22 Hornet and 50 gr. v-max

[JamesIII]

I am loading some 22 Hornet ammunition with 9.9 gr. of IMR4227 and a Hornady 50 gr. v-max bullet per my Lymans book. It calls for the OAL to be 1.723. This realy looks strange with the bullet set so far in the case that there is exposed case wall above the bullet ogive. Just thought I would ask if anybody else has seen this while reloading for the Hornet? Being new to reloading, it sure brings up some interesting things you don't even think about when buying factory ammo. Thanks JamesIII

[blpenn66502]

Lyman is using the standard maximum COL for the Hornet.  Hornady's manual uses a COL of 1.780" for their V-max which may or may not feed/chamber in your rifle/pistol.

[LaOtto222]

Yep. OAL depends on your individual firearm. first and fore most, it has to fit your magazine. Next it must fit the chamber, in other words it must not be into the lands. I have a couple of 22 hornets, both single shots, so I do not have to worry about magazine length. Both of mine have long throats, so I do not have to worry about getting into the lands. I just seat the bullet out to where it makes sense. By that I mean there is enough bullet left in the case neck so it gets a good grip and the bullet is not hanging out - almost ready to fall out. and it is not shoved way back into the bullet to make the jump to the land any more than it needs to be. Good Luck and Good Shooting

[briannmilewis]

James: I just got into centerfire with an H&R Hornet before Christmas 2008 and have put about 750 rounds thru mine, 500+ rounds being reloaded. I have used 40gr VMax, 40gr Nosler BT, 50gr VMax and 40 gr Sierra BK, and 40gr and 45gr Sierra Hornet bullets. Some folks said not to expect the 50gr VMax to stabilize in the H&R, but they do fine. Like LaOtta222 the throat is long and I know exactly what you mean when the Vmax is seated too deep. I solved that problem by filling the case with L'il Gun, about 12g or so, and seating to min 1.825 and max 1.850. The compressed loads shoot really well, produce little pressure, and the loaded cartridge does not look funky. The boat-tail of the Vmax and Nosslers allow my lee seating die to not crush the cartridge rims with a full case of powder. On the other hand, the Sierra BK will crush a case mouth with their flat base every time. I finally woke up and skimmed off just enough powder so it topped out about 1mm below the case rim, and they seat just fine. FWIW.

[Larry Gibson]

James

The Hornet origianally was loaded with RN bullets, hence the short OAL.  A consideration of OAL not mentioned thus far is when extracting a live cartridge the OAL must allow for clearence out of the ejection port.  I have a Savage M40 that when such bullets as the V-Max are laoded to correct OAL for the chamber will not eject a loaded cartridge.  Just another point to consider. 

If you've a single shot then OAL is not a problem and should be adjust to the throat of the chamber.  BTW; Many .22 Hornets with the slower 16" twist barrels do not shoot 50-55 gr bullets, especially the long V-Max type, well.  I have 4 .22 Hornets and find 40-45 gr bullets to be the all around best performers for both accuracy and terminal performance.  I also used 4227 as my standard Hornet powder for many years. (11.5 gr with a 40-45 gr load was "the" load) but have switched to LilGun. It gives better accuracy, higher velocities and lower pressures (I measure pressures with an Oehler M43). I now use 12.5 gr of LilGun under a 45 gr Hornet bullet in all of my Hornet rifles.

Larry Gibson

[saltydog]

You can adjust it out in the NEF rifles - however I have not had good luck with anything over 40 grains in my Hornets. Try the 35 gr Vmax - with H110 or Lil GUn - loaded to 3000 - 3100 fps - the load makes the Hornet come alive in a NEF. 

[JamesIII]

Thanks for the info. Experimenting is half the fun. If I can get this to shoot as well as my .223 Handi, I will be 1 happy camper. JamesIII

[va243hntr]

Howdy guys new here , the load that works for me with my NEF hornet is 12 GR of little gun and a 40 Gr hornady v-max nice little groups

[LaOtto222]

va243hntr - Welcome to Graybeard Outdoors

I had an Ultra Lite 22 hornet. It did not like Lil'Gun and especially did not like boat tailed bullets. It just goes to show you that every gun, even if made by the same company, likes something different. Good Luck and Good Shooting

[quickdtoo]

Recent production(Marlin made) H&R Hornet barrels are 1:9", barrels were 1:12" before that for the most part, pre '87 H&Rs were mostly 1:12", but the original H&R that went bankrupt in 1986 made some 1:16" Topper barrels too.

Tim