Rancho;
I'm not Vern, but I've got 30+yrs experience with the Hornet.
I surmise from your previous posting that you're using an Anshutz rifle.
These have a rear locking lug, and as such won't take the higer pressures of front locking actions. ie. the Win. M54, M70, and even the Savage M340 with it's single lug.
This is NOT a slight to the usually superb, and superbly accurate Anshutz rifles. Just a statment and observation of fact.
With H110/Win296, many of the listed loads are running over 40,000cup pressures with this powder, and it's possible with the Anshutz that you're shoot is running even higher. Back about 10-12yrs ago SAAMI lowered the standard pressure on the Hornet to substantially less than the long existing standard for this amoung other reasons......
I too, have short case life from the Hornet, but it's not that bad when you consider that the cases are inexpensive in the first place. When I order brass, I ususally get 200-300 at a time, and it takes a while to get around to "wearing" them out.... Though I often get as many as 10-15 loadings.. However, this past fall, I experienced my first total case head separation, and it was a beast to get out. Had to make a plug from a brass cleaning jag with a tapered shank and hammer it into the remaining neck to grab it sufficiently to pull it out. But, this case dated to the mid '70's and had only been used to load .22lr level loads for over 20yrs with cast bullets, so....... I was probably due........ BTW, the "offending" load was 2.0gr of Bullseye and a Lyman #225415 tumble lubed, but no gascheck. Runs about 1,300fps and is near silent....... Shoots about 1/2" groups at 50yds, at the bottom taper of the Plex reticle at 8x........
Try using Lil'gun. I've gotten excellent accuracy with both small pistol, and small rifle brass. Next best powder, and outstanding for accuracy is Accurate#1680, and a small rifle match primer.
I too get better accuracy with full length sized brass. -I surmise it's due to the excentricity of my Ruger chamber. (A full length sized case allows the cartridge to "lie" consistently in the chamber giving better consisency.) Though it's tight, it's not round.... It too has rear-locking lugs, and stretches the brass if loads run "warm". Contrast this with a two previous Ruger chambers that were "large" and "oblong" too, so you get the picture.......
Try neck reaming the brass, uniforming flash-holes, and sorting it by weight. With the exceedingly small capacity of these cases, a grain difference in weight can translate into different pressures and therefore velocities and changes in barrel harmonics, especially considering that most Hornets have thin barrels....
I likewise have gotten occasionally superlative accuracy from my Hornets by mimimal sizing of the neck and seating the bullet to be "hard-seated" by forcing them into the throat. If you do this, reduce loads by 5% as it does raise pressures somewhat.... It really works well with the 35gr V-max over H110, and the Hornady 50gr SX over Acc.#1680.
I had an H&R Topper (now the "Handi-Rifle") back in the mid '70's while in college. Due to the extractor cut in the chamber, and very-sloppy chamber, cases didn't last much more than 3-rds, even with cast bullet loads, and light charges of Unique or BlueDot. Killed a "gazillion" pigeons with it though, using CCI Magnum small pistol primers propelling a .22cal air-rifle pellet w/o powder. Kinda like a "magnum" air-rifle......... Enough that I had to quit when the local newspaper did an article on the "mysterious pigeon die-off" in the West Glenn Ave. area of Auburn, Al in 1975-76............... (I can admit now that the statue of limitations has long expired........) But, the T/C Contender I had with a 3x T/C scope and mount would shoot circles "inside" the H&R.....
My next "Hornet" will probably be another barrel for my T/C carbine or a CZ-527. Decisions, decisions.......
Did I mention that I ,too, "Love the little Hornet".......!
