Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles newest Hornet loads?

I haven't loaded for it in some years,what's the latest and greatest hand loads?

What bullet weight?

Lil' Gun is THE Hornet powder. I use it for 30-50 grain bullets with complete satisfaction. Velocities are generally the highest and pressures lowest.

Rocky Raab will hopefully chime in, as he knows quite a bit about the round.

Don't go overboard on Lil Gun praises too much. I saw a guy lock up a new Savage M40 with a relatively "mild" 12.5gr with a 40 VM last summer. Apparently the advice to 'dip the case full and stick a bullet on' just isn't so. Since I saw it happen, I've been leery of using the stuff myself. I DID have primer blanking when trying the stuff in my Fireball.

I don't trust it.

I'm still using WW680...I think I have a lifetime supply of 4 lbs.

I won't post how much I've put in and what bullet weight to test it, but let's say I've never had an issue.

There was a recall on several lots a few years ago, which I never had nor do I currently have, from the powder burning too quick.

Pressures go very quickly with Hornets, due to, at least in part I would imagine, the relatively small case size. I've seen 0.5 gr increments in both Lil Gun and H110 go from mild to sticky extraction.

Lil' Gun is my favorite powder with the hornet!

Ed

Ratsmaker..

WHERE did you see ANYONE here on this or any other forum say "dip the case FULL of powder in and put a bullet in it" with redards to charging a case with LILGUN??

I have laoded the Honet with LILGUN since 1997 and have NEVER heard that one..

ratsmacker,

What diameter is the barrel on the Savage; they just might use the odd .223 bore.

I have had surprises from other powders in 22 Hornets. The surprise came when I finally had a Chrony to use and it turned out it wasn't the powder.

In WW cases and 40gr. bullets, its hard to get enough in the case. I use 12.5 just because the powder doesn't go all over the place and generally use R-P cases for more cap. Matter of fact I have used that charge with 48gr. cast bullets with absolutely no issues, but I did work up the load across the Chrony....

While I don't think you can get enough Lil'Gun in a Hornet case to have issues, but I would still weigh charges and work up with a chronograph, regardless. I certainly would not advocate the "dipper" method.

I'm not a fan of Lil'Gun in bottlenecks either and really large cases, as it seems weird at top pressure with heavy bullets in say a 45 Colt compared to a narrower case like the 357.

I large cases and bottlenecks, I generally use it for mid-speed loads.

For straight, or nearly straight/narrow cases, it seems to have a more steady pressure climb, at least in the carts I've used it in and just looking at Hodgdon data.

Well, I suppose I have a pretty oddball Hornet. Its a .2225" barrel (built in 1937--its really a rechambered .22 rimfire). I use .224" 40 gr. Vmax's and 13gr. Lil Gun (so, its just about a caseful) with no problems. I get almost precisely 3000 fps from a 26" barrel. If I bump up to 13.5 gr Lil Gun (a true caseful, extraction is sticky. Using 11 gr. H110 and a .223" Sierra, the cases stick and primer pockets get loose after one loading. If I back that same load down to 10.5 gr. H110 I have no problems.

I would imagine there are any number of things that make this round problematic. I've never made any measurements to know for sure, but it seems that this cartridge has a very high surface volume to capacity ratio: if so, that would explain why things can go quickly awry.

Explained nicely.
I don't think the issue is with the powder; if it is it could be one of the recalled lots.

Its usually US!

My plan is to use 35-40 gr bullets.The gun is an old Brno 465,so nothing "hot" required. My last loading of the Hornet was 20 years ago with H110 and .223 bullets.
Just lookin' to see what's new......

Here are some loads from Hodgdon's site, and look at the pressures their testing gave. I have loaded a .223 groove Hornet and have worked up the data, which of course is always a good idea....

