The quest for the perfect 40gr 22 Hornet bullet
- Thread starter thepie
- Start date
Back in the day when youthful enthusiasm was at a high I oft' considered promoting a "22 Hornet Rifle Owners Club of Great Britain". It never got beyond a few ideas for the Club's insignia but in hindsight it at least attests to my love of the cartridge!
Perhaps someone in 2026 might consider picking up the challenge and with a view to an inaugural sporting rifle competition at Bisley based on the BSRC "stalkers test" or some such?
Just a thought.
K
Perhaps someone in 2026 might consider picking up the challenge and with a view to an inaugural sporting rifle competition at Bisley based on the BSRC "stalkers test" or some such?
Just a thought.
K
See if you can find those Speer 40gr SP I mentioned at the start of this post. I know Midway in the US has them at a really good price, maybe somewhere in the UK might too. You could be reloading for 40p or less.
Doh.
That is meant to say at 10 mph wind at 200 yards the wind drift is 14 inches. This is where I am coming from when I say terrible in the wind.
The 40 gr sierras have a slightly better BC but they are going slower so will be on par with the 35s.
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No, 14” at 200 yards 10 mph, it was a typo, you are right the 40 isn’t much better.
I disagree that comparing it to .223 isn’t of value, you asked me “how shocking” they were in the wind so I put some figures to it. The .223AI figures give a valid comparison for context as something not shocking.
.22 hornet is fantastic at shorter range or further if there is no wind. Not sure if @Fox Red is still on here but he was reliably shooting rabbits at 300 with his, in the right conditions, from memory with 40 gr tipped bullets.
Unless you start loading higher BC tipped bullets as single loaded or tweaking the mag, you can’t really improve it. Heavier, stubby, low BC bullets don’t offer much improvement due to the loss in velocity counteracting the higher BC.
If you want a better bullet in the wind then a higher BC bullet at higher speed from a .223 or .222 with 10-13 grains more powder is a better option.
If you are willing to accept the limitations of the .22 hornet for what it is, rather than turn it into something it is not, it’s a great little cartridge.
Bo Diddley
Well-Known Member
Perfectly said, Mr Sharps 
If you reload already and have the kit then I would bother, you’ll get 500 rounds out of a pound of powder. It’s one of the few rounds you can still save decent money loading for and will generally shrink your groups too. My first CZ527 hornet would reliably put 10 rounds touching at 100 yards.
Don’t know how many pairs of hands it had been through before me but I put thousands of rounds through it and eventually killed the barrel. Probably still my favourite gun to have owned!
indeed but 13grains more powder is another round of 22 hornet to shoot
works for me 150 yards is a long way in the dark and shooters skill after that is just as much a factor as BC, velocity, and weather conditions.
Exactly, this is what I am saying, if you accept it for what it is, it’s hard to beat!indeed but 13grains more powder is another round of 22 hornet to shoot
works for me 150 yards is a long way in the dark and shooters skill after that is just as much a factor as BC, velocity, and weather conditions.
If I wasn’t loading the .223 for less than I can load hornet then I’d still have mine, when the cheap .223 powder is all burned up I’ll get another.
do try some heavier bullets 40 and 45 , better in the wind and higher energy . with respect I have never done that well past the 35vmax at much over 100 , indeed i think i have had a couple of boxes of them in stock for a few years .
What bothers me just a bit, is that no-one has tested the 40gr spire point Speer .224 bullets yet. I suspect they will be quite good. If any of you UK shooters would like to build a ladder and chrono them specifically then the "22 Hornet Rifle Owners Club of Great Britain" would be most appreciative. 
I have seen them for sale in several online locations - will list these below (maybe mods will allow).
*promise I have no affiliation to Speer, they simply don't import the 40gr to South Africa.
I have seen them for sale in several online locations - will list these below (maybe mods will allow).
*promise I have no affiliation to Speer, they simply don't import the 40gr to South Africa.
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
Speer here were popular in the 90's. I used them all the time. My dealer had an extensive range in stock . But not the one you wish to try. I only tried a Speer spire point.What bothers me just a bit, is that no-one has tested the 40gr spire point Speer .224 bullets yet. I suspect they will be quite good. If any of you UK shooters would like to build a ladder and chrono them specifically then the "22 Hornet Rifle Owners Club of Great Britain" would be most appreciative.
I have seen them for sale in several online locations - will list these below (maybe mods will allow).
*promise I have no affiliation to Speer, they simply don't import the 40gr to South Africa.
Nosler and Hornady became very popular with those silly plastic tip things.
Somebody said " better BC" and that was it for normal bullets! Well apart from a few of us that just rolled our eyes.
I don't build ladders, I just borrow some if I need some.
Admins Please delete if not allowed.
UK locations:
Speer .22 Cal (.224") 40Gr Varmint SP Soft Point Bullets - 1017 | The Countryman Of Derby (out of stock)
www.brownells.co.uk
UK locations:
Speer .22 Cal (.224") 40Gr Varmint SP Soft Point Bullets - 1017 | The Countryman Of Derby (out of stock)
SPEER BULLET .22 .224 40GR SPIRE SP
The Speer Bullet .22 .224 40gr Spire SP offers exceptional accuracy and reliable expansion, making it ideal for varmint hunting and target shooting.
Bo Diddley
Well-Known Member
I've tested many in my Hornet.
#1 Sierra 40grn SP: Good touching groups, excellent penetration, no "splashes"
#2 Hornady 35grn Vmax: Good touching groups, have had numerous "Splashes"
#3 Hornady 45grn Hornet SP. OK.
#4 Hornady 40grn Vmax: decent 3/4" groups, pain to take the tips off so they feed from the mag, I grind them off with a small belt sander.
#5 Sierra 45grn SP, 3/4" groups
Well down the list is the Spire 40grn SP, and the Spire Spitzer, they wouldn't group well enough for me, all used with Lil'gun and CCI srp.
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Bo Diddley
Well-Known Member
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
It was them that I tried but they weren't fantastic.Admins Please delete if not allowed.
UK locations:
Speer .22 Cal (.224") 40Gr Varmint SP Soft Point Bullets - 1017 | The Countryman Of Derby (out of stock)
SPEER BULLET .22 .224 40GR SPIRE SP
The Speer Bullet .22 .224 40gr Spire SP offers exceptional accuracy and reliable expansion, making it ideal for varmint hunting and target shooting.
not good, i have 300 to try asap.
Any excuse!
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K
⁹K
Overlay
Well-Known Member
I’ve tried many makes of ammunition homeload and factory, I always come back to hornady 35 grn, which was until I tried and used Winchester 50 grn hollow point the same in soft point wouldn’t reload from the mag
Nice load and done the job superbly, as KB my use for the caliber is foxes out to a 100 as per the zero
Nice load and done the job superbly, as KB my use for the caliber is foxes out to a 100 as per the zero
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