22 Hornet?

F

Flaim

Moderator
Ok I lke .22 caliber weapons. I have a .22 Mag, a lot of guns in .223, and a .22-250. I am now thinking about getting a Ruger in .22 Hornet. What is everyones thoughts on this.
From what I have seen it fals right between the .22 Mag and the .223. Ammo cost isn't bad for a non surplus caliber and I reload. So come on guys spill it.

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"Knowledge is a destination. Truth, the journey."
 
The Hornet is an old and venerable cartridge that falls in the gap between the rimfires and centerfires. Given it qualities I wouldn't go for the Ruger but with a Browning Lo-Wall. Something about the Hornet and a single shot seem to go together.
 
I agree, kinda the "bridge" between rimfires and centerfires. Went out several years ago in an earnest hunt to add a .22 Hornet to my battery; couldn't find one at all, and this in very gun-friendly country (PHX, AZ). Those behind the counter volunteered that 1. it was a superb cartridge, and 2. incredibly expensive to shoot. Out to 100 yards, a .22 Magnum can fill the bill, and beyond that, why not .223? In short, it doesn't fill a niche that isn't already covered by something that most of us already own. Again, a ballistically superior cartridge, and typically chambered in fine guns. If practicality isn't your bag, and conspicuous consumption is, then go for it. Practical isn't the only reason why I buy guns either :)
 
I have had an H&R Topper, a Ruger #3 and now have a Ruger 77/22-Hornet I prefer the 77/22H.

It is hard to reload for it and get 2690, factory velocity out of it. If you want to cheeply mimic any other caliber, it is easy to do. The cost is less than 22 magnum and you re-use the brass. I load 10.3 grains of IMR 4227 and for SQUIBS 7.3 grains of 4227.
I shoot ground hogs in the CITY at 1850 velocity.
 
Good little bullet and very easy to reload. You can carry a lot of ammunition in a very small space and have a lot more zip than a 22 Mag. Head shots on medium game creatures at 50 yards are no problems for the 22 Hornet. In all, an ideal little bullet for a light gun when you have to travel light and move fast.
 
I have an old Remington .22 Hornet. Nice rifle, but is costly to shoot. I plan on reloading eventually, which should help.

I agree with the above sentiment that just getting a .223 may be more practical. But do you really want to be practical? ;)
 
I say go for it. If you love .22 cal guns you should have one already.

I am a .22 Hornet nut and have a few, 2 handguns and 4 rifles, chambered in it. My only question would be do you reload but since you do problem solved. I have heard mixed feelings on the Rugers, some good and some bad. Main complaint was accuracy or lack thereof. The only Ruger I have in .22 Hornet is a #1b and it shoot great. The majority of the others are Anschutz's I brought back from Germany so I don't have accuracy problems with my hornets.

Since you reload there are some great lighter bullets available that can increase performance if you want it. Cheap to reload and fun to shoot, you gotta have one.
 
Flaim. I bought a Ruger 77/22 Hornet in the spring. It is the stainless steel, heavy barrel model with the laminate stock. I bought it to hunt on some of the smaller dairy farms in my area. I couldn't be happier witht the rifle or the cartridge. I had my gunsmth do a trigger job on it as the factory trigger sucks. It cost me about 40 or 50 bucks because the trigger is non adjustable but I now have the 3 lb. glass rod break that I like on my hunting rifles. Money well spent.
My Ruger is amazingly accurate. .5moa with my best load. Most of my other loads haven't strayed much over an inch with the majority of them staying under 1moa.
My favorite groundhog load is a 40gr. Hornady VMax bullet over 12gr. of Hogedon's Lil' Gun powder. I use WW cases and WW small rifle primers. These loads chronograph at 2900 fps and shoot .5moa all day long. I have killed about 20-30 groundhogs with this combination this summer at ranges varying from 20 yds. to 200 yds.. All but one were instant one shot kills. Head shots to 200 yds are no problem. My hunting partner (who uses a 223) and I have been absolutely amazed at the performance of this cartridge.
Hogedon's Lil' Gun is the best powder available for the Hornet. It gives consistantly high velocities with no signs of excesive pressures. Hornady's 40gr VMax bullets work as advertised at all the ranges I have used them at and have proven their accuracy potential.
Get yourself a set of Lee Collet dies. They neck size only and reload very accurate ammo. Full length resizing for the Hornet is unnecessary and will only frustrate you.
 
