Ruger #3 .22 Hornet

[Mk42gunner]

Found one of my Grail guns yesterday. A Ruger #3 in .22 Hornet with a 4X Leupold on top in Redfield rings.

I have wanted one of these for several decades, since I was a kid hauling hay for a living. I'll take it to the range tomorrow to see how it does, doesn't look like it was used much, there are a few dents in the wood around the top of the buttplate. I'd still rate it as a strong 98% gun.

I must say the front Redfield base looks like a brick sitting on top of the barrel.

I need to reposition the scope, it is slightly canted and way to far forward. I have to really crawl the stock to get a clear view through the scope.

Range report tomorrow, if it doesn't rain more.

Robert

[Iowa Fox]

nice find. Wouldn't mind finding one of those myself.

[dale2242]

I have had a #3 in 22 hornet since they were introduced.
I have literally fired thousands of rounds through it shooting sage rats.
My only issue with this rifle is that it wants to vertical string groups with jacketed bullets.
I have recently started playing with cast bullets in it.
Results with 225438 and Unique have been very promising.
I got 3/8-1/2 inch 5 shot groups at 50 yds.

[Green Frog]

The combination of #3 carbine and 22 Hornet strikes me as a match made in Heaven. I’ve always regretted that the only #3 we’ve had here was chambered in 45-70, a match conceived in a considerably warmer climate!

My dream gun would be a #3 in 327 Federal Magnum, but I fear we’ll not see any more #3s coming from Ruger. :???:

Froggie

[pertnear]

nice find. Wouldn't mind finding one of those myself.

Surprisingly, I've seen several #3 Hornets for sale at gun shows here in Texas. I saw a nice .30-40 Krag too. As to prices, the sellers were VERY proud!

[Bent Ramrod]

I found a #3 .22 Hornet at a gun show back in the 80s. It wasn’t a huge used-gun bargain even back then, and they were still making them commercially. They really hold their value, as do the #1s.

The barrel was shiny, with no visible defects, but it felt rough when I pushed a cleaning patch through it. I’d read somewhere that Roger barrels sometimes had problems back then. My new prize shot about 2-1/2” at 100 yards with its best jacketed bullet loads.

About 100 fire-lapping loads with cast boolits and Clover 320 got the best-load groups down to 1-1/4” or so. It shoots pretty good with cast boolits also. The only thing I don’t like about it is that loud “TWAAANNNNGGGG!” that the spring makes when the gun is fired. With hearing protection, it’s louder than the sound of the shot; goes right through your cheekbone to your inner ear.

By the time I’d gotten it, I’d already unloaded a Savage 219 and a Savage-Anschutz in the caliber because the cartridges swelled in the oversize chambers when fired. A custom Low Wall had a misshapen chamber as well; almost a K-Hornet. I’ve kept it mostly for the action possibilities. The Ruger has a very good chamber; no swelling at all.

[mvozz]

Funny thing about the 22 Hornet, it seems there is a bit more interest lately. I have owned a Ruger #3 for many years and I love it! I put a brand new Redfield Widefield 3X9 scope on it (That should indicate how long I have had it). This is just plain one of my favorite firearms. When the ammo shortages fired up again I saw some guys casting for 17 Hornet and I wondered if I could shoot cast out of my Ruger #3. I wanted to, more or less duplicate a 22lr. I haven't used a chrony on these yet but they are fun! 10 rounds and 1 ragged hole and they are quiet. What is not to love!283409

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I love my Ruger #3 22 Horn.
But sadly there isn't much for solutions to the Scope mounting problem.
I have Weaver's ugly aluminum blocks on both of my #3 rifles.
...and I've been thinking of removing the scope and ugly blocks from my #3 in 45-70.

