Hi jim62,
I appreciate your thoughts. I know as a hunter your trying to help and adding what works well for you. Again I appreciate that. Here are the overly detailed (chuckle).... details of my experiance with the 40 grain V Max that you and/or others can sift through with a cup of morning coffee and "take what you need and leave the rest".
I welcome all comments and try to learn something new everyday. Nothing is "set in stone" and after all this is just an enjoyable hobby, talk arouind the "ol campfire."
Actually I have loaded & hunted 40 grain plastic tips from the 22 Hornet quite a bit. Last year loaded tested & hunted Woodchucks with it quite extensively from a 1/12 twist break action Handi Hornet I have sense horse traded. The new CZ is my third 22 Hornet not my first. On another thread here I listed the bullets I have loaded/hunted. In 22 Hornet about 8 to date as I recall.
I used the 40 grain V Max with two powders Lil Gun & Win 296. I took maybe 30 Woodchucks with that bullet at ranges out to 175-180 yards with upper body, center mass point of impact. It did not anchor Chucks any better than 45 grain soft points which anchor them to 200 yards. It was accurate but the difference in hundredths of an inch at 100 & 200 yards as compared to preferred loads with 45 grain soft points was so marginal, if any, it was not practical for the purpose.
The bullet did not fragment well at Hornet velocities.
It typically had dime size exit holes and that was from the fast 1/12 twist barrel on Woodchucks/Groundhogs. It only stuck, did not exit on one Woodchuck and that was at very close range of 25 yards.
The 22 Hornet is a much different animal than the 17 HMR. The HMR has a fast 1/9 twist as compared to typically 1/16 in Hornet. Its also shooting much lighter bullets. The combination of nearly twice as fast a twist (high bullet rpm/rotation) along with over twice as light a bullet yet only a 5% - 10% loss in velocity equals much better fragmentation as compared. The 22 Hornet acts more like a 22mag. It does not want to frag ammo. There is not a lot of bullet spin and it shoots heavy bullets for its velocity by todays varmint caliber standards. They have to make �golf balls� with plastic tips and ultra thin jackets, hollow points which are severely hacked off, cupped and fluted etc. in lighter weights at faster velocities just to get the darn things to frag. Soft point varmint designed bullets are ideal for the old timers IMO and work as well today as they did many moons ago. They create the largest entrance, are by far the most reliable to expand down range at lower velocities and flat out just work��..every time��although maybe not with as much dramatics as a fast plastic tip on a small varmint at close range. IMO- Its like trying to put a modern supped up built 4 cylinder Japanese engine designed for very light weight great handling go-cart / Indy like sports cars into a heavy old GTO or Super Bee red light to red light muscle car. Despite modern remedies the latter still needs a big block under the hood.
It is made for .223 caliber velocities and the low end velocity needed for fragmentation is higher than �Hornet� bullets. Also the Hornady 45 grain Hornet soft point has a slightly higher BC as compared to the 40 gr. V Max (.202 vs .198 as I remember / Hornady specs) and with its 45 grains carries more energy down range on my ballistics calculator along with what I have seen in the field. Higher B.C. plus 5 more grains.....along with reliable expansion down range.
It was an accurate bullet and I realize some prefer it. If I was in some sort of bench rest competition rather then hunting with 22 Hornets I would reconsider it. It is my understanding that the Sierra Blitzking in 40 grain plastic tip does fragment better than the 40 V Max on the low end of velocity. And the Nosler B �Tip needs higher velocity in 40 grain yet as compared to the Hornady. None are designed for the Hornet or .218 Bee as other bullets are.
Last just for myself / IMO. It has to be single loaded in bolt action repeaters. This combined with the fact b) they cost more c) they did not kill to further range d) accurate but not noticeably more accurate than preferred loads with Hornet bullets e) and most important they did not frag at Hornet velocities down range on Woodchucks and passed through 99% of them leaving a dime size exit, has eliminated the 40 grain B-Tips from my Hornet bullet lists.
By the way, the Calhoon 37 grain hollow point is listed as "explosive" in Hornets by the vast majority, all over the net. Like the 40 V Max it is in fact accurate. But also like the 40 grain V Max it can be shot in the fast 22 center fire calibers which should tell us something about fragmentation at Hornet velocities down range with either. Not sure what they are looking at but even on larger varmints like Woodchucks it was/is far from "explosive". I have sense found a few like myself.
These are my thoughts for today anyways......
