22 Hornet, voyage of discovery...

[Acm]

13 grains fits with room to spare in my mates ppu and hornady .22H brass.
@Bowland blades not wanting to teach you to suck eggs but if I was in your position I’d check my scales against some others. Sounds like you might be throwing slightly higher loads.

 

[Smellydog]

13 grains fits with room to spare in my mates ppu and hornady .22H brass.
@Bowland blades not wanting to teach you to suck eggs but if I was in your position I’d check my scales against some others. Sounds like you might be throwing slightly higher loads.

Or he is just pooping his pants at the very thought of brimming the case!

 

[Bowland blades]

13 grains fits with room to spare in my mates ppu and hornady .22H brass.
@Bowland blades not wanting to teach you to suck eggs but if I was in your position I’d check my scales against some others. Sounds like you might be throwing slightly higher loads.

Oh , there is defo nothing wrong with my scales i have been loading 22 hornet a lot over a lot of years . I suggest you fill a case up , tap the base to settle and then tip the charge and weigh it . This is how i would start working on a new to me case in hornet , however i also refer to others . Dont know how many hornet i have loaded but its a lot over the last teens of years ? I do have the compleate data book from all the hornet supplies of powder manufactures . Winchester cases have the highest fill , PPU are the lowest fill ( you can compress Lilgun as its actually a very small grain 410 shotgun powder ) I think this is where these thoughts are comming from . You will increase pressure without ( and this is from extensive chrono tests i carried out over a decade ago ) get significant gain in velocity . I tested loads from quite low fill levels to brim full and although i brough velocity to a more even velocity - I found that i got quite a few high velocity shots off low fills ( all the extra powder made things more consistent though ) last fact isnt surprising because its actually a shotgun powder . When you run enough 22 hornet strings over a chrono you learn a lot about this little cartridge ( most of it will surprise )
I have three different scales and i regulary calibrate them . However i actually throw all my 22 hornet rounds now without any weight checking! Seeking the highest velocities is crazy in this cartridge ! But a 222 or 223 if that's the agenda .
Great little cartridge but i fear it will not last after the use of lead in its 22 version at least . Brilliant on Ground game , crows and such to 2-250 yards . Can send it further but i dont recommend it the wind dope at 10 mph fv runs 5.6 fv 10 mph at 200 yards , off memory . 140 zero needs +2 moa ( approx 4" ) . Knocks the spots of HV .22lr but its no place close to the 222 / 223. Get ready to loose it along with lead though unless we win a small caliber lead exemption

 

[Bowland blades]

13 grains fits with room to spare in my mates ppu and hornady .22H brass.
@Bowland blades not wanting to teach you to suck eggs but if I was in your position I’d check my scales against some others. Sounds like you might be throwing slightly higher loads.

Just re- read this " mates gun ? "

 

[Acm]

Just re- read this " mates gun ? "

Yes, his gun, his brass and components, my reloading bench

 

[hammo]

Right, back on track with the thread; as I think we have firmly established what I already discovered - MOST folks can get 13gr of Lil gun in a PPU case.
Now that I have put maybe forty rounds down the barrel, the pits are looking much less pronounced. They weren't too shocking or numerous, but have definately mellowed out now. I can only presume that I have scrubbed the worse of the crud out.
I worked for a farmer in my early teens who was something of a wheeler dealer in firearms, mostly shotgun. He always maintained the best way to clean a barrel was to shoot it. We found an ancient martini actioned 22lr in the back of one of his sheds once, you could barely see through the bore; we rodded it through then pumped a dozen rounds through it in quick succession, she was good to go and we used to plink cans in the farmyard after milking in the summer. God bless him he has passed now, and I hope he is wandering those cloudy fields above, looking to walk up a snipe with his old lab at his heel.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Hadn’t shot my 22 Hornet for what must be nearly 2-years due to workload but that changed yesterday. It must be that long as when looking at the 100 yard target through the scope set at 18-power there was a faint but very distracting second crosshair. Having loosened and adjusted the ocular lens until the aberration disappeared I proceeded to shoot a 5-shot group from a clean & cold barrel with all shots touching. The group was given of a degree of vertical dispersion but it’s not a problem.

