The groove diameter of later rifles is 0.224 inch. The Shell holders are cut to .125" depth for proper headspacing. I'd be interested in seeing what sort of groups you get with your Nosler Ballistic tips. The stock has quick-detach sling-swivel posts and a thin rubber buttpad. A bushing-style die is nice to have when searching for the most accurate load by varying case neck tension on a bullet. Once this was straightened out, it began to shoot round, honest groups. Plastering the crosshairs on the shiny nose of a standing groundhog will place the bullet somewhere in its vital area out to about 225 yards. That cartridge is the .22 Hornet. Top 5 Most Accurate Factory-Loaded Rifle Cartridges, 5 Best Long-Range Hunting Bullets Available Right Now, Savage Impulse Straight-Pull Rifle: Full Review. The .22 Hornet is highly accurate with low recoil and minimal muzzle flash . Find 22 Hornet Reloading Dies, and 22 Hornet Die Sets for sale here: Get the right 22 Hornet Die or 22 Hornet Die Set for your press here at Midsouth. So, do not be afraid to tweak your powder measure just a little in experiments, keeping in mind that few powder scales will reliably detect .10 grain. The RCBS 2000 Progressive press offers high speed and accuracy. All Shooting Times subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. Prairie dog shooters love it. Some 1-16 CZ Hornets wont stabilize 40gr Vmax well, but shoot 45gr Hornet bullets well. Groups shot at 100 yards benchrested. Primers make a big difference in Hornet loads. Case Sorting Cast of scrap wheelweight metal and wearing its Lyman gascheck, the bullets actual weight is 46.8 grains. The standard .22 Hornet on the left compared with the .22 K-Hornet on the right. On the other hand, my Winchester Model 54 also has a 1:16 twist, yet it shoots the Hornady bullet like a house afire. Custom Mossberg 500 at the Range and Live Turkey!. BARNES 22(.224) 50gr FRAN BULLET VAR-GRENADE 250/bx . This is important for several reasonssafety being one of them as overlong cases can cause high pressure by failing to release the bullet easilybut uniform case length also allows for more consistent grip on the bullet. Flash hole deburring. and .220 Swift get most of the attention and ink. It is rough and horrible with its poor imitation of a Weatherby stock, but the wretch will shoot. Second Media Corp., 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. Smart. Just the reverse is true; a small gentle primer seems to make most Hornets happy. All powder charges for my handloads were thrown with a Redding Competition Pistol/Small Rifle measure. Jeff passed away on July 17th, 2009, he will be GREATLY missed by everyone here at Sniper Central. After I posted last night i was playing around with the crimp and bullet depth and about the shortest i could get a bullet to seat and look right was 1.90" - 1.95" (according to the book the maximum cartridge length is 1.723"). .458 Winchester Magnum History: The Complete Story, Ruger MAX-9 9mm Micro-Sized High-Capacity Pistol: Review, A World Record Attempt: Practice Round and Media Day, Interview with Israeli Defense Forces, Part 1. Note that I fired that load at 50 yards, and its accuracy averaged 1.23 inches for three, five-shot groups in the standard Ruger 77/22H. We use cookies to make your experience better. Hornets are finicky. 22 Caliber (.222-.227) - Rifle Bullets - Metallic Reloading - Graf & Sons Its a little thing, but I have found a good chamfer is also very important, particularly when seating flat based bullets that are often so accurate in this case. This isn't your grandpa's muzzleloading system. It has a rimmed case very adaptable to single shot rifles (and pistols). All Rights Reserved. If looking for a perfect case, it is better to purchase new brass cases. 3 reamed out to .22 K-Hornet. The average case weights I find are as follows: Remington-Peters 47.4; Frontier 51.8; and Winchester-Western 53.5 grains. Ross used a variety of Hornet dies. There are a number of dedicated "Hornet" bullets from Nosler, Hornady and Sierra. Lyman 22 Hornet 2 Die Set + Custom Made Powder Drop Funnel - 7452277. Through the decades I have shot more Speer 40-grain Spirepoints in the .22 Hornet than all other bullets combined. In front of 4.0 grains of then-Hercules Unique, it was deadly on red fox at 50 to 75 yards. Reloading. Hornets were initially loaded with .223" jacketed bullets, and have now settled on .224" bullets. The custom M-84 K Hornet with spectacular wood from Calico Hardwoods and stock by Don Allen is a 12-minute rifle with a Leupold 2-7x. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. My Griffin & Howe Krag shoots the relatively short Nosler and Sierra 45-grain bullets quite accurately, but it scatters the longer Hornady 45-grain Spirepoint all over the paper. All Shooting Times subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. The tighter the ammunition was in the Encore, the more it wanted to string vertically. I weigh every tenth charge when I am producing varmint ammunition to ensure that they are not straying from the intended number. The old Model 70 likes the 40-grain Sierra bullet, but this one wants a big dose of W-680 powder instead of the faster W-296. What this means is you may not be able to touch the lands with cartridges that will fit in the magazines. The story begins during the 1920s, when several gunsmiths and tinkerers decided to see what could be done to improve the performance of the .22 WCF (a.k.a. Depending on the load used, the bullet will strike a 200-yard target anywhere from dead-on point of aim to an inch or two low. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. The .22 Hornet is extremely versatile and is favored among many. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Thankfully, in the second decade of the 21st century, powders that are suitable in the .22 Hornet are more varied and capable than ever. Dies like this get the bullet and case in a die before it starts to push the bullet into the case. .22 Hornet | Handloader Magazine The 18.5-inch barrel measures 0.750 inch at its muzzle, and it has a 1:14 twist. I fired a number of those loads in the Kimber SA before it left the herd, and . While some of these criticisms are no doubt founded in fact, some of them persist from the cartridges inception close to a century ago. This is overall cartridge length, or more precisely, the bullets relationship to the chamber throat. Federal has created a safer, easier and more reliable way to shoot a muzzleloader. Taurus has redesigned this sporting pistol for performance. of Israeli Defense Forces, joins David Fortier for an exclusive interview for Shotgun News. Ive used them all at one time or another and found them all to be excellentbut they are not all created equal. It rarely goes over 114 inches with anything and really likes the 45-grain Nosler Solid Base and W-680 or LilGun powder. When I load shells for Hornets, I have two criteria: accuracy and lots of them. It remains a favorite, but modern tipped bullets have an edge in some departments. But do you know how to properly use them? More .22 Hornet factory loads are now available than at any other time in the history of the cartridge. When Nosler introduced the streamlined plastic tip to varmint bullets nearly 35 years ago, the Hornet was one of the cartridges that benefitted immediately. 22 Hornet Load Data - Nosler When loaded to early .22 Hornet velocity, it is also an excellent choice for inexpensive plinking. Ok guy, hopefully some of you out there have loaded for a .22 Hornet and can answer this for me. Joseph Von Benedikt visits with Aaron Oelger from Hodgdon about the unprecedented demand on the shooting supply industry. Happy to just be able find 22 Hornet brass, and very happy that Graf and Son's had it for a reasonable price. The period from 1873 through about 1960 is, for me, the most fascinating period of cartridge and firearm development. With some experimentation you may find that an ultra-high speed bullet may expand just a little at 2,500 fps, making it perfect for turkeys, rabbits or squirrels. It was designed for .410 shotshells and has quickly adapted itself to big revolvers and the little rifle. Few rifles will feed the ammunition. Pistol, with a 14 barrel. After the tool: .001 or less runout at the tip. I recently purchased a ruger #3 in this caliber and would like to load for it. He convinced his friends at Hercules Powder Co. to develop a new propellant. PPU and Nosler cases are both significantly more robust and therefore heavier. My Kimber Model 82 Super America has a 1:14 twist, and it is quite accurate with bullets as heavy as 55 grains. It is actually a bit older. Several propellants work quite well here, and one of them is Hodgdon's Lil'Gun. Rifle is a CZUSA 527 FS (full stock) with a single set trigger and a Bushness 4x12 scope. Now that we have one brand of cases, trimmed to length and neck sized, we will worry about a very, no, the most important factor in most rifles accuracy. The following data was developed in an ANSCHUTZ single shot target rifle. The .22 Hornet: History & Performance - An Official Journal Of The NRA Winchester brass and Federal 205M primers Give a Gift Cooper rifles have a 1:12 twist, and CZ rifles have a 1:16 twist. 22 K-Hornet RCBS shell holders are built for Single Stage and Turrets Presses. cartridges like the .223 Rem., .22-250 Rem. With the cases barely sized and the bullets seated in the rifling it would not equal its fine performance with factory loads. He made a suggestion that had not occurred to me or anyone else that I knew of: Try Small Pistol primers. Low and behold, at times they will cut groups in half! 