Let's talk 22 hornet

[SLUGO]

My Savage 93 is the only 22 Hornet that I have ever been around. I am more than happy with its accuracy. It is a fun plinker. I haven't shot anything but paper with it so far.

[tuck2]

I have an old Kimber Mdl 82 22 Hornet . After trying various reloads gave up on that thin tapered case.  Got a 221 Fireball  rifle which I like so its unlikely that I ll spend any more  time trying to find an accurate load for the Hornet.   Should some one is looking for a new low power 22 varmint rifle forget the Hornet and get for better reloadable case  221 Fireball.

[telebasher]

I have an old Kimber Mdl 82 22 Hornet . After trying various reloads gave up on that thin tapered case.  Got a 221 Fireball  rifle which I like so its unlikely that I ll spend any more  time trying to find an accurate load for the Hornet.   Should some one is looking for a new low power 22 varmint rifle forget the Hornet and get for better reloadable case  221 Fireball.
[With the new 35-40 grain bullets available and Lil Gun powder, the Hornet has really come into its own.  The Fireball is a better cartridge but not by much, at least the praire dogs I've shot don't seem to notice any ballistical difference.  I think that this is why we are seeing a big resurgence in the Hornet. I see lots of Hornet ammo in retail outlets, never see any Fireball on dealers shelves.  As for guns , CZ and Remington are the choices except maybe semi-custom Cooper or Kimber in the Fireball.  Just about every major maker offers a Hornet . Its all fun and games, buy one of each and enjoy!/quote]

[OK hunter]

Is the Fireball brass easier to work with?

[tuck2]

The 221 Fireball is a moderen case while the Hornet was developed years ago. The Hornet rimed  case has a long body taper and the case brass is much thiner. To overcome some  of the problems the chamber can be reamed out to make it into a K Hornet. One can get faster velocity using LilGun powder . I find that I can get more reloads from the Fireball case than the Hornet and there is not the need to trim the  Fireball cases as often or crimp the neck. I could not recomend getting a new  Hornet since the Fireball has come out in a rifle.

[Herb in Pa]

To be fair, a lot of the older Hornets were built on nothing more than rimfire actions. The old Kimber Hornet was built on their rimfire action. Brownings, Winchester and Anschutz used much beefier actions. I'm currently shooting an Anschutz 1730 and am on the 15th reloading of WW Brass.  I've also got a Fireball and the brass availability is sometimes problematic given that only Remington produces it. I know you can make it by converting 222 or 223 brass, but that's a bit more than I care to mess with.