22 hornet bullets

[tc scout]

Just acquired a 10" 22 hornet barrel for my contender.

This will be my first reloads in a bottleneck cartridge, got alot to learn I am sure, so I have a couple questions for the hornet gurus here.

I am looking at economical bullets for target and maybe some varmint use. What is your take on Hornady 35 gr V-Max or 34gr Dogtown bullets.
Or does a heavier bullet perform better in the contender, say 40-45 gr.?
Plan to stay in midrange loads to extend case life if that's possible. I have H110 and 2400 to start, probably not the best choice, what might be better down the road to try?

Lastly, do you normally full length or just neck re size?
 
                                                                                Thanks, TC

[Graybeard]

I tend to FL size them. There are some 45 grain bullets made just for the Hornet and they work well. My favorite are the 40s such as the Hornady V-Max and Nosler BT. They are light enough to get good velocity yet sleek enough to retain it better than the 35s or 45s. They all work OK tho as long as you stay with 45s and under they'll work well in the Hornet.

[cwlongshot]

I agree with Bill.

 I FL re-size and would stick with bullets under 50Gr's.  The hornet made its mark with 2400 and its still an excellent choice of powder for it!!  Lil Gun is a new one but showing much promice in the Lil hornet case.

 You will see, but handling the little hornet cases takes a bit more care as that neck is mighty thin. Its not a difficult one to load for once you realize its one issue. (those necks)

 I had thatbarrel and did some excellent chuck eradication with it. It is also the caliber I used for my longest pistol shot. About 240-250 yards on a coyote. Quick story:

 I was woodchuck hunting in the spring and in a field where I knew a big fat chuck frequented. After a short time he came out and was sitting up eating looking to my left. I was lying prone about 140 yards distant. I aimed right at the top of his head and squeezed off. He just sat there, never moving. I quickly reloaded and got ready to shoot again, when I knoticed movement in the trees to my left. It was a coyote stalking my chuck!! I had no shot until he entered the field at the bottom. He was still, I pout the crosshairs just over his back and squeezed off again. This time I herd the "plop" as the little bullet struck. He wheeled and ran back to where I first saw him about 100yards to my left and piled up. I hit him just right, just under the spine but high in the lungs pass thru. I guess because of the distance the bullet didn't come appart, no bones hit IIRC. back to that chuck, I didn't miss. As a matter of fact I hit him just under the chin, breaking the neck and exiting. He was so freaking fat, he didn't even fall over, he looked line a furry "jaba-the-hut" from star wars fame!!!

 You will have allot of fun with this barrel. Good luck with it!!

 CW

[Bob A]

I highly recommend the 40 VMax. As Bill mentioned, they are light enough to get good velocity and still have a good BC. They are also a Boat Tail design which is a big help in seating in the fragile hornet cases.
The 40 Vmax (and the 40 BT) are longer than the bullets built specifically for the hornet, like the 35 Vmax. This length can be a problem if you have to fit the finished cartridge in a mag. Single shots have a big advantage because you're COL is not limited by the space available in the magazine. You can make the COL what ever will fit in the chamber and take advantage of the BC offered by the 40 Vmax and BT.

On another note. I am also a big fan of Lil'gun in the Hornet. I get very good velocity and consistent accuracy. If you where starting from scratch, I would recommend starting with Lil'gun. But, since you already have H110 and 2400, you might as well work with them. Others have been getting good results with them for years and I'm sure you can too.

Bob A

[tc scout]

Thanks Guys, I do appreciate the info very much.
Gives me a starting point for sure. I love shooting my contender and
look forward to shooting these little zingers.

                                                   Thanks Again, TC

[LaOtto222]

For an inexpensive bullet; try some Mid South 34 grain Varmint Nightmares. They are currently out. As for powder; H110 and W296 in the newest Speer reloading manual give better velocity than Lil'Gun with bullets 35 grains and under. I used a starting load of 12.4 grains of H110, CCI (500) small pistol primer, Winchester cases and the Mid South bullet. I am getting very good velocity and no problems with case stretching. I have a 10" Contender barrel (the old Hex style) with a T/C 3X scope. I have not shot it for several years. I used a load of 9.8 grains of H110 and Hornady 45 grain Hornet bullet with small rifle primers, Winchester 6 1/2 (they do not make those any more). Book value for that load was 2400 fps out of a 10" barrel. It was a max load, but case life was not too bad. It was accurate too. Like CW I could take wood chucks out there a ways with it. That was before Lil'Gun was even thought of. I know there are a lot of folks that swear by Lil'Gun, but I have not had the same luck as they have. I get erratic pressures and poor accuracy. The promise of Lil'Gun with 40 grain bullets and above is mighty tempting. I sure tried it out in both my 22 Hornets ( I have 3) and 221 Fireballs (I have 2 + a spare Savage barrel), but just no luck at all with it. Try your H110 and 2400, I think you will find a load that works with one of them. Good Luck and Good Shooting

[cjclemens]

The 35 grain V-max bullets are great out of my ruger.  However, they are a bit of a pain to reload.  The 40 grain hornady and noslers both have a slight boat tail to them, which makes seating a snap.  I have heard that you can go as heavy as 45 grain bullets if you want to mimic factory loads.  If you do go with the heavier bullets and want to maintain accuracy, you'll need to back a little farther away from maximum loads than most people like to do.  One important thing to be aware of is how thin the brass is on the neck of a hornet.  It is easy to tear or wrinkle the brass without noticing at all.  This also makes a good firm crimp necessary for consistency.  As far as powder goes, I use 296 with excellent results.  I have heard that Lil Gun is even better, but I havent had a chance to try any.  22 hornet is not the easiest cartridge to hand load, but it does have a lot to gain from it.

[bkraft]

My two cents on the hornet is IMR4227, I was having trouble with Lil Gun and one of the hornet gurus on this site said "very few hornets dislike 4227.' In my case they were right. And Small pistol primers seem to work best for me. I have a 10" Contender and a Savage Model 40, both of which are capable of shooting better than I do. The 40 gr. Vmax is a good choice. When the earth gets back right on its axis and bullets are back in stock I aim to try the MidSouth bulk bullet.
Best of luck with your hornet. I doubt it will be your last.