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The .22 WCF stayed in production until 1935, but when Winchester decided to introduce a "new" varmint cartridge in 1930, the headstamp on .22 WCF cases was changed to read ".22 Hornet," and it was loaded with .223-inch jacketed bullets. Volume Discounts Available . The barrels used were originally in .22 Long Rifle with a 1:16 twist and groove diameter of 0.223 inch, so bullets were sized accordingly. 1, New England Handi-Rifle, Thompson/Center Contender Carbine, Savage Model 40, and the Savage Model 24F combination gun with its .22 Hornet rifle barrel and 12-gauge shotgun barrel. I havent done the testing to back it up. A World Record Attempt and everyone is out at the range shooting and practicing. If you use cases that have been prepped by the factory, as some are, its unnecessary. and more with the same bullets using powders like the then Hercules, now Alliant 2400, along with IMR 4227. Lee 22 Hornet 86 Reloading Die Set Rifle Reload . Reloading Data .22 Hornet (Hodgdon Rifle Data) Metallic - Load Data The barrel, like the CZ was rifled at 1:14 inches. When you consider that most loads use only 10 grains of powder, even a slight variation in case capacity can make a big difference. If you have a bad barrel, crooked chamber, bad crown or bedding problems, there is little or nothing you can do with ammunition to make accuracy better. I know the results will vary from rifle to rifle but this still made me optimistic about my choice. On the other hand, many accurate rifles will be inaccurate, even with handloads that would appear to be very good ones. Weatherby Mark V Synthetic Matte - .30-378 WM. RCBS shell holders ensure proper alignment between the cartridge and die. With an overview of some of the ways to make Hornets happy, lets look at the three rifles to see how they responded to some coddled ammunition. Clips are the little strips of metal that aid loading a fixed magazine rifle, and some detatchable ones, by holding cartridges in a straight column to press them into a magazine quickly. Ackley necked the Hornet down to .17 caliber in the 1950s, creating a .17 Hornet. And there is the 35-grain V-Max from Hornady and now the 35-grain Varmageddon from Nosler. P.O. On the slightly slower burning (and more case filling, which often aids accuracy) side of the spectrum are powders like Lil Gun, AA-1680, and CFE BLK. Get the right 22 Hornet Die or 22 Hornet Die Set for your press here at Midsouth. I prefer to zero the .22 Hornet two inches high at 100 yards. These are important considerations and one of the keys to maintaining safe performance from your firearm. During the shooting it started to do some strange things, not the least of which was double grouping, shooting two small groups about 34-inch apart with each string. Since Shooting Times has no control over your choice of components, guns, or actual loadings, neither Shooting Times nor the various firearms and components manufacturers assume any responsibility for the use of this data. When the .222 Remington was introduced in 1950 it stole the show from the .22 Hornet among varmint shooters, but history has proven it to lack the staying power of the mild-mannered little Hornet. $41.00. 2017 MidSouth Shooters. Shorten cartridge length for those magazines, and the mouth of the case hangs over the ogive curve of the bullet. Works in my clip-fed Ruger 77/22 Hornet Bolt gun and shoots 3 shots at 2/3 of an inch or less at 100 yards Note: keep the bullets in your hand so they "sweat" a little before putting them into seatin position - do this with any reload and see how they stick in place. When browning designed the A-Bolt in .22 Hornet, they did a lot of things right. There was an immediate improvement in its shooting! Joseph VonBenedikt is with Joel Hodgdon to talk about the improved accuracy and long-range potential of the already reliable Core-Lokt ammo line. 6.5 Creedmoor vs. 6.5 PRC: Which is Better? The case walls of the .22 Hornet are thin, and a good chamfer allows the bullet to start into the case easily during bullet seating and not collapse case wallsa complaint that is often heard by new Hornet owners. Ive had changes in powder lots make a significant difference in velocity, and if you load long enough, you will too. Before the tool: .006 to .008 runout at the tip. Before we leave the subject of cases, be sure not to overlook case brand. This clever tool allows you to test various bullets in your chamber and then measure the length from the head to the ogive. Restricting speeds in the neighborhood of 2900 fps for 33- and 35-grain bullets, 2800 fps for 40-grain bullets, and 2700 fps for 45-grain bullets will usually result in acceptable case life. I start every new batch of cases by trimming to consistent length and I measure a random sample of cases after firing to make sure that my lengths