22 hornet question

[Milkmaster]

educate me a little about the 22 hornet cartridge. I read the obvious links about the specs etc. What I want is a general opinion about the cartridge and what folks mostly use it for and/or whether there is a better and cheaper cartridge to do the same job etc. I see where SAVAGE is making the newest Model 24 shotgun in 20ga/22hornet. I want to know if it is cheap to shoot hornet ammo?

 

[cane]

Hornet ammo isn't cheap, nor easy to reload. Probably a better choice would be .22 Winchester Magnum.

 

[Gordon]

except the .22 hornet is about twice as powerful as a .22mag. Actually the Sellier and Bellot ammo is not bad priced. I loaded the cartridege for years with a Lee loader and still with a Lyman 210 tong tool for grins- so it is not very difficult to reload! The .22 Hornet was chosen as an Air Force Survival caliber in the 50s after testing showed it to down big game with a good hit. The eskimos use it on seals and even BIGGER stuff . I have used it to slaughter dozens of sheep and goats and STEERS over the years and one in the noggin from pretty much any angle blows the brain for an instant kill. It is reasonably quiet, not much more than a .22mag rimfire and a heck of a lot less than a .223.
Traditionally is was considered a 200 yard varmint cartridge, and it sure enough has been for me. Deer within 50 yards expire PDQ if hit well, especially Blacktails. I like the 45 grain bullet in it. The new Savage 24 is pretty pricey, and they are pretty heavy. I 'd get a good older one.

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=65139086

 

[mustanger98]

IIRC, last I knew H&R chambers for 'em. If you have a HandiRifle you can get a .22Hornet barrel for it. I'll have to check and be sure.

 

[1911Tuner]

Hornet

Another cartridge like the 7X57 Mauser...considered by many to be obsolete...and while there are a good many that easily eclipse the little Hornet in power, range, and accuracy, it's a neat little cartridge that is perfectly adequate for Coyote taken at 200 yards or less. It's also quite a bit less rambunctious than its more powerful cousins like the .223 and .222 Magnum without giving up much range to either. That makes it just about ideal for reducing the vermin population around the farm without causing the hens to stop laying.

The Hornet is also an economical round to handload for, and...with care in the loading exercise and a well-tuned rifle...can turn in some pretty surprising accuracy. Not bench-rest class, by any stretch, but not bad. I used to like Hercules 2400 powder for the round, but other slow pistol powders in the same class can be just as good.

And no...Neither the Hornet nor the 7X57 are "obsolete and useless" as some would have you believe. Good rounds that'll always have a place to strut their stuff.

 

[mustanger98]

And no...Neither the Hornet nor the 7X57 are "obsolete and useless" as some would have you believe. Good rounds that'll always have a place to strut their stuff.

Yup, kinda like .30-30Winchester. In fact, since I checked to be sure H&R still does barrels in .22Hornet, I'm considering getting one- among other chamberings- for my SB2 HandiRifle.

 

[91Bravo]

I'm on my second rifle for it. I handload for it, so ammo cost really isn't an issue, given the small amount of powder, and reasonably priced bullets. I've found the biggest problem with reloading is holding the small bullets with fumbly fingers. Otherwise it's fun to shoot, no recoil, low report, good accuracy. Used one out in S. Dakota as one of my prairie dog rifle battery years ago. I'll probably keep one in my collection on a permanent basis.

 

[mustanger98]

I do a lot of my handloading by the Hornady 5th Edition and I got to studying this in terms of .22Hornet vs. .223 a while back. By that data, they use the same bullets.

 

[dfaugh]

ammo cost really isn't an issue, given the small amount of powder, and reasonably priced bullets

My buddy shoots one, just for this reason. Costs to reload are next to nothing. Very accurate in many guns, although hard to find newer guns chambered for it (I forget what his is, but its an older gun). Not quite the range or power of a .22-250 or .223, but still a very effective varmint cartridge, if you stay within its limitations. And a fun target gun, that you can shoot cheap.

 

[Walkalong]

Hornet ammo isn't cheap,

nor easy to reload.

Yes and no. I used to load the .22 Hornet and it was no more problem than any other bottlenecked cartridge. I still wish I had not gotton rid of my Hornet. I will replace it one day. I had a Savage (.223 grooves) and then a Sako. Both excellent guns.

