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.

this was about .22 hornet not 221 fireball

I hand load ALL my cartridges to THE rifle in my hand.I've loaded for about 40 years now and have found it to be the safest and most accurate for MY rifle. I may follow someones lead on components,but at a very safe starting point.

I have never seen any published information on "dipping" a case into powder.I've spent a lot of money on good equipment and learned proper use of it.I would not condone such practices....

I have H110 on hand and waiting on Lil'Gun to show up.I'll report my findings.....
Thanks,guys

From a thread titled "22 Hornet Newbie" a few months ago. Probably where the the question referenced above came from.

Rifle, I read that post somewhere and the fellow was dipping the case in powder to fill them. I did they same and weighed each charge and they were really close to 13 grains. I did a test with lil gun going from 12.5-13.5 with little change in accuracy. But there was 200 fps increase with the 13.5 charge.

My CZ Hornet shoots better, but not by much, at 13 grains, so that is what I load.I am amazed that the gun will shoot .3-.3 1/2 if I do my part.

I run Lil'Gun in my Hornet and get very good accuracy. My Number 1 shoots best with 40 gr Blitz King bullets and 13.5 gr of Lil'Gun. I often use 12.5 gr of powder since it can be a pain to get 13.5 in the case and accuracy is close.
Have fun with your Hornet.

Ernie

I started loading the hornet about 20 years ago. That was long before Lil'Gun was around. I think I used a lot of IMR 4227 and played with several other powders until I tried AA1680. After working with the first can of AA1680 I bought an eight pound can and am still using it. I love it for the hornet.

For my work with loading for the hornet see http://tcbunch.com/home/index.php5?title=Scott_Fairing%27s_.22_Hornet_2005

H 110 and 40 gr Hornady tipped spitzer.

H 110 is an old standby but is is pretty dirty. 1680 meters well and is much cleaner burning.

Nice write up there, Scott. I read that back when I got back into the Hornet after a 20 year absence. I did not know that our ScottF was the author.

Well,it seems I will add 1680 to my shopping list. My local spot has been out of Lil'Gun for a while now,so I will explore the AA powder.I've used their 2015 for years in my .223,nice stuff..I don't really care for the H110 or most of the other "pistol" powders,as they all seem dirty to me.
Thanks guys,I hope to get the old Brno up and running next week...

Thank you. I was a member of the old TC E-List back in the Prarienet days. I still read it but seldom have time to add to the list any more. I see they have some of my stories still posted in their story section.

My 22 BR loved 2015. I cannot remember buying anything but AA in the last fifteen years.

Rocky Raab says he has to crimp 22 hornet to get good groups. That has never been my experience. I am thinking that maybe our difference in findings may have much to do with different barrels than a real differing of opinions. I think a wise shooter would try both ways and see what works best in his rifle.

I have been loading and shooting the hornet since about 1980. I have owned a good selection of rifles including Anschutz, Kimber, Custom Martini, Wickliff, CZ, Ruger and Brno. I arrived at the same place with Win 680 which was the forerunner of AA 1680. I now load 1680 because all my Hornets shoot the powder with accuracy that runs from good to exceptional. True you are not going to hit 3000 fps; but it's a Hornet.....let it be itself. I load 13.5 grains with the 35 grain Nosler BT. In Win cases this is about all you can get in there.....Rem cases hold more powder. Case life is wonderful in a strong action (read not Kimber). I never have a case head pull off. After too many loadings, sometimes a case will split in the neck. Hornets need a tight chamber to get good accuracy and they are much more than a 200 yard rifle if you shoot one enough to get familiar with it.

Good posting. My neighbor up here uses AA 1680 and gets great accuracy with his Hornet.

As much as I hate to order powder on the 'net,it looks like my only hope. None of the locals,including Cabelas has either Lil Gun, nor 1680. I have enough factory loaded to get me to the range,I really like sticking my own bullet in there...
Thanks for the advice John!

.........rifle

If you use factory Hornady, I believe they load it with LilGun and a 35 V-Max...

John,

I had to resort to ordering powder from a distant dealer a year ago. It was my first time doing it, because none of the local suppliers had what I wanted. So, I orderd several different powders, just in case. That was from Natchez, in TN. If you look at their prices, you just might wind up paying less per pound than buying it locally, along with paying sales tax. Their prices for powder were the best I've found anywhere. Then adding shipping and the $20 Haz Mat fee left me paying about the same as buying it locally, and I got Everty type powder I could want for the duration.. I originally wanted Ramshot TAC, which is nowhere to be found around here. I figured it would be a good time to order all of the powder I could need.
Check out their powder prices per pound, and compare it wil local prices. I did, and made a HUGE powder order..