[Larry Gibson]

Got my #3 Hornet back in '75. Shot a bajillion ground squirrels and sundry other critters with it. Sometimes 500 rounds in a day of ground squirrel shooting.....mostly with 40 or 45 gr jacketed bullets over H4227 or H110. Barrel is pretty much shot out so I'll send it off to Jess one of these days for a rebore soon as I decide on the cartridge and twist. Down to a choice between the 32 H&R with a .312 groove 16" twist or a 30-30 with .308 groove and 14" twist. Then maybe a 357 Magnum with a .357 groove and a 16" twist or maybe a 44 Magnum with a .429 groove and a 20" twist.......41 Magnum????......decisions.....decisions......

[GBertolet]

Go with the .357 magnum. That's what I did with my #3. Very versatile. 1-14 twist, Douglass Premium barrel. It is a .358 barrel though. I just size to .359 or .360. I bought a 38 S&W expander plug for my RCBS die. Intended for .360-.361 lead bullets. Works fine. You can shoot 38 specials, brass is cheap, full power loads of 1800 fps with 160 gr cast bullets. In the #3 action, the only real limit, is the strength of the cases. If desired, in the future, you can upgrade to the .357 Maximum. It's a win win situation.

[beltfed]

Mk42gunner,
FWIW,
I have found that my #3 Hornet shoots best without the barrel band.
I also placed a 0.060" shim between the forearm and the hanger near the forearm screw
so as to tip the front end of the forearm slightly away from the barrel. Results in a largely free float barrel.
beltfed/arnie

[GBertolet]

I got rid of that ugly Ruger barrel band on my conversion. I cut back the forend, and I added a Talley barrel band, which I Acraglased on.

[Mk42gunner]

Have I mentioned lately how much I detest unattended public ranges? Read on for the latest reason:

I had to go to the doc for a shot for my "tennis elbow" why they call it that, I don't know; playing tennis didn't cause mine. Anyway the MO Dept of Conservation has a 100 yard range close to Clinton, MO so I was going to do some testing today.

I get there and there are a couple of (I really want to use sailor language here) idiots set up on the left bench at 100 yards. Okay. The problem was they had their targets set up on the extreme right set of frames.

Wasn't worth my time or effort to get them to shoot straight down range.

So I popped a few rounds into my short range backstop at home.

Good news is that it goes bang. I'll figure out grouping later. The ground is way to wet for me to want to do any prone shooting. The trigger isn't too bad, may need a bit of attention.

It is amazing how much difference sliding the scope .418" to the rear did to clear up the sight picture.

I think I am going to like this little carbine. There was also a #3 in .45-70 at the same sale, it went for $650 immediately before my Hornet came up. I didn't bid because I had a #1-S in .45-70 years ago and want no part of that much potential in that light of a package.

Robert

[Tim357]

Mr Gibson, IMHO you could not go wrong with .357 Mag. Would that i had the money to re-barrel the Missouri mule that is the #3, 45/70

[samari46]

I took off the rib that was on my #1 in 45/70 and next thing I noticed was the end near the receiver ring had sprung about 1/8" away from the barrel. This with still with one screw holding it in place. And in the earlier years Ruger didn't make their own barrels like they do now. So you could have a Wilson barrel,Douglas barrel or anyone's barrel. And that held true for their bolt action rifles. I had a 77 with the tang safety and felt good when I got 2" groups. My #1 is a guess as to whose barrel is on it. Does have two tight spots. One under the barrel mounted sling swivel and the last is under the front sight. With a really tight patch you can feel both. And I have the same problem getting the scope back far enough to get a good sight picture. I have an old Lyman 10x with the adjustable objective which is considerably longer than many scopes today maybe try that one.Frank

[Green Frog]

Got my #3 Hornet back in '75. Shot a bajillion ground squirrels and sundry other critters with it. Sometimes 500 rounds in a day of ground squirrel shooting.....mostly with 40 or 45 gr jacketed bullets over H4227 or H110. Barrel is pretty much shot out so I'll send it off to Jess one of these days for a rebore soon as I decide on the cartridge and twist. Down to a choice between the 32 H&R with a .312 groove 16" twist or a 30-30 with .308 groove and 14" twist. Then maybe a 357 Magnum with a .357 groove and a 16" twist or maybe a 44 Magnum with a .429 groove and a 20" twist.......41 Magnum????......decisions.....decisions......

