Help-Talk me out of getting a .22 hornet 1885

[OK hunter]

Lakota, thanks for the information.  I wanted to hear if regular and magnum pistol primers yielded noticeable results and you answered it.
As Strawhat said, your load info would be appreciated.
Thanks again.

[ironglow]

...Another cool thing about the Hornet was that I would load it down with an IMR powder-(I cant remember which one) with a 40 grain flat point bullet(cant remember what bullet?) and small game hunt with it. It behaved just like a .22 long rifle. It was cool hunting squirels with a Hornet and not destroying them in the process. I will dig through my records and see if I can find the small game load for you...

That would be interesting information.  I load for the 22 WCF (think black powder 22 Hornet) and that load would be useful.

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  In all due respect, why bother downloading a Hornet to .22 rimfire levels or going black powder for the same reasons?  The price of low cost .22 rimfire is barely more than the cost of primers alone for the Hornet.  I am assuming of course, that almost any of us has a .22 rimfire rifle.
  Now, if you're just a .22 Hornet affictionado..then I can understand your reason, because when we "fall in love" we can all be a little bit irrational.         I sometimes stretch my rimfires' capabilities for the same reason.

[StrawHat]

...Another cool thing about the Hornet was that I would load it down with an IMR powder-(I cant remember which one) with a 40 grain flat point bullet(cant remember what bullet?) and small game hunt with it. It behaved just like a .22 long rifle. It was cool hunting squirels with a Hornet and not destroying them in the process. I will dig through my records and see if I can find the small game load for you...

That would be interesting information.  I load for the 22 WCF (think black powder 22 Hornet) and that load would be useful.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
  In all due respect, why bother downloading a Hornet to .22 rimfire levels or going black powder for the same reasons?  The price of low cost .22 rimfire is barely more than the cost of primers alone for the Hornet.  I am assuming of course, that almost any of us has a .22 rimfire rifle.
  Now, if you're just a .22 Hornet affictionado..then I can understand your reason, because when we "fall in love" we can all be a little bit irrational.         I sometimes stretch my rimfires' capabilities for the same reason.

ironglow,
 
I can't answer for the others but I use the 22 WCF because it is a lot of FUN!  I very much enjoy shooting black powder cartridge rifles.  The 22 WCF was built by relining an old shot out Marlin Ballard (originally a 32 Long).  This was done in the late 70s and I have had a lot of fun using it.  I found an old 3/4" scope and installed it.  The scope is dark with poor optics so it makes things a bit more challenging.  I have a 22 LR I built with a Ruger M77/22 and a WInchester M52 barrel and it is a different kind of fun.  Actually, my Ruger M77/52 is a lot more accurate and easier to load for but the 22 WCF lets me experience a great type of hunting impossible to achieve with the more modern 22 LR.

[ironglow]

...Another cool thing about the Hornet was that I would load it down with an IMR powder-(I cant remember which one) with a 40 grain flat point bullet(cant remember what bullet?) and small game hunt with it. It behaved just like a .22 long rifle. It was cool hunting squirels with a Hornet and not destroying them in the process. I will dig through my records and see if I can find the small game load for you...

That would be interesting information.  I load for the 22 WCF (think black powder 22 Hornet) and that load would be useful.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
  In all due respect, why bother downloading a Hornet to .22 rimfire levels or going black powder for the same reasons?  The price of low cost .22 rimfire is barely more than the cost of primers alone for the Hornet.  I am assuming of course, that almost any of us has a .22 rimfire rifle.
  Now, if you're just a .22 Hornet affictionado..then I can understand your reason, because when we "fall in love" we can all be a little bit irrational.         I sometimes stretch my rimfires' capabilities for the same reason.

ironglow,
 
I can't answer for the others but I use the 22 WCF because it is a lot of FUN!  I very much enjoy shooting black powder cartridge rifles.  The 22 WCF was built by relining an old shot out Marlin Ballard (originally a 32 Long).  This was done in the late 70s and I have had a lot of fun using it.  I found an old 3/4" scope and installed it.  The scope is dark with poor optics so it makes things a bit more challenging.  I have a 22 LR I built with a Ruger M77/22 and a WInchester M52 barrel and it is a different kind of fun.  Actually, my Ruger M77/52 is a lot more accurate and easier to load for but the 22 WCF lets me experience a great type of hunting impossible to achieve with the more modern 22 LR.