30 GR. BAR VG FB IMR IMR 4227 .224" 1.750" 10.0 2321 37,300CUP 11.7C 2703 37,600 CUP

30 GR. BAR VG FB Winchester 296 .224" 1.750"
11.1 2807 33,000 CUP 12.3 3150 41,500 CUP

30 GR. BAR VG FB Hodgdon H110 .224" 1.750" 11.1 2807 33,000 CUP 12.3 3150 41,500 CUP

30 GR. BAR VG FB Hodgdon Lil'Gun .224" 1.750" 11.7 2863 26,300 CUP 13.0 3055 29,700 CUP

35 GR. HDY V-MAX Hodgdon H4198 .224" 1.725" 10.5 2223 23,100 CUP 11.5C 2420 26,300 CUP

35 GR. HDY V-MAX Hodgdon H4227 .224" 1.725" 10.5 2630 35,600 CUP 11.6C 2896 42,500 CUP

35 GR. HDY V-MAX Hodgdon H110 .224" 1.725" 11.0 2805 32,700 CUP 12.3 3060 41,400 CUP

35 GR. HDY V-MAX Hodgdon Lil'Gun .224" 1.725" 12.0 2694 22,000 CUP 13.0 2842 24,000 CUP

40 GR. SPR SP Hodgdon H4198 .224" 1.725" 10.5 2253 26,100 CUP 11.5C 2488 32,800 CUP

40 GR. SPR SP Hodgdon H4227 .224" 1.725" 9.0 2421 39,900 CUP 10.2 2567 43,000 CUP

40 GR. SPR SP Hodgdon H110 .224" 1.725" 10.0 2569 32,400 CUP 11.2 2795 41,800 CUP

40 GR. SPR SP Hodgdon Lil'Gun .224" 1.725" 12.0 2667 24,900 CUP 13.0 2826 28,400 CUP

45 GR. BAR XBT Hodgdon H4198 .224" 1.850" 10.5 2217 31,500 CUP 11.5C 2390 36,900 CUP

45 GR. BAR XBT Hodgdon H4227 .224" 1.850" 8.5 2198 37,000 CUP 9.8 2346 42,700 CUP

45 GR. BAR XBT Hodgdon H110 .224" 1.850" 9.0 2323 35,200 CUP 9.9 2503 40,400 CUP

45 GR. BAR XBT Hodgdon Lil'Gun .224" 1.850" 12.0 2641 35,700 CUP 13.0 2770 38,500 CUP

45 GR.HDY SP IMR IMR 4198.224"
1.750" 10.5C 2010 20,100 CUP

45 GR. HDY SP Hodgdon H4198 .224" 1.750" 10.5 2239 28,000 CUP 11.5C 2400 32,000 CUP

45 GR. HDY SP IMR IMR 4227 .224" 1.750" 8.5 2312 39,900 CUP 9.8 2484 42,000 CUP

45 GR. HDY SP IMR SR 4759 .224" 1.750" 8.0C 2000 24,70 CUP

45 GR. HDY SP Hodgdon H110 .224" 1.750" 9.0 2342 33,500 CUP 10.4 2574 43,000 CUP

45 GR. HDY SP Hodgdon Lil'Gun .224" 1.750" 12.0 2622 26,500 CUP 13.0 2787 31,600 CUP

yeap anyone who would just fill a case with anything with out weighing it needs to sell their loading equipment before they get hurt! that being said i have seen hornet cases vary as much as 3 grains capacity depending on brand and that is alot in such a small case. i do think lilgun is the go to powder for the hornet

22 Hornet Load that works.

13.0 gns Lil-Gun
45 gn Sierra Hornet bullet
Fed Small Pistol Primers
Bullets crimped

My oppinion is that you probably can't get enough Lil-Gun powder in the Hornet case to have pressure problems. I was able to get 14.2 gns in some cases and that's all the cases would hold. I shot those loads, only accuracy was bad, but I had no pressure problems.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that with a more recent Hornet make, that your statement may well be correct. However, I have cases that says you can use too much. Anytime you have to force the lever open on a Low Wall, the primers are flattened and extruded and you can feel the primer pockets loosen after using Lil Gun, you have pressure problems. That's my experience, again, with a 1937 built Hornet. My suspicion is that the chamber of this gun is tight and I know the bore to be 0.2225". So, I would urge caution, particularly if you are using an older arm. Obviously YMMV--mine certainly does.

One thing not mentioned so far is the case design and sizing.

The Hornet also suffers from the similar ailment of belted magnums, since they headspace from the rear of the case. When firing a new case, or one that has been FL-re-sized, primers can certainly flatten and a small case/oversized chamber will swell with even mild factory loads, and case life will suffer.

I re-size with a slight shoulder and forget the rim.

Obviously, work up with a chronograph, regardless, since there are a lot of variables out there.

I've seen it mentioned on other websites, not this one but that was the common recipe a couple of years ago, until stuff like this started turning up. I tried Lil Gun in my .221 Fireball when I first got it about three or four years ago, and had pressure issues almost immediately, with starting loads, even, so I got rid of the stuff.
I got a Hornet at the first of the year, a slightly used CZ 527, and have decided not to use Lil Gun after that episode and what I saw last summer with that guy's brand new M40, which I presume has the .224" bore.
If you want to use the stuff, I have no issues with that. My experiences with it are not good, so I won't use it.

I partially neck-size in order to help center the case in the bore.

I agree that you can see the effect you describe on primers and case-life if its a headspace issue. However, primer pockets don't normally loosen if its excess headspace/low pressure. That's what surprised me with the issues I saw with a greater than book maximum charge of Lil Gun and a slightly below book maximum of H110, with H110 being the more dramatic of the two results.

Been my experience along with the H110 when I was clueless about bore diameter too!

No, primer pockets should not be loose, AT ALL. I concur with everything you have stated,

The case sizing issues with the Hornet is one that gets little press.