.22 Hornet

Am I right in thinking that the very early hornets were designed to shoot .223 and not .224 bullets, can the .224’s be shot from a “.223” hornet?
The pre war model 70 is .224. Think the .223 ammo came out before a 22 Hornet rifle was in official production. The early .22 Hornet rifles were manufactured in small volumes from 223 rimfire barrels, but when the major manufacturers like Savage, Stevens and Winchester, caught up with the wildcatters they used 224 barrels.
 
Ps: If the Op does go for the Winchester; I believe I’ve seen it on Guntrader, please don’t have it screw cut for a moderator.

By all means have 2nd highly figured classic of lines stock made for it but refrain from ruining it with ear protection. Avoid putting a rail on it too!

K
 
Ps: If the Op does go for the Winchester; I believe I’ve seen it on Guntrader, please don’t have it screw cut for a moderator.

By all means have 2nd highly figured classic of lines stock made for it but refrain from ruining it with ear protection. Avoid putting a rail on it too!

K
This is my current and only rifle in .270. Moderators and synthetics aren’t my thing so fear not.
 

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Ps: If the Op does go for the Winchester; I believe I’ve seen it on Guntrader, please don’t have it screw cut for a moderator.

By all means have 2nd highly figured classic of lines stock made for it but refrain from ruining it with ear protection. Avoid putting a rail on it too!

K
This is my current and only rifle in .270. Moderators and synthetics aren’t my thing so
That could do with a custom leather sling but little else. Very nice rifle!

K
the short term plan is to nitre blue the extractor, the long term plan is to add a Els and Co thong end sling and a dark brown leather covered recoil pad.
 
I struggle to see how anyone walking about in the middle of the night shooting foxes or rabbits over farmland would ever be "caught out" if they carry on shooting lead, of course I wouldn't ever take anything shot with lead to a game dealer if everything goes belly up. But I will be super careful. Fingers crossed it will be some years off... maybe even get kicked into the long grass... stranger things have happened.
Simple night time traffic stop or someone calls in " suspected poachers " . I have been stopped at least half a dozen times at various venues , you expect it near major towns but i have been checked on pretty remote roads at night , at least three times real local in the last 10 years or so .
Cant say i approve but i will comply if the legislations comes out as lead is banned for all field and hunting the very day i have to ! £300 of bullets against loosing my licences and priveleges ? No brainer really IMHO !
 
Simple night time traffic stop or someone calls in " suspected poachers " . I have been stopped at least half a dozen times at various venues , you expect it near major towns but i have been checked on pretty remote roads at night , at least three times real local in the last 10 years or so .
Cant say i approve but i will comply if the legislations comes out as lead is banned for all field and hunting the very day i have to ! £300 of bullets against loosing my licences and priveleges ? No brainer really IMHO !
I understand your viewpoint and agree with it 99%.
I still think I'll use what I have bullet wise. If a lead ban comes in many will continue in the same fashion until their stocks are gone.
My shooting is on the doorstep, and for the life of me, I can't see that in the highly unlikely event that I did get stopped by the local plod I would come across as such a complete dick that they would feel the need to check what type of ammunition I was using. They probably wouldn't even want to look at any rifle I may have because they wouldn't know one end from another. But I am in rural Norfolk
 
Love mine ! However its going to be an issue with none toxic. regarding mag length and twist rate . A CZ hornet and most are 1-16 twist
Considering my options especially as i can down load the 223 , perhaps i will buy a 17 hornet barrel ? Other than that i suspect it will be sold if its a lead use ban and not a lead selling ban ( because i have a lot of bullets)
The .17 Hornet is a good little cartridge for rabbits. Foxes, well it gives a bit more than a HMR but is lacking when compared to the .22H I think. I've just gone up another step to a .17 Fireball and am interested to see how that handles them. I suspect it still won't be great, but then it's closer to a .17Rem which is acceptable. The smaller you go, the more the choice of bullet and shot placement seems to matter. Even hitting a rib can change the outcome.
 
The .17 Hornet is a good little cartridge for rabbits. Foxes, well it gives a bit more than a HMR but is lacking when compared to the .22H I think. I've just gone up another step to a .17 Fireball and am interested to see how that handles them. I suspect it still won't be great, but then it's closer to a .17Rem which is acceptable. The smaller you go, the more the choice of bullet and shot placement seems to matter. Even hitting a rib can change the outcome.
Those fox ribs can upset even the 17 Rem at times, been there more than once since I got the first 17 Rem to arrive in the UK in 1972, I think.
Ken.
 
I have seen two. One is a 1936 Winchester model 70 and the other a Ziegenhahn and Sohn which would be a similar vintage I imagine.
Just be aware the 1936 rifles will likely have a .223 bore not a .224….

.22 hornet is a great calibre to shoot, vermin and close range (<200 yards) foxes are its bread and butter, knocks the socks off of HMR
 
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That wasn’t something I hadn’t considered actually, if lead is banned, will the .22 hornet be rendered useless or are there certain non lead loads that would work in a 1:16 barrel?
Barnes do a 30gn varmint grenade which is a copper jacket with pressed tin powder inside.
 
Its interesting to note on these forums that the Hornet, & to a lesser the .22 LR & .222, just dont go away, they were meant to be superseded by faster flatter rounds, but still they have a devoted following, with more & more folks enquiring after them. Long may it continue.
Indeed so - anyone who has bought a triple deuce will know exactly why it will never go away…..
🦊🦊
 
As someone who was looking for a new .22 Hornet I found it worrying that Sako, Tikka and CZ no longer provide rifles this caliber
 
sako tikka and CZ pass them over, plenty of other makes out there, Anschutz and weihrauch are probably the best out there, Ruger do a single shot I believe also, i ordered one by weihrauch last year had to wait 8 weeks but it’s worth it, faultless piece of kit
 
Barnes do a 30gn varmint grenade which is a copper jacket with pressed tin powder inside.
In my .22 hornet std twist , it was hitting a 50 yard target sideways and most of the shots missed the entire A4 target ! cant get any worse than that - my Hornet will do 1/4 moa on an easy day at 200 yards and i would call a ( 3" group ) not to great at same range and me just having an off day !
Barnes actually suggest 1-8 twist or faster and a std .22 hornet is 1-16 twist !
 
In my .22 hornet std twist , it was hitting a 50 yard target sideways and most of the shots missed the entire A4 target ! cant get any worse than that - my Hornet will do 1/4 moa on an easy day at 200 yards and i would call a ( 3" group ) not to great at same range and me just having an off day !
Barnes actually suggest 1-8 twist or faster and a std .22 hornet is 1-16 twist !

Yikes!

I’ve not tried them yet myself but I guess I may have to moderate my expectations a bit then!

Mine will shoot a thumbnail size group with the 35gn VMAX at 100y easy - it’s hilariously accurate.
 
Yikes!

I’ve not tried them yet myself but I guess I may have to moderate my expectations a bit then!

Mine will shoot a thumbnail size group with the 35gn VMAX at 100y easy - it’s hilariously accurate.
Have you tried 200 plus with 35 v max ? its laughable rubbish in most hornets , there are better by far but the varmint grenades really shocked me though, I expect better from a 22 smoothbore and have even achieved what one might call a group with the smooth bore
 
Had a very good eve or two with friends sako hornet ridding a farm of their cats (plentiful) it was a lovely rifle with very yellow wood with nice patina, no idea what model but a good cat stopper and pre mod days so nice and quite. Pleasing😊
 
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