Cast 22 Hornet Bullets

Klenchblaize

Well-Known Member
Anyone here or overseas using cast bullets in their 22 Hornet for thin skinned game such as squirrel or indeed with any other small calibre at significantly reduced loads??

Cheers

K
 
Never used cast in a Hornet but I did cast some for a 218 Bee . Had a little Marlin 1894CL leveraction with a 22" barrel . I worked up some loads that were about 1200-1400 FPS with a 55 grain home cast bullet . I never shot it much over 25 yards , once I'd brained a couple squirrels for an article I was writing I was done with it .
 
I used to use some daystate lead bullets in my hornet they just looked like .22 rimfire bullets to me they worked ok though. And because they were classed as air gun pellets they could post the hollow points out with the solids:norty:
 
Anyone here or overseas using cast bullets in their 22 Hornet for thin skinned game such as squirrel or indeed with any other small calibre at significantly reduced loads??

Cheers

K

Thousands of them for most bore diameters and a crap load of different chamberings over the last 40 years. I have used them at minimum velocities (.310 round balls from a 30-06 for rabbits) to high velocity shooting like a 57 grain .225" bullet at 2800 fps. At the risk of sounding like the "know it all so and so" some people take me to be... What would you like to know??~Muir
 
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Thousands of them for most bore diameters and a crap load of different chamberings over the last 40 years. I have used them at minimum velocities (.310 round balls from a 30-06 for rabbits) to high velocity shooting like a 57 grain .225" bullet at 2800 fps. At the risk of sounding like the "know it all so and so" some people take me to be... What would you like to know??~Muir

Absolutly anthing I cannot consult c/o my Landis, Donaldson, Epps, Sharpe etc library.

Did I mention graphite wads??

Cheers

K
Ps:

Don't take certain ill-considered statements from SD members to heart. One of the faults we Brits oft' demonstrate is the capacity to be spitefully critical of anyone who offers assertive 'opinion'. This, in my humble opinion a result of too many years shackled to a Class System that ensured a person "knew their place" and that public demonstrations of learnedness; acquired at know less than the coalface of a subject, are considered both vulgar and immodest. So kick-back, grab a Wee Heavy and keep that keyboard finger prodding Mr. Muir!
 
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Absolutly anthing I cannot consult c/o my Landis, Donaldson, Epps, Sharpe etc library.

Did I mention graphite wads??

Cheers

K
Ps:

Don't take certain ill-considered statements from SD members to heart. One of the faults we Brits oft' demonstrate is the capacity to be spitefully critical of anyone who offers assertive 'opinion'. This, in my humble opinion a result of too many years shackled to a Class System that ensured a person "knew their place" and that public demonstrations of learnedness; acquired at know less than the coalface of a subject, are considered both vulgar and immodest. So kick-back, grab a Wee Heavy and keep that keyboard finger prodding Mr. Muir!

Thanks for that. I hang around JAYB too much to take offense to much. He is about offensive as a man can get and still be well liked!

I've read all the authors you mention but there have been quite a few refinements over the last few decades largely due to the experimenters in the Cast Bullet Association. What these authors considered "fine accuracy" with cast bullets would be considered down right mediocre today -even fired in period guns. Of course, molds are markedly better today. They aren't machined .005" oversize with the expectation that they would be sized down to fit!

In direct answer to your question, One of my favorite small game rifles was a #7 (small)Remington Rolling Block rifle fitted with a cast-off 1-14" twist barrel from a larger centerfire. With the Lyman #224-438 @ 46 grains, using an annealed gas check on a wheel weight bullet over SR-4759 I duplicated 22WMR loads with sub-MOA accuracy. With that powder I could load the same bullet from 1100 fps to 2000 fps. It was a real joy to shoot.~Muir
 
I've used the Lyman 55gr and the Lee Bator in a CZ hornet. The 22 Bator is too "round" to effectively feed from either the mag or hand. The Lyman feeds well but I didn't get great accuracy from either. Both with and without gas checks.
I now use them for subsonic only fox dispatch rounds.
 
Don't take certain ill-considered statements from SD members to heart. One of the faults we Brits oft' demonstrate is the capacity to be spitefully critical of anyone who offers assertive 'opinion'. This, in my humble opinion a result of too many years shackled to a Class System that ensured a person "knew their place" and that public demonstrations of learnedness; acquired at know less than the coalface of a subject, are considered both vulgar and immodest. So kick-back, grab a Wee Heavy and keep that keyboard finger prodding Mr. Muir!

Make sure to ask him about those heat treated bullets (hence the annealed gas check comment). Interesting stuff, and yes, it does work. And work quite well, actually.
 
I use a cast 60gn gas checked RCBS in .223 using 5.4 gns red dot, no filler. They come out at 1500fps.
 
Without to put a dampener on it UNLESS you have the lubricator and sizer and the lead melting equipment to hand you'll be OUT OF POCKET and far less save any money.

