A utility rifle in .22 Magnum or Hornet?

[Maine Ronin]

Lately I've had some things around the house that need killin'. Everything from a squirrel getting into a bird feeder 10 yards away to a fox/coyote eying chickens 100 yards away. I'm thinking a scoped .22 Magnum or a .22 Hornet will do the job.

The problem is I think the Hornet is a little overkill for close range small stuff and the .22 Magnum isn't enough for predators at 100 yards. Can the Magnum do both?

I'm leaning towards the Magnum because those rifles are much less expensive. Even though noise is a concern, I could handload some 125 grain loads for my .30-06 for the rare predator.

This all started when I realized I don't have a scoped .22. I prefer aperture sights when I'm out for small game. I figure if I have just one scoped .22, it should be versatile.

Thanks,
Adam

 

[JFrame]

No doubt you'll get plenty of good advice here, but I'd also like to refer you to www.rimfirecentral.com. That site seems to be the final word on all things rimfire. There are forums dedicated to the .22 WMR, and even forums dedicated to specific firearms handling the cartridge.

The consensus I draw from that forum is that with the right ammo choice (and provided the shooter does his part), the .22 WMR is fully capable of coyote out to at least 75-100 yards. There are plenty of coyote threads in the .22 WMR forums.


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[C-grunt]

I would say the WMR just because I find it A LOT easier to find than the Hornet. You could also look at the 17 HMR.

 

[Strykervet]

I though my M4 was a .22 magnum? And why kill the squirrels in the bird feeders, that is FUNNY! I watch mine out the window trying to get into the cage type that hold the brick of bird food... THAT is funny! Sure, the rifle will work, but trying to outsmart those little buggers is more fun. They sure are cunning. Anyway, if I go yell at it, it runs off scared and usually doesn't come back for a week or so.

The .22 magnum is pretty versatile, light ammo fragments and the heavy stuff not so much. If you want quiet, an air rifle might be better, although it won't do anything to a coyote (and the .22 mag not much better for all but the close head shot).

 

[tango2echo]

Since you reload I would go with the Hornet. My experience with it is somewhat limited as I have only been reloading for the Hornet for a few hundred rounds, but I have been amazed at what it can do. Light TrailBoss loads for small game to blazing fast Lil' Gun loads with 40gr Varmit bullets.

There are some cheap guns available in the .22 Hornet too. I picked up a Savage like this for just over $400, and a used NEF single shot that was recut for .22K Hornet for $160.

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/finder/

I used a mil-dot scope with the hot varmit load as the crosshair zeroed at 100y, and the third dot down for the light TB load zeroed at 50y. This way I can zero the rifle for two loads using one scope without dialing elevation. It is not perfect, but it is minute of squirrel.

In my opinion the .22MR .17HMR, .204Ruger, .223 are all fine for foxes and yotes, but tear up too much meat for small game like rabbits and squirrels. With the .22hornet (and reloading gear) you have a huge choice of loads.

T2E

 

[sansone]

the hornet is my choice, only from a reloader's perspective.

 

[Onmilo]

Hornet if you reload, WMR if you don't.

 

[Float Pilot]

I have been playing around with the 22 Hornet for the last year or so. It is challenging and interesting to work with, as long as you are a hand-loader. If I was shooting factory ammo I would use a 22 mag.

I squirrel proofed our various bird feeders, but the little stinkers still hang around, so I just made them a couple of their own feeders and now they hang out over there. (Trail mix and peanut butter makes for funny squirrel watching.) And my barn cats nail one every couple days or so.
I also thought I had coyote problems with my ducks and chickens, But after I got rid of the coyote problem,,,, the bears moved in and over a month period of time pretty much destroyed my flock. At least the coyotes were more selective and did not rip down fencing.

 

[Maine Ronin]

TrailBoss!

Since you reload I would go with the Hornet. My experience with it is somewhat limited as I have only been reloading for the Hornet for a few hundred rounds, but I have been amazed at what it can do. Light TrailBoss loads for small game to blazing fast Lil' Gun loads with 40gr Varmit bullets.

Ahhh! TrailBoss, I love that stuff! Can you give me some more information on your Hornet loads with TrailBoss and what they do? My biggest concern with it would be accuracy.