 

[Hemicuda]

I have an H&R Topper, a Springfield M-6 Scout, and a Winchester Pre-64 Mod. 70 in .22 Hornet...

handloading, or S&B, as stated, not too pricey, but other factory loads get a tad spendy...

you can EASILY kill a whitetail deer with it, IF you practice good bullet placement...

NO recoil, and more zots than a .22 magnum... and FUN to shoot...

 

[1911Tuner]

Loadin' the Hornet

I played with the Hornet quite a bit back in the day...and found that accurate handloads are pretty easy if you adjust the sizing die to just kiss the shoulder, try to chamber the round, and sneak up on the shoulder setback
until the bolt closes with light pressure. Sorta like loadin' for the .30-30 or the .30/.357 Herret in a Contender.

Dang! Ya'll done put a Hornet Jones on me. Now, I might hafta go look for one...

 

[Essex County]

The .222 and the later .223 put the Hornet out of business years ago. I have only reloaded for two. One was on a .310 Martini action and the other was an H&R single shot. Neither was particulary accurate. I feel it's a good 150 yard chuck rifle and a lot of deer have fallen to head shots over the years. It's no harder to load than anything else. If it filled a particlar need in my battery, I'd have one.........Essex

 

[Harve Curry]

22 Hornet optmum barrel lenght?

I was going to ask this on a new post but maybe it OK here.
I have a long barrel Savage model 322 in 22 Hornet I was thinking of shortening to make it handier in and out of the truck and scabbard.
What's the consensus on the THR of making it 16 to 18 inches?

 

[1911Tuner]

Barrel

Harve wondered:

>What's the consensus on the THR of making it 16 to 18 inches?<
**********

Because of the small case capacity, I don't think you'd lose much punch with the Hornet. It doesn't require a lot of barrel length to burn up the types of the powder used in the round...essentially slow pistol powders...and you may even gain some velocity with a shorter barrel. Seen it happen a few times.

 

[Harve Curry]

That's what I was thinking. Any other's suggestions?

 

[fatelk]

I think the Hornet is a great cartridge if you understand it's limitations. Sure, it can drop larger game, but as others have said shot placement is crucial. I have wanted one for years. I saw a little Ruger 77 Hornet a couple years ago that looked really nice. I may end up with one of them some day.

I have a funny story about an old 22 Hornet, hunting, accuracy, and reloading. A friend of mine has an old Savage model 23 in 22 Hornet, the model where the barrel and receiver are one piece of steel. It had been passed down through the extended family for generations starting with Grandpa or Great-grandpa in the 30's or whenever it was made. Many youngsters learned to hunt with it (though not really a learners rifle), many deer had been taken with it, and it hadn't always been well taken care of.

Several years ago Ben's oldest son was hunting with it and dropped a buck on the run with a head shot at 100+ yards, offhand (can you say lucky shot? Yes, I know that's not a responsible shot to take). Being a teenage boy he bragged to everyone that that's just how darn good he is. Later they were trying to sight it in again and found it wouldn't hit anything. I looked at it and found that the rear scope base screws had been sheared many years ago and replaced with super-glue, which finally broke loose. The old holes were not salvageable so I simple drilled and tapped new holes behind the old ones and remounted the decades-old Weaver 4x. I worked as a machinist at the time.

I sat down at the bench to work up a load for this old rifle because of the cost of factory ammo, and was very surprised at it's accuracy. That old beater still shoots minute of angle! With a good load the hundred yard groups averaged right around slightly over one inch. Ben has eleven kids so that old rifle will be in the woods every year for a long time to come.

Now I'm starting to really want a Hornet too. I better start saving again. I just ordered a CMP M1 Garand so I might have to wait a while. By the way, does anyone know if those little Ruger 77 Hornets are any good?

 

[Zeke/PA]

I really like the .22Hornet. I shot my first buck with one, a turkey or two and lots of woodchucks.
I've shot Hornet reloads for many years with no problems whatsoever.
Factory ammo is expensive however, that is if you can find it.
My local gunshop has a very sweet Ruger#1 in .22 Hornet.
Very tempting but I very recently bought a #1 in .25-06.
Zeke

 

[Hemicuda]

Fatelk...

How bad can the .22 Hornet Rugers be? I don't have one in .22 Hornet BUT (we'll get to the BIGGEST "but" in a minute...)

