Cheap .22 Hornet rifle?

[wlewisiii]

I'm thinking strongly about getting a .22 Hornet rifle by the end of summer as my 50th birthday present to myself.

I'll have a very small budget to work with. $500 would be very high for me though I do have a Weaver K4 for the optics side of it.

Cheapest is the Handi-Rifle. Pluses? Minuses?
Next up is the Savage 25WV. Again?
Other cheap options?

If I could, I'd get a CZ 527 or a Ruger #1 and be done but, alas, that's not going to happen unless I hit the lotto sometime soon. So making lemonade from lemons is the best I can try for.

Tips, hints, ideas, etc?

Thanks!

 

[frankenstein406]

savage over under usually see them around 350 depending what combo is what I'd do.

 

[Sav .250]

Try your local Gun Show,If you have one. Never know what will turn up at one.

 

[NCsmitty]

IMO, you will be hard pressed to find a better rifle for the money than the Handi-rifle. They seem to be especially accurate with rimmed cartridges like the 22 hornet, 30-30 and others.
As others have mention, your time line should give you a chance to look around or check classified ads, because you never know when you will find a bargain that fits your needs.


NCsmitty

 

[Coyote3855]

Handi rifle = no compromise

I have one in .17 HMR, call the Sportster I think. Bull barrel, synthetic stock. I put a good Leupold variable on it. Sudden death on ground squirrels, very accurate. There's a used one in .22 Hornet at my LGS for $150. Been restocked Mannlicher style. Tempted me. I don't think you would be disappointed in the Handi.

 

[ghitch75]

savage over under usually see them around 350 depending what combo is what I'd do.

if you see another in 22 Hornet/12g for 350 pm me.....cheapest i'v seen is 600 and up!!!

to the OP....get a handi Hornet!!!.....i have had a H&R for over 30 years...gave 80 buc's for it back then......i can't count everything a have killed with it......

to look for a SAVAGE 342 A .22 HORNET bolt gun.....i have one too.....they can be had for around 400...

 

[wlewisiii]

Thanks for the information. I found this page indicating they still do accessory barrels: http://www.hr1871.com/support/accessoryprogram.asp so that's another big plus in it's favor. Pity they don't have .38-55 on the list though a .45-70 could be fun to have at the other end from the Hornet

 

[Walkalong]

Fairly inexpensive, and shoots reasonably well.

Ruger 77/22 .22 Hornet

 

[dagger dog]

The Savages are worth the $$$$. I have an older Model 40 Varmint Hunter (single shot Mdl 25) the accutrigger and heavy 24" bbl gives excellent accuracy ,7/8" 20 shot group with handloads.

 

[medalguy]

I have a Savage 219 in .22 Hornet and it's fantastic on coyotes. Very accurate and pretty lightweight.

 

[splithoof]

The Handi Rifle works well for my daughter (15). The beauty of a simple, reliable design is fun to get back to, and it has proven very accurate. When we found it, it had a .243 barrel. Sending it back to the factory for fitting .223 & .308 barrels took about two weeks, door to door. Now she has a decent rifle for big and small game, all in one package.
We considered a Hornet barrel, but with a good stash of .223 it made more sense to chamber what we can load for.
You will be happy with the H&R; now I would like another one.

 

[wlewisiii]

Splithoof, my plan right now is similar but different .22 Hornet to start with and a .45-70 barrel later. I only wish there were 7x57 barrels available for it; I'd swoon with pleasure then...

 

[redneck2]

I shot a .22 Hornet Handi-Rifle the other day. Hit a pop can @ 100 yards twice in a row. This is with 62 YO eyes shooting off hand.

I had a Ruger 77/22 in Hornet. Never could get it to shoot well enough to suit me.

My next one will be a CZ.

 

[splithoof]

Could you get a barrel chambered in another 7mm cartridge fitted by the factory, and then have a gunsmith ream out the chamber to 7X57? Perhaps the 7mm-08? I do not know much about 7mm cartridge measurements, perhaps others may know about this. That may be a lot of trouble, but if you want it, you want it.
The .45-70 is loads of fun in that gun; I tried one out that had the barrel shortened to 16": it kicked, barked, and spit a decent flame, but it sure was fun. Especially at night.

 

[bubba15301]

coyote 3855- might not be a new stock could be a a model 157 came witha mannlicher stock my brother had one in .22 mag with the mannlicher stock

 

[MachIVshooter]

I have a Handi Rifle .22 Hornet, the heavy barrel model. Not as accurate as my M77 Varmint .220 Swift or my 700 VLSF .17 Rem, but good enough for Hornet ranges. I played with load development quite a bit, but the groups honestly didn't shrink much. The gun just shoots 1-1.25 MOA with pretty much everything. Good enough for praire rats out to 200 yards, maybe a little further. And that's what I bought it for; use in more settled areas where the ranges are shorter (but not quite rimfire short), and report of the .17 or .220 is a bit much.