Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting .22 Hornet for Turkeys?

I've used a .218 Bee, out of a 10" Contender, to take toms, out to 80 yards or so- works very well.

Not the Hornet, but I've used the 218 Bee with Remington 46 grain factory loads and the 256 Win Mag with 86 grain 25-20 bullet to kill turkeys. I'd agree that the POA is the intersection of the neck and body for quick kills and minimal meat damage. I like the 22 MRF too and think that the 33 grain VMax bullets would be just the thing for turkeys with an accurate rifle. My Marlin 982s and Savage 93s in 22 MRF would be fine turkey getters, if gettin' turkeys could be legally hunted with rifles in NE.

Jeff

I've shot lots of Toms with an ol' Winchester Model 43 in Hornet...

My Hornet is a Browning Micro Medallion. If you can find one of them, grab it!

I have shot multiple 200yd groups under 1 1/2" with factory ammo.

Ed

The Micro Medallion sounds like a nice rig and probably light too................Hillbilly.

I really like to kill them at inside 40 yards with 2oz. of 3" # 6 shot from my Rem. 870 21" barrel extra full choke..Calling them in in the Spring is what I prefer...

K

As far as varmits go I would use the .22 hornet over the .22 mag. However, the property I lease restricts us to only a rimfire in the off season and so we use the .22 mag, not by choice but by rules. I can tell you that the .22 mag can do some damage out to 75 or 100 yards if the shot placement is right, but I prefer the .22 hornet.....

If you want a plinker go with the .22 mag or even a .22 lr, if you want a small varmit/ranch rifle, I would go with the hornet.....

Got plenty of .22 long rifles, I'm looking for a rifle to chase turkeys in the Fall...From what I read here I've found the caliber I just need to find the right lightweight bolt action, not much to choose from though so far...........Hillbilly.

VaHillbilly, PM sent.

Ed

Ive cleanly dispatched turkeys with a 10-22 ruger at 100 yards or just short of by placing the bullet right between the shoulder blades so to speek and they take off on a run and they get shorter as they go and eventually disapear and as I uesed to tell guys years ago its amazing how easy it is to train a turkey to jump into a frying pan with a ruger 10-22...

I'll agree with the others that the Hornet may be close to perfect........As far as rifles, think Ruger 77/22 All-Weather or Browning A-Bolt Micro hunter......though Brownings are shunned around here the A-Bolt Micro Hunter has better mag confines for pointed bullets, shoots better than the Ruger, and converts easily to K-Hornet which would be my vote along with the 40gr B-tip for "Gobble Perfect"..............




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Although the .22 slug seems optimal to control meat damage and enhance flatness up to a point, the .22 cartridge choice seems a matter of shot distance. If distance enabled me to make it with a .22 rimfire to the head, I would. Otherwise, and if we can make good shot placement a given, the .22 Hornet (or K Hornet) looks good after that distance and the farther out it goes the more it becomes a matter of MV/SD/BC, although we know the .22s limits due to bullet factors and potential wind. I would love to try a Tom with one of my Hornets, but our regs on firearms allow only shotgun for turkey.

Might want to check on GB for a 219 savage in hornet, the one I have shoots great and has accounted for a pile of turkeys before I came to own it Russ

I will look at the 219 on gunbroker.........Thank Hillbilly.

The savage 219 is a single shot break down rifle, I am interested in a bolt action, but thanks anyway...Does anybody know if the Remington mod 799 is any good? I found a few of those....Hillbilly.

Find a Ruger 77/22Hornet.

The 799 is poorly finished, heavy, pseudo-Mauser.

Thanks Sean, I know your advice is gold...............Hillbilly.

Responding to yout "bolt action" wish. Early on I had a .22 Hornet in a Savage Model 23D, bolt and clip/mag fed rifle, not fancy or expensive at the time but shot very well. Later found an old used pre model 70 Winchester (Mod 54 I believe) that also was factory .22 Hornet, and it is quite good. Might find one of these "older and outdated" models at a better price than the new ones. I would grab either for good shooting. The Ruger 77/22 (much more costly) in Hornet is good and looks great, and the bolt/rotary mag system works well. But, the factory trigger does not seem as good as the previously mentioned old timers. Have seen other very nice one-off conversions to .22 Hornet out there in shops and at shows and they are less expensive than the new rifles, some of which are really quite sharp looking - but have not tried them.

The best two .22 Hornets I have known were single shots - one a Contender and the other a great barrel on an old Martini action.

Hope this helps.

You are scaring me... quit it.