Military 22 Hornet Ball ammo

[SOFMatchstaff]

Is any one familiar with the availability and value of the Hornet ammo that was use in the M6 survival rifles.

[Outpost75]

Current listing on Gun Broker, $1 per pop in original packing

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/866875871

262590262591

This is the same as we were issued in the Vietnam era, commercial boxes sealed in waxed paper.

[dtknowles]

Not what I had. Plain white boxes with WCC headstamps with conical, not ogive FMJ's. 50 to a box with no dividers.

Tim

[Bent Ramrod]

In the 70s, Jensen’s Custom Ammunition used to have bins full of that ammo, mostly unpackaged in bulk. I recall the rims said WCC 60 and R A (forget date). Loaded with a cute little FMP pointed boattail, smeared with lacquer, and some very fine Ball powder. Sometimes they had for sale more conventional looking soft noses; these were still in the package that said “Not For Anti-Personnel Use.”

The FMP ammo wasn’t very accurate in my Savage Anschutz, but breaking the cartridges down, reweighing a slightly smaller charge and reseating the bullets gave much better results. Got a lot of reloads out of those shells; the last one retired in the late 90s.

The Hornet was pretty much an orphan cartridge by the 70s. It was not easy to find commercial ammo, so this surplus stuff was manna from Heaven.

[WinchesterM1]

My uncle was one of the first 90 door gunners in Vietnam. He got shot down 5 times and survived, he never talked about the war until recently. He told me once that he had to shoot a Vietcong with a 22 survival rifle. I wonder if it was a M6 or a Henry/armalite 22lr survival. He said the shot was about 75 yards long and it came out his forehead...

[cwtebay]

The white box stuff is around, it seems to hover in the $1 a round range depending on the legibility of the box markings. I shot that stuff by the truckload through a single shot Stevens growing up - Remington ammo was $21 / 50, the surplus was $2.

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[beagle]

Way back when, I hunted with two guys in the AF. One had a Martini Hornet and the other one worked at the ammunition supply point. He was forever bring him .22 Hornet that was outdated. Most was in 50 round white boxes and some in the packets. There were several oddities. One was a 35 grain FMJ spire point and the other was a 30 grain RN FMJ. Much of it was commercial round soft point in commercial cases. He use to pull the FMJs and seat soft points in them. He gave them to me for loading in my .222 Remington as I was poor as a church mouse. Those 30 grain FMJs would really blow up snapping turtles out of the .222./beagle

[varmintpopper]

266789

M-6 Springfield Survival Rifle. 22 Hornet/410 Shotgun

[yovinny]

They also came in mini spam cans.
Some of those cans were even a 22 hornet/410 shotshell mix.
I had a bunch years ago, they all sold to cartridge or survival gear collectors.
Still have a half dozen of the 50rd white boxes and a bunch of the small foil paper wraped boxes in the stash...
My hornets are pretty accurate with good bullets,, but I've never found much use for fmj ball ammo in them.

[beagle]

Not to change the thread but the AF also issued .410 "survival" shells in aluminum cases. Went through a lot of that stuff as well. Never saw any packaged so I don't know how it came./beagle

[SOFMatchstaff]

yovinny.... Noel good to see you back, been 4-5 years. I hit the range this am, took the AUG, the PS90, and the "AR" 47. The heat almost got to Me, cant do that sheet like I used to. At least I dont have to run the course 70 times a day. I think the next range session will be the Hornets, on the main range under cover.
AL

[yovinny]

yovinny.... Noel good to see you back, been 4-5 years. I hit the range this am, took the AUG, the PS90, and the "AR" 47. The heat almost got to Me, cant do that sheet like I used to. At least I dont have to run the course 70 times a day. I think the next range session will be the Hornets, on the main range under cover.
AL

Good to hear your well and kicking brother,,, it has been a while.
Absolutly nothing new here,,, just more free time with this virus scare. My work has been shut down for months with no foreseeable end in sight. Trying to catch up on my loading some and resume some casting too. I havent actually cast anything since I moved about 4yrs ago, so Ive lots of catching up to do,,lol
You take care and be careful out there in that heat.
Cheers, yv

[cwtebay]

Bothered me that I couldn't remember what those containers looked like. Found this and it refreshed my memory. Good times hunting with my Stevens bolt action with these.

http://www.ammo-one.com/410ALmilitary.html

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[Hank Ryan]

Oh wow! I haven't seen those shot-shells for a long time.

[beagle]

Both the .410 and Hornet were supposed to be destroyed as it was removed from Life Support Equipment due to shelf life. I think most made it out the gate as ammo people hated to see useable ammo be destroyed./beagle