Larry, Larry, Larry. You are I exactly the spot I dream of being with your #3. As soon as I could accumulate the needed shekels and get it packed up and shipped off, it would be transformed into a 327 Fed Mag. I could then shoot it with FIVE cartridges from 32 S&W up to 327 with no change except POA. I would have to go back and check my notes on bore diameter and twist that the now defunct Delta Guns put in my “616” barrel, but it seems to handle bullets from about 90-125 grains well. What an opportunity. :drinks:

Your Phriendly ‘Phibian

[Mk42gunner]

Kind of hard to argue against the .357 option, but I like the .32 bore size just a bit more. The .30-30 would probably be easier to feed into the chamber though.

The worst part about this decision is the Ruger single shot action is strong enough to hold just about any feasible cartridge you can get a barrel for, so you can't even say "Well it is strong enough for this, but not for that."

Please do let us know what you finally decide on.

Robert

[Green Frog]

Kind of hard to argue against the .357 option, but I like the .32 bore size just a bit more. The .30-30 would probably be easier to feed into the chamber though.

The worst part about this decision is the Ruger single shot action is strong enough to hold just about any feasible cartridge you can get a barrel for, so you can't even say "Well it is strong enough for this, but not for that."

Please do let us know what you finally decide on.

Robert

An action that is too strong for the chosen cartridge is not a consideration. I once owned an original Winchester high wall musket that was factory chambered in 22 Short. If ever an action was over designed for and under stressed by a cartridge, this would be it... kinda like making an air rifle out of a Remington 870.

The reason I've been so smitten by the Ruger #3/327 Federal Magnum combination is the fact that the 327 is nobody's weak sister. It has a SAAMI maximum pressure of 40,000 psi, far above what a lot of actions are designed to withstand. OTOH, the 32 pistol class cartridges, even this rip roaring champion of the family just don't "look right" with a massive action. I had thought about using a high wall action, but they are even more expensive and just as hard to find as the #3s. As I have been typing this, it dawns on me that I still have another Frank Zika barrel extension for my takedown high wall. I had planned to use this last one to make a 22 LR conversion for it, but now that I think of it that rifle might be a good platform for a 327 Fed Mag... I sure don't seem to be making much progress acquiring that elusive #3! :Bright idea:

Froggie

[uscra112]

Stevens 44-1/2 would be perfect.

[dtknowles]

Larry I think took off his barrel band and I did too, free floated the barrel ahead of the frame and glassed the hanger contact.

Kind of tee's me off but Hornady factory 37 gr. v-max factory ammo shoots better than anything I can load, shoots under an inch at 100 almost every time. If it doesn't it is either the wind or me. I have some NOE 40ish gr. plain base loads that shoot under two inches with unsized bullets in unsized brass and thrown powder charges. Just decap, prime, throw charges and seat/crimp pan lubed bullets.

I have two complaints first is the plastic butt plate. It is poorly fit and the action is a lot of metal for such a tiny cartridge. I mean, seriously a .22 hornet in an action that can handle 375 H&H Mag. Ruger should make a mini-#3.

If Larry is still in this thread. I recommend 270 Ren for his rebore. Don't have to touch the extractor/ejector, you get more power, and depending on the twist you could pick your bullet weight, subsonic or super. You keep using you hornet brass.

Tim

[Drm50]

3s are PIA to get eye relief, the right ring combination. A big help is to get the stock extender. It looks like a black recoil pad.283505

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I think I would enjoy that falling block action. Much more elegant than the break open type.

