browning 1885 22 hornet questions

[Sharps-Nut]

Tab I posed this question awhile back but am back for more help.   I  Am shooting a browning 1885 low wall in 22 hornet am am not getting real good accuracy.  My only bullet available locally is a 45 grain .224 diameter bulk bullet, and some 45 grainers with a huge holliw point I bought to many years ago to recall.  I dropped my load a bit to comp for the .001 diamter oversized bullet and have watched for signs of pressure. With 4227 or 2400 seems like my groups are 1-3/4" three shot groups.  Iread on the net people love the browning and claim accuracy, is there anything I am missing to get it, will the 223 diameters improve it? 

[Graybeard]

I'd suggest you find somewhere to order correctly sized (.223") bullets and go from there. Trying to shoot the over size (.224") bullets and reduce loads by guess and by golly to get pressures right is a tough one.

Still in mine when I had it I did OK using the Hornady 35 V-Max, 40 V-Max and Nosler 40 BT. I'd hate to try to recall loads from those days but I seem to recall I tried to stay a full grain to grain and a half below listed max when using .224" bullets. I used W296/H110, both 4227s and I seem to recall also W680 to feed mine.

Kinda wish I'd kept it but did not.

[Double D]

I don't think Brownings uses the smaller diameter .223 barrels.  It's generally the older guns made from old .22 LR barrels that needed the smaller bullets. Use the .224 bullets.In fact the barrels Uses are probably barrels for tghe .223 Remington.  So use bullets that work goo in that cartridge--50 to 55 grains.  Becasuse of the faster twist you might also need to push Hornet velocities to make them work,

[Graybeard]

WRONG!

Browning DID use .223" barrels on ALL their LW Hornet's. That's straight from the fellow in charge of the project at Browning.

[Sharps-Nut]

Yea its .223 I checked to, I think 1 in 16 twist.  I know a 52 grain bthp will hit sideways  at 33 yards, accuracy is not much to brag on that either.  I will order some lighter 223 and maybe some lil-gun, been reading its good stuff for the hornet.

[old coach]

I have a full box of Hornady .223 bullets for the Hornet that I don't need.
PM me and I will make you a deal or trade for some .224s.

Coach

[BruceP]

I also checked with Browning and it is .223 bore and 1 in 16 twist. I tried some 50 gr. Nosler BT and three shots at 50 yards were all over a 8.5 X 11" paper target with two bullets hitting full profile. Remington factory 45 gr hp loads however will do right at one inch at 100 yds from mine though. I have not got much better with the few handloads I tried with the Speer 40 gr bullet. I Need to really work with the Hornet but have been working only with a couple of other gun lately.

Bruce

[dorothy daily]

try 1680. it works for me in a handi and a savage and a contender. also reloder #7 and h110.

[Ladobe]

You may not want to hear this right about now, but my little low wall I feel comfortable calling a tack driver that got used a lot every year for small ground squirrel shooting.   It was good to go for minute of digger at surprising ranges (a lot farther away than most folks would try with a 22 Hornet).   Those open point bullets you mentioned are probably the Winchester 46 gr OPE's... mine loved them.   It also liked the Remington 33 gr. Vimax that's almost a round ball... two bullets that are about as opposite as you can get - one I could jam and the other had to jump a mile to get spinning (go figure).   Don't have the little rifle anymore, but kept it's 33 gr ammo for my BRNO ZKW465 and I still have a bunch of those OPE's on hand as well.  My powder of choice for both bullets is WC680, WSR primers, I used R-P brass with a very light crimp in this rifle.   Picture is from a Belding GS shoot in 2003, it's wearing a Weaver V16.

[Sharps-Nut]

Thats the little animal right there, looks a dash meaner with the big scope a bipod.     My gun in all fairness has not had much load developement but accuracy was a tad disappointing.  My reading on the net indicated a strong customer satisfaction, but this forum is the only place I really hang out and post so could not pick the brains to see what other folks were having sucess with.  With your load and others as guidlines maybe I can get it sub-minute.  SN   A quick update,  Man can you say "lil gun" and ballistic tips.  I am a happy clam, thanks for the replies, this was worth my time.  SN