22 Hornet Anyone?

[JasonMillar]

Buy an old martini greener in 22 hornet


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[JasonMillar]

I managed to get a round stuck in the barrel and fired another one and it did this gun never blew up a testament to British quality modern junk gun and the bolt would have exploded


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[dualsport]

You should just do it. Jump on the H&R single shot for starters. If it's older the twist will be 12", or 14". Newer ones have a 9" twist. You can work with either at cb velocities. Then, get the Savage 25. Tack driver.

[michaelcj]

1951 Winchester model 43 is my Hornet, and favorite rifle….
12.8 grains of Lilgun, Winchester SP primer and brass, Sierra #1210 45grain pill shoots cloverleafs for me all day long.

[Redleg11b]

I wanted a Hornet badly, but went with the .223 for more versatility. I even though, searched, and prayed for a .221 FB and a .218Bee. I am happy so far with the .223 though. I have had Hornets in the Ruger 77/22H and a Savage Model 40. The Ruger was not as accurate, and the Savage had extraction issues. They both went toward something different years ago. With I still had the Savage though.

[1989toddm]

Anyone here know how a 22 hornet would do with a .223 bore and micro grooves?


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[skeettx]

Shot my Ruger #3 in Hornet today as well as a Martini Cadet in 218 Bee
and a 700 BDL Varmint in 308 Win
What fun, what fun
Mike

[Cheshire Dave]

Plus one for Winchester 43. Loves 35 gr Vmax and 12.8gr Lil Gun. Haven't had the best luck with cast yet. Got a 225438 mold and with keep trying.

[Dale53]

I've had a number of Hornet's over the years. The power levels available with the Hornet offer a great deal to the dedicated edible small game and varmint hunter. However, I have been frustrated by the short brass life. After losing a good many cases to expanded primer pockets I sectioned a case head. The reason for the expanded primer pockets became evident. There is hardly any metal around the primer pocket. When loading jacketed bullets to full velocity, you have virtually NO leeway. Just a bit too hot and the case is junk. When loading a cast bullet (my preference is the gas checked 225415, a 55 gr. Flat nose). I had excellent accuracy.

3.0 grs. of Unique was my "go to" load for squirrels and it worked quite well. However, I became frustrated with the brass and got rid of my Hornet rifles. I ended up with a Ruger #3 that had been rechambered to .221 Fireball. It answered all of my needs and the brass is TONS better. It handles the desired power level and shoots both jacketed and cast VERY well.

I consider the .221 FB to be THE answer for the small game guy.

FWIW
Dale53

[M-Tecs]

I am doing the same for the same reasons.

[psweigle]

I have a single shot 223 bull barrel handi that I can load very hot or all the way down to suit my needs. Cast works as good as jackets out of it. Never an issue with brass life or availability.

[JasonMillar]

I have a 223 hornet can't get it to stabilise a head over 30 grains straight through target sideways if it's 35 grains or above it's an d greener rifle


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[6.5x55]

I've owned a number of 22 Hornets over the years. 4 H&R good rifles lousy triggers. Ruger #3 (shouldn't have sold) Ruger 77 shot really well with 13gr lil gun, 45 gr Speer. 2 CZ 527 Americans, a Luxus single shot, and the only one I've kept a CZ 527 Fullstock, that thrives on lil gun and 30 gr Barnes.

Likely always be a Hornet in the safe.

I've also owned numerous .204.222 Rem, 222 Rem Mag ,223,22-250, and a .218 Bee they seem to come and go.

As well as the CZ Hornet I have a 17 Hornet in a Ruger 77 (new not shot yet) , .225 Winchester, 2 6x45 (big game legal) and a 6x47 Rem.

6.5

[quilbilly]

Yesterday I tested boolits from two Lee 22 molds in my Hornet on my home 40 yard test range. I have the older "soup can" mold and the newer one that recently came out to replace it. Same load for each, of course. The older model boolit grouped 5 at .8 and the newer grouped 5 at .8 but three were touching. The rifle is a T/C carbine. I have to retest with a different rest to see if the test is valid then head to the club for the 100 yard test. I hope to get my 223 to shoot as well as the Hornet with cast.

[6901]

I was absolutely smitten with the hornet. I had a hornet in a handi rifle and a 77/22 Ruger Hornet. I could not get either rifle to shoot and I tried everything. A 3" group at 100 yards was cause for celebration. After much soul searching I gave up on the round.

It was sort of like that dating that beautiful woman you have always lusting after and having to admit later that she is a complete pain <language>.

That being said I still hear the siren call when I walk past a CZ.

[Eddie Southgate]

I think everybody needs a Hornet . I got an old Savage 340 . Best powders for me have been Win 680, AA1680 and LittleGun. Bullets I like are the ballistic tip 40 gr Nosler , Nosler 45 gr Hornet , and the Hornady 35 gr VMax. I always use a small pistol primer .

Eddie

[dtknowles]

My #3 will shoot under 1.2 MOA with Hornady Factory ammo, I bet that CZ would do even better.

Tim

[saleen322]

I have 3 rifles and a 10" Contender barrel in 22 Hornet. The rifles are a H&R single shot, a Savage 340, and the Savage 40 below. The 22 Hornet contender is the most accurate one I have and the model 40 shoots great with Lil' Gun and bullets 40 grain or less. The target below was at 100 yards. I also have a Martini in 22 K-Hornet that is a favorite.

[atr]

I bought a new savage in 22 Hornet. I love shooting the cartridge but am not sold on the savage rifle. It shoots well, yes but it fails to chamber 100% of the time with RN bullets. It also does not fully eject unless you really slam the bolt back. The BIGGEST dislike that I have for the rifle is that it uses a plastic magazine....I hate plastic. It is the only rifle I own manufactured with a portion made of plastic. I hate plastic !!!
but Love that 22 Hornet cartridge

[speedyr]

Love the hornet and bee cartridges. Growing up I shot a fair amount of them thru my contender and liked the little thing. Plenty of punch when hitting cans and stuff and with reloading, it kept it cheap to shoot. Inherited a #3 as well, most people have never heard of the Ruger, so nice to see it getting some love in this thread (BTW anyone mount a small scope on a #3? what did you use for mounts?). Since then I bought a 77/22hornet and developed a load for that one. Seemed to like the 40gr V-max a bit better than the 35gr. Haven't tried cast bullets for the hornet yet. If anyone has a recommendation for a good mold I'm all ears! I have a good supply of standard 22 bullets (found a pile a year or two ago of lightweight (35-45gr) bullets online locally but as I'm getting into casting, having a good 22 mold might be nice.

I do have a model 65 in 218 bee as well, but just don't shoot it much and compared to the hornet I don't have much brass for it so it tends to sit more often.

as far as loads I'll have to go check but my go to powder is usually H110, and I have found that bullet seating depth has a lot to do with the accuracy on these things.

sorry for the questions but not many groups know much about the hornets. Any here with Ruger ever use CPC for their work?
http://www.ct-precision.com

and just to add another question- anyone move from standard hornet to K-Hornet? Since I have three rifles in the hornet I don't think I want to convert one and have to worry about mixing brass up but just curious. Most of the time I feel that if you want more power out of a cartridge just move up to the next size rather than converting an existing one into a wildcat unless that's just your thing..

sorry for the long winded reply. just found a good spot to do some shooting outside and looking forward to getting some of my older rifles out and playing with them a bit..