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  Strawhat;
  Thank you..you made it clear enough for even myself to understand.  Who among us can explain exactly how love works ?  It can be quite inexplicable when it comes to a real passion for something and a select few can explain how a man can be inflamed for an 1885 model .22 Hornet...  For the same reason some prefer to hunt with black powder, a bow or a single shot rifle..giving the game a bit of an extra "edge"....well said !     

[lakota]

I cant find my small game load. Its been a few years since I had my Hornet. I want to say it was IMR 4198 cant remember the charge. The bullet was Speer's  46 grain .218 Bee bullet: http://www.speer-bullets.com/ballistics/detail.aspx?id=4 The load wasnt super accurate like Lil' Gun but it was minute of squirell.
 
It was not at all destructive on squirells. I only shot a few big fox squirrels with it but I cant see it tearing up smaller greys with a well placed shot.
 
Another thing I always wanted to do with my hornet was to get a bullet mold and cast some bullets for it.
 
Here is a little info on cast bullet loads http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/22hornet.htm
 
I agree its really unpracticle when you could just grab a .22 and a handfull of shells but there was something fun about small game shooting with a .22 centerfire and still having meat for the pot.

[Ladobe]

Just more rambling for something to do on a boring day... but maybe someone will find some use for it.
 
Lots of folks fiddle with their Hornet loads trying to squeeze more consistency out of them... trying different powders, primers, bullets, crimps and bullet seating.    Nothing wrong with that at all if you like to fiddle, and for some 22 Hornet firearms they need all the help they can get.   But I preferred to do my shooting in the killing fields, not at the range.   So the sooner I found an acceptable load for a firearm for my uses for it the better, and its range time was over.   I did fiddle a little with each new Hornet I got, maybe tried some of the so called "wonder" components or techniques for the Hornet, but always ended up going back to what had long been my standard components and techniques for the Hornets for decades.  If the firearm is a shooter to start with, from my experience it just doesn't need the bother regardless of some who have said the Hornet is a finicky cartridge.    It's more like some 22 Hornet firearms are finicky IMO, some well known to be problematic.   I guess I was lucky not to have any that were. 
 
So for me, I worked up loads for each of my Hornets using...
Powder of choice for decades was Win 680 (later WC680 surplus).
Any small rifle primer on hand in quantity - last used was WSR simply because I had 10's of thousands of them bought for a really good price.
The 46gr Winchester OPE's for decades, the Hornady 45gr Hornet and 33gr Hornady/Remington V-Max included later were my Hornet bullets.
All of my Hornet reloads only got a very, very light crimp.
I always seated bullets to jam the rifling if possible in all of my firearms.   That was not possible with some of the Hornet firearms though, and especially not in any with the 33gr H/R V-Max (pretty much a flat base round ball with a green pimple).   
 
All of my 22 Hornets were good to go for head shots on tree squirrels at much longer ranges than any 22 rimfire; even the smallest diggers at long ranges; and predators almost as far.   The only thing that messed up what had been a life long love affair with the 22 Hornet was when I got my first of four 17 Ackley Hornets (and they eventually replaced all of my 22 Hornets except the BRNO).   I actually bought the Browning Low Wall to have re-barreled to 17AH, but it shot so well right out of the box I just never did it.   Ironically maybe, but the 17HMR's and 17HM2's eventually replaced all my 17AH's as well.   I never felt I gave anything away with them either from the 22/17 Hornets other than a lot of reloading time, and a little yardage on predators.
 
Do miss that 22 Hornet Low Wall though, and the Cooper 17 Ackley Hornet.   Both were exceptional firearms for the Hornet case, and both were very consistent shooters with their handloads.
 
FWIW