22 hornet in what?

[Hoopie]

I've looked long and hard at the different short-midrange varmint cartridges and their wildcat counterparts. I'm sold on a 22 hornet for my next rifle. Now I need to decide what rifle I'd like to get it in. I'm thinking either a T/C Encore or a Savage...either the 40 or 25 walking varmint that should be out soon. Does anyone see any major advantages/disadvantages to either, other than price or being able to switch barrels in the encore?

 

[Maverick223]

I have never cared for the Encore, it just doesn't seem worth it to me, but Savage makes a pretty nice rifle. I wouldn't mind having a CZ-527FS in .22Hornet myself, but that would add a bit to your budget.

 

[viking499]

CZ.......

 

[Geckgo]

Hi, I'm new here. Been reading posts on this forum for months and finally subscribed. Just a quick question from someone less informed, what is the advantage of getting a 22 hornet over a regular .223?

 

[GunTech]

hornet is a low report cartridge suitable for built up areas. It only takes 12 grains of Lil Gun to push a 40gn sp at a pretty good clip. I shoot P-Dogs around a friends farm and no one complains about the noise.

Think of hornet as between 22lr and 223. Here's Hornet, K-hornet and 223 for comparison.

 

[Geckgo]

that answered my question perfectly I've never researched the hornet before.

 

[eldon519]

In all honesty, if you reload, you can always just down-load a .223 to do similar, but I still love my CZ 527 .22 Hornet. It's one of my favorite guns, and the set trigger is awesome. I've got one of the Leupold VXII 3-9X33 Ultralight EFR scopes on it. It's an exceptional little package. The only downside to the CZ-527 is that they way they have the magazine set up to allow for the cartridge being rimmed, it's too short to feed the Hornady 40-gr V-max, really one of the perfect bullets for this little rifle. So quiet and pleasant. A real joy all around.

 

[MMCSRET]

I have a Savage Model 40, great gun, very accurate, easy to load for. It seemed to prefer 45 grain bullets, the 40 V-max was OK, but not a good as I expected. The 35 V-Max didn't work for me, maybe wrong twist rate. I have had two break action Hornets, if you scope them it is difficult to capture your empty case, the ejectors work too well. OH, a note on the Model 40, neck sizing doesn't work, you will need to full length size every time. There is a thread in the archives somewhere on the sizing issue.

 

[P51D]

I have a CZ 527 in 22 Hornet (much like the beautiful one GunTech provided a picture of), and I absolutely love it. With a lot of tinkering around with load development, I'm getting it to shoot under 1" at 100 yds pretty consistently. My rifle loves the Hornady 40 gr V-max and a healthy charge of Lil'Gun (published loads, of course). Looks like Eldon’s CZ likes that bullet too. I'm averaging a bit under 0.9" at 100yds. It can be a finicky round, and I promise you I can make it shoot a lot worse than that ; but once you find the load your rifle likes, you will love it. And I will also say working up the loads has made me a better reloader.

The Hornet has a mild report compared to a .223, and much more punch than a .22 WMR. Although it is an old round (and rich in history), modern powders have made this a VERY efficient cartridge. If you do a search on "Hornet" you'll find some great posts from those who have really learned how to load this round well and get it to perform to its potential. VernHumphrey and GooseGestapo have both provided excellent tips that have served me well (THANKS). There are several other experts on THR who are slipping my mind right now, but you’ll find ‘em.

I came close to buying the Savage 40, and it would be interesting to hear from owners of that rifle. I’ve been very pleased with the accuracy of Savage rifles. Good luck, and I think you’ll be glad you went with the Hornet.

P51D

 

[HOOfan_1]

In all honesty, if you reload, you can always just down-load a .223 to do similar,

You can also download the .22 Hornet to around .22LR-.22WMR power as well.

 

[GooseGestapo]

If I ever get another Hornet, it will either be another barrel for my T/C Contender carbine or the CZ-527. But not likely.

If you do get a Ruger, there is a fellow by the name of Randy, out of Conneticutt that advertises over on www.rimfirecentral.com. He sets the barrel back, recuts the chamber, and swages a bronze ring in the bolt retainer slot that takes the considerable "SLOP" out of the bolt and improves consistency of head-spacing.

I did a similar process of making a steel ring from steel wire so I could extract cases without needing a wood block or plastic mallet to retract the bolt. (no camming action with .075"-.100" slop in the bolt halves).

But, I've finally got my Ruger M77/22KBZ shooting decent, so I'm leaving it as is.

I bought some Hornady/Remington 33gr V-max "Blems" a while back and have got two loads that shoot really well. It'll take me years if ever, to shoot them all up.

You'll either love or hate the .22Hornet.

Hod. Lil'Gun, H110(Win296), and #2400 are my favorite powders. Add SR4759 for cast bullets.
Use Hod.Lil'Gun for bullets 40gr and Heavier. H110 for less than 40, and I really, really like #2400 for the 33-35gr. 8.3gr gives 2,250fps and stellar accuracy for a .22winMag duplication of the 33gr load. And 10.0gr is 3,000fps and very efficient and likewise accurate.
6.2gr of #2400 gives 1,900fps with cast bullet and also duplicates the 40-45gr loads of the .22wmr.

for my rifle, accuracy doesn't get any better than the 40gr Sierra Varminter HP over 12.5gr of Lil'Gun. Gets 3,000fps.

The Latest Speer Manual has the best .22Hornet data available. It very nearly duplicates the results I've gotten through the years with the Hornet.

 

[S. Hill]

I don't know what your budget is, but Cooper makes a VERY nice little rifle in either .22 Hornet or .22 K-Hornet. I have one, weighs about 6 lb. and can shoot one hole groups at 50 yds. And that is with ME shooting!

Mine is a single shot, which may not be what you are looking for. I think they make a DBM model.

 

[forindooruseonly]

I have one in a Browning 1885 which is another option. One of my absolute favorite rifles. The single shot aspect may turn you off, but it is a beautiful gun and very accurate. Light and handy, it is a regular companion for me out on the land.

 

[cottswald]

Savage AccuTrigger, best production trigger on the market today. Depending on the model, adjustable pull weight from 6 to 1.75 lbs.

 

[Grey Morel]

Ruger 77/22, Browning A-bolt Micro, and CZ 527 are all fine options.

 

[SwampWolf]

I've had good luck with a Browning Micro A-Bolt but I'm not sure if they're made anymore.

 

[mr.trooper]

I don't know how much you have to spend but It dawned on me that, if you browse around, you can from time to time find Anschutz sporters for under $1K.

If i lived in a location that was more center-fire friendly (for hunting), an Anschutz 1730 D would be my only center fire. Till then I make due with my rimfires and shotguns.