22 Hornet

[gc45]

HARD TO BEAT 1680 but everyone has a favorite.

[hornetguy]

Another vote for 1680/T680 as the #1 powder for me.
When I was shooting my K-Hornet, I would use Lil Gun just for maximum velocity. I was close to 3100 with a 40gr V Max, IIRC....
I seemed to get better consistency, and slightly better case life with 1680.... it meters very well, and works like it was made for 40gr bullets and Rem 6 1/2 primers.
I've used pistol primers, as well...
Out of my regular hornet Handi Rifle, I am getting around 2500-2600 fps, IIRC... I'll have to check.
It's the only powder I load in the hornet now... it's that good.

[almar]

Double post

[almar]

I like lil gun for the power so far in my k hornet but it seems to burn dirty. I have some n110 and n120 on the way to try. This is a 26 inch barrel 1:12 from pac nor on my cz527.

[gc45]

Second what Hornetguy said. My R-77 K-Hornet is just about a one hole gun with 1680 and 40 vmax bullets. My CZ 19 Hornet shooting 32 grain bullets is a huge step up in long range shooting; so much so I seldom shoot the 22 verison now. This little gun has killed PD's out to 400 yrds but is really best at 300 yds.

[mac60]

40 gr. Nosler BT over aa 1680 with a small pistol primer. That last item made an enormous improvement in accuracy. Rifle is an H&R handi-rifle.

[Rockindaddy]

Ruger No 1 Varmint HB likes Winchester 680 ball. 12 grs with a 45 gr Hornady SP Shoots raggety 5-shot holes @ 100 yds. Killed a nice 8 pt shot through the neck at 200 yds. Dropped like a stone. Wacked plenty of varmints out to 300 yds. Stacks up Prairie Dogs. No recoil not much noise.

[TD1886]

Back in the day I used about the same, loading 40 gr Speer or Sierra's over 12.5 H110. Literally have shot the barrel out of my #3 shooting thousands of sage rats, red diggers, rock chucks, bits, crows, magpies and several coyote's. Picked up a 10" contender 22H to shoot sage rats while long range shooting rock chucks with a 6,5-280. I got to where I wouldn't shoot a chuck under 300 yards so used the Contender on the rats as they would pop up from 25 yards out to 200 yards. Same load out of the Contender ran 2500 fps.

Attachment 308416

I gotta go with Larry on the Hornet. My favorite for my CZ is the 40 VMAX Hornady over 12.0 grains of Win 296. It's a one holer in my rifle.

[Larry Gibson]

Should mention in my Savage M40 [24" barrel w/14" twist] 12.5 gr H110 in WW cases and WSPs topped with a Hornady 45 gr Hornet SP runs 2890 fps [psi runs 29,400 in Contender test barrel] and gives sub moa 10 shot groups at 100 yards. Same but with 13 gr Lil'Gun the last chronographed 10 shots ran 2950 fps [psi runs 20,000 with 12.5 gr in Contender test barrel] giving a .62" group at 100 yards.

[TD1886]

Should mention in my Savage M40 [24" barrel w/14" twist] 12.5 gr H110 in WW cases and WSPs topped with a Hornady 45 gr Hornet SP runs 2890 fps [psi runs 29,400 in Contender test barrel] and gives sub moa 10 shot groups at 100 yards. Same but with 13 gr Lil'Gun the last chronographed 10 shots ran 2950 fps [psi runs 20,000 with 12.5 gr in Contender test barrel] giving a .62" group at 100 yards.

I got my load off of Bob Forker when he use to put those pages in Guns & Ammo and they have the circles on them where you use a paper punch to put holes in them for your note book. Yup that's about the only load I use.

Oh BTW Larry I tried Lil Gun in the Hornet and it was normal as could be, in fact maybe a tad less pressure and velocity. Go figure because 12.5 and 13 grains are an overload for the 22 Spitfire. I have more to tell you about that Spitfire I'll pm you.

[tejano]

Have two Hornets, a Ruger 77/22H and a Browning Micro Medallion. Larry’s Lil’Gun works well in both with zero over-pressure signs.

[hornetguy]

That's one of the big selling points for LilGun.... top velocities, with considerably lower pressure.
In my gun, I didn't seem to get the consistency, shot to shot, that I got with 1680/680. It wasn't bad, just didn't seem quite as good somehow. I definitely got higher velocities, though.

[TD1886]

Nobody said Lil Gun showed over pressure in the Hornet. It sure is one squirrely powder in the 22 Johnson Spitfire. Eve just 11 grains of it in that cartridge exhibits high pressure and the case has a larger capacity then the Hornet. Might be because it's bottlenecked. Thirteen grains of blew the case is what started a discussion between Larry and I. Now 13 grains of it in the Hornet doesn't leave much room to seat a bullet without compressing it. I've shot 12 to 12.5 grains of it in the Hornet and there wasn't anything abnormal with it.

[tejano]

You’re right. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.

[TD1886]

You’re right. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.

No problem. Larry and I have pm discussion about Lil Gun in another cartridge that is just doing weird things. I use the same Lil Gun in my 350 Win Legend and also in the 450 Bushmaster with no problems at all, in fact it's a great powder in them. The only differences I can see between the 350 Legend, 450 Bushmaster, 22 Hornet, and 22 Johnson Spitfire is the only one that really has a bottleneck the the 22 Spitfire. Maybe that makes some sort of difference.

[hornetguy]

I used Lil Gun some in my K-Hornet. IIRC, 13.5 gr was lightly compressed.
I heard online (MUST be true, then) that some guys basically filled up the case and compressed a bullet into it. THEY claimed that you could not get enough Lil Gun in the case to be over pressure.
Personally, I never tried that, and would not now.
I settled on 1680, and still use that in my regular hornet in the Handi Rifle.
I still have a couple pounds of Lil Gun, and may try it again, but I have so much of the 1680/680, that I likely won't get around to it.
A pound of powder lasts for a while, 13 gr at a shot....

[TD1886]

I used Lil Gun some in my K-Hornet. IIRC, 13.5 gr was lightly compressed.
I heard online (MUST be true, then) that some guys basically filled up the case and compressed a bullet into it. THEY claimed that you could not get enough Lil Gun in the case to be over pressure.
Personally, I never tried that, and would not now.
I settled on 1680, and still use that in my regular hornet in the Handi Rifle.
I still have a couple pounds of Lil Gun, and may try it again, but I have so much of the 1680/680, that I likely won't get around to it.
A pound of powder lasts for a while, 13 gr at a shot....

Work up your loads. The 22 Spitfire is close to the case capacity of the K Hornet, a little more. It's a lost less then the 221 fireball and even the beginning loads for the 221 Fireball are proof loads for the Spitfire. Even 11.0 grains of Lil Gun is over pressure for the Spitfire. Just found out for a 50 bullet in the Spitfire the max load of Lil Gun is 8.9!!!!! You be care with your reloading and you'll be safe.

[Intel6]

I like and use LiL'Gun in all my .22 hornets, it gives me great velocities and accuracy. I have had zero issues in my pistols (T/C & Anschutz) and rifles (Multiple Anschutz's and a Ruger #1B). I know it can cause issues in other chamberings, but it works great in my Hornets and keeps thing simple for loading all my different hornets.

[nanuk]

...Bought 60 lbs of it @ $3.00/lb...

this is the stuff that a Canadian Boy DREAMS of.....

[brokeasajoke]

I wish lilgun worked for me but I was tired of knocking the bolt open. It quit blowing primers around 10gr thought the start load is way way more. Just created too much pressure in my rifle.