Encore Pistol in .22 Hornet?

[Loki_762]

Does TC make a barrel in .22 Hornet?  I have an area where I hike and hunt that is crawling with ground squirrels, and I would love to get a Hornet, or even better a K-Hornet, and have a heyday with the little buggers while I am out and about.  If they don't, then perhaps I would be better off with a Fireball barrel.  What do you think?
Thanks,
Chris

[Keith L]

Either one is a bit of overkill for ground squirrels.  You can do that with either of the 17 rimfires or 22 rimfires that TC makes.

[HAMMERHEAD]

They don't make an Encore pistol barrel for the Hornet, just a rifle barrel.

Fox Ridge Outfitters or any other custom house can build you one. F.R.O. would probably be the cheapest.

[Loki_762]

Actually, I found the answer to my own question:
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=619295&t=11082005
The 90 day wait might be a bit much, but being as I wouldn't probably be shooting them until spring, it might not be a bad deal.  While I know that the Hornet might be a bit of overkill up close, I would get several shots at distances in the 75+ yard range, which is why I want the Hornet - to have a light packing pistol that I don't need a sling for that can make long shots.
Thanks for the replies,
Chris 

[rem2035]

Loki-762
If you want to have fun at that range (75 yd +). Get that 15" barrel and top it with a scope with an adjustable objective lens. All of my .22 barrels have rifle scopes on them. My contender, in .22 hornet, has a 6-18 Leoupold Veri-X II  with target knobs. The .22 LR sports a 6-18 Bushnell. It will drop a standard velocity .22 into a football sized target at 100 meters without any trouble. The .22 mag has a 4-16 Nikon on it (my least favorite and least adtjustable of the three). All of the .22 caliber barrels are set up for metallic silhouette shooting, so they are run up and down from 40 to 100 meters all the time. A scope with an adjustable objective will cutout the parallax problems that fiixed focus scopes have.

[Ladobe]

Keith is right, the 22 Hornet is way overkill for only 75 yard shots on ground squirrels IMO too.   I currently have pistol length barrels in 17M2, 17HMR, 17 Ackley Hornet, 17M4, 17DT, 17 Rem, 22LRM, 22WMR, 22 Hornet, 218 Bee, 221 Fireball, 222, 223...(and 6/6.5 wildcats) that I have hunted a bunch of ground diggers with over the years.   If you are only going to be shooting 75 yards, any of them will get the job done easily on GS's... even the rimfires.   Guess it depends on how high you want to toss them, and in how many pieces.   What really shines in the digger fields and a bunch further than 75 yards is both the 17 rimfires, and if you want to reload center fires the 17 Ackley Hornet.   They are all perfect small critter getter's.   At the annual 10-day Belding shoot I host for friends we get very long days of almost constant shooting.   Our "gentleman's agreement" is no shots under 150 yards.   That's stretching the 17M2 some (although it will kill cleanly with a good hit).   But the 17HMR is perfect for these little diggers on shots up to a bunch further out than 150 yards.   

Up to 100-125 yards my first choice would be the cheap to shoot 17M2 with plenty of quality glass on it.   

[Gabby]

Just got a new barrel from Fox Ridge in 219 Zipper.  Delivery was less then 8 weeks.

[Encore_Shooter]

They don't make an Encore pistol barrel for the Hornet, just a rifle barrel.

Fox Ridge Outfitters or any other custom house can build you one. F.R.O. would probably be the cheapest.

Not true, I bought a blued 15" barrel from my local gunshop last year and love it. Dont know if they make them now but they did at least for a while.   Nelson

[doc-and]

I bought a FRO 15inch 22 K-Hornet barrel from EABCO a little over a year ago, showed up in 6weeks been very happy with it, though it will probably be too heavy for packing very far.  For hiking and such, I would get a 12 inch Contender barrel and top it with a Burris 3x12 scope.



docand

[swampthing]

It maybe crawling with squirrels now but when you touch off a 15" .22Hornet...
          Ruger Single Six. May not drive tacks, but will shoot "M.O.Squirrel" with decent ammo. Packs a whole lot easier. .22mag cylinders usually come with them, for those just in case moments.

[basdjs]

I have the .22 hornet 15" barrel on an Encore with 6X18 X 40 rifle scope on it like Rem2035 suggests. Terrific set-up. It's fun to shoot and very accurate.  I use it for groundhogs and agree with others it's probably overkilll for squirrels. I carry it on a sling with T/C sling swivels on the pistol.  I think the suggestion to go with the .17 HMR is a good one.  I just ordered a 14" from MGM after shooting a .17 HMR rifle most of the summer.  I'll be putting a 6 X 18 or 6 X24 rifle scope on it with rifle forend. I almost ordered a .17 Fireball which I didn't  see anyone mention.  That's another great option if you want to stay with a centerfire and reload.

[Keith L]

I assume you already have an Encore frame, but as another poster suggested you can save another pound by going with a Contender if you don't.  And my factory 17HMR barrel (14 inch) gives me one hole ragged groups at 100 yards if I do my part and watch the wind.  I have never had a hornet pistol but I remember having to watch cross winds with the .22 hornet rifle I had years ago also.

But get what you want and have fun with it.