22 hornet 223 or 224

[kennemarv1]

have a winchester mod 43 serial 77036 in 22 hornet. how do i find out if it is 223 or 224? the only literature i can find says "older model guns" require 223, but i dont know how old it is. will the pressure go up dramatically with 224 or does accuracy just drop off?

 

[Sunray]

Slug the barrel. Hammer a cast bullet through the barrel with a plastic mallet and brass rod. Then measure the bullet with a micrometer. You'll want to know what the rifling twist is too.
Your rifle is worth a fair bit of money. There's one on an auction site they estimated being worth between $1500 and $2500. Mind you, all the rifle production figures say that the serial numbers stopped at 62,617.

 

[iiranger]

Much easier...

#1). As said, the rifle is a collector and you should be extremely careful messing with it... if you care...
#2). You can "cast the bore." Cerrosafe is available from Brownells and midway and ??? Melts in boiling water. Plug the barrel with a tight patch and pore some in. Let it harden. Brief. Slide slug out and mike.

The other, cheaper option is to cast with sulphur. Garden stores have it cheap. Melt it outside. Hard to burn, but if it catches fire, it stinks. Again, plug the bore. Little WD 40 first never hurts. Pour the sulfur in. Funnel helps. Slide hardened plug out gently. Mike. If it breaks, start over.

#3). It really doesn't matter as a rule. You may find you have a .223 bore and shoots better with .224 bullets. You will not be able to tell the difference in pressure without alot more equipment than I can afford. If the case with the bullet you choose and alot more .224's are available will chamber... and you want to shoot it, go for it.

#4). This is not an extremely strong action per De Haas. If you shoot it much, it will loosen up and may lose value. I wouldn't, but it is your gun. Enjoy.

 

[Walkalong]

I wish I knew and could tell you. I used to have a Savage .22 Hornet with a .223 tube and it shot great. Never should have traded it. :banghead:

One of the ones I regret.

 

[Fatelvis]

I've shot hundreds of .224" bullets in my Savage 23-D, before I found out I should be using .223" bullets. The accuracy wasn't good, the barrel fouled quickly, and as I worked up a load, I reached high pressures prematurely. After I started using Sierra .223" bullets, it shot MUCH better. It's amazing what an extra .001" diameter will do! Try the .223" bullets first, working up a load, and keep a close eye on your reloading manuals, particularly in the powder charge/velocity figures. Good luck!

 

[GooseGestapo]

See what iiranger said above in #3.

Buy a box of both. (I know of three shops that have the .223" bullets at 1970 prices.... they don't sell well......) Then also buy a pound of Hodgdon LilGun. I suggest the Sierra bullets. All my Hornets have prefered these, especially the 40gr HP Varminter (not really made for the Hornet, but shoots exceptionally well in them). I've had good luck with the Hornady 45gr "Bee" and "Hornet Pt.Sp too, but Sierra's are more accurate).

With a 40gr bullet use 12.5gr (far below max of 13.4) and 10.8gr with a 45gr. Either of these will produce MOA in my Ruger M77/22 and the pressure is far below what will cause stress in your M43. (about 28,000psi vs the 40,000psi of factory ammo). Velocity is about 100-200fps faster than factory.

Use the one (diameter) that gives the best accuracy. Those rifles were made in the mid 1900's and the bore diameter variation was such that either could shoot well.

Too, I would limit the shooting of that rifle. Its got considerable collector value.

The first Hornet I ever saw was a M43. It made me crave a Hornet till I got my first one. The "love affair" continues. I fired over 50rds through my Hornet this afternoon. (finally got around to doing a trigger job on my Ruger).

 

[langenc]

I hav used nearly that same load. Do you use rifle or pistool primers. Last summer there was much discussion on using pistol primers as they seemed to be more consistant in the 22H loads.

 

[Khornet]

I have an old Savage K-hornet

single shot rifle, and I've never been able to find out for sure about the bore. I've slugged it but was never confident about about my mike readings.

Finally I tried both sizes. Didn't see any difference in pressure "signs", but the .223 did better in some weights and worse in others. Probably depends as much on the age of the rifle and how precisely it was rifled, as mentioned above.

 

[db_tanker]

I have a Winchester Model 43 and just absolutely love my little rifle.


It has no issues with the 224 dia bullets at all and it is a 1954 manufacture.


The advice for Lil'Gun is right on...I would also suggest getting some AA-1680 and 2400....2400 being originally used FOR the 22 Hornet.


There are even loads using H-110...I have tried a few and they were accurate.


Have fun shooting it. They used to call it the poor mans Model 54 from what I understand...

D

 

[GooseGestapo]

Langenc;
I normally use small pistol primers in the Hornet, but I've been told that SD's will run lower with the LilGun with either pistol, or rifle magnum primers. I've got both, so I intend to try a few with my "best brass" and find out if there's an improvement.

But, hunting seasons are underway and the range too busy. It may be next spring before I get around to trying them.