22 hornet choices?

[FL-NC]

I've been thinking about getting a 22 hornet. Seems like the only ones out there are Ruger 77's (MSRP $1,000+) and CX (MSRP $733). Any other choices for current production? H&R doesn't have one listed.

 

[someguy2800]

My dad has a Savage model 25 walking varminter and a Browning A bolt micro hunter. The savage is extremely accurate as you should expect from a savage. He had a 77 hornet and it was a turd. You can also get a contender carbine barrel. I am getting a contender barrel made for me in FN 5.7. The case capacity is about the same as a hornet and unlike the hornet brass is very very cheap. Should do good with a case full of H110 or Lilgun

 

[horsey300]

I've been thinking about getting a 22 hornet. Seems like the only ones out there are Ruger 77's (MSRP $1,000+) and CX (MSRP $733). Any other choices for current production? H&R doesn't have one listed.

My dad has a Savage model 25 walking varminter and a Browning A bolt micro hunter. The savage is extremely accurate as you should expect from a savage. He had a 77 hornet and it was a turd. You can also get a contender carbine barrel. I am getting a contender barrel made for me in FN 5.7. The case capacity is about the same as a hornet and unlike the hornet brass is very very cheap. Should do good with a case full of H110 or Lilgun

These....these should work fine
http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/?type_check[]=Centerfire&caliber_check[]=22 HORNET

 

[js8588]

CZ 527

 

[someguy2800]

Also if you go the contender route you can get a 22 K hornet for no extra cost. It really saves on brass life. Match Grade Machine makes great contender barrels. The contender triggers are also unbelievable and adjustable down to about 12 ounces or so with just a spring change.

 

[SwampWolf]

I don't know if they're still making them or not but I've had a Browning A-Bolt "Micro-Medallion", chambered in .22 Hornet, since 1999 that I like a lot. Wearing a Burris 2x7 Compact scope, the little Browning (along with a Browning Low-Wall s/s) is one of my favorite "walk-around" varmint rifles.

 

[FL-NC]

Considering one of the savages...

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Don't blame your rifle yet. The Hornet is a tricky cartridge to reload.

The .22 Hornet began as the .22 Winchester Central Fire (WCF) in the 1880s. The idea, apparently, was to create a reloadable .22 with more power than available rimfires.

The .22 WCF was one of those ideas that are better on paper than in practice. One problem was that black powder produces from 40% to 60% solids on combustion, and a good percentage of those solids get deposited in the bore. When the fired case is ejected, some smoke gets sucked back into the chamber. Or to put it another way, the .22 WCF burned more black powder than the small bore could handle.

Winchester tackled the fouling problem by providing generous clearances between case and chamber, and by making the case quite tapered, allowing it to break free from a fouled chamber more easily than if it had been more cylindrical and a tighter fit. Of course, this didn't help accuracy -- the .22 WCF lies low in the chamber, out of line with the bore and almost rattles around in there. In effect, the bullet has to turn a corner to enter the bore.

To get decent accuracy from the Hornet:

1. Fire form you brass. Hornet chambers are deliberately oversize (because they use the old .22 WCF dimensions.) Once fire-formed, you will have a much better case-to-chamber fit.

2. Disturb the brass as little as possible.

3. Size only the front half of the neck. I use a Lee Collet Die and put a couple of washers on the shell holder to cause the collet to activate early and size only the front half of the neck. The unsized lower half acts as a pilot, centering the bullet in the throat.

4. Use Hodgdon's Li'l Gun. I simply dip the cases full, tap them to settle the powerr and set them in the loading block -- then check with a flashlight. Any that are out of line get dumped and refilled..

5. Use the 35-grain Hornady V-Max bullet. Not only is it accurate, but it has a short ogive which allows you to seat the bullet so the shoulder almost touches the origin of the rifling, and is still short enough to feed through the magazine.

.

 

[alsaqr]

Been shooting .22 Hornets since about 1953. US manufactured .22 Hornets have awful SAAMI spec chambers. Those made in Europe do not. Decades ago i had a chambering reamer made to European specs.

Buy a CZ 527.

 

[dagger dog]

The Savage model 40 Varmint, if you can find one, is a single shot and is very accurate Hornet with a 24" barrel and 14 to 1 twist.
I had some extraction problems with mine and had to refigure the claw.

My pet load 12.5 Lil,Gun , a 40 gr Vmax and CCI small rifle BR primer treated the Vern Humphrey way.

 

[FL-NC]

Not planning to reload.

 

[dagger dog]

Hornady was producing ammo for the Hornet with the 35gr Vmax.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Not planning to reload.

There are some cartridges -- like the .22 Hornet, the .250-3000 Savage and so on that demand reloading. Without it you can't expect to reach the cartridge's potential.

 

[Offfhand]

Hornady was producing ammo for the Hornet with the 35gr Vmax.

Winchester has also produced a Premier grade .22 Hornet load with a 34 grain bullet which, like the new Hornady Hornet load, is significantly more accurate than previous factory loadings. And also better than many handloading attempts, especially with some of the goofy loads and recommendations that have been published.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Explain “goofy” loads and recommendations.

 

[Bushpilot]

+ 1 for the Hornady factory ammo. Maybe I just got lucky but I really like my Ruger 77 22 Hornet. It seems like 77 hornet owners either love them or hate them. Mine consistently shoots about .8 MOA at 100yrds with Hornady factory ammo and a cheap little Bushnell 3-9. I've had it for something like 10 years and it's held a zero from day one. I'm most impressed by that last part, and this is for a wood stocked rifle that I shoot all the time. I've frequently thought about putting a bigger and better scope on it for those 200+ yard shots and to see just how good it really will shoot with more power and a finer crosshair but this setup has worked so well I don't want mess with it. I also like the cz alot with it's little mini mauser type action, my buddy has one in 222 and that is a sweet little rifle. I have several cz rifles and they all shoot well but I went with the 77 on a whim because I found a great deal on it (less then the cz was at the time) and I'm glad I did.

