Looking into 22 Hornet- suggestions

[je265]

It seems they might not be making the 22 hornet anymore and I found a place that has some old stock. I already have a 22 mag and a .223 rem and mostly do close range predator hunting. I don't reload yet but was thinking of getting into it.

The tough choice is do I spend my money on reloading gear where I can probably load my 223 down to 22 hornet speeds and also be able to custom load ammo or do I snag the hornet now because when they are sold out I might not be able to get another one 

Thanks in advance

[geezer56]

If all you want is the performance of the Hornet, keep the 223 and load accordingly.  The 223 brass is cheaper by far, readily available at any shooting range for the picking up, and it seems you are already set up for it.  Hornet brass is delicate, and sometimes hard to find.  You can get up to a dozen loadings out of 223, more if you don't step on them too hard and use cast bullets.  Hornets usually split after 3 or 4 loadings.  If you are drawn by the nostalgia of the old load, go for it.  I have 2 of the hornets and only one handi in 223, so I can't preach too much.     

[cwlongshot]

If all you want is the performance of the Hornet, keep the 223 and load accordingly.  The 223 brass is cheaper by far, readily available at any shooting range for the picking up, and it seems you are already set up for it.  Hornet brass is delicate, and sometimes hard to find.  You can get up to a dozen loadings out of 223, more if you don't step on them too hard and use cast bullets.  If you are drawn by the nostalgia of the old load, go for it.      

I agree!!

CW

[Spanky]

Buy the Hornet. They're great shooters and just plain fun.
Don't let it fool you either... the hornet is a very capable round in the hands of an experienced shooter.
I've taken everything from chipmunks to whitetails with my hornets.



Spanky

[stimpylu32]

I have had more than a few Hornet barrels over the years and to date all but one has been re-chambered to something else , don't take me wrong , the Hornet is a fine round , yet I have found that I can handload other rounds that fill its space and not have the hassle's that come with its non-used friendly case design .

If you use only factory ammo then the Hornet is a fine round to have , more punch that the 22 mag and less noise than say the 223 , however it does have its faults . But so do some other rounds . 

stimpy

[APEX PREDATOR]

Get the hornet mines so accurate out of the box. Inch groups all day and I use mine for turkey and preddator hunting.
Apex

[briannmilewis]

Hornets usually split after 3 or 4 loadings.      

If you only buy factory loads for the Hornet you will go broke. Cheapest is $22/50 for foreign brands, and no less that $40/50 for Winchester 46gr (but they are the best factory Hornet round you will find). If you reload it costs about $10/50.

You can get much better case life if you keep your Hornet loads mild to warm and use an RCBS X-Die and Seater ($43), and some folks use a Lee Factory Crimp Die ($12). You can get 700 rounds from 1lb of L'il Gun.

If you don't like it, there are plenty of folks here who will buy all the Hornet stuff off you at a reasonable used price.

Good luck!

[RemingtonMagnum]

Get the Hornet++++++


Don Jackson Remington Magnum/Ultramag

[Tommie D]

It seems they might not be making the 22 hornet anymore and I found a place that has some old stock.

Get the Hornet it's a great round.

"Old stock" as in the synthetic stock (SB2-S24) or the wood stock (SB2-224) .22 Hornet ?

If you do decide to reload the Hornet, Don't worry too much about case life with the brass. If you load them right they will last a lot longer then others say as i'm on loading number eight with my Remington brass. Hint: Lyman M die is well worth the money. The LEE collet die works great too, as I load the speer 46gr SPFN and a lot of cast boolits where I like a good crimp.

[je265]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to go ahead and order one. I'll stick with factory ammo for now and hopefully I get good accuracy like many of you seem to be getting. While not necessary it should fill the gap between my .22 mag and .223 rem nicely. I'll post results from the range when I get it up and running.
Thanks again

[wreckhog]

I held this at a gun show last weekend. Pretty gun. Marked down to $32k at the show.

http://www.connecticutshotgun.com/guns/11006.htm

[cwlongshot]

Well I think you will be happy with your decision. I have had one or two for many years. Reciently I took one that I never fired out to see if it was a shooter. It was nice to find dime sized groups at fifty yards with a couple different loads. The hornet in a handi is a natural thing.

CW

[Dead doc]

I have had numerous 22 Hornet's  over the years  including the Handi I now have   YOu do have to be a little careful reloading due to the neck design  and thin walled necks but if your careful     you can get great case life out of them .
  I shoot a hornet for a HORNET  I dont try to get  any other types of velocity  out of them. I HAVE other 223s and 220 swifts If  I want higher velocity and that is where the case life goes if you try to make it what it isnt.
   I have been reloading for 22 hornet for 30 years now  ALways used 2400 and W236 , H110  etc  Since I tried Lil Gun  I will use nothinhg else any more!  Great velocites and great accuracy better than any thing else I have tried   I use nothing but 40 and 45 grain bullets   Lost too many animals to the lighter bullets and higher velocity .

[gcrank1]

After 3 Hornets and some 3K + rounds, mostly on paper, and mostly lead bullet loads a BIG + 1 on the Lee Collet Neck Size Die. I had 20ish loads in some of those cases!
But, I see no 'gap' between the .22Mag and .223, which, as said, can be handloaded to various levels of performance.
For me it just got tedious reloading that little guy.
Have fun playing with it; its great we have all these options and I sure dont begrudge anyone their notions.

WOW, what a nice double! I can only imagine how elegant it must have been in person; the proportions are marvelous  .

[APEX PREDATOR]

i use sellier and bellot?(spelling) Inch grops all day
Apex

ps= 45 grain softpoint

[Tommie D]

If your going to use factory ammo, then here is a list of currently available ammo for the Hornet. (Disclaimer: Might not be complete or 100% accurate but I think it's close.)

                                           .22 Hornet



Bitteroot Valley Ammo & Components  (BVAC)

BV22H-N1       35gr         V-Max

BV22H-N2       40gr         V-Max



Federal

P22B               45gr         SP

P22D               30gr         Speer TNT Green



Fiocchi

22HORA          40gr         V-Max



Hornady

8302                35gr         V-Max



HS Munitions    (HSM)

22H-4               30gr         Calhoon Double Hollow Point

22H-3               34gr         V-Max

22H-1               37gr         CDHP

22H-2               42gr         CDHP

22H40MVFB     40gr         Match Varmint Flat Base



Prvi Partizan

A-193               45gr         SP



Remington

R22HN1            45gr         PSP

R22HN2            45gr         HP



RWS

2116375            46gr         KTMS  (SP)

2116367            46gr         MJ   (Tombac Jacket)

2116383            46gr         VMS  (FMJ)



Sellier & Bellot

2911                 45gr        SP

2901                 45gr        FMJ



Winchester

X22H2              46gr         HP  Super-X

X22H1              45gr         SP  Super-X

[quickdtoo]

Wisconsin Cartridge has pretty good prices on Hornet and other ammo as well.

Tim

http://www.wisconsincartridge.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=58&idproduct=19