Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters A Bolt Micro Medallion 22 Hornet

Am planning on using a load by Mr Barsness of 13 grains Lil Gun with a 40 Grain Polymer tipped bullet. Any preferences as to which bullet is best (I see the 40 tipped Varmeggedons are the shortest). I found out this Browning has an old school 1-16 twist and was wondering if that will work ok with the longer 40 grain tipped bullets. Also, does someone know the bore diameter of this rifle. Finally, is it better to use small pistol or small rifle primers. Thanks in advance.
Dan

So you say an 1-16 twearl shall ponder..

I use VMaxs over 11.1 gr. of H110 with F100M or CCI500s. Mule Deer favors Nosler BTs, I believe, over 13gr. of LiL Gun and CCI BR-4s or 450s.

Both of us are shooting single shots, and I'm not sure if these loads will fit in your magazine. My loads run about 1.920".

I don't know what the twist is in John's Ruger, but my Browning Low Wall is 1-16 like your rifle and groups very much good!

I use that charge with the Hornady 45 grain hornet bullet with excellent accuracy.

I have a Micro Hornet.. I have used a lot of 40 grain Vmax over I or H4227.. Mostly because I had that powder on hand.. Have also shot 46 gr. WW open pts. and many 35 gr. Hornadys.. I really never worried about the BC of these bullets, because my use of the Hornet is for ranges less than 150 yards.. Longer ranges, I use other rifles.. I also use small rifle primers.. Small pistol may be better, but I have not tried them..

The Hornet is one of the most fun guns I have used in many years.. I have had this one almost 20 years now.. It has killed whitetails, turkey, grouse, coyotes, chucks, p.dogs, gophers, two species of tree squirrel, jack rabbits, and dozens of cottontails.. All in all one of the best small game guns in my collection

I have the fifth Micro Medallion Hornet they made. I have never slugged it because it shoots both .223" and .224" bullets exactly the same.

I favor small pistol primers because the less-potent explosion causes less premature unseating of the bullet. If the bullet moves at different times in the ignition process, it's no different than having very inconsistent seating depths - and we all know how that wrecks accuracy and velocity variation.

The magazine in the Browning is long enough to handle any of the tipped bullets, even seated far out. The 16" twist is enough to handle most bullets up to 50 grains, but only lead-cores. Lead-free bullets are VERY long for their weight, and I saw tipping with some as light as 35 grains.

My favorite load uses WW brass, CCI small pistol primers, 13.0 LilGun, almost any 40 or 45-gr lead-core bullet made for the Hornet (thinner jackets) with that bullet held firmly in place by a Lee Factory Crimp.

I bought one around 1999 and exclusively used the 40 gr V-Max and 13 gr Lil' Gun combination. I also loaded them long and used it as a single-shot. Accuracy was superb and I was bumping up against 3,000 fps muzzle velocity.

I've used 13 grains of Lil'Gun with 40 grain V-Max and Z-Max, as well as the 45 grain Speer hornet bullets out of my Browning hornet. No issues with stabilization. The only bullet it wouldn't shoot was the old 45 grain Barnes XLC. It's hard to beat for a lighweight varmint rig!

13 grs. Lil'gun, a 40 gr Vmax, Rem brass and Federal small rifle primer groups 1/4" +/- for 3 shots at 100yds and clocks an honest 3,000 fps from my CZ 527 with a barrel slightly under 22".

I've used the CCI small rifle primer with the same charge, brass and bullet and got similar groups, FWIW.