Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Info regarding .22 Hornet

Have never owned or even shot one. Pros, cons, best uses? Thinking I might pick one up and stock up on ammo if even halfway comparable to .223. Also would be something my wife and stepdaughter could learn to shoot with. Thanks

Factory ammo can be expensive. Reloading with Lil' Gun is cheap though. Older guns may have a .223 bore and/or a 1/16 twist, which is too slow to stabilize a 40 gr vmax. Just some things to be aware of.

The hornet is my favorite centerfire small varmit rifle.

Presently own a Ruger 77V Lam. with a 3.5 X 10 A.O. Leupold.

Also own a .223 and a 204, but the Hornet gets used more.

This gun really "sings" with a 35 grain Vmax.

Virgil B.

You're right on the money with Li'l Gun. At only 13 grains per max charge, a pound goes a looong way and in my gun, a CZ527, it'll push a 40 gr. V-max to an honest 3,000 fps MV.

BTW, my gun has a .224", 1/16" twist barrel and it stabilizes the 40 V-max just fine. It definitely didn't like Nosler's 35 gr. lead free BT, though and I suspect it might not shoot the lighter .224" Barnes offerings either.

Ammo is expensive unless you hand load. Prices run around $40/50. You can get plain .223 ammo for much less. But the Hornet will always have a place. It is quiet,has no recoil, and works well with the new poly tipped bullets out to about 175-200. It is great for populated areas.

For varmints smaller than coyotes, it's probably ideal. Quiet, cool-shooting, recoil free, loaded with nostalgia, cheap to load for, and just plain effective. When I went out specifically for coyote, I took a bigger gun, but if I spotted a coyote while out with my Hornet I never had a qualm about popping it.

I've owned or used guns in .22 WMR, .22 Hornet, .218 Bee, .219 Zipper, .221 Fireball, and .223 - but the one I most enjoy and treasure is my Hornet. In fact, the only two of those left in my safe now are the Hornet and a .223 so that tells you something.

I have an old M-70 in 22 Hornet with a 16 twist barrel, it's 24"s and will stabilize the 45 gr TSX's just fine, put one lengthways through a coyote at around 88 yards IIRC, and 14 grs of Lil-Gun will give 2900+ fps, although I do have to seat the bullet in two stages.

Gunner

It's funny y'all bring this up. I was thinking along these same lines over the weekend. I have three .223 Rems, and I was wondering if it would be worth trying to pick up a .22 Hornet down the road.

I gather from what y'all are saying, the .22 Hornet does not do anything that a .223 Rem can't do. Right?

223/5.56 is mucho more better, the little Hornet is just cooler.

Gunner

I've got an old H&R HandiRifle in .22 Hornet that has been pure death on a scandalous amount of crows, pigeons, groundhogs and coyotes.

Like others have mentioned, 40 grain BT's over 13 grains of Lil Gun makes stuff tip over.

Yup.

Great input and conversation, thank you. Nice to hear how well thought of it is by so many of you. Going to pick it up.

For times when I don't want the 223's noise or penetration, I just swap out the 223 bolt for my $150 Ciener .22lr conversion unit in my Ar. :-) I realize that right now, AR prices are ridiculous, but that will be fixed in a year or so. The .22 unit weighs only 3/4 lb, so it's easy to carry along with the AR, and it's plenty accurate enoughfor small game, in addition to being a fine "trainer" piece for snapshooting/combat practice, to 75m or so. Which is as far as anyone is going to hit with such type shooting, anyway, while under fire and with no ear protection.