22 Hornet Rifle questions

[rockrat]

Have a NEF barrel in 22 hornet and one for my T/C83. Have a Bee, but in a #1. 3000fps with a 50gr vmax and sub-moa. in the Bee. Lil Gun in both of them

[M-Tecs]

Perhaps, but I will say I have made this observation; there are two cartridges that are very attractive to guys who want to push the envelope and try to make it something it is not, the .45-70 is the main one and the .22 Hornet is a close second. It's scary how many good Marlin lever guns you see blown up because some idiot had the idea that he could make it into a .458 Win mag and also how many guys try to get more out of the Hornet in hopes of making it a 400 yards praire dog rifle or worse yet, routinely hunt deer and bigger game with one. I see this all the time on a couple of pages I'm on. Both cartridges are great as they are supposed to be, if you absolutely must have more, get a .458 or a .223.

That can be said for any of the cartridge's developed before 1920. Better metallurgy in the actions, barrels and cases coupled with todays powders allows these older cartridges to be safely taken to higher levels of performance than the originally designed for. More recent designed cartridges are developed around the current weak link. That is the brass case and it's limits of about 65,000 PSI.

Nothing wrong with loading any cartridge system to it's full potential providing you don't exceed the weakest link in the system whatever that weak link is.

What forums are you seeing the blown guns and hot rodding on? I would like to check them out.

Due to improved CNC machining technology various designs are out there that allow for significantly more pressure than the current brass case design. It's not a matter of if it happens it's when it happens? Some of the current firearms maybe up to the task and some won't. No different that we have today with a lot of the older firearms.

[tominboise]

Well - OP here. Problem resolved itself, as a local listed a like new CZ527 American 22 Hornet this morning, complete with CZ rings. So I picked that up this afternoon and have mounted an extra scope I had laying around. Will site it in Friday and see how it shoots.

[panhed65]

Well - OP here. Problem resolved itself, as a local listed a like new CZ527 American 22 Hornet this morning, complete with CZ rings. So I picked that up this afternoon and have mounted an extra scope I had laying around. Will site it in Friday and see how it shoots.

sounds like a good deal, I bought mine new, and have been more than happy with it. latest load turned out to be the most accurate yet, is a midway 34g dogtown bullet (made by nosler they say) and 1680 powder. shoots tiny holes for me.
Barry

[tominboise]

sounds like a good deal, I bought mine new, and have been more than happy with it. latest load turned out to be the most accurate yet, is a midway 34g dogtown bullet (made by nosler they say) and 1680 powder. shoots tiny holes for me.
Barry

Do you use small rifle or small pistol primers?

[Hickok]

Well - OP here. Problem resolved itself, as a local listed a like new CZ527 American 22 Hornet this morning, complete with CZ rings. So I picked that up this afternoon and have mounted an extra scope I had laying around. Will site it in Friday and see how it shoots.

I have the same rifle, and it is a true tackdriver. You will love it. I reload my Hornet cases with small pistol primers.

[panhed65]

Do you use small rifle or small pistol primers?

I use Remington 6 1/2 in the hornet, 218 bee and the 25-20. have never tried small pistol, probably should as I hear they work well also.

[GBertolet]

Small pistol primers seem to be the hot setup. Reasoning is, rifle primers can actually push bullets out of the case, before the powder can really get burning, causing more shot to shot variation. Hornet case necks don't have a whole lot of neck tension, considering, as they are not all that thick. The weaker pistol primer eliminates this possible issue.

[dtknowles]

Small pistol primers seem to be the hot setup. Reasoning is, rifle primers can actually push bullets out of the case, before the powder can really get burning, causing more shot to shot variation. Hornet case necks don't have a whole lot of neck tension, considering, as they are not all that thick. The weaker pistol primer eliminates this possible issue.

Seat your cast bullets to jam and that will not matter.

Tim

[Chill Wills]

One shoe does not fit all feet and one primer does not suite all powders in the Hornet. Rem 7-1/2's made a so-so load shine for me.
You have to try them.
It's fun.
Get out and shoot.

[M-Tecs]

One shoe does not fit all feet and one primer does not suite all powders in the Hornet. Rem 7-1/2's made a so-so load shine for me.
You have to try them.
It's fun.
Get out and shoot.

Same for me. I tried Rem 6 1/2's, CCI 400's and various pistol primers and Rem 7 1/2 worked best. I have read the 6 1/2 and 7 1/2 have the same priming compound with the only difference as cup thickness??? It could just be a lot to lot variation but for me the 7 1/2's shat best.

[Lloyd Smale]

what I found in the hornet is that primers are more critical then in about any other cartridge. Probably because of the small case. What I had hands down the best luck with in primers in my hornets was cci match small pistol primers and Remington match small rifle primers.

[beltfed]

I found the CCI 200 small rifle/mag pistol primer to work well in my Hornet
beltfed/arnie

[tominboise]

Well, factory loads shoot pretty well. I shot it some this AM. I will have to try a few powders and primers and see how it responds.

[303Guy]

Great find, tominboise!

