Winchester Hornet Ammunition |General Discussions & Questions|Forum|Winchester Collector

Jim F in CT said
Some interesting facts I’ve learned . . . .
I was once invited to magazine writer, Ken Waters’ home in New Canaan, Ct., to discuss, or “hash over” some of his . . . .and my own . . . .findings about the Hornet cartridge.
I had found an excellent load for my 1939-era, M70, but Ken had found accuracy to be extremely “illusive” in his.
We both agreed that the Hercules #2400 powder was developed for use in the Hornet, but we had both found it to be “not quite right” in our loadings.
My most success was with the now unavailable Winchester #680 powder (now called #1680 by Accurate) . . . and Ken seemed to dislike the Hornet “in general”.
And just as an “FYI” . . .my rifle has a .223” groove diameter. (Just for giggles, I tried some “normal” .224” and actually noticed my groups enlarged . . .slightly!)
Anyhoo . . .This Hornet cartridge makes for some extremely cost-effective shooting!
  

I have been shooting (and reloading) the 22 Hornet for nearly 60-years now.  My dad got me started shooting an old converted Winchester Single Shot rifle that was rebarreled & chambered for 22 Hornet in the summer of 1966.  Because he was a dedicated reloader, we reloaded everything possible.  At that time, he was using 2400, but we also tried IMR 4227 as well.  As I gained my own experience (and acquired different rifles), I discovered that a load that will shoot well in one rifle very seldom ever shoots well in a different rifle… the 22 Hornet is a finicky cartridge, and it needs to be adjusted (tweaked) to each rifle. 

Having said that, in recent times, Hodgdon’s Lil’Gun powder has been my “go to” for reloading the 22 Hornet and the 22 K-Hornet.  What I have discovered is that an absolute case full (light compression) is what works best.  I have also discovered that different case types (Remington, Winchester, Hornady, etc.) have different internal case capacities, and that mixing brass types should be avoided at all costs if you are seeking best accuracy.  Because the case types are different in their internal volume, it requires that a different amount powder be used to achieve best accuracy, and it can be as much as a 1.0 grain difference.  To give you an example, I load W-W Super cases with 12.5 grains of Lil’gun under a 40-gr V-Max, but if I am loading R-P cases, I use 13.0 grains of Lil’Gun with the same bullet, and those two loads are for the same rifle.  If I switch rifles, or bullet weights, I again have two different loads for it using the different brass types.

Because I have four different Hornet rifles, I have labeled all of my dozens of ammo boxes and brass for each rifle.  I also use an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of which loads shoot best in each rifle, and what brass type I am using for each rifle and load. Currently, I have 5,000+ Hornet cases, most of which is R-P but I now have a substantial amount of W-W Super.  Because I have separate brass for each rifle, I neck size only when reloading it, and that helps extend the case life.

So in summary, Yes the 22 Hornet cartridge can be challenging to find a load that shoots lights out, but with some patience and experimenting, superbly accurate loads can be achieved for your rifle.

Bert – a.k.a. Mr. Hornet!

Jim F in CT said

Bert H. said

Jim F in CT said
Some interesting facts I’ve learned . . . .
I was once invited to magazine writer, Ken Waters’ home in New Canaan, Ct., to discuss, or “hash over” some of his . . . .and my own . . . .findings about the Hornet cartridge.
I had found an excellent load for my 1939-era, M70, but Ken had found accuracy to be extremely “illusive” in his.
We both agreed that the Hercules #2400 powder was developed for use in the Hornet, but we had both found it to be “not quite right” in our loadings.
My most success was with the now unavailable Winchester #680 powder (now called #1680 by Accurate) . . . and Ken seemed to dislike the Hornet “in general”.
And just as an “FYI” . . .my rifle has a .223” groove diameter. (Just for giggles, I tried some “normal” .224” and actually noticed my groups enlarged . . .slightly!)
Anyhoo . . .This Hornet cartridge makes for some extremely cost-effective shooting!
  

I have been shooting (and reloading) the 22 Hornet for nearly 60-years now.  My dad got me started shooting an old converted Winchester Single Shot rifle that was rebarreled & chambered for 22 Hornet in the summer of 1966.  Because he was a dedicated reloader, we reloaded everything possible.  At that time, he was using 2400, but we also tried IMR 4227 as well.  As I gained my own experience (and acquired different rifles), I discovered that a load that will shoot well in one rifle very seldom ever shoots well in a different rifle… the 22 Hornet is a finicky cartridge, and it needs to be adjusted (tweaked) to each rifle. 
Having said that, in recent times, Hodgdon’s Lil’Gun powder has been my “go to” for reloading the 22 Hornet and the 22 K-Hornet.  What I have discovered is that an absolute case full (light compression) is what works best.  I have also discovered that different case types (Remington, Winchester, Hornady, etc.) have different internal case capacities, and that mixing brass types should be avoided at all costs if you are seeking best accuracy.  Because the case types are different in their internal volume, it requires that a different amount powder be used to achieve best accuracy, and it can be as much as a 1.0 grain difference.  To give you an example, I load W-W Super cases with 12.5 grains of Lil’gun under a 40-gr V-Max, but if I am loading R-P cases, I use 13.0 grains of Lil’Gun with the same bullet, and those two loads are for the same rifle.  If I switch rifles, or bullet weights, I again have two different loads for it using the different brass types.
Because I have four different Hornet rifles, I have labeled all of my dozens of ammo boxes and brass for each rifle.  I also use an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of which loads shoot best in each rifle, and what brass type I am using for each rifle and load. Currently, I have 5,000+ Hornet cases, most of which is R-P but I now have a substantial amount of W-W Super.  Because I have separate brass for each rifle, I neck size only when reloading it, and that helps extend the case life.
So in summary, Yes the 22 Hornet cartridge can be challenging to find a load that shoots lights out, but with some patience and experimenting, superbly accurate loads can be achieved for your rifle.
Bert – a.k.a. Mr. Hornet!
  

AMEN! Mr. Hornet . . .I agree TOTALY! . . . .
Took me quite awhile to come around to my favorite load!
I once had the Winch. M43 in Hornet, but it went down the road a while ago . . . .
Never got it to shoot as well as my old M70, so-o-o . . . .
  

I have a Model 43 rifle that shoots lights out with Factory Remington (R22HN2) 45 grain Hollow Point ammo.  I can routinely shoot .75″ 5-shot groups with that ammo.  It took a lot of effort to find a load of my own making that shoots as well. This was the most finicky of my Hornet rifles to find an accurate load!

My Model 54 22 Hornet really likes the 13.0 grains of Lil’Gun and the Hornady 40-gr V-Max bullet. 

My Model 70 (22 K-Hornet) shoots best with 14.5 grains of Lil’Gun with the 40-gr V-Max.  When shooting it with a 35-gr V-Max, 15.5 grains is the load.

My Single Shot K-Hornet (converted Winder Musket) prefers 13.8 grains of Lil’Gun with the 40-gr V-Max, and 14.5 grains with the 35-gr V-Max.

I really like reloading for the Hornet, but it does take some careful planning before I get started for each session!  I also have separate reloading dies for each rifle.

Bert