22 Hornet

[randyrat]

OK I haven't been paying attention....What drove you all to the 22 Hornet. Is is the quietness, low powder use, less lead, fun? I've never shot one, never seen one.
They sound like a great Yote gun/load, light target, low recoil.
What am i missing?

[exile]

I have the same questions. A Handi-rifle in this caliber sounds good. Is it that it shoots cast boolits well?

exile

[Rocky Raab]

I don't shoot cast in mine, but I've been in love with the Hornet since my first one - in 1957.

It has all the advantages you wrote about, and yet kills all out of proportion to its physical size OR its paper ballistics. Coyote is about the largest critter I'd tackle with one, and even then I'd want a very stout bullet (for a Hornet). The discontinued Nosler 45 Solid Base is my choice for that chore; others are too frangible.

[Gohon]

It is simply a fun gun to shoot and load for. The 22 Hornet can be loaded down to rimfire subsonic levels for squirrels or up to the lower level of the 223 for coyotes. So on a day in the woods I can hunt squirrels and coyotes with the same gun and not have to change barrels or get a second gun. Sure the 223 can be loaded down but there are other factors to worry about with light loads in the 223 that aren't a factor in the 22 Hornet. Most guns for the 22 Hornet are light and easy to carry all day, it is cheap to load for and it doesn't seem to bother the neighbors down the road when they hear it, if they hear it. Some claim the Hornet has a short case life but I've got some cases that are into their 8th or 9th loading and no signs of giving up. Some claim it is easy to crush the case mouth when loading but again, I've never experience this even once. All one has to do is make sure the case mouth is sufficiently flared to accept the seated bullet and all is fine. My gun is a 1:16 twist but I think someone told me the Handi rifle is a 1:9 twist which means the Handi will handle heavier and longer bullets than my gun will. Other than being a single shot it kind of makes the Handi rifle a little more handy. Bottom line.........it is simply a fun gun to shoot and load for.

[six_gun]

I got my first Hornet barrel for my contender to shoot Hunter Pistol Silhouette with. It did that real good. My load for Hunter Pistol is 3.5gr of titegroup with a lyman 225450 bullet with a gas check. Velocity is about 1650fps and accuracy is one hole at 100 meters. With a Win 46gr hp and some 296 powder I get 2400fps and the same one hole at 100 yards and this is with a 10" barrel. I use a taco hold and a rifle scope in 4 to 12 power. Recoil is so light the scope dosen't hit my face.

I joked with my Game Warden buddies that it was my new elk gun. I will hit an eyeball at 100 yards with it. They laughed at me but agreeded that if it would do it on paper it could probably be done.

A friend of mine in Alaska said that the natives like to shoot seals on the ice with a Hornet because of the low noise and it gets the job done. The Air Force used to use it for a survival gun for b52 crews. If a 22 long rifle would make a good survival gun, a 22 hornet would be a little better.

Sixgun

[beagle]

I'd always wanted one and when a M77 came by I grabbed it. Accurate, cheap on lead and powder. Ammo is nothing to carry around and it's fairly quiet. I can shoot it in the back yard without the dogs and cats heading for high ground. With cast, it's great on backyard pests and has taken many blackbirds and even several pests of the feline persuasion. Recoil is non-existant and the gransdon loves it.

Makes a great farm gun to grab when a target presents itself./beagle

[Bullshop Junior]

OK I haven't been paying attention....What drove you all to the 22 Hornet. Is is the quietness, low powder use, less lead, fun? I've never shot one, never seen one.
They sound like a great Yote gun/load, light target, low recoil.
What am i missing?

A 22 Hornet in your gunrack!

[303Guy]

I've had so much fun with mine. My cases last forever but then I lube them (the loaded rounds) and don't resize at all (bolt gun). I shoot 55gr J-words at what seems to be above 2700fps (compressed Lil'Gun in R-P cases - for their volume). I have used 60gr J-words with equal success and accuracy. Mine has a 1-in-16 twist and a short magazine. I would prefer a single shot and faster twist. I have a suppressor on mine and with my powder charge, I need it.