 

[tango2echo]

I use 2.4gr of TB under a Speer 40gr SP. OAL of 1.775, CCI SRP. Right at 1270fps. I have loaded as lightly as 1.6gr, but it is deadly acurate at 2.4gr. I get golfball sized groups at 100y and it is quieter than a CCI Stinger out of a .22LR.

If you fill the case to the bottom of the bullet and multiply times .70, you get the starting charge for TB. The max charge is to the bottom of the bullet. In this case I get about 3.7gr to the bullet, so 2.6gr is my starting charge. I first worked up to 3.7gr, and then down to 1.6gr, before deciding on 2.4gr as the best accuracy.

t2e

 

[Maple_City_Woodsman]

A .22 magnum is plenty for a fox @ 100 yards, and still good enough for a coyote.

A .22 hornet is way too much for any squirrel unless you enjoy plastering them all over the feeder, or hand load it down.

Basically - if you want to fiddle with loading, then go with the Hornet. If not (it is a utility rifle after all) than go for the .22 mag.

 

[Red Tornado]

the bears moved in and over a month period of time pretty much destroyed my flock

You don't have bears in Alaska, you have BEARS!!!!!


Back on topic, if you can download 30-06 for coyotes, you could use anything for the squirrels, 22LR would be fine. But since you're reloading, with 22 Hornet you could have different loads in magazines in a buttcuff and be ready for any situation with the same rifle. Tango2echo seems to have that solution down pat. That would be pretty cool.
RT

 

[GooseGestapo]

Long, long before Trail Boss, there was Unique. Also, Bullseye. But be careful, 2.5gr of Bullseye is barely visible in the bottom of the Hornet case. But, it does the same thing at the same charges. Just be extra careful of double charges. If I use my Lyman mould and tumble lube the bullets and size with out a gas-check, the ammo duplicates some of the most accurate .22lr ammo you can buy, now, at half the price! (Locally, CCI-minimags are running ~8.00/100. Primers are back down to about $30/1,000.)

Also, you can load an air-rifle pellet (.22cal) in the case over a magnum primer and get air-rifle velocities.(Seat the pellet to flush with the case mouth). No need to crimp. Un-sized cases work best. I used this in a T/C Contender with a 3x scope while in college to do a number on pigeons. A LOT of pigeons. Did I mention that air-rifle pellets used to come 500 to a tin, not 250. Went through about 3 tins one summer. Enough that I had to quit when a major pigeon die-off made the local newspaper......

What was funny, is that I was a junior in college in wildlife management. One of my professors was recruited to "investigate" the die-off and I was picked to assist a graduate student to do the necropsies ...... Yep, not all died from acute lead poisoning........but most! Funny how the die-off ended as soon as the investigation started.......

But, back on topic; if you don't reload, the Winchester Dynapoint load for the .22magum is a reduced loading with a 45gr plated lead hollow point bullet at about 1,550fps. It is intended and in fact is a less devastating load for use in the .22magnum. It is however still a bit potent for use on game you intend to eat. Even with head-shots on squirrels, it's a bit too much.

I have taken a coyote at about 90yds with the .22mag, but I consider it a bit too minimal for use over 50yds. For pelt harvest, use the FMJ and try to make frontal chest shots.... The .22Hornet IS too much for pelt hunting with full power loads. Leaves occasional exit wounds to rival a .30/06...

 

[Onmilo]

The beauty of the Hornet is that you can load it to .22 lr velocities using a cast lead bullet and Lil Gun powder or ramp ip up with a 50 grain hollowpoint for larger critters out to 250 yards.
It will best the performance of a .22 Magnum every time or bark squirrels like a .22 short solid if you load it right.
You can't get that kind of versatility out of the .22 Magnum BUT you have to handload to get it out of the Hornet.

 

[DM~]

I've owned several hornets over the years, they are all looooong gone now, but my 22WMR's are still here, and always will be!

I HATE those weak necked hornet cases, and to me it's a huge PLUS that the 22 magnum doesn't have to be reloaded!

Make mine the 22WMR please!

DM

 

[Dr T]

I like the 22 WMR. I use one as a utility rifle when I go to the ranch.

