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Thread: Ruger 77/22 Hornet

  1. #1
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    Ruger 77/22 Hornet

    I am casting my bullets in 44 gr lyman mould. Using IMR 4227 powder with small rifle primer. I just can not seam to get any consistancy in acuracy.

    Do any of you have a good recomendation for a load for this Ruger rifle. I am getting frustrated with the loads I have tried.

    Thanks
    Steve

  2. #2
    Moderator Emeritus JeffinNZ's Avatar
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    Sorry Steve but you are on the back foot from the outset what with that Ruger and all.

    What diameter are your bullets and what is the alloy?

    My BRNO Hornet rather liked a 11 BHN 225415 sized .224 over 5gr 800X for 1900fps. I never had a .225 die in those days so never tried that.
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  3. #3
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    Jeff,what twist rate does your Brno hornet have ??If I recall that boolit is about 55 gr any trouble stabilizing.Thanks mate Frank C.

  4. #4
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    Steve,what kind of accuracy do you get with the J's,usally you can approach that level of accuracy with cast but its hard to surpass it.Frank C.

  5. #5
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    Ok went to the range today with factory ammo and the rifle was a tack driver. All shots were touching each other. I was using Sellier & Bellot SP 45grs. I swiched to my reloads of 44grs from lyman mould RN, and I was getting like 1" groups at just 50 yds. I am going to go again tomorrow and try at 100yds.

  6. #6
    Moderator Emeritus JeffinNZ's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bandmiller2 View Post
    Jeff,what twist rate does your Brno hornet have ??If I recall that boolit is about 55 gr any trouble stabilizing.Thanks mate Frank C.
    The BRNO was a 1 - 16 from memory and my Lyman is 225425 is 48gr, the old version.

    SLK: If your Ruger is shooting THAT well you have a one in a million rifle. Most reports are not so flattering. Good for you.
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  7. #7
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    My contender (in the avatar) likes 7.4 and 7.5 grains of IMR 4227 with the Lyman 225438 bullet, 45 grain gas checked mold.
    In all, the .41 Magnum would be one of my top choices for an all-around handgun if I were allowed to have only one. - Bart Skelton

  8. #8
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    My 77/22 Ruger likes 3.5 gr. 231 with the 225438. I'm lubing with a mix of Jake's purple and 50-50 alox.
    Edit: I also use SP primer.
    Last edited by DLCTEX; 07-07-2011 at 08:30 PM.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master altheating's Avatar
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    SLK

    I all but gave up on my 77/22 Hornet a few months ago until I got my NOE 225107 37gr mold. Using that boolit I'm poking nickel size groups at 100 yds. I tried all the Lyman molds including a hollow point, nothing seemed to work until I tried the NOE 37gr boolit. Shoot me a PM with your address and I'll send you some to try.

  10. #10
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    ive never shot a single cast bullet in my 77 hornet but have shot a ton of jacketed and mine shows a big preference toward lighter bullets. the 35vmax is its favorite so if anything id agree with the others that you may want to try a lighter bullet.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by slk View Post
    Ok went to the range today with factory ammo and the rifle was a tack driver. All shots were touching each other. I was using Sellier & Bellot SP 45grs. I swiched to my reloads of 44grs from lyman mould RN, and I was getting like 1" groups at just 50 yds. I am going to go again tomorrow and try at 100yds.
    slk

    Which Lyman mould in particular? At "44 gr" and a RN" I'm assuming a 225428? What alloy, lube and what are you sizing them at?

    How much 4227? That may not be the best powder for cast bullets of that weight. Suggest switching to a bit faster burning powder such as Unique and 3.5 - 4.5 gr. You also might want to try a small pistol primer such as the standard Federal or CCI's. Much less brissance for that small case.

    Larry Gibson

  12. #12
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    Who makes the NOE mold and where can you get one? What hardness is the lead you are using and do you use a gas check?

  13. #13
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    Ok I am loading with:
    7.8 grns of 4227
    Orange stuff from Lyman for lube ( hard as nails till it heats up)
    gas check...yes
    225428 Lyman mold 44 gr
    Lyman #2 lead (mixed correctly)
    small rifle primers
    sized at .225

  14. #14
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    Give SP primers a try. It gives a softer start to the boolit.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master altheating's Avatar
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    SLK
    Your boolits are packaged up and will go out to you tomorrow via USPS. I'll send the NOE 37 grainers and some BRP 45 grainers.

  16. #16
    Boolit Buddy
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    Thank You so much...If I can ever do anything for you just let me know.

    Steve

  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by cdet69 View Post
    Who makes the NOE mold and where can you get one? What hardness is the lead you are using and do you use a gas check?
    NOE, is Night Owl Enterprises, they are a Vendor/Sponsor on this site.

    The 225107 was run as a Group Buy, where molds were pre-ordered and paid for.

    Check in the Vendor Sponsor Sales forum and see if there are any left. I got mine from there, having missed the group buy. Same price, you just have to choose from what is available, rather than choosing what you want.

    Edit: Too late for that, then. Just checked. All gone for now. Watch the postings in the commerce section, as well as keep an eye out for any posts about a re-run (sometime happens) of the group buy.
    Edit again: There is mention in the vendor sponsor post on the 225107 that there may be some available at a later date. Best to keep an eye on the posts there, or get a word in with NOE that you are interested in one.

    Cheers
    Trev
    Last edited by trevj; 07-15-2011 at 12:10 AM.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    The Lee 22 Bator sized to .225" works great in my 77/22 Hornets with TrailBoss for a light load and H4227 for a bit more speed.

    John

  19. #19
    Boolit Master NHlever's Avatar
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    I did some work with a Ruger 77/22 a couple of years ago, and had a lot of fun with it. I only had two molds the old 22596, and a new 225415, very similar boolits actually. I had my best luck with Unique for the low velocity loads at around 3.5 grains. For full velocity cast loads I thought I really liked H-1110, but my groups opened up quite a bit when the weather got cold. I had never used AA-1680 in a case like that, but it worked out very well in charge weights similar BUT NOT THE SAME) as IMR-4227, and groups were a bit more consistant.

    Although a lot of folks bad mouth this combination, a good one is lots of fun, and about an ideal size for the caliber.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check