Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Any .22 Hornet shooters out there???

yep, Brno 465....best there is!

..I let one get away yesterday... Over on GunBroker someone put out a used mint CZ American with a BuyNow of $775.00...high "but", it had a 4-12 VX-II that brings around $225 used and if the BuyNow was used he was throwing 200+ rounds of Winchester factory ammo...that is worth $38.00 a box wholesale...so $775-225-150 would have been $400 for the rifle...and he pulled the auction just an hour after I saw it...

The Browning is a sharp little rifle... I'll be at a big gun shop tomorrow who carries Browning and see if they have one to look at...

Thanks again...Bob

domit,

Li'l Gun provides by far the best velocity-to-pressure ratio of any powder in the .22 Hornet. Here's the data for 45-grain Hornady bullets from Hodgdon:

Powder Velocity Pressure
H110/W296 2574 43,000
Li'l Gun 2787 31,600
H4198 2400 32,000
IMR4227 2484 42,000

Pressure is perhaps the majar factor in case life, and Hornet's are notorious for short case life, partly because the brass is thin and partly because handloaders often hot-rod the little case.

Li'l Gun provides plenty of zip with low pressure. Along with higher velocities and fine accuracy, I've experienced longer case life since switching to Li'l Gun exclusively in the .22 Hornet.

I have loaded 'Hornet' velocities for my .224 centerfires. Use a very light bullet and a fast powder. IMR's 4759 has been my favorite for reduced loads.

Sight it at shorter range for low noise shooting. No need to buy a Hornet.

..yea I know 99...I have a Remington 600 Mohawk that was punched out to .223 from .222 but am looking for an even lighter rifle and was hoping I could come up with some very lightweight Hornet... I think the lightest way to go would be an H&R Handy Rifle....

Bob

MD,
Excellent words on Lil-Gun powder for the Hornet.
For me, it's a Hornet loader's powder dream come true.
After using H-110, 296 and 4227, trying for find a load that shoots, 13.0 Lil-Gun shoots accurately from the git go with 45gn bullets, in all three rifles I have.
Thanks for posting those velocity/pressure numbers. They tell a big story about what powder is best for the Hornet.

RJM..,

My dad spent 30 years trying to get his .22 Hornet to shoot something other than a shotgun pattern. He was gone for 2 years before I found 12.7 grs of H110, 35gr Vmax bullets and small pistol primers would print under half an inch.

The only reason I have it now is because it was his 'project gun'for thirty years. Get a .223 or a 22 mag unless you just need something to do the rest of your life.

Notice how some say, "use small rifle primers", others say, "use small pistol primers" or "use 40 grain bullets" or "use 296" or "use H110", yadda, yadda ,yadda? There's a reason. Run away.

O

Its a poor musician that blames his instrument...

I have had about 8 Hornets over the years. Still have three. All have been shooters. AA1680 or the WW680 ( if you can find any )always gave the best accuracy for me. CCI small pistol primers and WW cases. And in the age of polymer tipped bullets don't over look some of those old Sierras or Speers you might have laying around.

Since 1995 I have used a little Browning..It has been great for everything from ground squirrels, praire dogs, woodchucks, tree squirrel though coyotes and wild turkey...lovely little round..

I don�t know about you guys, but beautiful and accurate rifles really float my boat.


Cooper model 38 classic in 22 hornet and grey fox


Cooper model 38 classic in 22 hornet and ringtail cat

Here is the test target supplied with the rifle.


I have had several hornets, including two rugers, a browning low wall and this Cooper. The Cooper is far and away the most accurate of the four, not to mention the best in fit and finish, to my mind. I bought this rifle somewhere around 2004, from a friend for under a grand, the Leupold 4.5 x 14 vari-x III came mounted on the rifle and was included in the price, which even at that time was a good deal in my opinion.
A while back I took the Cooper and some different loads that I had put together a couple of years ago when I had the browning low wall.
I realize that this test target was shot at 40-50 yds. with a 36x scope.
Here are the results of 5 different loads, shot back to back over a 30 minute period. The rifle was not cleaned before or during this session. It had about 30 rounds through the bore since the last cleaning. Temp was about 50 degrees F and wind at my back at 5-10 mph. Scope is a leupold vari x III 4.5 x 14. Distance is 100 yds., measured. Shot off rest on concrete bench.