Why?
Cheap to shoot? no-.223 is cheaper and just as versatile.
Mild recoil?-show me a .22 centerfire that doesn't.
Reloadable versatility?-what can it do that a light loaded .223 can't?
Usable in lightweight rifles?-yes, but so is the .22 Magnum and the .223
Nostalgia?-that's probably the ticket. Then again my grandpa never owned anything between .22lr and 6.5x55 so the Hornet's not the caliber for me.
Good luck with your selection.
 
Poodleshooter: The Hornet outranges the .22 magnum. It has been regarded as prime for, say, woodchucks, out to 150 yards. Further, it makes less noise that the .223, which is a factor in small-farm country or near suburbs.

AS usual, Art
 
Some people just don't get it. It isn't all about versatility, cost etc... If owning and shooting .22 Hornets don't make sense to you it proably never will.

I am not trying to be an a**hole, some people just don't get things. I don't get muzzleloading/ blackpowder stuff but that doesn't mean I can't understand why people enjoy it.
 
I really like the .22 Hornet (especially the K-Hornet). If you reload, I'd say sell the .22 Rimfire Magnum and go to the K-Hornet! The .22 Hornet is as cheap to shoot as the 22 Rimfire Mag (if you reload), is low noise, accurate, and very flexible!

I have a NEF single shot that I had chambered for the K-Hornet and I'm not parting with that thing! It's just plain fun!

I load everything from gallery loads to fairly hot loads! I load gallery loads in .223 as well, but the .22 Hornet case capacity makes it a much better case for uniformity with these little plinkers.

If you've ever, shot any small game with the .22 WMR, you'll know why I think it's important to have an accurate sub-sonic reloadable cartridge.

Regards! DaMan

[This message has been edited by DaMan (edited October 20, 2000).]
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Poodleshooter:
Why?
Cheap to shoot? no-.223 is cheaper and just as versatile.
Mild recoil?-show me a .22 centerfire that doesn't.
Reloadable versatility?-what can it do that a light loaded .223 can't?
Usable in lightweight rifles?-yes, but so is the .22 Magnum and the .223
Nostalgia?-that's probably the ticket. Then again my grandpa never owned anything between .22lr and 6.5x55 so the Hornet's not the caliber for me.
Good luck with your selection.
[/quote]

Poodleshooter:
This is going to sound stupid but, I get 1850 fps out of either the .22 Hornet and/or the .223 Remmington. The loads I use are:

223 Remmington...5.6 grains of UNIQUE.
22 Hoornet.......4.1 grains of UNIQUE.

These are only 25 yard loads.
 
If you handload, the .22 Hornet works better with sub-sonic, small game loads. The 40 gr. SP Jacketed bullet will work in both the .22 Hornet and the .223, but the .22 Hornet provides better consistancy because of it's smaller case capacity. I load both and I can tell you that.

Regards! DaMan
 
The Hornet is cheap to reload and makes a lot less noise than a .22 mag. My 77/22 will put rem factory loads into one ragged hole at 100yds off the bench and does not make much more noise than my RWS air rife. My 223s seem to have a nasty high pitched crack and a bit of flame too while the Hornet sounds like a air rifle. I have .22lrs that have more crack and blast than the Hornet does. The Hornet comes a lot closer to the .223 than the mag does to the hornet as a bullet in the weight that the hot mag loads use will put the Hornet at around 3000fps. Not 1800 or 2200fps that the mag slugs out at. :)
 
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