I have been playing with a really nice Anschutz .22 hornet for years. Really like the rifle, but it is very fussy about the ammunition that it likes to shoot. Rem & Win 45gr. SP factory ammo will only give me 1-3/4 - 2" groups.
Most handloads about 1.5" and even after trying many reccomended handloads it is difficult to shrink the group size much further. (tried 35 Horn v max, 40 & 45 gr. Sierras, 40 speer, Lil gun powder, W296 powder, AA1680, neck sizing, Lee crimp die, etc. The only common recommendation that has yet to be tried is pistol primers. The Horn 35 Vmax and Lil gun shows promise at about 1 1/4" .
I tried two more factory loads a while ago, and was encouraged - RWS 45gr. soft point shot into an inch, which is my maximum group size goal. But RWS ammo costs enough that I just can't afford it.
So I tried Winchester 46 gr. hollow points. Eureka!! a 5 shot group under 1/2"! And then I repeated that performance just to be sure. But I can't find that ammo again, no matter where I look. And cost is a factor when shooting a hornet at high volume in the "gopher" fields.
I went to my local gun store, bought new Winchester cases, two bags of the Win 46 gr. HP bullets, & win small rifle primers. I can match seating depth with the factory loads easy enough.
Any suggestions for powder & charge for factory duplication load? I do have W 296 on hand (and Lil gun and A1680, and H4227).