Load details as follows:

a. 13 grains of LilGun Powder
b. Federal Small Pistol Primer
c. 35g V-Max Bullet
d. Crimping with a Lee factor crimp die.

K

 

[kenbro]

I’ve settled on 12.5 of Lil’gun for both 40 grain Sierra BT and 35 grain Hornady NTX in my 14 twist Hornet because it’s the most accurate load in my gun.
No idea on external ballistics.
Ken.
PS. Pics Mr. K or it didn’t happen. .

 

[Klenchblaize]

PS. Pics Mr. K or it didn’t happen. .

OK so now I’ve actually studied the target with reading glasses firmly affixed I can see I fibbed but not by much:

Thanks for prompting me to look as one or two clicks left wouldn’t do any harm.

Best

K

 

[kenbro]

OK so now I’ve actually studied the target with reading glasses firmly affixed I can see I fibbed but not by much:
View attachment 315909
Thanks for prompting me to look as one or two clicks left wouldn’t do any harm.

Best

K

Wish all mine were likewise.
Ken.

 

[308rws]

Just out of curiosity, what scope do owners find works best on their 22 Hornet?

 

[mealiejimmy]

There's no "best" scope for the hornet (or for any other calibre) - it rather depends on what sort of ranges you are going to shoot at and how much magnification you prefer.
Given that the hornet is realistically a 200 yard max gun then, IMHO. high magnification scopes like 6-24 and 8-32 are not optimum - although I'm sure others will disagree
I'd be looking at something small and compact rather than big and heavy
BTW evolutionary psychology is pseudoscience - it's claims are untestable


Cheers

Bruce

 

[kenbro]

3-9 x 40 with parallax, works okay with NV when needed.
Ken.

 

[Ratel]

8x56 S&B perfect out to 200yds. Fill PPU case with Lilgun, add Sierra or PPU 45gr, look out!! any targeted creature.

 

[Wink]

CZ 527 American, 13grains lilgun, small pistol primer, light crimp. 35gr Vmax for fox. 40gr works but single feed or mod the mag same with 40gr Varmageddon.

45gr Sierra SP key holded in mine at 100m so use mainly on headshot rabbits but for all round 35gr Vmax is my go to.

Enjoy!

 

[Bowland blades]

There's no "best" scope for the hornet (or for any other calibre) - it rather depends on what sort of ranges you are going to shoot at and how much magnification you prefer.
Given that the hornet is realistically a 200 yard max gun then, IMHO. high magnification scopes like 6-24 and 8-32 are not optimum - although I'm sure others will disagree
I'd be looking at something small and compact rather than big and heavy
BTW evolutionary psychology is pseudoscience - it's claims are untestable


Cheers

Bruce

at 200 yards your dealing with a fair old bit of drop and wind with the 22 hornet, to go further can be done but it really needs to be perfect conditions . off memory ( i havent dialed the hornet in a few seasons now so going off memory ) needs 2 moa std drop and 10 mph FV wind is 5.6 moa 45 grain Sierra Hornet bullet . I have shot further in great conditions but it
I no longer dial the hornet in on live quarry that rifle now wears a 6x42 and i asses the shot carefully before i put it in the shoulder.
Its a very good rifle for sitting out for Cubs moderates really well

 

[Smellydog]

Never understood the small pistol primer thing and hornet reloaders.

 

[Len the dog]

Never understood the small pistol primer thing and hornet reloaders.

A carton of 1000 were:-

a) cheap
b) available

 

[Smellydog]

A carton of 1000 were:-

a) cheap
b) available

Fair enough.

 

[Len the dog]

I think the shop I bought them from must be unaware of that new fangled thing called ‘The Internet’, because I got 1000 primers for just over 60 quid and two pounds of Lil Gun at £36 each a couple of months ago.