whats the difference?
 

I've heard a couple people here say that a .223 is a capable rifle for deer hunting... What's the difference between a .222 (which I own one of) and a .223?

RE: whats the difference?
 

also, second question... I have a .22 LR, do the .17 HMR's fit this rifle?,

RE: whats the difference?
 

The .223 is about as potent at 100 yards as the .222 is at the muzzle. They're both legal for deer here in Texas, but, you really need to be EXTREMELY selective with where you place the bullet. You should check whether they are even legal where you hunt. Some states mandate a .243 caliber minimum. I would consider the .223 a marginal deer rifle out to 100 yards, and the .222, obviously, even less appropriate.

The .17 HMR is absolutely NOT interchangeable in a .22.

RE: whats the difference?
 

I don't know much about the .222, other than that it's supposed to be very accurate. The 223 has a bit more case capacity, if I'm not mistaken, and is a much more common round. I don't think you can buy 222 ammo anywhere near as cheap as you can the 223, either.

The 17 hmr is built around a 22 magnum case. I think the.17that came from the regular 22lr iscalled the 17 mach 1, but I'm notsure.Are you thinking about rebarreling your 22 rifle?

RE: whats the difference?
 

I live in Florida most deer are 80-120 lbs so Im sure they are considerably smaller than most Texas deer. So the .222 and .223 are that much different? I'm trying to figure out based on the guns I just aquired what ther are good for hunting and what they are not also, trying to figure out what type of ammo is ideal for each gun depending on what I am/can target with it... I'm really just trying to get help educating myself.

I have a SKS, a Ruger M77 7mm, a .222, a .22LR, and a shotgun.

as far as re-barreling my .22 LR, I don't know... I saw a couple articles on the .17 being used as a varmit gun and it appeared to be far superior to the standard .22LR rounds... I don't know my options but would like to outfit each gun with the proper amma, scopes, etc for specific targets (ie; game, target shooting etc..)

All help is warmly welcomed as I am trying to give myself a reasonable crash course...

RE: whats the difference?
 

Out of your guns ill tell you the uses i would use them for.
SKS would be a plinking gun since ammo is cheap.
Ruger M77 would be my deer gun since its a larger cartridge and has a flat trajectory.
.222 would be a varmint/predator or target gun.
.22LR would be for target practice and squirrel and rabbits.
Shotgun would be used for abou anything as long as you use the proper round in it.

RE: whats the difference?
 

I second that!

DM

RE: whats the difference?
 

Someone is under estimating the 222...:eek:

RE: whats the difference?
 

i use a .223 ar for my second year hunting it was the only gun i had at the time and i felt more then comfortable
+with it but as alot of people as said choose shoot well and do not use it like a bush gun

RE: whats the difference?
 

the .222 and .223 are different in just a couple of ways. the .223 case is larger therefore it holds more powder which means it is a more powerful little round by a few hundred fps in comparison to the .222. So you will get more range with the .223 and more energy. They both use the .22 caliber bullet though and are usually similar in bullet weight as well. the .223 is capable of deer hunting but they sometimes require a perfect behind the should shot to be effective for a quick kill, also a harder bullet should be used for penetrationof both lungs because a varmint bullet just wont hit both lungs very well.

To answer your second question, the .17 hmr will not fit in the .22lr because the .17 hmr is a neck down .22 mag case witha .17 caliber bullet in it. So the .17 hmr will chamber in a .22 mag but not recomended. the .17 mach 2 is the necked down version of the .22 lr and will chamebr in a .22 lr but it is also not recomended either. So please dont try shooting either .17 through either .22 rifle because there is a high chance of injury in try it.