The Versatile .22 Hornet

[paramilusmc]

I grew up hearing all kind of stories about my grandfather and his .22 hornet truck gun that probably killed more deer than I have ever seen in the woods. Just thinking this over, and considering the versatility of this caliber, from small game up to deer, why hasn't it been hailed as one of the top survival calibers to use? Ammo is light, not as available as say .22LR but they do stock it at Midway, and is still at or around a buck a round, but like anything you could stockpile it. What do you all think?

Ruger has come out with a modern gun in this caliber called the Ruger 7204 77/22. And of course there are later models out there on the market.

[SideSwipe]

It is a GREAT little round, but there are better little rounds out there, .223 for instance.

[Marlin 45 carbine]

savage made their over/under rifle/shotgun with that available, my dad had one. sold it and bought the .22lr over 20 ga combo for my mom to hunt small game and grouse with.
my dad shot his some, just sighting in but never took a deer w/it at least that I can remember, although we had a good bit of venison on the table.
the .22lr model was a fine shooter, very accurate w/iron sights and Win SuperX. mom kept it for several years and I used it myself when I began to hunt. took bushels of squacks w/head shots and more than a few rabbits with it also. and doves, quail and grouse.

[coolhandluke]

I have a 22 hornet, it is made by NEF, cheap, reliable one shot rifle, not quite a 223 but I paid 75 bucks for it. I have a hard time finding affordable ammo for it so I reload everything I have. I haven't taken anything with it but am thinking about knocking down the yote population with it.

[res45]

A Sav. 340 bolt gun in 22 Hornet was the first centerfire rifle I owned and reloaded for about 30 years ago. 40 gr. bullets came out of the muzzle at 2800+ fps. 52 gr. BTHP at about 2600+ fps. the rifle was deadly accurate and groundhogs we DOA out at 300 yds. Not bad for a rifle that used about 11 grs. of powder.

Hornet Ammo
http://www.aimsurplus.com/catalog.as...ame=.22+Hornet

[Al Diehl]

Just put deer in the freezer last week with mine. Best box stand gun I own. Quiet and effective. I have always waited until I could get a head shot.
In Wyoming it was one of the guns in my arsenal for Prairie Dog thru Fox.
Reloaded with a cast lead bullet it was capable of taking Cottontails and Blue Grouse with little damage.
I love my Hornet.

Al

p.s. I have the NEF Handy Rifle.

[Observer]

I had one in the H&R Topper model with a 3x8 Weaver scope. I had never seen a 3x8 Weaver before. I moved it along because there was no advantage to it over my Winchester 9422 Magnum.

[Al Diehl]

Originally Posted by Observer

I had one in the H&R Topper model with a 3x8 Weaver scope. I had never seen a 3x8 Weaver before. I moved it along because there was no advantage to it over my Winchester 9422 Magnum.

One advantage over any .22 Magnum here is that it is Deer legal. Plus, my reloads cost less than .22 Magnums which are not reloadable.

Al

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by paramilusmc

Just thinking this over, and considering the versatility of this caliber, from small game up to deer, why hasn't it been hailed as one of the top survival calibers to use?

Years back, when saner heads prevailed in the survivalist community, it used to be hailed as one of the top survival chamberings. And a lot of survival type guns were chambered in it.

It has long been a particular favorite of mine for it's efficiency and ability to get the job done relatively quietly compared to some larger cartridges. Being centerfire, it's more reliable than the rimfires. But in a lot of places, ammo is hard to find, which makes it mostly a handloader's round. Anyone who does much shooting should probably be handloading anyway, especially survivalists.

[Jerry D Young]

I'm a firm believer in the round as a small game round to conserve resources when it is feasable to have more than one or two hunting guns.

[res45]

[QUOTE=MikeK;3396185]Years back, when saner heads prevailed in the survivalist community, it used to be hailed as one of the top survival chamberings. And a lot of survival type guns were chambered in it.