I have a Ruger 77/22 and fullsize 77's in .243, .257 Roberts, and 7MM Mag... they are ALL very acurate guns, with nice wood (except the 77/22, which has black plastic with homamade mahogany inserts...), and great classic looks, and all shoot like dreams...

the BIGGEST "BUT"? Dad has a Mod. 77 in .22 Hornet... he can shoot a crow off a fencepost at 200 yards I **** you not! (Dad is an EXCELLENT shot, always has been) and I can one-hole with his 77 ALL DAY LONG at 100 yards myself...

If I didn't already own a pre-64 Winchester Mod. 70 in .22 Hornet, I'd be buying a Ruger Mod. 77 RIGHT NOW, (or I'd already have one)...

you won't be disappointed...

 

[db_tanker]

There are probably better examples of Hornets out there than my Model 43 Winchester...but man...if your on a windless day, 200 yard targets aren't too much of a problem at all.

Windy days, I stay at 150 and in.

Hornady makes some REALLY fine 35 gr. ammo that is the dogs bark in those rifles.

OR you can roll your own. Find some lead bullets and work up some bullseye "cat-sneeze" loads.

D

 

[win71]

77-Hornet

he can shoot a crow off a fencepost at 200 yards

I'm not sure I could have done that with my Ruger 22 hornet. Even off a bench. I may have just gotten a "bad one" but it did cure me of ever wanting another Ruger in 22 hornet. Personally I didn't care for the two piece bolt either. I traded mine in on a CZ and the group size at 100 yards was almost cut in half.

It is cheap to reload. At 10.0 gr. of H-110 you get a lot of charges out of a pound of powder.

By the way, if I had a pre 64 in 22 hornet I wouldn't want a Ruger, CZ or any thing else either. You are a lucky man !!

 

[Hemicuda]

I gotta thank my Dad for the Winchester... I mentioned wanting one, and he called a buddy who deals in old Winchesters... it cost me a pretty penny, but the guy had one, and was willing to sell it...

it REALLY isn't any more accurate than Dad's 77, though... but it CERTAINLY has a "cool factor"...

 

[win71]

pre 64

I know. I almost always hunt with a pre 64 .270, at least since the late 50's. I've hand loaded almost everything in the 130 gr. area under the sun and can just barely keep it a tad over one inch groups at 100 yards. Most of my Remington’s will out shoot it but I almost always take the mod. 70.

 

[The Rifleman]

Most of the older farmers that I knew kept one in the barn incase they saw a fox or a chicken hawk. They also used it to kill farm animals for slaughter.

If you told any of them that you used it for hunting purposes - such as killing deer. Not only would they laugh at you, they would also tell you that a deer is a majestic animal and deserves to be killed with something a little more ethical.

We had the same discussion a few years ago in deer camp when one fella showed up with a .220 Swift. My daddy sat him down and had a long talk and showed him the reloading manual and the words in large print.

THIS CALIBER AND ROUND IS NOT SUITABLE FOR HUNTING DEER AND LARGE GAME!

I know of people that hunt deer with a .22 long rifle and also .22 Magnum - not legally or in season. But they have gone out and poached a few...
If the only gun you owned was a .22 Hornet and you showed up at deer camp. Somebody would lend you a gun!

 

[Khornet]

As you might guess

I shoot a K-Hornet. It's a wildcat based on the hornet case with the shoulder blown forward to look like a sharp-shouldered cartridge, to give more powder capacity. I think it gets 100-200 more fps than the standard hornet.

My rifle is a single-shot break-open Savage, can't recall the model number. It's old, and the bore is fairly pitted. With handloads using 2400 or 4227 I can get 1 1/2" 5-shot 100 yard groups, and ocasionally better. The 50 yard groups are maybe 1/4" higher--it's that flat-shooting. I stick to 40 or 45 gr bullets. Easy and cheap to reload; I probably have a lifetime supply of powder.

I've worked up a low-power load for squirrels, which the full power Hornet or K-Hornet would destroy. I use about 3 gr of Bullseye, and I push a small wad of toilet paper over the powder to keep it against the primer. One inch 50 yd groups.

I too was apalled at the cost of a box of Hornets when I bought some to get the brass for fire-forming; about $35. But the brass lasts forever, so what the heck.

A most interesting cartridge.