22 hornet

[zodd]

Hi - Has anyone had experience with the 22 hornet handi? all and any info appreciated ( am thinking of getting one--cheers zodd)

[gendoc]

its probably one of the most accurate handi's made. least that my onion.....
bunch of us have them and will not part with'um, that should tell ya something

[Daman]

My wife kills bunches of deer and pigs with hers every year! I love the Topper 158 with light contoured barrel and the rimmed cartridge is awesome with the ejector! It is accurate and not fussy about ammo!

Mine ain't for sale or trade! Any more questions?

Daman

[Spanky]

I've got one... it ain't for sale either.
They're great shooters and ain't really fussy about what you feed 'em.
If you find one for sale buy it... you'll like it. Trust us.



Spanky

[ironglow]

  Hodgdon's Lil'gun powder seems to be a welcome product..should provide good loads with low pressures..may extend case life a bit.

[wreckhog]

Fun round. Little touchy to reload due to thin brass. Relatively quiet, comparable to Trail Boss loads for a 30-30 or 45-70. Zero recoil. Probably would not shoot it if I did not reload. I shoot it from an 18" Handi and a 26" Savage. For a while, I was shooting 20-30 rounds a day in my backyard, stopped a bit before hunting season. Neighbors never said one word. Can't do that with a 30-06.

[Rustyinfla]

   Just how hard are .22 Hornets to reload? I was only going to neck size them.

[Gohon]

The only difficulty I've found in reloading the Hornet is if one wants to be consistent then each charge must be separately weighed due to such a small cartridge where 1/10 of a grain can make a world of difference.  Other than that I don't find the Hornet any more difficult to load than any other cartridge.  I full length size all mine because I shoot two different guns and besides you will have to full length size anyway about ever 5th loading to set the shoulder back.  I've got over a dozen reloads on some of my cases and they show no signs they are ready to give up the ghost.

[gcrank1]

If you dont use top loads you can get by for quite a number of reloads using (my favorite) the Lee Collet Neck Size Die. You can buy it separately if you already have a die set or buy the Lee set that also includes this wonderful device. Note that the cases are small for fat fingered reloaders and you want to go slowly when getting the case to enter a die or you will crumple the neck very easily. Also get the Lee 'Case Length Guage and Cutter Head to easily keep the cases from getting too long. It is so easy to run them into that setup every couple of reloads. Yes, you can do it with the traditional case trimmer but I only use mine now for the 'oddball' cartridges I end up messing with.
Case life depends on how stout you load them, my moderate loads had 20 some in the last 6yrs.(?) shooting about 3000 rounds.
Both mine are gone now, and if I wanted a CF .22 I think I would opt for a quick twist .223, which you can load down to Hornet velo's or anywhere inbetween and have the choice of heavier bullets too. At this point my H&R .22WMR Ultra Varmint in BC carbine wood has taken the Hornets place for my uses.

[ironglow]

Some of the loading problems come from the thin case. I have had cases crumple at the edge of the mouth when I press the bullet in.
  Two ways to keep from having this happen;
1) Use boat tail or at least bullets with rounded edges on the base, so they have a good start going into the case.

2) When pressing in the bullet, use a short stroke on the handle so the bullet just starts into the case, then turn the whole cartridge 45 degrees and press on home..helps keep the bullet aligned.
   
  Lil'Gun is bound to help extend case life, since equivalent velocities can be obtained with Lil'Gun... with much lower pressures.

   Check Hodgdon/IMR on that;  http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

[quickdtoo]

I've been using the Lee Collet die and Lil'gun, I got 50 fired Win cases with the barrel when I bought it from Raynor, I've reloaded them at least 6-7 times so far and none show signs of separation yet. Hodgdon data shows their 35gr Vmax max load of Lil'gun at 24kcup and 2842fps compared to 41.8-42.5kcup for their H110 and H4227 loads which run a bit faster at 2900-3000fps, quite a difference in pressure, but no so much in velocity. Their 40gr Spr load is even better, 2896fps @ 28.4kcup for Lil'gun compared to 2567fps @ 43kcup with H4227 and 2795fps @41.8kcup for H110.

Tim

[akpls]

Last month at a local show I picked up a Charles Daly Hornet that I took to my smith to install swivel studs on.  While there I was browsing around and noticed a Handi-Rifle on the rack for sale........and it happened to be a Hornet as well.  I ended up leaving the shop with 2 Hornets! 

[gcrank1]

Good start on a 'swarm'............

[dangerranger]

I have an old 158 Topper in 22 hornet that has 1 / 16 twist. it shot great with 45 gr bullits. but I live in the lead free zone of CA and it would not stabilize the lead free bullits. I happened to pick up a new barrel from our trading post. it has a 1/12 twist and shoots the lead frees very well. my grandson has laid claim to the topper[ he lives outside the lead ban area.] He shot his first coyote with it! DR

[akpls]

Good start on a 'swarm'............

Doubled my swarm right there....now I've got 4! 

