T/C Contender Hornet?

Matt N.

Matt N.

New member
I just obtained a 12" 22 Hornet barrel for my Contender. I would appreciate any loading tips or pet loads. I have on hand 296, lil Gun, Winchester, Remington 7.5, and Federal primers, Nosler, Hornady, and Blitzking 40 grain Bullets.
Thanks.
Matt
 
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You got all you need. Except brass. I haven't used any of those powders. I used H110 cause that is what I had on hand. I hear most people use lil gun. Those 40 gr blitz or V max are the ticket and you won't be disappointed.
 
Reloading tips: brass is thin, be careful when sizing so you don't ding the case mouth. Try small pistol primers as these normally give best accuracy. Make sure your powder charges are accurate, as small variences are significant in a small capacity cartridge. It is reported that a firm crimp is beneficial to accuracy and my gun prefers a moderately firm crimp. (I used a Lee Factory crimp die FWIW). Lil Gun is an excellent & probably the most popular powder in the Hornet - high velocities and low pressure. Another good bullet is the 35 gr. VMax.

Appreciate the Hornet for what it is (200-250 yard, almost no recoil, low report, powder mizer, & a blast to shoot) but don't try to make it into a 22-250. 3000 fps is possible with the 35-40 gr. bullets but work your way up if you want this kind of velocity.
 
40 gr. Nosler BT, 9.0 gr. H-110, CCI400, Win Brass. Works well for Marmot shooting in Colorado. I took quite a few when I lived there. Most shots were 100 yds. or less, 1 shot kills.
 
I would caution you against using a small pistol primers in a contender. I have to used Remington 51/2 's in mine and you get some primer leakage regularly. the small pistol primers work fine in my bolt action .22 Hornet.Regular small rifle primers work fine in a contender and I believe you need the stronger primers because when you close the gun up there's just a little bit of space between the back of the barrel and the frame . The stronger rifle primer prevents the leakage and resolved the issues I was having. The Rem 7 1/2' s you have are magnum primers and might be a little much for a hornet.
 
I have had a 10" Hornet barrel for my Contender. I eventually traded it off for something else. I remembered how much fun it was to shoot and picked up this one. Unfortunately I did not save any load data. I do remember I never felt the need to try small pistol primers, and Lil Gun was not around then. After going through my bullet stash I found that I have some 30 gr Berger hps. I may have to experiment with those a bit.
 


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