Any BAD 22 Hornets?

[handirifle]

Has anyone here had a bad 22 Hornet?  One they could not make accurate?

Memory seems dim as to whether or not anyone has had one they didn't like.

I'm thinking of getting one to use for Bobcats in CA since the ranges will be close and I do NOT want to ruin the pelt if possible.

I have a 17 HMR but have not used it on Bobcats.  Killed one coyote with it but it was 15yds and a neck shot, and am not sure how it would perform on a double lung shot.

Anyone ever use theirs on bobcats?  If so ddoes it ruin the pelts?

I'd really like the 17 K-Hornet, but not sure how to make that happen on an NEF.

[quickdtoo]

I don't recollect any bad shooting hornets, on the contrary, I remember lots of good shooting hornets tho, including mine!! A 17M2 or 17hmr donor barrel would make a fine 17 k-hornet barrel, they've been used for 17Remington rechambers, so I don't know why  they wouldn't work for the 17 K-hornet also, just need a centerfire frame for it.

Tim

[hellacatcher]

Yes I had one that was bad it stared out shooting OK but not a good group. Then it went from bad to worse the first shot would be at about 11 oclock hi 4 to 5 inches then they would walk down to point of aim but not a good group. It wore me out trying all the things to get to shoot near right. I traded it off for a Ruger in a hornet and have never looked back.

[quickdtoo]

Yes I had one that was bad it stared out shooting OK but not a good group. Then it went from bad to worse the first shot would be at about 11 oclock hi 4 to 5 inches then they would walk down to point of aim but not a good group. It wore me out trying all the things to get to shoot near right. I traded it off for a Ruger in a hornet and have never looked back.

Now let's be honest, you said a year ago your hornet shot "dang good", now you say it was just ok. What's up with that? I'm not saying it didn't quit shooting good, but things change, powder lot differences, our eyes, who knows, but to change what it used to do isn't right, maybe ya just forgot how well it used to shoot, our minds change too!!

FWIW, I swapped stocks on my hornet to a Survivor stock, consistent accuracy went out the door with the change.

Tim

They are good guns for what they are but some time a person gets tired of working on one just to get it where another brand would be out of the box. Of all I have I got maybe two or three that are where they should be. My 22 hornet used to be dang good but now has opened up I have fooled with it almost all I want to. Not saying it wasn't fun for awhile but I have other things to keep me busy. May come back to the hornet another day or may trade it off later.

http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/smf/index.php/topic,79365.msg491462.html#msg491462

[hellacatcher]

I gusse I was wrong about it not shooting good and for this I am truly sorry. It is I just don't have time to look up every thing I ever said  about the hornet on this site. I suppose I am getting too old and forgetful My memory is just not what it use to be. If any one else ask about a hornet handie I will try not to say anything bad about one.

[stever]

The first Handi-Rifle I owned was a 22 Hornet.  I bought it in the late 1990s.  Despite trying every powder and bullet under the sun, I could only manage 1.5@100 with it.  She didn't stay to long in the cabinet.   In 1997 or 1998 I traded on another rifle.   There were a few things about it when I removed the scope in preparation for the trip to the gun shop.  There was jetting on the underside of the scope directly where the barrel locked up to the action.  Despite attempts to polish the chamber, cases stuck badly.  The loads did not matter. Light, medium, heavy, five or six shots and the trouble started. I was caught short on a fox hunt when I shot and couldn't extract the spent case.  No one, myself included, had a cleaning rod.   

It seems to me that I read something about my problems on one of the boards back then.  It did not stop me from buying other Handis but I check the lock up now. 

[Ditchdigger]

My memory made be playing tricks on me,but on the old forum everyone shied away from the Hornet because of accurcy problems.
As far as Hellacatcher's hornet starting to shoot bad,all of mine do the same thing from time to time. You can shoot very good groups for a week,and then suddenly it act's like it want's to be a shotgun. I used to change scope's,loads ,and bullets and nothing helped. Pick it up 2 months later and it's shooting great again. My 280 is not so tempermental,I shoot it until it starts missing the hog's and then the Colt Coltsman get's carried. My 280 is shooting good for now so its being carried again.  Digger

[JPH45]

I gusse I was wrong about it not shooting good and for this I am truly sorry. It is I just don't have time to look up every thing I ever said  about the hornet on this site. I suppose I am getting too old and forgetful My memory is just not what it use to be. If any one else ask about a hornet handie I will try not to say anything bad about one.

hellacatcher, I remember that rifle, and it had a very distinct 1 shot wild then decent group shooting patten. We even discussed firing off the first round into the dirt when shooting the rifle on a P Dog town to ensure the shots would go where aimed. We also decided the rifle would be useless on tree rats, as the first shot was totally unpredicable.

Over the past, many have reported this kind of shooting from their Handi, apparently it is not a trait of 22 Hornet Handis alone.

In the 22 Hornets defense, it has a reputation for being a finiky shooter, seems that regardless of arm maker, someone has one or had one that wouldn't shoot.

[Paul5388]

It seems like most of the Hornets people complained about were the Super Lights (SL).  Of course, mine's a SL and I wouldn't trade it for anything!   

[handirifle]

Ok maybe I'll hold off on one then.

[tuxdad]

Yes I had one that was bad it stared out shooting OK but not a good group. Then it went from bad to worse the first shot would be at about 11 oclock hi 4 to 5 inches then they would walk down to point of aim but not a good group. It wore me out trying all the things to get to shoot near right. I traded it off for a Ruger in a hornet and have never looked back.

Mind if I ask what ammo you were using with your hornet??
When I first got mine I was shooting remingtons and was TRULY not liking what I was seeing with it.. I'd have been better off with a shotgun the way it was grouping, but I had to try a bunch of different brands for it before I got some good results.. 
Now that I reload for it I've gotten even sweeter resluts, and would take it to hunt in flash..


Tux

[andrewtheelder38]

.....I have never personally owned one in 22 hornet, however, a friend of a friend did and with good handloads he was making silver dollar sized groups all day long at 200-yards from a rest!@!!!!!!!!

[coyotejoe]

I picked up a used hornet barrel some years ago. The bore had a few light pits but I thought it should shoot OK. Wrong! it keyholed at 50 yards with everything I tried. I do believe that the hornet is a finicky round. With most cartridges you have a lot of room to try various powders and bullets to find the sweet spot. With the hornet there are few powders that work and bullets over 45 grains don't have much potential in the hornet, so not much wiggle room to play around with.

[quickdtoo]

I bought my barrel used too, from Raynor, I don't know that the Handi hornet is any harder to find a load for, since it has a 1:12" twist rate instead of the industry standard 1:16" and uses .224" bullets, many here shoot 50gr bullets with no problems. Mine shot good with the first recommended Handi load I tried in it using the 35gr Vmax. The 40gr Vmax is also well liked by those that handload for it. Can't say about factory ammo, never tried it. I will say that I crumpled a couple cases when I first started, tho, they are fragile little things!!

Tim