62 gr. Hornet load?

[dualsport]

I want to try my new NOE 62 grainer in a .22 Hornet. I have two, a H&R with a 9" twist and a Savage M40 with a 14" twist. I can't find any data on anything over about 55 gr. for a Hornet. Jusy looking for a place to start. I'm thinking of trying a start load of Trail Boss using their 70% formula. Any ideas? Thanks.

[Bent Ramrod]

I've used the Ideals 225462 and 228367, as well as the Lyman 225646 with 9.5 gr of 4198 with good success in my Ruger #3 Hornet. I usually use Remington cases, which seem thinner and hold more powder than Winchester cases, and use a drop tube to trickle the powder into the case. It's a compressed charge, even so.

[**oneshot**]

I've been using SR4759 in my 10" contender with great results. I'll get the data to you from the manual but 7.0grs with a pistol primer is my magic load for this pistol. It's not a barn burner for sure but it is accurate.

It meters horrible and I'm looking for a replacement.

[quilbilly]

I agree with Bent Ramrod. I have had great success with 9.4 gr of 4198 in my Contender carbine hornet with 55 gr boolits. I might even back down to 9 gr for a less compressed charge to start your experiment

[303Guy]

If it was me, I'd use Lil'Gun and not be too shy on the quantity. I made a mold that casts 62gr but never range tested them. Too hard to cast those leedle boogers! But Lil'Gun seems to burn well enough with enough of it and under a heavy boolit

[Olevern]

I've never played with heavier boolits in my three hornets 'cause they all have slower twists (1 in 16") more conducive to finding accuracy with shorter, lighter boolits. That being said, no reason why the 62 grain wouldn't do well with your faster twist barrels.

[303Guy]

I've had superb accuracy with 60gr Hornady spire points in my 1-in-16 twist hornet with warm Lil'Gun loads and my standard bullet is a 55gr spire point. Very accurate and they track nose first through game. I believe it's to do with the low muzzle blast.

[dualsport]

Oh decisions decisions, what to do? I love buying more powder, just been having to watch the budget more than I like lately. I've read a lot about LilGun being a great powder for the Hornet, that's probably what I'll get next. I did try IMR 4227 and AA5744 based on a recommendation I got. Accuracy wasn't bad in the H&R 9" twist, about 3" at 75 yds. The 5744 left a few mummies in the bore, I used small pistol primers for both loads. Next will be small rifle primers. Also going to try Unique and AA#9 since I have some. Thankyou all for the input, I appreciate it.

[leadman]

I found that SR4759 measure out of the Lee Pro Auto disk measure very well. Much better than my Redding measure.

[303Guy]

The logic behind the use of pisol primers is the lower energy which is important in avoiding the primer pushing the boolit out the case before ignition takes place. A heavier boolit and a lower power rifle primer worked for me. I use Federal small rifle primers A primer comparison showed them to be quite mild and the sensitivity is supposed to be good which suites my rifle's light firing pin strike. I've had good results so I had no need to try anything different.

[dualsport]

I turned up the heat on myself, I'm sending off a last minute entry in a CBA small bore postal match. 100 yds., benched. Off to Sportsman's Warehouse today to buy powder. Tough decisions, but LilGun will be one for sure. The H&R just won't be competitive so it'll have to be the Savage M40. Testing this coming week, I'll try the good ol' Bator again too. I have an ancient Lyman 225438 old style to try too. This is how I keep busy since an unplanned early retirement.

[telebasher]

I've had my best results with AA1680 and CCI small pistol primer with cast boolits. LIL Gun hands down with J-words FWIW.

[Greg]

dualsport-

I shot the CBA’s Hunter Pistol matches for a few years with a 10" Octagon, 22 k-Hornet.

Slug your throat, my Contender is .227, I sized to .2265

The first .22 mould that I bought (ideal 225415) was from an older Gentleman that was selling off his stuff, and it cast large enough to size to .2265

I had tried SR4759 for a couple of years…it left a clay kind of deposit in the brass that I thought would build up load to load. I was leery that it would diminish case capacity too much and maybe go to high(er) pressure also.

I later went to Reloader 7 and found that small pistol primers helped even more. 1800 fps out of the 10" Contender. Won a few postal matches with this combo also.



I bought a CZ and had it cut to .22 k-Hornet and the magazine altered to allow a longer loaded length. It likes a .225 boolit. I think it’s a 1:14" twist.

I had Walt cut a NEI .22-54 GC to cast .228 / .219; weighs 60 grains GC’d & lubed

Wanting a slower powder in the k-Hornet for slow acceleration and higher velocity, I tried IMR4198…it bulks up too much ‘cause of the grain size, so I tried AA-2015 which seems to allow just a little more powder in the small case. Stayed with Remington’s excellent 7½ primer in the rifle. never tried pistol primers with the AA-2015.

Rem brass, Rem 7½’s, 12 gr. AA-2015, 60 gr. cast boolit, 1.870" oal - 2120 fps.




Lyman and Hodgdon both show IMR4198 with 55 gr. jacketed bullets in the 22 Hornet.

So look it up, go 10-15% less to start, with something in that burning range; Reloader-7, IMR4198, AA-2015. and a 62 grain boolit.


I think I’ll go load some of the .22 Nato GB 62 grain in 92-6-2 for my k-Hornet CZ