.22 hornet

[jmwaide]

My mother just gave me a .22 hornet that belonged to her previous husband. Has anyone shot this gun or used it on coyotes? How good is it for yotes? Has anyone reloaded this cartridge? I went to the store to pick up some ammo and a box was $50. I was shocked. I tried to find some lee dies for it but the store I was at didn't have any. I don't know very much about this round and trying to get some info on it. Thanks!

[hillbilli]

.22 hornet is an older round. not really "rare", but not super common either. If you reload it can be cheap to shoot, if you dont you may have to hunt for ammo- and maybe it becomes a family heirloom gun that you shoot once in a great while- when you can find ammo. think of it as squarely in between the .22 magnum and the .223 rem. 45 gr @ 2700-2800fps is common. (yeah, it will kill coyotes)  Flat enough shooting to be a 200 yd varmint gun, with less blast and noise than .223.. here s link to a decent article..http://gunsmagazine.com/the-22-hornet/

[BigGoonTuna]

did you check the round count on the box?  most of the times i've seen .22 hornet, they seem to come in 50 round boxes, that'd explain the high cost.

[Bill W]

I have a .22 Hornet and used it over the years on rockchucks and coyotes.   It's a good short range (150 yards and under) coyote gun and doesn't mess up any fur.   I bought my first one (Model 43 Winchester) in 1967 for $57.

[Jeeper]

I have a 12" 22 Hornet barrel for my TC Contender. My favorite to shoot! Most accurate Contender barrel I have. Crazy at a buck a round though. Very cheap to reload. I use 'Lil Gun' powder and 35 or 40 grain V Max.

[Heredoggydoggy]

I bought an old .22 hornet a couple of years ago, and got a reamer to change it to a K-Hornet.  Gives a bit more powder capacity than the standard Hornet case. Good cartridge.  A friend just got a new Ruger in .17 Hornet but hasn't shot it yet.  If they ever make a .20 Hornet, I'm there.  I love those .20's...

[jmwaide]

Thanks for the info everyone!

did you check the round count on the box?  most of the times i've seen .22 hornet, they seem to come in 50 round boxes, that'd explain the high cost.

No I didn't check. I thought about that right after I left, but it still seemed a little spendy.

I have a 12" 22 Hornet barrel for my TC Contender. My favorite to shoot! Most accurate Contender barrel I have. Crazy at a buck a round though. Very cheap to reload. I use 'Lil Gun' powder and 35 or 40 grain V Max.

I reload a little bit. I haven't reloaded a lot though. I'm just now getting into it.

I have a .22 Hornet and used it over the years on rockchucks and coyotes.   It's a good short range (150 yards and under) coyote gun and doesn't mess up any fur.   I bought my first one (Model 43 Winchester) in 1967 for $57.

I did a little research. The .22 hornet is a winchester model 54. I looked up the serial number and it was made in 1934. Really cool!

[Bill W]

I did a little research. The .22 hornet is a winchester model 54. I looked up the serial number and it was made in 1934. Really cool!
[/quote]

Let's hope your Model 54 is not "bubba'd" and as manufactured.   It's a collector rifle.

[porcupine]

 Might want to determine what bullet diameter you need.  Older guns generally have a slower twist rate of 1-16" (or one turn in every 16 inches of barrel length) for lighter bullets with a .223 caliber dimension. Newer guns feature a faster 1-14" twist in the .224 bore diameter. Not sure of the date they changed, but you should be able to figure the twist rate. If you need the .223 bullets you might need to reload. I've never noticed .223 factory loaded ammo, but I have seen .223 HORNET bullets. 

[Bill W]

Both .223 and .224 diameter Hornet bullets used to be available.   Based on what I've learned shooting cast bullets I'd say a .224 bullet could be shot down a .223 barrel provided the load was worked up.   I wouldn't shoot a max pressure .223 load and substitute a .224 bullet.   In cast bullets I shoot a .314 base diameter bullet down a .308 barrel.

My dad did have a .223 diameter Hornet and the one I bought was a Model 43 which was a .224 diameter.   His was a Savage 219 if I remember correctly, heavy target barrel and an oval chamber.   We took it back once we discovered the oval chamber as it buggered up cases.

[Heredoggydoggy]

Natchez Shooters Supply lists Sierra .22 Hornet bullets in .223 and .224 diameter.

[Don Fischer]

Seem's to me, converting to a K Hornet would be the way to go. Doesn't going with the K Hornet gige a shoulder to headspace on rather than the rim?

[Heredoggydoggy]

Seem's to me, converting to a K Hornet would be the way to go. Doesn't going with the K Hornet gige a shoulder to headspace on rather than the rim?

No,  It just blows the shoulder out to increase the powder capacity.  Seems to make the case last a bit longer for reloading, too. The conversion is a simple matter, too. Just a few turns by hand with a K-reamer, and it's done.  Got to be careful to get the right length on the shoulder.  I have a fired case from a buddy's K-Hornet to gage the shoulder.  Oddly, there is no brass in K-Hornet available.  You get the brass by firing standard Hornet ammo in the K chamber.  Reloading dies in K-Hornet are available.  You also need a #22 shell holder for the small case head.  I did some research on the K-Hornet, and found that there have been 4 variations of the K-Hornet over the years, the most recent in 1954.  The reamer I got is the one Cooper uses in his custom guns.  I think my gun is an old one, with a .223 bore, and I determined that the twist is 1 in 16, making it not much of a tack driver, but a good truck gun.  I'd love to get a more modern Hornet and K it, or just get a gun chambered in K-Hornet.  (I think Ruger Chambers a gun in K-Hornet.)  Sorry for the rambling post...

P.S.  Shooting Hornet ammo in a K chamber doesn't seem to bother accuracy!

[Bill W]

Kimber of Oregon chambered some .22K Hornets and .17 Ackley Hornets.    I have one of each to go with my Model 43 standard Hornet.   The K Hornet had a 14 inch twist barrel to stabilize longer bullets.

[Heredoggydoggy]

The new .17 Hornet is similar to the Ackley Hornet except that the shoulder angle is different.  I already have a .17 Fireball, so a .17 Hornet would be redundant for me.  But if they ever make a .20 Hornet, my arm would be twisted.  I love those 20's!