M6 Air Crew Survival Weapon over and under 22LR or 22 Hornet over a 410.
http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/v-shrake/m6.html

http://www.perfectunion.com/vb/rifle...-22-410-a.html

[ColoAngus]

I love the .22 Hornet. Only problem if you don't reload, is ammo availability. Very cheap to shoot, and very accurate. Good upgrade is having the chamber modified to the K-Hornet.

Little extra care in reloading is necessary. I usually end of crushing a few cases when I load them.

[paramilusmc]

Originally Posted by SideSwipe

It is a GREAT little round, but there are better little rounds out there, .223 for instance.

Ever seen what a .223 will do to a rabbit?

[Stringer6]

Res45 i really like what you did with the springfield m6

[paramilusmc]

http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.as...ox&groupid=230

50 rounds for 19 bucks

[LuniticFringeInc]

Originally Posted by SideSwipe

It is a GREAT little round, but there are better little rounds out there, .223 for instance.

Got to agree with that as much as I love the dear little round. But then again I hand load my own ammo and can down load it to 1400 fps with a 50 gr bullet all the way up to max loads in the .223 that far exceed what the Hornet will produce. Factory ammo in the .223 is much cheaper too as well when compared to the 22 Hornet although not available in the milder loads. Still quiet the miser on the powder required and far more bullets available for use. Fire arm selection in the .223 far exceeds what is available in the Hornet as well giving one lots of options too!

That being said, I love the round but just cant justify owning one when the .223 has so much going for it.

[res45]

Originally Posted by Stringer6

Res45 i really like what you did with the springfield m6

Well wish I could take credit for that,would love to have one of those rifles but it's not my rifle or my post.

The 22 Hornet brings up a love hate relationship,I loved my 22 hornet and I hate it got stolen off the UPS truck so they say when I sent it back to the factory to have some work done on the bolt face,I was compensated for the loss but I'd rather have the rifle.

That was back in the mid 70's,I finally sold the dies about two years ago. I hope the rifle eventually ended up in the hands of some unknowing individual that is enjoying it as much as I did.

[Al Diehl]

Years ago a friend of mine traded me 500 rounds of Remington 45 grain Hollow point ammunition for an ice fishing auger (hand crank, $19.99). His Granny had bought the rounds for him because she thought the were the same as .22 LR. When he told her what she had done he tried to get her to take them back and she said "Aw, you'll find something to do with them".
Anyway, when I got them from him I did not have a Hornet at the time so, I went down to the Bi-Rite drugs store and sporting goods and bought a 2nd hand NEF.
I am stll using ammo from that trade and it's been about 13 years now. The rounds that I have used I reload so, I don't go through the factory ones too fast.
I had alway wanted one and that's how I finally got one. My next one will be a CZ 527.

Here is a pic of mine:


Be well my friends.
Al

p.s. How many of you know that the .22 Hornet started out as a black powder cartridge called the .22 Winchester Centerfire (WCF)?

[rice paddy daddy]

I've got a NEF Handi Rifle in 22 Hornet as well. I put a Walmart scope on it. The longest shot in my backyard woodlot would be 100 yards or less anyway.
I got mine mainly for coyote control. It's much, much, quieter than a .223, which is why I chose it.
I'm using the Remington 45 grain loads. Haven't fired it in anger yet, just at paper so far.
I'm an old fashioned guy, it's the only plastic stocked rifle I own.

[whirlibird]

The CZ 527 is an excellent choice, accurate, detachable magazine fed and stocked well.

As much as I like the Hornet, I prefer the .218 Bee. The cases last longer and are easy to make out of .25-20 and .32-20 (which I have plenty of).

Plus the Bee was available in the Marlin 1894 Classic carbine, even lighter and trimmer than most things the Hornet was available in.

But the Hornet can do 90% of what the .223 can do, especially when properly loaded. And while the cases aren't as available or cheap, you'll have a hard time wearing them out with low or standard pressure loads.