In the History of 22Hornet Gun Makes What Would You Buy

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alientrainwreck

alientrainwreck

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Im planning on finding a 22 Hornet at the next Big gun show in a few months to take the place of my 22 mag and 17HMR because I want to be able to reload a small flat shooting varmint rifle without the worry of getting ammo and the price it cost to shoot either of the mentioned rimfires, so my thoughts are to trade or buy a 22 Hornet, I'll probably have it Improved to 22K, what I dont now is who all made the better rifle since most are probably almost old as me . What was the good model or the most sought after model to be looking for at the upcoming gunshow? Thanks in advance
 
i had a ruger 77/22 hornet that would not due better than 2-2.5 three shot groups at a hundred yards no matter what i did. i called ruger and they said that was good. at the next gun show i sold it for what i had in it. i put the word out at several gun shops i buy at that i was looking for a .22 hornet that would put three shots into a inch group at a hundred yards, after several months i got a call that one of the gun shops had a .22 hornet on consignment and the man wanted 350.00 for it. i went over and the hornet was a older (1978) CZ fox-2 with double set triggers and three magizines and original CZ scope rings in ex used condition.. i put a leupold 12x target scope on it and with remington factory ammo it shot a .75" three shot group at a hundred yards from a bench rest. i was so happy that i went back to the gun shop and bought a new 2x7 leupold scope from them for the hornet. i think the CZ fox-2 is a pre CZ 527. eastbank.
 

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Another Hornet that may bear looking at is the Savage Model 25 Walking Varmint Rifle.
About $500 but Savage was one of the first companies to jump on the Hornet bandwagon and they have years and years of experience with the cartridge.
 
Maybe I got lucky with my Ruger, it is very accurate. Although since I did acquire it back in my "never leave anything un-messed with" days I did glass bed the factory wood stock.
 
Shortly after WWII, virtually all the manufacturers switched over from a .223" diameter bore to a .224" diameter bore. Many of the bullet manufacturers make .223 Hornet bullets that are designed for the older bore and can have spotty accuracy in a newer rifle.

Using .224 diameter bullets provides alot more variety in bullet choices. But, you still want lighter weight construction bullets that will perform well at 22 Hornet velocities.

The European 22 Hornet chambers are a bit better, accuracy wise, than those made in America. I am afraid I forget the exact details but it is the difference of how the two allow for headspace. It is not an issue if the owner hand loads as he can tailor the cartridge to his chamber.

With my 22 Hornet, a Contender carbine, case life is short. This is mostly due to the long gently sloping shoulder. Neck sizing helps. Rechambering to the 22 K-Hornet helps improve case life alot since the shoulder is much shorter and the case can be treated more like a normal bottle neck cartridge. Plus, you get a bit more powder capacity and a little velocity. Case forming is easy as it is just fire formed in the chamber.
 
Emil Kerner stalking rifle. Shoots superb. light and balanced for off hand, not optics shooting. Used to hunt and for target competitions. Built in Suhl region of Germany. Beautiful and expensive and worth every penny.
 
I just went thru the very same thing. Had a Ruger 77/22 that wouldn't hit a barn from the inside. Ordered a CZ 527 from the LGS. Single set trigger, comes with rings

Took about six months, and got it a few months ago. Haven't shot it yet. Need to sell a 6x20-40 Nikon scope I have so I can get a new one, probably a Zeiss Conquest 3x9

I frequent another forum (Varmint's Den), and I asked the same question here and over there. CZ was the number one response by far. Most of them seem to shoot in the 1" range. Couple guys had Browning Micro and they look really nice and shoot better than they look.

I personally just can't warm up to Savage. Reviews seemed to generally good on them. Once in a while you"ll find a Ruger that will shoot well, but for every good one there are probably five bad ones.

The European 22 Hornet chambers are a bit better, accuracy wise, than those made in America. I am afraid I forget the exact details but it is the difference of how the two allow for headspace. It is not an issue if the owner hand loads as he can tailor the cartridge to his chamber.
Click to expand...

Biggest culprit on Hornets seems to be that they headspace on the rim. If there is ANY slop in the space between the bolt face and the area of the chamber that holds the rim, it allows the cartridge to tilt pointing downwards in the chamber. The bullet skids off the bottom of the barrel when it's fired

I suspect the accurate Rugers have a tight tolerance. Bad ones have slop. More slop means the bullet whacks into the barrel harder, distorting it more. Better guns (CZ & Browning) hold tighter tolerances.

You can over come this by using certain bullet and loading combinations. A 40 grain V-Max has a rather blunt profile. It can usually be seated out long enough that it will still mag feed but the bullet seats on the lands when chambered. This holds the bullet/cartridge in alignment as it is fired.