I just started loading for my nephew's new Ruger 77 Hornet the other day. That endeavor brought me to this thread. He bought a bunch of Hornady Factory stuff to have something to shoot and for the brass. That load goes 3050 from this rifle. The factory powder is 12.0 grs of a golden hue spherical powder, that aside from the color looks just like WW 296. The 296 was the only thing suitable I had on hand to start. At any rate 12.0 grs of 296 just matches Factory velocity. I have a suspicion that the factory is loaded with a non canister H 110, as that matched Hodgdon data.

I found some Lil'Gun the other day, and it looks different than the factory powder, is the typical dark "gunpowder gray" and bulks a little differently in the case. Burns slower too. 12.0 grs of lil'gun is slower than 12.0 of 296 or the factory. 13.0 grs of lil'gun just about fills the case and goes at 2980. I can drop 13.3 from the powder measure, and fill the case level to the mouth, but it still goes 2980. So I see no point in drop tubes or other technique to settle the charge to get more in. I suspect the common refrain of "can't get enough Lil'Gun into the Hornet to cause pressure problems" is probably pretty accurate.

So anyway, we have some loaded with 296 (need to use up that old can anyway) and some with Lil'Gun, and the rest of the factory stuff. Next decent day and it is time for minute of ground squirrel experimentation.

I have scored on some AA1680 and Rem 6 1/2 primers,new Win brass and a bag of the old Remington Hornet 45gr bullets,even updated my die set to RCBS. Great day shopping at the gun stores!! I hope to be shooting the new stuff next week...stand by!

Try suing small pistol primers in the hornet. I use CCI with great results.

I have no small pistol primers in the house,as I do not load for anything that uses them. I've had a good run on the 6 1/2 Remington's in this case.I'm sure SP's would work well,just hate another trip to the store...Thanks

I understand, believe me!

Sorry to be so late chiming in.

John Barsness and I are Hornet fans of the highest order, and our ideas on the little booger pretty much agree. Here are the whats and whys:

You need a mild primer. Either the Rem 6 1/2 (designed for the Hornet and similar very small cases) or a small pistol primer. I personally use CCI 500 or Fed 100, and NO Winchester primer at all. The "why" is due to the very tiny case. A primer with too much gusto will unseat the bullet before the powder lights. Combustion volume, distance into the lands and bullet deformation are all made completely random. Bad.

LilGun. Some guns might prefer A1680, which is almost as good. I personally don't trust H110/W296 in anything but full-house magnum revolver loads, and that does NOT include the Hornet. Winchester uses a non-canister version of their old W680, which is very close to both A1680 and LilGun in performance. You need a high-density powder that ignites easily and doesn't pressure spike in such a small case.

Pick your brass, WW or RP. But only neck or partially size it. You want to leave a small "shoulder" or chamber diameter area to help align the case in the chamber and also to assist with precise headspacing.

Use a bullet of the correct diameter for your barrel and designed for the Hornet. Good ones range from 30 to 45 grains. My .223" Browning barrel doesn't care if bullets are .223" or .224" but another rifle might not be so sanguine. Bullet LENGTH is just as important, to match both the twist rate and the magazine length. Diameter, design, weight, and length can all be critical.

Use a Lee Factory Crimp die - or at least test one. The Hornet has VERY thin neck brass, and combined with that primer issue mentioned above, it can be a chore to keep bullets firmly in place until the powder is fully burning.

Finally, I once observed that a case-full of LilGun would probably weigh about 13 grains with most brass - but I have never suggested that as a loading technique. I have NEVER recommended arbitrary load increments such as a half-grain. I ALWAYS recommend using 2% of the book maximum as a safe and sane load increment. In the Hornet, that works out to between .1 and .2 grains or so; yes, one to two tenths of a grain. NO MORE! A half-grain added to a moderate Hornet load can take you straight to a blown primer and gas in your face. Trust me, I KNOW.

Thanks Rocky...good insight. I'll look into the crimp die....
The Lil'gun has still not shown up in my corner of the world,but I loaded 20 rounds of AA1680 and hope to get to the range today.
As I started this thread,I had not loaded for the Hornet in 30 years and remember the trail and errors of using the pistol powder,then finding the correct primers. Always seemed to be a pain in the asse.I'm not looking for 'hot rod' loads,just good shooting ones....thanks again,guys!