[img]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN4089.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/glenn1221/DSCN4095.jpg[/img]

Observations,
1. As I don�t practice at the bench as much as I used to, my ability to shoot small groups is not what it was in the past.
2. This rifle is capable of shooting better than I can.
3. I have no problem nailing varmints at 150 yds or less (the range at which I shoot most varmints)
4. I love the [bleep] out of this rifle.
5. I like beer.
GWB

I hate Hornets. That being said,I love K-Hornets.

Make mine S/S 77/22 at 20"..................

+1 Browning k-hornet in action




Graphic *************

I have an Anschutz 1730HB that prefers the 40gr V-max ahead of 12.5gr of Lil Gun with Remington 6-1/2 primers in Remington cases. Five shot groups at 100 yards average 1/2".I have a Kahles CL 3-9x42 scope mounted in Talley rings.

A friend of mine found a Sako Hornet and brought it along on a prairie dog safari. It is a fun rifle to shoot compared to the 25-06 and .220 Swift I normally use.
The rifle can be a lot lighter and muzzle blast and recoil is much less. Now you have me talked into one.
whelennut

I have been playing with a Savage 342 with a Lyman Tang Sight. Have not found the magic load yet. Sounds like I need some 40g V-Max bullets.

Those have one locking lug, correct? My cousin has a 340, basically the same rifle, and his won't shoot well with warmer loads, so he uses a rather mild load of 296 and the Hornady 35 grain bullet(he moly-coats his). He claims his won't shoot well with anything much over the minimum load. Dunno if yours will act the same way as his rifle, but it might be something to think about.

My CZ likes the 34gr. Midsouth VNE bullets for cheap eats, and I use 1680 to push 'em. Cheap and fun to shoot, and shoots under 3/4" with no load development at all.

RJM....just a suggestion that's a bit "different".

In your original post you mentioned hunting small game as well as plinking......and most here have responded with very good "varmit" loads and ideas......not small game hunting loads.

I too "lusted" for years for a small game centerfire rifle. I had in mind something like a reloadable .22 rimfire....and "thought" a .22 Hornet was just the thing. I knew from use of smaller centerfire .22's that when velosity goes above 2000 fps (and CERTAINLY when it approaches 3000 fps) the distruction that results is NOT what you want on edible small game. My idea was to load a Hornet with heavier (50....or more....grain bullets and possibly hard-cast lead) to something like 1200-1400 fps. THIS, I thought, would give the small game performance I wanted.

Then, through a gun trade, I picked up a rifle that "ruined" me. Not a Hornet, but a Savage 23 chambered for the old .25-20. This gun is what I've always dreamed of. While there ARE some "high-speed" loads for the .25-20 using 60 grain jacketed bullets, the standard loadings of an 86 grain lead bullet at 1100-1300 fps made me fall in love.

These loads are "powerful" enough to penetrate and kill well on medium size game....fox, coyote (at proper short range) and are "perfect" for turkey. I'll even admit (though it isn't the "smartest" thing I've done) that I've killed smallish hogs (under 200 pounds) and a couple of deer with this load and VERY careful shot placement.

However, where it shines is on edible small game (squirrels and rabbits) where it kills well without excessive destruction to edible meat.

I still think a "down-loaded" Hornet could be just as good.....don't overlook the .25-20 if one comes along.

Thanks Rick... a friend of mine who I just shot today with has one of the Savage 23s as well as a Marlin 1894 in .25-20 and loves shooting it especially with cast bullets. I think he also has a pair of .32-20s also that he likes even more.

Just looking for a light weight rifle that doesn't have a lot of muzzle blast...just never had a Hornet and thoght it was about time...

Bob

Everyone should own atleast one .22Hornet

K-Hornet..............