Hornet vs 223

[PB234]

Can't the 223 be downloaded to match the Hornet? Therefore why bother with a Hornet?

[Sweetpea]

A better question might be, why not?

Most of the folks around here, myself included, don't NEED everything we have...

[DeanWinchester]

The 223 CAN be downloaded very easily.

The only real advantage would have is the rifle itself. There are some cool old rifles out there that just plain fun to shoot.

Basing the argument solely on the cartridge itself, the Hornet offers nothing.
I have a CZ 527 in 223 w/ a 1/9 twist and it will shoot anything. I have shot bullets as small as 40g vmax up to an 80g Sierras. Some say you need a faster twist to stabilize the heavies but I beg to differ. Some of my best groups are from 73g Amax bullets. I bought some 73g Hornady seconds for a steal. I guess Hornady rejected them because they're supposed to be 75g I dunno.
I've pushed some 50g Hornady zombie max bullets just north of 3K fps withh excellent accuracy.
Likewise I've loaded some subsonic 55g fmj using Universal with good accuracy as well.

[John Allen]

The hornet is a neat little cartridge. I really enjoy it. It is hard to explain but when you have a catridge that uses a little over 3 grains of bullseye it is hard not to have an affection for it. I have a Steven 44 1/2 with an old weaver scope on it. It shoots great and always turns heads at the range as most of the crown nowadays have never even seen one. Plus how cool is it that an old time cartridge like this is still popular

[Kraschenbirn]

The hornet is a neat little cartridge. I really enjoy it. It is hard to explain but when you have a catridge that uses a little over 3 grains of bullseye it is hard not to have an affection for it. I have a Steven 44 1/2 with an old weaver scope on it. It shoots great and always turns heads at the range as most of the crown nowadays have never even seen one. Plus how cool is it that an old time cartridge like this is still popular

Much the same story with my Ruger #3...stingy on powder, as accurate as I can hold, and doesn't throw brass halfway down the firing line.

Bill

[RoyEllis]

Can't the 223 be downloaded to match the Hornet? Therefore why bother with a Hornet?

Sorta my thought when they handed out the M16, my M14E2 would put a bullet weighing 3X what an M16's does into the target, so why shoot them three times when one will do it? :kidding:

[M-Tecs]

For me the Hornet excels for under two hundred yard shots that benefit from being as quite as possible. The Hornet will push a 40 bullet at close to 3,000 fps with 13 grains of Lil' Gun. I shoot a lot of prairie dogs and the lower the noise the longer they stay up. I use the 17 HMR for under 125 and the Hornet for under 225. The 223 doesn’t come out until the range is greater than 225 or the winds howling. After 325 the 22-250AI or the 6mm gets used.

[PB234]

DeanWinchester, I am also using a CZ, but it is the Carbine with a slower twist than you have in most likely the Varmint and so probably limited to 55 grains and under for accuracy. The Varmint was high on my list of wanted, but the Carbine is so light and comfortable. If I were getting a Hornet it would likely be the CZ; however it is hard to justify if the 223 can do all the Hornet can do and more and I already have a CZ in 223. Have a 4x Kollmorgan scope on the 527 Carbine to keep it light and compact and tempted to put a higher power scope on it and see what it can do.

[DeanWinchester]

Yeah, thats a 1/12 I think. That'll be tough for heavier stuff but you ARE trying to equate it to a Hornet and it doesn't run anything heavy. That carbine should be AWESOME with a 50g Vmax.

[uscra112]

I just settled on a .223 load that is well under the Hornet, for close-in garden defense (under 50 yards) for this season. 50 grain hollowpoint, using 7.5 grains of Red Dot. In a 16.5 inch carbine, it gives me about 2100 fps, hits the same POA at 50 yards that my 55 grain coyote load does when zeroed at 150 yards, shoots under 1 MOA, and makes very little more noise than a .22 rimfire.

I have now recapitulated the history of small varmint cartridges over a fifteen year period. Hornet, the .22 Lovell R2, the .222 and now the .223. The Hornet and Lovell strain to get power enough for long shots that the .222/223 make with modest pressures, and yet the .222/223 can be loaded down to whatever you wish. I have no need for a 2400fps load, but one would be easy to create using a magnum pistol powder like AA#9, Power Pistol, 4100, or my favorite, Lil'Gun and a 45 grain Hornet bullet.