What is the Lure of the .22 Hornet?

[Silent Sam]

If you are going to reload I'd take a hard look at the 218 Bee. All the good things that apply to the hornet with a little more velocity and usually less finicky to reload. I have a model 65 Winchester that is way more accurate that it has a right to be and I will own a Ruger #1 as soon as I find the right one.

 

[highlander 5]

if you get a 22 Hornet have it rechambered to 22 K hornet the cases will last longer as you can nack size and it will match the 218 bee in velocity.
AA 1680 powder seems to work best and you can get it as surplus as 680 for $8 a lb

 

[Paper Cutter]

44AMP mentioned a .223 and .224 for the Hornet. We found an old Savage Model 23D Hornet in my grandfather's attic. How do I know what size I can use with this rifle? What does the "K" mean? And, how much does it cost to rechamber a rifle? Is it worth rechambering if I have the older model (I do not mean, "is the rifle worth it," rather, will it be cheaper to shoot? More accurate? What?) Or, should I just leave well enough alone?

Any thought appreciated.

 

[db_tanker]

K stands for Kilborn...Greg Kilborn was the fella that originated that one...basically its what PO Ackley would have done to it.

expanded the case and moved the shoulder up with a better angle. more case capacity and a better shoulder to headspace off of, instead of the rim. That equals long case life.

have to do a serial # search on that Savage. Otherwise you will have to slug the bore to make sure.

D

 

[Max Velocity]

Hornet Cartridge Photos

22 Horn = 22 Hornet goes back to 1885 when it was first offered as a black powder cartridge as the .22 WCF (Winchester Center Fire) in the Winchester 1885 Single Shot Rifle. Smokeless loadings were developed by Col. Townsend Whelen, Captain G.L. Wotkyne and other researchers at the Springfield Armory during the 1920's. Winchester began selling factory loaded ammunition in 1930 to go with their Model 54 rifle in .22 Hornet.
17AH = 17 Ackley Hornet Designed by P.O. Ackley. It is a 22 Hornet necked down for a .172" bullet and then fireformed.
19 Calhoon is a cartridge developed by James Cahoon in Montana
22 K = 22 K Hornet was developed by Lylse Kilbuorne about 1940, the K-Hornet is acclaimed as being the first wildcat of "Improved" type; i.e., utilizing minimum body taper and a sharp shoulder to provide increased case capacity over a commercial cartridge, while (usually) maintaining the ability to chamber and fire the original round (fire-forming).

I have a 22 K Hornet. It's a good cartridge.

 

[db_tanker]

oops...I said Greg...man....Lylse please forgive. lol


D

 

[Kestrel]

I suppose the .22 K is a wildcat? No factory ammo?

 

[rbernie]

The Hornet is a neat little round but if you can also load the Hornady 35 grain vmax bullets down a bit in a .223 and get pretty much the same benefits.

Why does the Hornet persist in popularity with this as an option?

 

[Gordon]

Darn , that 19 Cahoon looks cool

 

[44AMP]

The Hornet persists

Because 1) it is a neat round, and 2) downloading the bigger .22s still uses the bigger cases, and often more powder than the Hornet. The Hornet gives desired performance with minimum materials and noise. And there are still people out there who don't handload.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

The Hornet persists because it does exactly what it was developed to do -- kill varmits at reasonable ranges.

My Hornet is an M82 Kimber, and I've killed tons of crows, groundhogs, coyotes and other varmits with it. With the 35 grain Hornady v-Max and a case full of Hodgdon's Li'l Gun you can easily reach 3,000 fps and not come within 10,000 psi of the SAAMI limit for this cartridge. (With Li'l Gun, you max out on case capacity long before you reach max pressure.)

I've done a lot of shooting off my front porch -- and I know every rock and stump in the pasture, so 200 yard shots are no trick at all.

 

[Master Blaster]

Another thing that makes the .22 hornet popular over the .223 rem is that in some countries like Mexico, and others in europe, you cant own firearms that are chambered in Military calibers, .223 rem / 5.56 nato is a military caliber, .22 hornet is not.

 

[rockstar.esq]

So is the KHornet an improved cartridge? If it were possible to still fire factory fodder accurately the whole brass availiblilty thing would be less of an issue. I have to say that every time I read about the hornet I get more interested in it. At some point I'll most likely get into improved calibers across the board because the utility and versatility are impressive to me. My only concern is for resale which might be harder for the general public who might not understand it. I read at least 10 posts a year asking if 7.62x51 is .308 Winchester. Imagine explaining the .308winchester Ackley improved!

 

[bowfin]

Okay, I come from a long line of .22 Hornet owners, I have owned one myself, and have used it on targets and game. If I had unlimited funds, I would have one or two in the vault again.

That being said, I think that a lot of people would be better served if they would consider a .218 Bee or a .222 Remington instead of the .22 Hornet.

The brass thickness and case design of a .22 Hornet leave a lot to be desired when it comes to reloading. It's easy to ruin a case mouth, and the case taper (instead of the shoulder) lets the foil thin brass become even thinner fairly fast. A .218 Bee or .22 K Hornet helps alleviate this with its shoulder and losing the taper, but it still is awful thin brass for the K Hornet...

It used to be said that one could never hope to get sub MOA groups with a .22 Hornet, but I know that isn't true, at least these modern days. However, I can't imagine ten .22 Hornet rifles known for their accuracy going toe to toe with ten accurate .222 Remington rifles, and the results of who comes out on top ever being in question. Reloaders can turn their .222s into .22 Hornets by loading down, but a .22 Hornet can't be loaded up to match a .222 Remington.

However, we can all just say "Dang it! I like the .22 Hornet, and to heck with practicality and logic, I'll take it over any other .22 caliber for my crows and woodchucks, because I love that odd looking little cartridge and the good times we have had!" I know that is what I used to say, until I was swindled out of mine by my own brother...

 

[MachIVshooter]

Why does the Hornet persist in popularity with this as an option?

The larger .223 case requires almost twice as much powder to get het same velocity with the same bullet. Also, your shot to shot velocity deviation will be substantial if you try to download the .223 that much.

I can get 35 gr. V-max's out of my NEF .22 Hornet at 3060 with 11.2 grains of H-110. That's a pretty economical way to blast vermin out to 200 yards without drawing attention from miles away. If you handload, the .22 Hornet costs less to shoot than .17 HMR.

1 pound of powder will load ~600 Rounds, so $0.03/shot
Primers are $0.02 ea. and 35 or 40 gr. V-maxes are <$0.10/ea. in bulk. That's $0.15/shot (unless you have to buy brass, ~$16/100). Compare with good .22 mag or .17 HMR running $0.17-$0.19/shot. And the Hornet launches heavier bullets faster than either, with a minimal increase in report.

It is an absolutely wonderful short to medium range varmint/predator cartridge.

 

[Max Velocity]

You can shoot factory ammunition in "K" chamber

I suppose the .22 K is a wildcat? No factory ammo?

Yes, you can use factory ammunition in the K Hornet chamber and still get good results. Accuracy is usually good. When fired the case is fireformed to K Hornet dimensions and is ready to be reloaded.
If you don't reload, there is no advantage in having the K chamber.
If you do reload; cases will last longer and you will probably get an improvement in accuracy especially if you only neck size your cases. Plus, you can shoot quality ammo for less than $8 (plus your time) per box of fifty cartridges.