[Rich/WIS]

Only #3's I have experience with are in 30/40. With the factory stock and full power loads they were an exercise in pain and suffering. The two I have now were restocked with butt stocks in the #1 configuration, one custom and the other #1 take-off. Much more pleasant. Would pick up another in 22H or 223 if the price was right. The only scope mounting option that worked for me was extension rings on the rear scope base, otherwise I could not get a scope back far enough for proper eye relief.

[Mk42gunner]

I have had a couple of No 1's in the past, this is my first No 3. With how tight the curves in the lever are, I'm not too sure I would want to shoot anything with any significant recoil through one.

As far as scope eye relief goes, you need to look at scopes of yesteryear. The Redfield base and ring combo has plenty of length adjustment for the Leupold M8 that mine has, and I am sure a steel tube Weaver K-4 would be fine as well. Not sure of the scopes with a 36-40mm objective bell.

As for ridiculous cartridge/ rifle combo's, I remember reading of a Ruger No 1 in .22 Long Rifle.

Robert

[bobthenailer]

my #3 hornet also shot better with the barrel band removed

[GBertolet]

Here is my .357 mag conversion, with shortened forend.

[Mk42gunner]

I like the barrel band sling attachment point, at least for looks. I have been wondering about that issue; don't know why, I rarely hunt anymore.

I've still got to get mine on paper to see how it does. Probably next week at the earliest.

Robert

[eastbank]

i bought a ruger # 3 in hornet NIB years ago and have not fired it and also picked up a extra 22 hornet barrel in ex outside condition, but with a few very small pits in the bore that i thought i could have rebored-rechambered to another caliber but never got around to it. my shooter .22 hornet is a older cz bolt action.

[Green Frog]

i bought a ruger # 3 in hornet NIB years ago and have not fired it and also picked up a extra 22 hornet barrel in ex outside condition, but with a few very small pits in the bore that i thought i could have rebored-rechambered to another caliber but never got around to it. my shooter .22 hornet is a older cz bolt action.

I don’t know what the collectors’ market looks like these days for a NIB #3, but I do know what I would be doing with that extra barrel. Can you say “327 Federal Magnum?” :drinks:

Froggie

[braddock]

287233
Here's my #3 in 223 rem, using barnes varmint grenades it's so accurate and using gas checked 55 grn cast boolits at around 1600 fps it cuts 1/2" to 1" groups at 50 metres and is so quiet.
I can't give the actual speed as I have a magnetospeed chrono that doesn't seem to register with cast boolits, with the gc squeezed on every so often it works.
I had considered rebarreling it to a larger c/f cal but it's so pleasant to shoot and I have a #1 in 308 win for bigger animals.
22 hornet would be a good cal but hey, the 223 can be loaded down to hornet levels and longer case life.
I also attach a pic of my #1, take a look at the scope mounts they are ruger on both rifles they fit no bother at all. BTW it's a redfield widefield on the #1 that I have subsequently changed for a Zeiss diavari 1.5x6.

[Texas by God]

I had an early one in 45-70 and it loved the 405 gr Lee cast bullet over Unique. It was not drilled and tapped for a scope- it was an early issue gun I suppose. Yes, you could load it to “hurts to shoot” levels- but why?
One of my brothers had one in .223 that never impressed us from the bench but it was a varmint eliminator in actual use.
I always thought that one in 30-30 Win, .35 Remington, or 38-55 would be so handy for hunting deer in the woods.
I wish that JES was able to rebore barrels to .30 and .32 caliber- but last I heard .33 was the minimum size.

[Larry Gibson]

Still pondering......Rebore to .357 with 16" twist and chamber initially to 357 magnum and if not happy with that rechamber to 35-30.

Back in the day.....

287238

[square butte]

Is anyone reboring to .25 cal?

[pietro]

.

Once upon a time, I bought/shot a .22H Ruger #3, but found it too heavy for my druthers as a walking varmint rifle.

The H&R Handi was lighter, but since I wanted a repeater, I eventually opted for a CZ-527H.