 

[ACES&8S]

I've been thinking about getting a 22 hornet. Seems like the only ones out there are Ruger 77's (MSRP $1,000+) and CX (MSRP $733). Any other choices for current production? H&R doesn't have one listed.

If your not going to reload be prepared to pay out lots for ammo.
I reload my CZ 527 with sub 1" groups but the reloading for a CZ can be a pain for the o.a.l.
Best I can figure the clip is set for various calibers & adjusted to the model, just a guess.
Plus it doesn't kick out spent cases very well.
I tried another 22 hornet in a mfg mentioned here which wouldn't shoot a good group even
at 60 yards with 4 different factory loads, so they were good enough to take it back without
question. Now that was for a replacement I thought but here is where it got crazy.
This is the honest truth!!!
They replaced the barrel ! ! But that isn't enough, they had to have used a pipe wrench on it.
it had obvious horrible scars on the barrel like a garage had done it.
& that isn't all,,, for some crazy reason, what looked like a fork lift hole was run thru the -inside-
box! & broke the forestock tip & also scared the barrel as bad as the wrench marks.
I wish I had taken photos of it but lots of people saw it, mostly my gun dealer.
I don't name the mfg because they also took that one back & I got my money back.
So my final suggestion, get a single shot T/C & shoot 1" with no problems.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I'll second the TC recommendation. I had a Contender w/7.5" bbl in the mid '70's. I shot everything from air rifle pellets over magnum primers to maxloads of Win680. With its 2.75X TC Lobo scope it shot 3/4" groups at 50yds. Had to sell it to fianance car repairs. I've owned a half dozen Hornets since, but none better.

 

[ACES&8S]

I'll second the TC recommendation. I had a Contender w/7.5" bbl in the mid '70's. I shot everything from air rifle pellets over magnum primers to maxloads of Win680. With its 2.75X TC Lobo scope it shot 3/4" groups at 50yds. Had to sell it to fianance car repairs. I've owned a half dozen Hornets since, but none better.

True, I have a sick number of T/C encore in pistol & rifle.
I have never been disappointed in their function & accuracy in -any- caliber or bbl length.

 

[tark]

I've got a couple of OLD 22 hornets, both Savage model 23Ds. They both seem to have nice, tight chambers and both are scoped. One is a 99% gun with an original Weaver model 344 scope. I don't shoot it much. I shoot the snot out of the other one. I love the PPU ammo and it is very accurate. I would recommend it. Cheap as well @ $24.99 a box of fifty.I reload for them and I don't take any special precautions or steps. My reloads shoot just as well as the factory rounds.

 

[bluejeans]

I too would recommend the cz 527... ( though I don’t own one currently.)

Just got a khornet reamer to convert my Winchester low wall.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

If you haven't already made your selection, FWIW my own Hornet arsenal consists of an H&R Handi Rifle and a TC Encore with a custom 20" barrel from Match Grade Machining. The MGM barrel was a closeout for $300, so finding one is a sometimsey thing; the H&R is currently out of production but pretty easy to find on Gunbroker or other auction site for around the same money. Both rifles have improved Kilbourne (K Hornet) chambers and shoot excellent groups, even when using a standard factory Hornet round in the improved chamber.

 

[Sniper66]

Since someone revived this thread, I'll put in my 2 cents. I have a Savage Model 25 Lightweight Varminter. The stock is a nicely finished laminate; good looking. It took Savage 3 tries to get it right, but they replaced the rifle twice. I now have a very accurate rifle that I'm happy to own. As an avid prairie dog shooter, I had a need for a rifle that shoots well around 150 yds that is not too expensive to shoot. I used 17HMR for shots up to 125+ yds, the 22 Hornet for 150 + or - some and my .223 and .204 for longer shots. The hornet is relatively quiet and cheap to reload with barely noticeable recoil. I get about 3,000 fps with a Hornady 35gr V-Max bullet; a deadly explosive bullet. I bought a 4lb container of Li'L Gun powder a few years ago for $50 and expect it will last the rest of my life. Takes 13 gr of it for one cartridge; a pound goes a long way. The drawback is the brass. That long neck is easily split, either when shooting, resizing, or during bullet seating. I just reloaded 100 rounds and had to throw away about 30 split cases. Plus, factory ammo is expensive. Hornady V-Max is close to $50 for a box of 50 with tax at the Cabela's in KC....if they have it. I like my Hornet a lot and often take it to the range just for fun and certainly when I head to the dog towns.

 

[Seamaster31]

Too bad you will not be loading for the Hornet. I have a Ruger 77 that did not shoot well with any factory load I could find but shoots quite well with hand loads. Loading for the Hornet is easy enough as long as you keep in mind how thin the cases are and do not crush them. The things that make my Hornet sing are a moderate crimp, small pistol primer, L'il Gun, and a Hornady 45 grain pill..

 

[jmorris]

I am in the group that wouldn’t own a .22 Hornet if I didn’t reload.

Loaded right, for the firearm, it’s very accurate but hard to justify its spot between a .22 and .223 for me. I don’t reload rimfire rounds and I guess it uses less powder than .223 but it doesn’t really have a niche for me.