I've returned from the range and rather pleased with the AA1680 and 45grain Remington bullets. I shot 3 five shot groups at 3/4" with a 7.5 Leupold scope with a little wind on the 100 yard line.I think a little more load investigation is warranted.
but I'm good for a quick groundhog kill.....rifle

To add to Rocky's post:

I have never used pistol primers in the .22 Hornet; instead I use CCI 400's or BR-4's (the "benchrest" version of the 400). I've loaded for several Hornets, including a K-Hornet, and the CCI's have resulted in excellent accuracy in each rifle, with 5-shot groups at 100 yards running 1/2 to 3/4".

I don't crimp bullets. Instead I partial-size cases, using a 1/10" thick washer between a full-length die and the press, and have never had a problem with bullets staying firmly seated. I use Winchester brass and have a Hornady die. If I did have problems keeping bullets firmly seated I'd suspect a mis-fit between the die and my chamber.

With 40-grain bullets I have used only Li'L Gun for several years and have never had a problem. The only time I use a quicker powder is with lighter bullets, and then I generally use H110/W296.

As a side note, I have also tried a bunch of powders in the .221 Fireball, and haven't had any pressure problems even with maximum loads. In my rifle it's also the best powder with 40-grain bullets, with top velocities and accuracy.

Hopefully, the ban will lift soon and I find some Lil'Gun in Michigan,Republic of.........

Rifle..

It is good to see that at least you are loading something with the 1680 you have on hand. Before I began using the LILGUN, the AA1680 was my favorite Hornet powder..

I am curious, what kind of rifle are you loading for??

the rifle is a vintage Brno 465,mini-Mauser,5 round clip feed with double triggers. As soon as I can find out where the cats put my camera,I'll send some photo's out...

To be honest, none of us know for sure if our bullets move under primer pressure alone, or if they don't, or if they do only sometimes. But it's probably safe to say that there's less chance of that happening with a solid crimp than without one.

So I use the mildest primers I can get - and crimp. In the end, it's whatever works in your rifle.

That Sir may be the truest statement on reloading ever written.

In regards to primers for the Hornet, Ross Sigfried (might not have spelled the writer's name correctly), was the first person I read that advocated the use of pistol primers in the Hornet. I tried them for awhile but had greater success with Remington 7 1/2 Benchrest primers and they are my standard for the hornet now. I love the AA1680 because every Hornet I have owned will shoot it well which has not been the case with Lil'Gun or Win 296, even though the do offer higher velocities. With six hornets and trying to buy #7 I am borderline diagnosed as a "Hornet Nut" - it is confirmed at #10! Rifle, let us know how the ZKW465 works out.

John

You just made my Hero list!

Update..I got home from work Monday,my wife said some "girl" called from Cabelas and said your "little gun" was in....then asked when did I start buying little guns? I left it at that, and told I would show it to her when I got home Tuesday.

and so..I'm loading 12.5 grains of L'G with a Horny 35 VMAX today for tomorrow's range trip!! Hope the chrony works this trip!!

We be 'rockin' now!! 12.5 L'Gun,6 1/2 Rem primers,35 gr Vmax @ avg 3026 fps,3/4" at 100 hundred...
I ain't touchin' nothing,but loading more!!
I tried 33 gr Cohoon's,but the VMax's beat the crap out them....
I ready for a little "grass hog" hunting!!

This is a strange place to put my post, but I thought it appropriate. For those of us that like light loads without a lot of powder or recoil, the standard hornet loads can be duplicated in a 223 with 12.0-14.2g of Blue Dot. 12g of Blue dot gives me amazing accuracy at 3000 fps with the 40 and 14.2g gives me 3300 fps, blistering accuracy. I also shoot the 50's at 2650 fps with 1/3" accuracy with blue dot.

Hope this helps some of you nuts that love low recoil, mild muzzle report, and no cleaning to speak of.

Good luck!

Oh,damn.. I have spotted a Ruger #1 in Hornet...
I think the bug bite my azz....

Who voted for Obamma? Raise your head a little bit more,please

You are a goner! The hornet disease has a solid hold on you. Best thing to do is buy the Ruger and have it reamed to K-hornet.