I had the most fun with my hornet than any other gun. I had a new reloading die set that disappeared. I know who took it. Then it turned out the chamber was damaged and oversize, which caused case body separations on the second firing or so. Then the throat was oversize so bullets didn't enter the bore straight and there was too much jump. I solved all those problems in an unconventional way, ending up with a powerful and accurate load plus indefinite case life.

My rifle has a very light primer strike (I should probably replace the spring) so I opted for the softest primers I could find, those being Federal small rifle. I did try small pistol but found no difference. I took the view that a heavier bullet over a compressed charge of powder would compensate for lack of neck tension, seeing as I do not size the necks. I solved the bullet jump and oversize throat issue by seating the bullet in a paper hand towel cup. The cup is lubed with a molten wax and oil mixture which holds the bullet firmly and prevents copper fouling in the rust damaged bore.

All in all, it's a lot of effort to load these cartridges but it was a great deal of fun solving all those issues. This rifle is ideal for my purposes with just the right power for the hunting I did with it. No feral goat I fired at survived. It put them down on the spot! But for bigger game I have bigger rifles. Just none fit me and shoot as sweet as does my hornet. Well, maybe sporterized No4 and my 25/303. Now I am looking for a place to shoot it again since I can no longer take it into DOC lands. Ok, so a 303 Brit kills goats just as well but I want to shoot that hornet! Actually, I've had a few run before dropping with the 303!?

[keyhole]

I had a Ruger 77/22 Hornet about 20 years ago, which I bought new. Mounted a 2-7 Leupold compact scope. I spent months trying to get it to shoot better than 3-4" groups at 100 yds. off a bench. Tried different bullets, powder, primers, seating depth, crimping the bullet/not crimping, everything. Even tried factory ammo. Nothing helped. I finally in frustration sent it back to Ruger documenting everything I had done and the very unsatisfactory results. They sent it right back and stated that it met their standards. I got rid of it and bought a CZ 527 and mounted the Leupold 2-7x scope on it. The CZ shoots very well. It will hold 1" groups at 100 yds from a solid benchrest if I do my part. The action is almost overbuilt for the mild .22 Hornet, with the claw extractor and all. I love the CZ and look at the experience with the Ruger as all bad.
Below is SR-1 target I shot a few years ago with the CZ 527, 10 shots fired offhand. Group is just under 3". The Ruger could not do this fired from a benchrest.

[303Guy]

I don't understand Ruger's attitude. Maybe that's why their hornet model had such a bad reputation. Trouble is, that same reputation must surely have hurt their overall sales? I wouldn't touch a Ruger because of it. The CZ on the other hand has such a reputation that I want one! And if I had one I would load it to the limits of the brass case (in hornet of course. I do that with my Anschutz because it was built for the 222. Even then, I doubt I am loading to 222 pressures). But I would choose the CZ in 222 but only because that is the minimum legal hunting caliber in my parts. Such is the reputation of the CZ.

keyhole, for off hand that is not too shabby! Pretty damn good in fact. Can't give the rifle all the credit though.

Now with my Anschutz, because of how it just became part of me, being so well balanced and all, I could come close to your group. And the ten shot part is not lost on me. Three shot is easy. We both know how hard it is to do that ten times in a row! That's why I stop the first time I hit the middle.

100m (110yds) Nosler 55gr ballistic tip boat tail


Count them - five shots in there.

That's off the bench of course.

[M-Tecs]

I don't understand Ruger's attitude.

Ruger barrels have gotten a lot better since Bill passed. Bill Ruger accomplishments legendary and they are part of history, however, he never understood or cared about serious accuracy.

Best example are the 25 rifles that Bill Ruger donated for the 1992 Palma team. Bill Atkingson assembled rifles at the Arizona plant. These Rifles were issued to the 92 US Palma team to late to be fully tested and only a few were actually used in the match. Bill would not allow outsourcing of the barrels and the Ruger barrels did not meet accuracy requirement. Bill was highly offended that only a couple were used. Once a quality barrel was installed they we great.

https://www.lprgunsmith.com/products...i-palma-rifle/

[keyhole]

Thanks, 303Guy, for the compliment. Of course, I kept that target and used all the others in the fireplace. Too many times I fired a really nice 9-shot group only to have the 10th shot land in a different time zone. I normally shoot offhand since I just enjoy the challenge. Anschutz make a fine rifle, no doubt. I had one in .222 Rem sadly I had to sell due to an eye problem which forced me to avoid firing anything with even a hint of recoil. The Anschutz was a Meister Grade-what a beautiful blue finish and figured walnut stock. sure miss it...
In case someone thinks I am a Ruger basher, I like their handguns, especially the Old Model single actions.

[dave524]

I have had an Anschutz 1430-1433 Deluxe grade since 1975, great shooter with 45 grain, .224 round nose bullets . the overall length with spitzers don't fit in the magazine. Started loading for it with WW680 Ball and learned case life goes down quickly if pushed over 2600 fps or 11.5 grains, rear locking single lug , rimfire action I suspect. 20 years ago I picked up a Ruger No.1 in .218 Bee expecting it would be 1 step up the ladder, actually it turned out to be a few steps up the ladder with 3000 fps easily obtained with 45 grainers and L'il Gun. Both are adequately accurate with perhaps the edge going to the Anschutz even though it wears a 2-7 Leupold Compact while the Bee has a 4-12.