22 hornet bullets?

C

coloradocat

New member
i dont know much about reloading yet but i was looking for bullets at midway and some were labeled for the hornet.can you use any .224 diameter bullet or are you limited to those that are specificaly listed as 22 hornet?

thanks
 
In older 22 hornets the barrels were .223 and have to use hornet specific bullets. In newer rifles the barrels are .224. I can remember the exact year they switched I'm sure someone will chime in but I would say if your rifle was made in the last 20 years you will be able to use the .224 bullets.
 
Originally Posted By: jlutcher51In older 22 hornets the barrels were .223 and have to use hornet specific bullets. In newer rifles the barrels are .224. I can remember the exact year they switched I'm sure someone will chime in but I would say if your rifle was made in the last 20 years you will be able to use the .224 bullets.

No one has made a .223 dia Hornet barrel since the late 40's. Use 224 bullets, and they don't have to say "Hornet" on the box.
 
The reason some bullets are labeled as hornet bullets is they have a thinner jacket to expand reliably at hornet velocities, some of them come in .223 but most are .224, they will be labeled for diameter. Some of the .224 bullets for other cartridges will act like a full metal jacket at hornet speeds.
 
The top 3 bullets I'd suggest trying when reloading for your Hornet would be:

Speer 45gr spitzer soft point

Winchester 46gr hollow point

Hornady 40gr V-Max

These are not in any certain order, and I would go with whichever shoots the best out of your rifle.

Use Hodgdon Lil' Gun for powder & CCI small pistol primers with Winchester brass. You should be able to come up with something that shoots really good when following this recipe.

Good Luck & keep us posted! The Hornets are fun.
thumbup.gif
 
From the "for what it's worth" department, my new favorite Hornet load is a 35 grain V-Max in front of 13 grains of Lil' Gun and a Remington 6 1/2 primer. The 6 1/2's are getting scarce, so you'll probably have to substitute. Blackhawk43 is right on with the reason for the "Hornet" bullets. The V-Maxes take care of that little problem handily.
 
They seem to be right in the middle at .2235, so either bullet will work. My CZ really liked ,224 Hornady V Max in either 35 grain or 40 grain. The 35 grain V Mas is the most explosive Hornet bullet I have seen. The 40 grain had to be seated too deep in the case to function in the short mag. I sort of compromised and seated them out so that 3 would fit the mag without jamming. Currently having success loading the bulk Midsouth 34 grain Varmint Nightmare hp bullets. They shoot good on paper, but haven't tried them on varmints yet. For about $42/500 they are a deal.
 
I'm convinced that the Hornets will really shine with bullet weights in the 40 to 50 grain range. With the 45 & 46 grain bullets being the sweet spot!

My Ruger 77/22 is not a picky eater, though. It shoots the 35gr V-Max's pretty well, but they seem to drop rather quickly after about 125 yards. The 35's are not fur friendly when loaded with a case full of Lil' Gun.

These are just MY opinions that are based from MY experiences using MY rifle!

grin.gif
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top