Reloader 7 in the .222

[Acm]

Morning Everyone. Acquired a nice tikka 595 in .222. A real sleeper, not even been screwcut yet! these are the bullets I’m considering
50g Sierra varminter
55g Sierra gameking
50g nosler BT
45g Barnes tsx
36g Barnes varmint grenade



I have a good supply of reloader 7 and plan on using that.
I’ve got myself some load data using a mates quickload but would be really interested to hear your pet loads, particularly if they utilise reloader 7. Intended quarry for me is fox, corvids and maybe a few muntys.

 

[Donkey Basher]

Tried lots of different bullet options in my 595 Continental in 222 over the 20 odd years I've had it and found that 52/53gn was the heaviest it would stabilise due to the slow twist. After playing with lighter 'varmint' bullets from Nosler & Hornady I ended up sticking to 52gn Sierra MatchKing hollow point boat tails as they shoot a treat & I never found a fox that could tell me afterwards that they weren't a 'varmint' bullet For Muntjac I use a Norma soft point bullet of the same weight - alas no longer available but I have enough to see me out, have shot some pretty big Munties with these

Can't help you with loads for Reloader 7 but I use 19.8gn of N120 for both the MatchKings & the Norma soft points, mainly because it is so readily available.

 

[J.kerslake]

19.8g of reloader 7 with nosler varmegeddon 55g in my old bsa .222 100yds, shame about the bottom one

 

[Acm]

19.8g of reloader 7 with nosler varmegeddon 55g in my old bsa .222 View attachment 194799100yds, shame about the bottom one

Happens to the best of us! Still a killing group.

 

[flatliner]

50gr Seirra Varminter Blitz have work really well for me, all be it with Reloader 10x, and they're a good bit cheaper than Blitzkings

 

[Muir]

I'm sure you posted about RL7 load to hear about other powders but since I have used RL7 in 222 quite a bit, I'll offer that the Lee manual has a lot of data for those bullet weights. But, as to wanting a "pet load"? In some weights the difference between minimum and maximum is less than 2 grains. The difference in case weights can use that up. You need to go out and do this load work on your own. Start low and work up.
I liked RL7 and used it in my BRNO Fox. (a lovely gun with a crap trigger) ~Muir

 

[ndt man]

I'm sure you posted about RL7 load to hear about other powders but since I have used RL7 in 222 quite a bit, I'll offer that the Lee manual has a lot of data for those bullet weights. But, as to wanting a "pet load"? In some weights the difference between minimum and maximum is less than 2 grains. The difference in case weights can use that up. You need to go out and do this load work on your own. Start low and work up.
I liked RL7 and used it in my BRNO Fox. (a lovely gun with a crap trigger) ~Muir

Muir Is that the brno fox with the double set trigger ? (The most dangerous thing I ever owned). reloder 7 19.4 gr speer 50 gr soft point gave up on the reloder 7 and the speer bullets when both became difficult to obtain .
(Now use vit 130 and Sierra varmint 50gr) gr)

 

[jb7x57]

Reloaded 7 20.5 grains with hornady 52 grn hollow point boat tail roe deer drop on the spot so do foxes with little meat damage

 

[Muir]

Muir Is that the brno fox with the double set trigger ? (The most dangerous thing I ever owned). reloder 7 19.4 gr speer 50 gr soft point gave up on the reloder 7 and the speer bullets when both became difficult to obtain .
(Now use vit 130 and Sierra varmint 50gr) gr)

Yes. Horrible trigger arrangement. I think I used the same load of RL7 with 52 grain~Muir

 

[reiver]

I used to have a old BSA .222 that I used to Feed with 50gr soft points and rl 7 .
I just used the load data I got with the rifle when I bought it second hand . I never had a reason to change it . The man I bought the rifle of use to be a keeper up north somewhere and used it to cull Reds back in the day . It had a hard life up on the hill but still shot well enough for foxes .

 

[Acm]

I'm sure you posted about RL7 load to hear about other powders but since I have used RL7 in 222 quite a bit, I'll offer that the Lee manual has a lot of data for those bullet weights. But, as to wanting a "pet load"? In some weights the difference between minimum and maximum is less than 2 grains. The difference in case weights can use that up. You need to go out and do this load work on your own. Start low and work up.
I liked RL7 and used it in my BRNO Fox. (a lovely gun with a crap trigger) ~Muir

Thanks Muir, more a figure of speech to see what everyone else is using really. Which lee manual are you using? Most recent one? Manuals seem hard to get hold of in the U.K. at the moment.
was tempted by a brno fox but have a soft spot for tikka and sako.

 

[flatliner]

The bullet I mentioned in my previous post, seems to get best accuracy over a mild load, irrespective of powder brand.

From memory, I could only manage about 1 moa with RL7 and 36gr Barnes through a Tikka T3. It much preferred 40 or 50 gr bullets.

 

[G1963]

Morning Everyone. Acquired a nice tikka 595 in .222. A real sleeper, not even been screwcut yet! these are the bullets I’m considering
50g Sierra varminter
55g Sierra gameking
50g nosler BT
45g Barnes tsx
36g Barnes varmint grenade



I have a good supply of reloader 7 and plan on using that.
I’ve got myself some load data using a mates quickload but would be really interested to hear your pet loads, particularly if they utilise reloader 7. Intended quarry for me is fox, corvids and maybe a few muntys.

50grain vmax are great in my T3 and my brothers 595

 

[MACKY]

Try 50gr Speer SP they shoot very well out of my tikka 595.

 

[Sharpie]

Thanks Muir, more a figure of speech to see what everyone else is using really. Which lee manual are you using? Most recent one? Manuals seem hard to get hold of in the U.K. at the moment.
was tempted by a brno fox but have a soft spot for tikka and sako.