[gendoc]

onla prollum i got wif handload'n them lil darlin's is... big wo-out fingurs and i kant see no gud ana more..
i gets my fingurs pinched twenst tha boolit and tha die !!!

but its wurf it tho... dang shor a gud shooter an hasa kilt manya critters.........yeah 

[Spanky]

onla prollum i got wif handload'n them lil darlin's is... big wo-out fingurs and i kant see no gud ana more..
i gets my fingurs pinched twenst tha boolit and tha die !!!

but its wurf it tho... dang shor a gud shooter an hasa kilt manya critters.........yeah 

Only problem I got with handloading them little darlings is... big wore-out fingers and I can't see well any more...
I get my fingers pinched between the bullet and the die!!!

But it's worth it though... dang sure a good shooter and has killed many a critter........yeah 


I thought your keyboard must have been acting up so I translated to English for you.



Spanky

[PHATINJUN]

Lil'gun in the Hornet is the best thing since they started cutting the crust off white bread. Kurt

[guns-o-fun]

Mine was an ok shooter at first.  Shortened the barrel to 19 inches and recrowned with 11 degree target crown and now it shoots even factory ammo well.  Good handi to have in your safe.  BTW, thinking of reaming mine to 22K - supposed to be one of the better conversions.

[Papa Jack]

I also Have a Hornet on a SB-2 Handi. I love it, fun to shoot , very accurate if I do my part.
I first tried the old loads of 2400, and H110, Those loads were OK, but now I find the loadings of H-Lil Gun and RL-7 really shoot good. RL -7 is a little slow, but boy the holes are right on top one another ! I use the Hornady V-Max bullets, Remington Nickle plated brass....Works great for me ! Good luck with yours ..... "PJ"

[gendoc]

onla prollum i got wif handload'n them lil darlin's is... big wo-out fingurs and i kant see no gud ana more..
i gets my fingurs pinched twenst tha boolit and tha die !!!

but its wurf it tho... dang shor a gud shooter an hasa kilt manya critters.........yeah 

Only problem I got with handloading them little darlings is... big wore-out fingers and I can't see well any more...
I get my fingers pinched between the bullet and the die!!!

But it's worth it though... dang sure a good shooter and has killed many a critter........yeah 


I thought your keyboard must have been acting up so I translated to English for you.



Spanky

hey spanky,  i preciate that thar translation thingy !!!!
gud ta know i gotta scholar keep'n me straight, cus down heah were i stays, its common
not ta hava edjakation......i thank ya much !!!
but tha hornet is a hornet, no matter were ya at..... she'sa mighty fine shooter

[briannmilewis]

I was looking at the various Hornet cases yesterday and found a BIG mistake in Steve's Pages and Reloaders Bench 22 Hornet (35) dimensions, I have informed both sources of the issue.

Both drawings use a .375 neck and a 1.116 case from base to bottom of shoulder.

Well simple math will tell you something is wrong....375 + 1.116 = 1.491! And that is without a shoulder length!

The Hornet case is only 1.403 long.

My guess is that the original sources really meant .275 neck, as that brings the case to 1.391, .002 less than trim length, and if we add a really small shoulder, we a likely only then to be under 1.403.

Just thought you all might like to know.

[cynergyou]

I'm new to the H&R world - I bought my rifle last spring and it was a slightly used 22 hornet (20" barrel, iron sights with scope rail also installed, laminate stock).  It's a great gun.  I shot it a bit last spring to sight it in, but then got busy and hadn't shot it since.  It's my first H&R and my first 22 Hornet and I really like it.  It's accurate, quiet, and my rifle is well made.  It also looks nice with the laminate stock.

I am planning to buy the dies and components so I can reload for 22 Hornet.  Initially, I just used some factory Winchester ammo.

[gcrank1]

Sounds like you got a good one!. With the factory loads working to your satisfaction you know what to expect from it with good reloads. Some even get better than factory accuracy, but the biggest advantage is you can shoot LOTS more per cartridge dollar spent. Get the reloading stuff on your Christmas list and you will be soooo glad you got into it.

[briannmilewis]

One pound of L'il Gun will reload 700 22 Hornet rounds! Using good Sierra and Hornady bullets, you can reload 50 22 Hornets for about $10.

Get the RCBS X-Die set, so you only have to trim the cases after their first firing. The set consists of a full-length die and bullet seater. Get a Lee Factory Crimp Die and you are in business. Use moderate loads and you will get really great case life, better than any other 22 Hornet variant.

I found those Winchester 46gr HP white box just brilliant in my Handy Hornet. Out shot everything else except hand loads. I always wanted to duplicate the Win white box, but could never find the 46g HPs in stock. Don't know what powder they use, but L'il Gun is great, you can't put too much in. Top off the case and you have compressed lower pressure loads.

Good luck!

[cjrjck]

I like shooting my Handi with the 22 Hornet the most, its original barrel, but shoot it the least. Factory ammo is not cheap and handloads are a pain with a single stage press. So unfortunately, the little 22 Hornet barrel stays in the gun safe most of the time.