundred left untouched from the case I'm now working through, I have a good personal supply. Most people don't, and we have been getting some inquiries from those frustrated by the shortage. Remembering that the 204 Ruger seemed to be created from 222 RM brass, necked down and with the shoulder blown forward at a sharper angle, maybe 204 brass could be necked necked up and the shoulder shoved back in a single pass through a 222 Remington Magnum full-length die. It works. We tried it, being careful to lube the case properly, with only a hint of lube on the shoulder of the 204 case. A tapered expander helps, and a tapered carbide expander would have been ideal, but we got by, testing the process in two different brands of dies. And, since there are now several makers of 204 Ruger brass, including Norma, the 222 RM or 6x47 shooter has a choice.
Obviously, inside neck reaming would be prudent, as would dropping down jus a bit in the powder charge and working back to a proper load for this new direction in 222 Remington Magnum brass. The photo shows a several-times-fired 204 Ruger cartridge case by Winchester, and a reformed identical case that is now a 222 Remington Magnum. For those readers who can't wait any longer to have their very own 222 Remington Magnum or 6x47mm rifle, call the shop immediately. We'll get your new Cooper rifle on order. Takes from about 8 to 14 months, depending on the model and options.
JDC