.222 Remington

The .222 Remington, which is also known as the Triple Deuce/Triple Two/Treble Two is a centerfire rifle cartridge. Introduced in 1950, it was the first commercial rimless .22 (5.56 mm) cartridge made in the United States. As such, it was an entirely new design, different from its derivative.

Introduction
The .222 Remington was introduced in the Remington Arms Model 726 bolt action rifle. Factory rifles often produce groups of one minute of arc (0.3 mrad) or less with no tuning. The accuracy and flat trajectory of the cartridge resulted in the adoption of the round for varmint and benchrest rifles. The faster .220 Swift and .22-250 provided more reach than the .222 Remington. These larger cartridges have more power (roughly 50 percent more) than the .222, but also more muzzle blast and barrel erosion.

The .222 Remington is popular in Europe where it is known as 5.7×43. Sako was one of the first European makers to introduce .222 Remington rifles and cartridges, and German and Austrian hunters quickly adopted the .222 Remington for hunting smaller deer sized game.

Obsolescence
The .222 Rem. was finally eclipsed in benchrest competition by the 6 mm PPC.

When the US military was looking for a new smallbore rifle cartridge, Remington started with the .222 Remington, and stretched it to increase powder capacity by about 20% in 1958 to make the .222 Remington Magnum. The greater powder capacity put the velocities between the standard .222 Remington and the 22-250. The cartridge was not accepted by the military, but it was introduced commercially. In 1963, the 5.56 x 45 mm, also based on a stretched .222 Rem. case, was adopted along with the new M16 rifle. The 5.56 mm cartridge had a capacity only slightly less (5%) than the .222 Rem. Mag. The new 5.56x45mm cartridge was commercialized by Remington, the .223 Remington. Given the close performance to other cartridges and military acceptance, both the .222 Remington and the .222 Rem. Mag. faded quickly into obsolescence, being replaced by the .223 Remington.

While the .222 Remington is rarely found in current production in America, its derivative cartridges are among the most popular in the world. In addition to the .222 Rem. Mag. and .223 Remington, the .222 has also served as the parent case for the .221 Fireball, the fastest production handgun cartridge.

The .222 Remington, still, is fairly popular in Europe, where producers like Sako, Tikka and Sauer chamber rifles for this caliber. Firearms that are usually chambered for the .223 Remington/5.56x45mm NATO caliber are often rechambered for the .222 Rem. for sale in countries where regulations restrict or forbid civilian ownership of "military calibers". Examples of countries with such legislation include France and Spain.