Performance wise a good quality cast bullet sized and lubed to the "ideal" diameter for the rifle is going to give you more than adequate accuracy for what you want. That is certain.

I used to commercially cast but went out of it after the pistol ban. I am starting o get back in slowly. But the cost! Luckily with my contacts I've sourced what I need in terms of most ancilliaries at almost give away prices. But if set off to do it from new it'll hurt.

One essential will be a neck expander for your Hornet cases to allow of lead bullets. Either a Lyman M Die or the RCBS equivalent with a flare.

There is however one type of old Lyman mould that doesn't require the bullet to be sized. Indeed it is designed to be used "as is and unsized". The Loverin style. You may be lucky and find an old one.

However an easier solution may be at hand!

Eley used to sell, in tins, for FAC rated air rifles what were, essentially, looking like unfinished .22 LR solid bullets. I got some from a well known air rifle centre in Nottingham near Radford Road about ten plus years ago.

If you can get those they would probably be ideal for you Hornet.
 
Anyone here or overseas using cast bullets in their 22 Hornet for thin skinned game such as squirrel or indeed with any other small calibre at significantly reduced loads??

Cheers

K
That'll be a big yes! But in .222 not the Hornet.
Oh yes, also in my 22-250, 243, 270, 7mm-08, 308, 30-06, Schmidt Rubin 7,5 x 55 ....shall I go on!
 
I've used the Lyman 55gr and the Lee Bator in a CZ hornet. The 22 Bator is too "round" to effectively feed from either the mag or hand. The Lyman feeds well but I didn't get great accuracy from either. Both with and without gas checks.
I now use them for subsonic only fox dispatch rounds.

I would have been surprised if you had gotten good accuracy from the CZ. Th 1-16" twist is a little slow for those long bullets, especially at reduced velocities.~Muir
 
Custom swaged .25 air rifle pellets to a perfect interference fit and kicked in the butt by a primer might be just the exitement I and my .22 Hornet are in need of!

K
 
Custom swaged .25 air rifle pellets to a perfect interference fit and kicked in the butt by a primer might be just the exitement I and my .22 Hornet are in need of!

K

You might get 500 fps. There is a 22 cartridge here in the US that uses a 20 grain bullet fired by the priming compound only. Make sure you have all the copper from your barrel before you start the experiment... and have a cleaning rod handy in case one gets stuck. Been there, done that! ~Muir
 
I would have been surprised if you had gotten good accuracy from the CZ. Th 1-16" twist is a little slow for those long bullets, especially at reduced velocities.~Muir

Yep, exactly why I didn't bother to waste primers and powder on prolonged testing. I've tried the same bullets in a 1 in 8 twist 223 and driven fairly hard, they weren't too bad accuracy wise.
The "Rabbit Magnum" pellet would probably be a better idea but I'd have thought leading will always be an issue...
 
Leading is not a problem with cast boolits as I have proven to my own satisfaction - 2650fps cast 160gr in my 7,62 Parker Hale 1200TX and in excess of 2000fps 55gr in my .222.
The right alloy and a good lube through a barrel completely free of copper fouling will do the job. Good boolit fit is also a pre-requisite.
 
I shoot (my own) cast in .223, 30-30, .303, .308, 45-70, .357 and others.

In .223 with 12" twist I have the Lyman 225462 mould, and a custom Lee mould based on their AK47 spitzer bullet, shrunk down.

Both are gas check designs and weight 58 to 60 grains so are probably unsuited to typical Hornet 14" twist barrels.

With 4 grains of Unique and a small pistol primer they replicate an HV .22LR round. But accuracy/repeatability is not as good as a decent .22LR round, and it is a lot of faff to make them so I can't be bothered any more.

With a stiffer charge of e.g 2400 you can match .22 WMR ballistics, but again, I don't find it worth the effort.

Klenchblaize I can send you some to try yourself, they will be sized .224. PM if interested.

Also see http://leverguns.com/articles/paco/22hornet.htm but engage skepticism filter, he writes a fine article but ...
 
Leading is not a problem with cast boolits as I have proven to my own satisfaction - 2650fps cast 160gr in my 7,62 Parker Hale 1200TX and in excess of 2000fps 55gr in my .222.
The right alloy and a good lube through a barrel completely free of copper fouling will do the job. Good boolit fit is also a pre-requisite.

An important facet of cast bullet shooting often overlooked by the "old time" authors when they discussed cast bullet shooting. Likewise, people generally shoot a bullet too small in diameter. The yarn about .001" over groove diameter might work, but .001" under throat diameter is a far surer key to success.~Muir
 
Anyone here or overseas using cast bullets in their 22 Hornet for thin skinned game such as squirrel or indeed with any other small calibre at significantly reduced loads??

Cheers

K

K - you need to get a nice little falling block chambered in 25-20... ;)

If you don't want to mess about casting and sizing your own bullets give Dave or Phil a call at Trueflight and see what they can offer.

Cheers.
 
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