Cast Boolit for .22 Hornet

[terryt]

Hi:

I just received a 55 gr. Lyman mold that the man I received it from said it was perfect for the .22 Hornet.

I have just brought a 340 Savage with a 24 inch barrel in about 90% new and am looking for a boolit for it.

Thanks,

Terry

[303Guy]

The 22 hornet is one of my favorite chamberings. Capable if fine accuracy and long case life. I should imagine the Lyman mold is a .224 inch but the rifle may have a .223 groove. That's good. I shoot .22
4 bullets through my .223 hornet with great success (powerful and accurate).

I have only ever tried the RCBS .224 55gr boolits in my hornet and the accuracy was not fantastic but then I didn't have wonderful castings. If you can get good castings please let me know how you did it.

I'd think your hornet might be a 1 in 16 twist which is actually great for the 55gr. Mine shot 60 gr Hornady spire points with great accuracy. I was trying to kill elephants (feral goats) with mine so I needed a high velocity which I achieved using Lil'Gun powder. For cast and 'normal' targets you don't need anything more than normal hornet velocities which I believe should produce good accuracy with your boolit.

I use a trick for holding the bullets in an unsized neck which may or may not work with cast and that is to form a paper cup (paper hand towel actually) in the neck that holds the bullet centrally which then gets dipped into molten lube (hard lube). I have also used a ball of lube placed over a card wad in the neck that melts around a heated bullet. That shot great too and is much simpler and probably better for cast.

With new cases I expand the neck to the size of fired cases.

Enjoy that rifle!

[dtknowles]

55 gr. should be fine but not ideal in my opinion. 45 gr. is a better choice but not by a lot. Hey, you got the mould, cast and shoot it, might be great. You did not mention if it was plain base or gas check. I have a NOE 45 gr. flat nose plain base 3 cavity aluminum mould that I am quite happy with. I have a Lyman 63 gr. two cavity LRN with gas check steel mould that works but it is not as accurate as the lighter bullet.

Tim

[JeffinNZ]

This is a 50m group with a 14 BHN alloy new version Lyman 225415. 8.5gr of H4227 so should be doing 22-2300fps.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/8.5gr%202205_zpsqeybixvx.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/JeffinNZ/media/Shooting%20stuff/8.5gr%202205_zpsqeybixvx.jpg.html)

I own the old version 225415 also that I have yet to try. Also have a bag of NOE 225107 bullets to run up the Hornet.

[leadman]

Don't know what the twist rate is in your barrel but if the boolit is a short one for a 55gr it might be alright. I have a rechambered Contender 22lr barrel in 22 Khornet and it does not like anything much over 50grs. It is a 1 in 18 twist IIRC. I usually shoot the Lyman 45gr RN GC and it is excellent.
I have the old style Lee Bator that is about 55grs but it have a wide flat nose so one of these days I am going to try it. It is not the weight of the boolit as much as the length that determines if it will stabilize in your gun/ Try what you have as you don't have anything but some time, powder, and primers, what fun.

[rufgr]

I use the Lyman 225438 and 225107 and get minute of squirrel head accuracy at 50 yards. I don't need a lot of power and keep velocities between 1500 and 1700 fps. I have the RCBS 55 gr. mould but have never gotten good results in my Winchester model 70 or 43.

[quilbilly]

My Hornet carbine loves that Lee bator 53 gr boolit at about 1900 fps.

[turtlezx]

when did savage change from a .223 to a .224 bullet ??
340 hornet are 1in 16 twist

[dondiego]

I have a Savage Model 340 in .222 Rem. Do you know the twist rate for it? I am going to start loading cast soon.