22LR replacement caliber

[Wadestep]

So... The other thread about .22LR being expensive is getting me thinking. What caliber rifle would be a good replacement for the verenable .22 for cast boolits. Some priorities:
1) reloadable centerfire brass
2) works well with cast boolits
3) Cheap to shoot!
4) Not too big a caliber - good for shooting squirrels. Hopefully less than 50 grains.
5) good out to at least the same ranges as .22lr

some things that would be nice:
6) availability of rifles and brass (hopefully for a reasonable price
7) maybe 20% or so more power/velocity as .22lr - but still not too big for squirrel hunting and easy plinking
8) rifles in bolt action (not just single shot) for under $500. Hopefully less. Semi-auto a plus but noc neccesary.

Any ideas out there? the other thread mentions a 25-20 but rifles are expensive and scarce. How about 22 hornet? I already have a .243 that could fit the bill, but was trying to get a closer replacement to the .22LR.

[338RemUltraMag]

22 Hornet with a 37-45 gr cast boolit loaded with oh idk 2 gr of bullseye should be in the 22 LR range. Others should chime in shortly.

[ShooterAZ]

Agreed...22 Hornet. 38 Special with the Lee 105 SWC for handguns comes to mind also.

[Garyshome]

A 9 mm carbine with a red dot. Cheap to reload for, small caliber although range is limited? Anything you have brass and boolits for? Mosin? [although ammo is getting costly]

[KYShooter73]

Whats wrong with .223? Brass is cheap and easy to come by, plenty of molds, load whatever powder charge you want. You should be able to get it down to 1400fps easy enough. It wouldnt cycle a semi-auto, but thats not the purpose.

[bhn22]

This would be my choice too. You could load it down to 22 mag levels if needed, plus had the possibility of a top end that could work for deer in a pinch. I'd probably prefer a bolt rifle for this myself.

Whats wrong with .223? Brass is cheap and easy to come by, plenty of molds, load whatever powder charge you want. You should be able to get it down to 1400fps easy enough. It wouldnt cycle a semi-auto, but thats not the purpose.

[bruce drake]

An E.R. Shaw 22-250 barrel in 1-14 twist will convert any surplus Mauser into a nice squirrel/rabbit rifle without breaking your bank. A BATOR 55gr FN mold from MidSouth Shooters (see ad above the thread) and 4-5gr of Red-Dot or Unique is more than enough to drop old Mr. Redtail or his buddy Brer Rabbit out in the woods or fields.

Dies are under $30 and Brass is usually readily available or can be converted from 243 Rem or 308 Win brass and some trimming and neck turning.

Bruce
(yes, I own a setup just like this.)

[Wadestep]

I'll be looking at those suggestions. I just didn't think it likely that a 22 caliber designed to shoot >3000 FPS would be the best choice for a 1400FPS cast load. (ie22-250 or 223) But then again, why not? If a 223 bolt action would fit the bill, I'm sure they are plentiful. That 22-250 on a mauser rifle sounds interesting, too. I'll check out these ideas.

[7br]

Whatcha got on hand? I happen to have a contender barrel in 22 hornet and like it a lot. One of the cool things about this hobby is you tailor what you have into what you need.

[338RemUltraMag]

Problem with the 223 is finding one without a fast twist, most now a days have a 1-10 or faster where a 22 Hornet will have a 1-14 or 1-16

[country gent]

22 hornet is great fun and very cheap to load and shoot another is 218 bee. Both are simple easy too cast and load for and have a lot of history behind them. For pests around te house and buildings ( woodchuck size and smaller) the Hornet and Bee have replaced the Long rifle for me. A charge of lil gun and Hornady 40 grn v max puts the lr to shame. Hornets can be hard to find but do show up occasionally. A great cartridge and rifle to just have fun with.

[robroy]

my vote goes to the hornet. I bought one ( Ruger 7722 hornet) several years ago replace a 22mag. I see no reason not to load at 22lr velocity and weight. I'm looking for another.

[detox]

22 Hornet Thompson Contendor with shoulder stock. Ugly, but well balanced and lightweight. My Thompson has a 14" barrel which makes it not legal to use shoulder stock, but who is looking.

A "NON" gas check boolit would be my first choice. One of the smaller Lyman moulds would heat up easier than some of the larger moulds.

22 Hornet Winchester brass has less capacity than Remington brass. I would use Winchester brass for light loads and Remington brass for max velocity varmit loads.

Linotype alloy would be easiest alloy to cast with.

[Frosty Boolit]

I second the 9mm carbine. This is exactly what I was going to say because I have the .40 s&W and it is a hoot to shoot and cheap too. It wpould probably make a mess of a squirrel though with the 180 grainers I use , so the 9mm makes a great replacement.

[bruce drake]

Loading the 22-250 with a 55gr boolit at 1600fps gives me MOA at 50 yards with 4gr of Unique in the Mauser. It has a Flatpoint on it so it does the same thing most 22LR Standard velocity solid point lead bullets do. It kills squirrels fast.

The 1-14" twist works just fine at this velocity. I built it so I could have a cartridge that I could use an affordable Mauser action with. With us casters being reloaders as well, it stands to reason we can build loads with different velocities for different purposes. I do have 22-250 loads that go close to 3000fps out of this rifle. But they are jacketed and at 40gr will destroy most groundhogs out to 300 yards (iron sights - no scope on this rifle).

Bruce

[grumman581]

Just for S&Gs, I loaded some .223 rounds with some 55g bullets that I cast from the "Bator" mold and shot them in my Thompson Encore. I think I was using 2.0 gr of Red Dot with a small magnum pistol primer. Never checked it for accuracy though.

[Jupiter7]

My oldest boy progressed into centerfire with a Rossi 92 in 38/357. It's the easiest replacement I had for him. Low noise, recoil and powder charges make it a joy. It'll ring steel at 100yds all day.

[detox]

Some primers are allmost as loud as a regular 22 long rifle boolit. Is it difficult to make the Hornet as quiet as a subsonic 22 CB?

[otter5555]

i load my .223's w/ 3.6 gr of greendot under a 62 gr homecast rn. avg near 1400 fps, costs 5 cents to load. brass lasts many lifetimes. in my rifles and contenders its only a 1 minute load but at least it's cheap.

[dtknowles]

I have a .22 Hornet in a Ruger #3 and think that is a good choice but I think a .30 carbine would be a good choice as well just don't know what guns beside the original carbines, HandiRifles, Contender/Encore, Blackhawks.

Tim