The case necks are fragile but they can also be straightened - sometimes.

[DLCTEX]

I like my 77/22 for prairie dogs to 150 yds. as well as coyotes and other varmits. It is fun to shoot and cheap to load for. A pound of lead will make a pile of 45 gr. boolits.

[Blammer]

I have 2, 22 hornets, one a BRNO and the other a Ruger M77. I've never found either to be quiet, actually to me they are just as loud as a 223.

I've found good accuracy with them, easy on powder, can load for a variety of things, from plinking loads for squirrel hunting to full house to make the crows into black mist.

Light, accurace and just plain fun.

[dk17hmr]

I sure like my hornet and bee with cast

3.3gr of Trailboss in the hornet with a 225415, no gascheck, lubed with a light coat of LLA than 2 good coats of JPW. Dont know the velocity but its not really loud and it does bring squirrels out of the top of oak trees.



This wasnt really hunting but I did shoot it with a cast bullet. 25 yard shot, between the shoulder blades and out the front of the chest, bullet didnt really expand it was a water dropped bullet so it was hard and a squirrel isnt hard enough to make them expand. The rifle is a 22 Hornet loaded with a 225415, 56gr lubed and checked, about 3gr of Reddot, I dont know how fast it was going maybe 1500 or so but it is pretty accurate, and not extremely loud like the jacketed bullet loads I have for the rifle.



I have been making my 225's out of 50/50 WW/Pure air cooled. They open up pretty good on p-dogs out of my 218 Bee at less than 2000fps.

[JeffinNZ]

Mild to shoot and frugal on powder. I sold my BRNO years ago but only because it really didn't fit me well and I never shot so well with it.
I would buy another Hornet and 'K' it straight away. With the modern powders it is not far shy of .222 these days.

[archmaker]

One of my favorite things about it when I had one many moons ago, is remember those belt packages you would get crossman pellets in, the white one with a lid, held about 10 Hornet rounds pretty as you please.

Shoot a few cast with it, did okay, 10" Contender with a scope. It was a fun round to shoot and play with. Wish I had it back.

[rbuck351]

They are low recoil, you can see stuff go puff when you hit it, cheap to shoot and just plain fun. Mine are both K Hornets now. Some of the early Handis are slower twist. They can be a little fussy to load for.

[smoked turkey]

Good evening all:
Something archmaker said reminded me of something I did years ago with my NEA 22 Hornet. I used a primer only (no powder) to drive a 22 lead pellet into a bullet trap that I sat up in the basement. No noise, cheap, relatively accurate, and FUN. As I recall I pushed the pellet in backwards by hand. There are lots of reasons to own a hornet!

[canyon-ghost]

I shoot hunter's pistol silhouette with mine. They are easy on the lead supply, shoot great with a gas check to 100 meters and have very little recoil. The hornet has easy availability too.


Here's a photo, Contender single shot with a Leupold VX2 4-12 40mm riflescope

[dualsport]

Like the man said, fun and cheap to shoot, but I think it's one of those emotional decisions, not practical. The .223 Rem. is way more practical, will do almost anything a Hornet will, and brass is free. There's always good quality brass just laying around at the range I go to. Hard to beat free brass. You can get an H&R Super Light in either one, I believe. I have one of each, love 'em both. I think it would be a good idea for you to have both too. You should buy one, then order an accessory barrel for the other. Then you will be happy like me.

[exile]

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/22hornet.htm

I may start looking for a .22 Hornet in a Handi-rifle or a CZ-527. It is true that it is not a practical decision, just one made based on what you like, much like the .41 magnum I just purchased. Those that have them seem to like them though.

exile

[quasi]

One of the big selling points for Hornets is the cute rifles that are chambered for it like the Brno 465, Anshutz, Walther, Sako, ...

[dale2242]

10 "22 Hornet= The most accurate barrel I have for my Contender....dale