How many of you still shoot the .22Hornet

[Matthew Clark]

Ever since I was 12 and shot a friend of my dad's Hornet I have told myself I would have one someday.
When Savage came out with thier model 25 Lightweight Varminter with a wood stock it was on!
I picked it up a few weeks back and finally got all the components.
I put together a load of 12.5gr. Lil Gun, Remington 61/2 primer, PP brass (no Starline available yet), Sierra 45gr Hornet bullet. I used Lee collet neck dies and put a medium crimp on the neck with a Lee factory crimp die. As you can see below I was very pleased until I sneezed and pulled the last shot ruining a otherwise perfect one hole group. Just my luck, dad gum cold!

I absolutely had a blast shooting that little round. Quiet and deadly out to 150 or so depending on the quarry.
My advice is to get yourself one of these in any make you can find and have a ball!
It got dark before I got a pic of the rifle. I'll try to get one before dark tomorrow or next day and post it later.
Happy shooting!

 

[troy fairweather]

if i had one id definitely be shooting it. i miss when my dad had the rugers and sako's in 22h. he even had a mod 70 in hornet. i came very close to getting a 25 savage one day.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I wouldn’t mind a single shot break open type.

You should get a Taurus Raging Hornet to compliment your new rifle.

 

[eastbank]

I have a ruger #3 and a early CZ(pre 527), I use the cz to hunt turkey in the fall season and it shoots 5 shot 3/4" groups at 100 yards with factory privy ammo. the ruger remains unfired in the box.

 

[Matthew Clark]

I wouldn’t mind a single shot break open type.

You should get a Taurus Raging Hornet to compliment your new rifle.

I was wondering if they still made that
I might have to look into that.
Thanks for feading me thoughts on what's next on the list.
Happy shooting!

 

[forindooruseonly]

I shoot a Browning low-wall in .22 Hornet, one of my favorite "going for a walk around the farm" rifles.

 

[Matthew Clark]

I have a ruger #3 and a early CZ(pre 527), I use the cz to hunt turkey in the fall season and it shoots 5 shot 3/4" groups at 100 yards with factory privy ammo. the ruger remains unfired in the box.

Any special reason you haven't fired the Ruger?
Just curious if it's a collector or you just haven't gotten to it yet.

 

[sota]

I wouldn’t mind a single shot break open type.

You should get a Taurus Raging Hornet to compliment your new rifle.

Gotta admit, I saw Matt over at Demolition Ranch's video on that thing, and I want one just like that SO BADLY.

 

[Walkalong]

My little Ruger 77/22 .22 Hornet won't shoot that well, but it is a fun rifle.

 

[jmorris]

I have one that will ragged hole at 100 on a calm day with 13gn of lilgun and vmax’s.

It’s a custom contender barrel, I only size the portion of the neck where the bullet is seated.

 

[rule303]

I shoot a Savage model 40. With 13gr of Lil'Gun, CCI small pistol primer and a 35 or 40 gr V-Max it is amazingly accurate. With either of those bullets it is easily a 250 yd varmint round if the wind isn't too bad.

 

[Texas10mm]

I've wanted a .22 Hornet for a long time. I'd love a single shot. Maybe one of these days.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

I've two at present, an H&R breakopen and an Encore with an MGM barrel. Both have Kilbourned chambers and shoot great. I just took the Encore to the range on Tuesday, in fact.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

I have a ruger #3 and a early CZ(pre 527), I use the cz to hunt turkey in the fall season and it shoots 5 shot 3/4" groups at 100 yards with factory privy ammo. the ruger remains unfired in the box.

Any chance you could post a photo or two of your older CZ/Brno Hornet?

 

[eastbank]

i just never got around to shooting the .22 hornet ruger # 3, the little CZ is a joy to carry and shoots quite well.

 

[Matthew Clark]

Love the photos and the stories guys.
Keep em coming!
I'm stuck here at the college till late this evening but I will try to post a pic tomorrow morning or evening of my rig. Nothing fancy just effective and fun as all get out.
Happy shooting all!

 

[Scooter22]

I've got a Ruger 77/22H sporter like Walkalong's. Never really tried to wring it out. I use Lilgun and neck.size with Lee collet die. Groups around 1" at 100yds. I've considered sending to CPC to work it over but every time I start thinking if I should leave it standard or make it a K-hornet. Then I forget about it. Shoots well enough for what I want it for. A souped up .22Mag.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

i just never got around to shooting the .22 hornet ruger # 3, the little CZ is a joy to carry and shoots quite well.

Lovely, lovely little Fox! Looks like they followed the popular American stock fashions of the '60s, with white spacers, diagonal forend tip, etc.

It was unfortunate so few made it past the Iron Curtain to the USA back in the day, but at least we have the 527 now.

No.3 is pretty sweet too!

 

[alsaqr]

Been owning, re-loading and shooting .22 Hornets for over sixty years. Currently own several. The .22 Hornet is a fun rifle.

 

[BigBlue 94]

Yep, got a TC contender and an NEF handi rifle. Fun little round to plink with.

 

[Offfhand]

This cute little Sako Vixen Hornet shoots as good as it looks and is the most accurate Hornet I've ever owned. And did someone say Raging Hornet? Here's a pair that compliment each other.

 

[lightman]

I inherited an older Savage and also have a Contender barrel. Its a fun caliber to play with.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Try the Hornady 35-grain V-max bullet -- I love it.

 

[22250Rem]

22 Hornet has been special to me ever since I first touched one off in my high school buddies old Savage 23D back in the latter 1960's. When he decided to sell that rifle in 1997 I bought it immediately. He had a 6x Weaver put on it when he got it circa 1966 from the original owner but kept the original 3/4" tube 4x Wollensak scope that had been put on it back in the 1930's when the gun was new. A few years later I put the original scope & mounts back on it and it's a real cool vintage, period correct varmint gun. Shoots good although I only run mild handloads in it and it won't be hot rodded or anything. I'd love to try something like a CZ chambered for the Hornet where I could use a modern scope on it and have a little more leeway with the handloads. The Hornet is a great little cartridge that I've used a lot on closer range woodchucks ( out to about 125 yards) when I used to hunt smaller fields. Beyond that I have other suitable choices but the Hornet will always be special to me because IIRC, that 22 Hornet was the first 22 cal. centerfire that I ever fired, back in my teenage days.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

22 Hornet has been special to me ever since I first touched one off in my high school buddies old Savage 23D back in the latter 1960's. When he decided to sell that rifle in 1997 I bought it immediately. He had a 6x Weaver put on it when he got it circa 1966 from the original owner but kept the original 3/4" tube 4x Wollensak scope that had been put on it back in the 1930's when the gun was new. A few years later I put the original scope & mounts back on it and it's a real cool vintage, period correct varmint gun. Shoots good although I only run mild handloads in it and it won't be hot rodded or anything. I'd love to try something like a CZ chambered for the Hornet where I could use a modern scope on it and have a little more leeway with the handloads. The Hornet is a great little cartridge that I've used a lot on closer range woodchucks ( out to about 125 yards) when I used to hunt smaller fields. Beyond that I have other suitable choices but the Hornet will always be special to me because IIRC, that 22 Hornet was the first 22 cal. centerfire that I ever fired, back in my teenage days.

No need to worry about "hot rodding" a Hornet. SAAMI pressure is 43K CUP. Fill the case with Li'l Gun and you can't get above 30K -- but you'll still get max velocity.