You can also space the sizing die from sizing the whole neck, and only partially neck size. This leaves part of the neck the same size as the chamber, which centers the round

Took me a couple years to get all this info figured out. Sold the Ruger before I had this info, but by that time I was tired of messing with it.

Your easier alternative is to get a .221 Fireball. Almost identical performance to the Hornet but less drama. It does lack the "cool" factor though

Hornet brass is tissue paper thin and doesn't get many loadings. You can do a little better if you anneal every three firings or so. Otherwise the necks split. I'n gonna try to get a Lee Collet Die so that only sizes parts of the neck.
 
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In a .22 Hornet I would probably go with a CZ Model 527 American. I just like the stock design better than that of the Model 527 Lux. Both are fine rifles.
 
I would go for a Thompson Center Contender or Encore. You can configure for a short handy rifle or a pistol with different barrels.

But I would also seriously consider a rifle in .223.

You can reload using the little 45 grain Hornet bullets. Putting a .224 bullet thru a .223 rifle is not a problem. If you over power them they will disintegrate if they are the very thin jacketed Hornet bullets.

Or you can just down load the .223 and use what ever suits you including the 40 grain VMax or other varmint bullets.

The brass will always be available so that will never be a problem.

If you pick up a Contender and decide the Hornet is not your cup of tea you can just sell the barrel and move to something else.
 
Yes I like the CZ's and I think I can Order a Hornet from Cooper Arms they are nice but whatever I buy im gonn improve the chamber to 35° or 40° to 22K.. I wonder if this would fix the ruger along with bedding the action.. Another thing is it must share my AR bullets so it must be a. 224 barrel and .224 is the newer Model Hornets?
 
I have an old Savage model 23D in 22 hornet, with an old Tasco 4 power scope on it that can nail quarters at 100 yards all day long. The barrel and receiver are one piece, so there isn't much room for tinkering. I have the same gun in 25-20 without a scope and it is also extremely accurate. Don't look down your nose at those old Savage one piece rifles, they are good shooters and IF you can find one; relatively inexpensive.
 
alientrainwreck: I have shot 22 HORNETS and have reloaded for them since 1973. And have shot several different rifles in the 22 Hornets , over the years. My Son and I both shoot CZ`s in the 22 Hornet, He shoots a FS model short carbine and I shoot an American model. Both will shoot under an inch at a 100 yds with any ammo we have tried in them, shot off of a rest and the Set Trigger in them are just great. Both our rifles seem to shoot 11grs of IMR 4227 under a 35 gr V-max better than any other load we have tried. This load will shoot a 1/2 inch at a 100 yds from a rest in both of our rifles. I find it very unusual that both our rifles shoot the same load as well as they do. And even more amaseing is that, my Son`s short barreled FS model 527 will shoot just as good as my American model 527 with the 22 inch barrel. CZ makes a great rifle, and the old 22 HORNET is a great caliber, for Varmints and Small Game hunting . But togather something magical happends, or at least IMHO it does. Good luck with Your Choice.
ken
 
I wonder if this would fix the ruger along with bedding the action..
Click to expand...
uhhhhh....most likely no.

Go back and read my post #12. Then copy it for future reference. I didn't type it just for something to do. I and many others have spent a LOT of time on this. You can save yourself a ton of time and money.

If you like endless frustration, tinkering, and experimentation with limited success, buy a Ruger. If you want a sink hole to dump money into just to get pissed off, buy the Ruger

If you want something that will shoot, get a CZ or Browning. If you have the money a Cooper should be great
 
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If you can find one of the early Riihimaki Sakos in Hornet go for it, but be sure it has the original magazine. Also look for pre-64 M-70 Win. Hornets, which usually shoot great and are also a good investment. The 1950's BRNO Hornets are also worth having if you find a clean one, be sure to check bore. For general shooting the Anschutz Hornets are nearly up there with the Sakos for accuracy.
 
alien,

Another rifle, not yet mentioned, is the Kimber 82, also made in .22 Hornet. Quite rare, but they do show up now and then. Spare mags, when you can find them, are expensive.

I am not, by any means, an authority on pre-64 Model 70's, but if I ever did run across a pre-64 Model 70 in .22 Hornet, I would RUN, not walk, away. There exists a virtual industry these days counterfeiting rare pre-64's. These shysters counterfeit the original factory, boxes, tags. etc. and even have original, from the factory, dies to roll-mark the markings on the barrels! Unless you are an actual authority on pre-64 Model 70's, I would be VERY leery of any rare version! My opinion only, but be aware.
 
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