[Mk42gunner]

Well I got side tracked on this project, so not much new to report.

I did buy about a quart of mixed .25 ACP and .222" jacketed projectiles. Any idea what a 30 grain JHC .222" projectile was meant for? I was thinking maybe the .22 Jet? I may try them in the Hornets.

Robert

[Texas by God]

The .222" bullets are for the .22 Jet certainly. Accuracy will be poor in the Hornet one would think.
I think I'd like one in .218 Bee, 25-35 Win, and 44-40 to add to my previous choices.
I've had better shooting Bees(2) than Hornets(3)

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[Mk42gunner]

Well don't I feel foolish. I looked in the box I separated the 30 grainers into and they are .223" not .222".

I do have an old Savage 219 in 22 Hornet, I think it has the smaller bore but don't remember for sure. It has been a long time since I slugged its barrel, if I ever did.

I think I'll load up a few and try them in both rifles.

Robert

[gnoahhh]

A buddy has one re-barreled to .25-35 and it is purely delightful to shoot. He has a spare barrel in .375 Winchester for it also, but it's the .25 barrel that sees the most use.

I stumbled onto a very nice #3 .22 Hornet locally for $799 last week. Don't know if I need a 4th Hornet even though it is a #3.

[RJM52]

Picked up a #3 about 5 years ago planning to do a "Froggie" conversion to .327 Federal...problem is I kinda like it as a Hornet... Using Unique and Hornady .218 Bee bullets it shoots a ragged hole at 50 yards..

Never did care for the #3 stock however...made a call to a friend who has connections at Ruger and asked if he could get me a #1-A stock set... Answer came back "No, but if you get me the gun Ruger will "exchange" the stock".... So I gave my friend the gun and a few days later got a call the gun was back... Got a nice #1-A stock set, my original set back in a Ruger factory box with an invoice from Ruger showing they did the work...was money well spent...

Bob

[dale2242]

What did Ruger charge to replace the stock?
I would love to see some pictures of the #3 with the #1 stock.

[5614estell]

I just had JES rebore/rechamber my FBW to 32-20. .312 bore from .257.

[pertnear]

What did Ruger charge to replace the stock?
I would love to see some pictures of the #3 with the #1 stock.

Here is my Ruger #2. It's chambered in 6.8mm with a 22" Shilen med weight barrel. The factory forend was easy to find. The factory butt stock was impossible to find, so I bought a semi-fit & finished it myself. Ruger would not sell #1` stocks.
287669

[Texas by God]

According to his website; JES rebores start at a minimum of .338”.
He will be swamped with work if he has started offering. 30,.31,&.32 caliber rebores.

[sharps4590]

There was a #3 in 22 Hornet at the show in Doolittle, Mo this past weekend. The seller wanted a little less than a grand for it. Had it been a #1 I would have had a lot more interest. There was also a 77-22 in the Hornet but it was stutzen stocked. Ruger, and all the other American makers, have never learned how to make something other than war club or a fence post for a forearm on a stutzen stocked rifle. They are an abomination to my eye.

[Intel6]

The #3's were always a bit weird for me in fit since I am tall, feels like a toy. I do like .22 Hornet and #1's so I was able to get one of those many years ago. Full sized rifle so I like it and it shoots well with 40 gr. VMAX's.

In the pic below you can see it with one of my .22 Hornet Anschutz's(mod 1433 on a 54 action).


Not sure if Sharps4590 approves of that one? :smile:



288025

[Rapier]

I found a #3 with a messed up Hornet barrel, guy shot a well with it and left the water splash in it. So I bought it for the action, then found a new, take off #3 Hornet barrel, then put them together to make an as new #3 Hornet.

I still have the messed up Hornet barrel that could be redone. Might be worth considering a 357 Max or Super Mag #3. They make a nice little rifle with 180 or 200 gr cast. I have two Martini rifles in 357 SM.