As another poster noted, the inability to reload the 22 WMR is a bit of a plus. Buy, fire, and forget. While the 22 Hornet is reloadable and highly useful. I can't justify one since I can load the 221 Fireball in my Contender or one of my 223s down to Hornet levels if I need fill that niche. Unfortunately, my time for reloading is limited and I would prefer to use it on working up loads for my serious hunting rifles. And, at $27.50/100, 22 Hornet BRASS is over 2x more expensive than 22 WMR loaded cartridges (based on the last cartons of Fiocchi 22 WMRs I purchased (and the Fiocchi is pretty accurate in my Savage).

 

[Legionnaire]

I like the .22 WMR for the application you describe. If you are a reloader considering a centerfire, I'd skip the hornet and go to the .223. It can easily be loaded subsonically if needed. And it is a great Varmint round loaded full strength.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Whatever caliber you choose, keep it simple. Once you decide on a load and get it sighted in keep it that way. That way you will learn your gun and your load and your poi will be known at various distances.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Let me take the opposite approach -- if you choose a .22 Hornet, there is no impedement to developing two or more loads for two or more uses. Record you sight settings and you should have no difficulty switching back and forth as needed.

There's also something else you might consider, the Hammond Game Getter.
http://www3.telus.net/gamegetter/

I have one of these in .30-06. Essentially, it's a cartridge case with what appears to be an off-center primer pocket. In reality the primer pocket is a .22 rimfire chamber, and is off-center so the centerfire firing pin hits the rim of the case.

You load the Game Getter with a nail-setting blank and put a sized buckshot in the case mouth (a simple sizing die comes with the Game Getter.) With mine, the buckshot impacts at the top of the lower thick crosshair at 25 yards when using the brown (lowest power) nail-setting blank. Muzzle velocity is around 600-700 fps.

My use for it is when deer hunting and the squirrels try to carry me off.

 

[benzy2]

It's a tough call for me. If you are strictly looking to eliminate pests, a .17hmr is going to do well and shoot real flat out to 100 yards. You can pick a vmax for the smaller stuff, tnt for the slightly bigger stuff, and the fmj for stuff that needs more penetration yet. My biggest complaint for the round is that it isn't plinking cheap and it destroys what it hits. If you have no plans to keep what you shoot, it does very well on everything listed. The .22mag and .22 hornet will do well also, but the trajectory out to 100 is better with the .17hmr and is easier to find than .22 hornet. If you reload, shooting .22 hornet will be cheap, and the round is very accurate in most rifles. I like the k-hornet better as a reloader but either will work with a little practice.

Really, pick the one you like in a rifle you like. All three would be good options for the game you listed, and none will break the bank hunting.

 

[deacon8]

The .22 mag IS enough for coyotes at 100 yards. I have taken several coyotes and a bobcat at roughly that range with a .22 mag. I never had issues in regards to not having enough power...no issues at all actually. You do your part and they will die. Just so you know, none of them were head shots.

 

[Onmilo]

As for the 'weak neck' on the Hornet case.
Ream your rifle chamber to K Hornet and that problem goes away,,,
Neck size Hornet cases instead of full length resize and the neck collapse issue is greatly minimized on standard cases.

 

[Justin Holder]

You can't go wrong with ether, but I would lean slightly towards the .22 magnum according to your stated needs. Yes, with a 40gr. jhp the .22 magnum caries varmint killing power out to 100 yards or so, head shots are unnecessary.

 

[Onmilo]

For the record.
My cross the road neighbor has two guns, that's all.
A .22 Magnum Erma lever action and a Stevens 311 20 guage shotgun.
He uses them for all his hunting and pest control.

 

[Clifford]

The hornet would be fine for a handloading tinkerer but you do say you want a utility rifle. To me that would be one rifle and one load, no tinkering with different sight settings or loads depending on the creature that pops upat any given moment. If it was me id simply pick the 22Mag sight it in and accept the fact that small critters are not gonna be edible and the bigger ones need to hit in the right spot.

Real utility = animal spotted / grab rifle / line up sights / release safety / squeeze trigger / collect your prize

NOT spot animal / grab rifle / select proper load / adjust sights to that load / pray your scope or iron sights are reliably repeatable / squeeze trigger / curse your sights or load for not being set where you thought they should be / readjust the sights / squeeze trigger again.... That's if the critter is still hanging around.

Tinkering with loads and rifles is alot of fun... On the range, not when you need to know that the round you send down range at an animal is gonna hit them where you want and kill them quickly. I'm not a coyote fan but no animal needs to suffer for days from a poorly placed shot before it dies.