You need to be cautious about the load data in the Lee manual.

AFAIK it is a compilation of data acquired from other sources. Not developed and tested by Lee themselves. I do not think that Lee produce much, if any, of it themselves, other than the unique ideas about reduced loads for cast bullets. Nor keep it up to date. Certainly, for several cartridges that interested me I discovered that many of the loads given were a straight copy-past of either the powder or bullet manufacturers own data. Which will hopefully have been properly tested, in their (unspecified) test barrels. Of whatever, length, or twist, or tightness etc.

It is certainly a useful book for an initial comparison of likely candidate powders, but I would politely suggest that you treat it purely as a starting point, then drill down by doing your own research from authoritative sources. Which is nowadays so much more readily available online.

It was first published in 2011. Then reprinted in a revised format in 2016. Easily available, a quick search shows that Lee Precision Modern Reloading Manual 2nd Edition LEE90277 - Reloading UK have 25 in stock.

PS: here is Alliant's 2019 manual: Page 66 shows Reloder 7 data for 40, 45, 52 and 55 grain bullets in the .22. If nothing else you could use this data to check your friend's Quickload simulation for accuracy before putting your trust in it.

https://www.alliantpowder.com/resources/catalog/2019_Alliant_Powder_Catalog.pdf

 

[HandB]

My BSA Hunter .222 likes 55gr bullets with a hottish powder load (22grains of N130). It produces groups just under an 1MOA at 600yds:

 

[Acm]

You need to be cautious about the load data in the Lee manual.

AFAIK it is a compilation of data acquired from other sources. Not developed and tested by Lee themselves. I do not think that Lee produce much, if any, of it themselves, other than the unique ideas about reduced loads for cast bullets. Nor keep it up to date. Certainly, for several cartridges that interested me I discovered that many of the loads given were a straight copy-past of either the powder or bullet manufacturers own data. Which will hopefully have been properly tested, in their (unspecified) test barrels. Of whatever, length, or twist, or tightness etc.

It is certainly a useful book for an initial comparison of likely candidate powders, but I would politely suggest that you treat it purely as a starting point, then drill down by doing your own research from authoritative sources. Which is nowadays so much more readily available online.

It was first published in 2011. Then reprinted in a revised format in 2016. Easily available, a quick search shows that Lee Precision Modern Reloading Manual 2nd Edition LEE90277 - Reloading UK have 25 in stock.

PS: here is Alliant's 2019 manual: Page 66 shows Reloder 7 data for 40, 45, 52 and 55 grain bullets in the .22. If nothing else you could use this data to check your friend's Quickload simulation for accuracy before putting your trust in it.

https://www.alliantpowder.com/resources/catalog/2019_Alliant_Powder_Catalog.pdf

Thanks for taking the time to post this. Really helpful stuff

 

[charlieboy-shooter]

Thanks Muir, more a figure of speech to see what everyone else is using really. Which lee manual are you using? Most recent one? Manuals seem hard to get hold of in the U.K. at the moment.
was tempted by a brno fox but have a soft spot for tikka and sako.

Henry Krank shows the Lee Modern reloading Manual 2nd edition in stock on Website £20.
plus lots of other Sierra manuals.

edit. Just read 3 posts up by Sharpie. That teach me not to read through the thread 1st.

 

[cjs66]

I found RL7 very good with 40g Nosler B/Ts or Vmax but for 50g and 52g, in my Sako 75, N130 is my go to.

cjs

 

[Sharpie]

Thanks for taking the time to post this. Really helpful stuff

Here is an example, From my old copy of the Lee 2nd edition manual copyright 2003, mine is the 2004 reprint, so the data could be at least 18 years old by now. Not sure if any of it has been updated in the 2016 version, Lee make no mention of this, if they have.

It states that the "load data was assembled from that published by suppliers of the powder, with their permission."

Compare this with Alliant's 2019 data, for the .222:

40 grain bullet. Alliant give max. load of Reloader 7 is 22.0 gr, for 3617 fps. Lee has no data.

45 grains, Alliant say 21.5 gr 3424 fps. Lee say 19.8 gr 3225 fps.

50 gr. A have no data. L say 21.5 3195

52 gr A say 20.0 3115. L has no data.

55 gr A say 20.0 3045. L, no data.

So there are clear differences between the 2003 Lee data (presumably supplied at that time by Alliant) and that now published by them in their 2019 catalogue. And even the number of different loads varies. Lee have only two. Alliant have four. There is only one load out of the two from Lee, for a 45 grain bullet, where both list a load, and comparison of those loads is significantly different, by 1.7gr.

The Lee data is seemingly more comprehensive, giving a start load as well, and a pressure reading. It also gives you a huge choice of different powders to choose from, making it uniquely useful as a starting point for further research.

Alliant just give one value (presumably the maximum) but no pressure indication, but they do also specify the exact bullet and primer and brass and minimum COAL used as well. Lee do not specify the bullet used they just give a generic description, i.e. "jacketed bullet", nor the COAL (other than to state a minimum COAL, which is not really the same thing, given that they don't tell you what bullet was used), nor the primer, nor the brass manufacturer.

Example, for that 45 gr load. Alliant tell you that they used a Speer soft point bullet, using a CCI400 primer, in Remington brass, with a minimum COAL of 2.130". Whereas Lee simply say you can use a minimum COAL of 2.090" nothing more.

Is the tub of Reloader 7 bought in 2003 exactly the same as that supplied in 2019 ? Powders do get adjusted or reformulated or even sourced from a completely different manufacturer over the years. And there may also be slight differences from one batch to another.