I have been using 1680 in my Bee (Ruger #1) since my supply of Lil'gun is about depleted and a trip to town with "mule" '06 cases or a large air freight shipment is the only way powder or primers will get here. Actually, I may just buy a couple more pounds of 1680 when I do. I'm liking how it works. I don't think I care much about speed in this little case. I can get more with the 223 if that's what I want. That or rechamber the 218 for all the 225 ammo I found since that was why I bought a 218 in the first place. But I like the little 218. I'm sure it's Hornet cousin would please me as well.

Rifle
Glad you found a load you like.
As for the #1, if it shoots like mine you will be very happy. Besides they don't make them in the Hornet anymore so if you don't buy it............................ well I think we've all been down that road.

Ernie

Hi guys, I've spent a load of time the past two weeks on the internet researching - and ran across this forum. I was impressed with the quality and expertise of information posted to this forum, and this thread in particular, signed up and now here I am asking for input.

I will be ordering, in the near future, an S.Sharp 1885 Low Wall - caliber .22 Hornet. This rifle will have a heavy, 34" barrel with 1:12 twist for the .224 bullet diameter. I will use this rifle to shoot offhand, with Creedmore sights, out to 200 yards.

I would appreciate any comments on this rifle.

I have never reloaded, but will begin with this rifle. There is tons of information available for bullets and loads up to 55gr and I'm expecting this rifle to shoot very well with loads from 40gr to 55gr. What I've been looking for, and unable to find, is any information on loads and performance for the 60gr bullet. I was hoping to shoot the Sierra 63gr SMP, the Nosler 60gr Partition and the Hornady 60gr SP as an upper end hunting load.

What's become apparent from reading this thread, as well as others, is that the light powder load of the Hornet, and the OAL of the cartridge, will limiting factors.

So my big question is simply, and without regard to how well it performs, will I be able to shoot this round?

Thanks ahead of time and I will be double posting this over at the Single Shot thread.

I once had a T/C Contender Carbine in .22 Hornet with a 1-12 twist. One day I decided to see if would stabilize the 60-grain Nosler Partition, and it would.

The powder charge I ended up with was 10.3 grains of Hodgdon Li'l Gun. This got about 2450 fps in the Contender barrel, which as I recall was 21" long. Accuracy ran 1" to 1.5" at 100 yards for 3-shot groups.

This is encouraging. I believe there's a rule of thumb that says I might gain somewhere between 10 fps and 20 fps for every extra inch in barrel length. If this holds true, I might get 2600 fps at the muzzle and, hopefully, about 2100 fps at 150 yds. The Nosler Partition has acceptable expansion at this velocity. Thanks.

I would definetly use H Lil' Gun for the Hornet. Powder charges are basically limited by case capacity for the 50gr and less bullets and the pressures are the lowest. I noticed in one the the early posts someone stated that they had or saw someone that had pressure issues with this powder. This would lead me to believe that this person had a tight barrel or oversized bullets. I have loaded 50gr v-max over 13grs of Lil Gun and had no problems and that was with a CZ 527 that many say have .223 barrels. Hope this helps! T.S.

Rifle; I have a Brno Hornet Sporter and I found the Sierra 40 grain .223 to be quite accurate. I used Lil Gun for it also.

Making it a K-hornet will help a little.

As I stated in my other post, I an new to reloading; in fact, I am in the process of selecting the components of my workstation. I've been reading at lot and am a little confused about the sizing and seating dies.

First, I had selected the full contact, competition seater, either Forster's Ultra Micrometer Seater or Redding's Competition Seating die.

I have read, on this forum, comments that it is suggested only neck sizing and only 1/4" of the neck. So I started looking at these dies. Forster does not make one for the Hornet, so this narrows my choice to one, the Redding Type S - Neck Bushing Die.

Now my confusion results from looking at the diagrams of the full length seater, which shows the case body and the neck completely supported by a close fitting, machined sleeve. If the neck has expanded and you have sized only the top 1/4", how does the case slide into the die? Are you not, in effect, sizing the neck to conform to the machined dimensions of the seating die?

Several companies make neck sizing dies. I recommend neck sizing for the hornet and K-hornet. I made my own dies. It is a simple task if you have a lathe.

Just looked and Wilson makes 22 hornet dies. Best way to go in my opinion.
http://lewilsondirect.com/chambertypebulletseater17caliber-1.aspx

Happiness is a K-Hornet fueled with R/P hulls,400's,'296 and a moly itty-bitty V-Max kissin'.

Lil' Gun cain't begin to hang................