have stayed uniform and that they do not exceed maximum overall case length (listed in reloading manuals1.403 in.). A quicker 1:14 twist eventually became more or less standard for the .22 Hornet. RCBS shell holders are hardened for years of use. .22 Hornet Load Data - Shooting Times Advanced Search. Copyright 2023 National Rifle Association, Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. Hammer Women Of Distinction Award, Women's Wildlife Management / Conservation Scholarship, National Youth Shooting Sports Cooperative Program, The .38 Smith & Wesson: History And Performance, 7.62 NATO And .308 Win. Since you are loading for a single shot rifle you don't need to worry about the col since that is generally a dimension set because of the magazine length. Made a major breakthrough on 22K Hornet loads Before there were scopes or red dots there were iron sights. It makes me sleep better and it may do the same for youprovided you have the time. It was designed for use on small to medium size game, such as coyote, fox, bobcat and woodchuck, and has become one of the most popular rimfire cartridges in North America. It was quite popular in Europe, where the Germans call it the 5.6x35 mm R. CZ-USA still chambers its premium 527 Lux in styles targeting American and European markets. First, it leaves us with a case that is held in the center of the chamber by that portion of neck that has been left unsized. The Mossberg 500 Pump Action Shotgun is one of the most popular home defense shotguns on the market. The .22 Hornet The .22 Hornet is a small cartridge where charge variations, neck tension, seating depth, and many other factors are more important because of the very small volume of powder consumed and the need for shot-to-shot consistency. cartridge, although the black-powder version typically was loaded with bullets .228" in diameter. 22 Hornet 45 gr SP - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc In fact, the earliest description I can remember of the .22 Hornet by some very serious handloaders I know was, its a .22 magnum, +P. When LilGun powder is used, I have found that at least a standard rifle primer and often a Magnum Small Rifle primer give best accuracy. Gun Loads Forum - .22 Hornet Everything that is wrong with the regular round is instantly erased. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Not only does the improved version give us more velocity, at times 200 fps more, it usually just begs to shoot. Home; 22 Hornet . Ive had very good luck with both bullets from an accuracy perspective, and expect you will too. As for powders, W748 and H110 for many years have been the ones to beat in the .22 Hornet. We show you how. A quick stab with a K reamer, with no other changes, turned it into a super-accurate rifle. #13. Actual weight of the rifle is 6.75 pounds, and suggested retail price is $1,069. The neck-sized case (right) uses the expanded neck portion to positively center the rounds in the chamber. Of the tipped bullets I rounded up for this project, the Nosler 35-grain Flatbase Tipped is the all-around best choice for the .22 Hornet. Using a slightly lighter load with slightly heavier PPU cases, it consistently shoots .5-inch five-shot groups at 50 yards using Nosler Ballistic Tips and H-110. One of the rifles I used to shoot data for this report is a Ruger 77/22H customized in 1995 by the late Jim Clark Jr. of Clark Custom. No single component is more important or more variable in the .22 Hornet than the cartridge case. The first powder that was really used for the cartridge was Hercules 2400. Hornet cases are quite thin, and it is not unusual to see excessive stretching of the primer pocket when they are used with some of the maximum loads I see published by various sources. Some go to the trouble of weight sorting casesI do not. Its Lilja stainless-steel barrel is 20.75 inches long and measures 0.920 inch at the muzzle. It was originally chambered in the company . Generally, I have found that a standard small rifle primer such as the Winchester WSR, the Remington 6.5, or the CCI 400 work very well. It can be used in somewhat settled farm country to keep the rodent population in check without scaring the neighbors. I also included my favorite load for plinking and shooting small game for the pot. Suddenly there was a rifle on the scene that allowed shooters to take advantage of longer seating depths, placing bullets closer to the lands for increased accuracy, and with the right twist to take advantage of more modern bullets. That is, to prove that you have accurate cartridges, you must have an accurate rifle. Okay, I thought, if it doesnt like the snug treatment, lets see what happens if we full-length size the cases and give the bullets just a little clearance. Below, the out-of-the-box Ruger can be accurate, but bedding causes the horizontal strings.