Bolt action Hornet

Dogpopper

Dogpopper

New member
Hello everyone! I'm new here but, this has been my top sight for info. There's a lot of well educated individuals on here!

On to my question, anybody know of anybody manufacturing 22 Hornet in a bolt action besides Savage or Ruger. The Savage model 40 is a single shot and I'd rather have one with some sort of mag. I don't know much or have I heard much on the Ruger 77/22 Hornet.

Any opinions on the Ruger are welcome. Great board guys!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Dogpopper,

I have several Ruger rifles and one is a (77/22 VHZ) chambered in .22 Hornet. Right after I got it, I scoped it up and headed to the range. I did my normal break in and then headed to a good groundhog field. I was using 35 grain V-Max bullets and it was a ball to use. Quiet to shoot and no recoil at all. Hogs hit in the head were like Jell-O – only one body shot to see what it would do – bang and flop. I got 8 that night and went back a week or so later to get a few more. All of the shots were under 125 yards and it was lots of fun. Have since picked up a couple of .221 Fireballs and have been using them lately. I do plan to take the Hornet out again this spring.

Hawk
 
CZ builds a nice little Hornet called the 527, The only thing I don't like about it is they are using a 1-15 inch twist. That is not a major concern as long as you are using bulets such as the 35 Hornady or the short fat bullets made for the Hornet. Ruger uses a 1-14 twist as does the Savage. They all shoot pretty well.
 
i have an old savage 340 in 22 hornet. it's an old gun and take detachable mags. i really like it. it has an old 3x9 on it, haven't shot it in years. very accurate considering its over 30 years old and has seen it's fair share of use. my next hornet will be a barrel for my encore. 24in standard weight. btw....nothin wrong with a single shot. one shot one kill. savaga is a real shooter, especially with the accu-trigger.
 
CZ, Browning, Charles Daly, and Anschutz all make Hornets. I would recommend the CZ 527 American. The Brownings are suppose to be good as well but they only bring them in the country every couple of years or so. They are hard to find.

Welcome to the board.
 
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I think one thing that's important to keep in mind when buying a bolt action Hornet, is the bore diameter.
The CZ 527 Hornet has a .223 bore, as opposed to the standard .224 bore diameter of today's 22 centerfire rifles. So, bullet selection will be a consideration when, and if, you reload. I believe that some of the Anschutz Hornets were, or are, .223.
Something to think about.
Don
 
I'll 3rd. that. My 77/22H is the perfect truck gun.
As with most Rugers the trigger was the pits. I put a VQ sear and spring in it and it is better but still leaves alot to be desired. I'll probably change it out soon.
Good Luck
Charlie
 
I have an OLD bolt action Savage 23 in .22 hornet with a detachable mag. I wish they still made it, it's accurate as hell and a blast to shoot. It was given to my father in law around 70 years ago when he was a kid, and he gave it to me last year.
 
Thanks everyone for the input. The Browning is a little to pretty and shiny for my uses. Tommorrow I'm going to look at the CZ for comparison. I'll probably go with the Ruger though with the laminate stock and stainless barrel. I'll let you all know how it turns out.
 
The Ruger is a hit or miss proposition. Some shoot fantastic groups and others shoot patterns. I was told they only guarantee 3inch/50 yard group. Some would be lucky to shoot that well. The problems are manifold: poor bedding, lousy trigger, water pipe barrel, and most of all bad headspacing and the 2 piece bolt that will not lock up tight. There are fixes too all these. Rebed, shim the bolt, adjust trigger, etc.
On the other hand, they are a fantastic handling little gun, especially the little carbine length and the rotary magazine fitting flush is nice.
The CZ is a slick handling rifle. Neat little mini-mauser style. Set trigger is nice, protruding magazine is ugly in my opinion. Why on earth they are still boring at .223 is beyond me. They use the same barrels on other 22 calibers, so why not just put .224 barrel on them? Customer service's reply was "we are slow to change-we are a little behind everyone else". A little?! All other manufacturers since World War 2 have used .224. For all practical purposes, the .223 bore is not a problem as it shoots standard ammo just fine for most folks. The real annoyance is the 1/16 twist rate. Limits somewhat your bullet selection, but most bullets you would use in a hornet will work fine. I just got mine over Christmas and am fixing to do some load work for it. One bullet dismissed already is the 50grain TNT- it would not stabilize.
Probably the best all around would be the Microbolt Browning, but they can be hard to get ahold of.
 
You may want to look into a Kimber M82 Hornet, you will usually find a few over at the Gunsamerica website, Beautiful rifles but can be a little pricey.
gdc
 
I am gonna have to check out that .223 barrel bore in the CZ's. I shoot all types of .224 bullets in mine and it shoots great! They all need .223 bores.

I would agree on the Ruger being a hit or miss. I have shot 6 of the Ruger Hornets both sporter and HB verisons. None of them would shoot as well a my CZ. I love the look of the 77/22RH sporter but can't get them to shoot without spending more money on them. I wished I was as lucky as some of you Rugers owners out there.
 
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