ruger m77 ruger bolt action ruger synthetic ruger mkII
By Robert (Scott) Fairing
I have shot the hornet for about 6 years. It is a great round and I
love shooting it. Here is some of what I have learned, mostly the hard
way.
Always keep in mind when reloading the hornet that is was designed to
be a hot 22 rf, not a slow
222. If you keep your pressures low and, as
a result velocities low, you can get great groups and good case life.
I have a
Bullet seating depth can make a huge difference in pressure, as with
all small case capacities. I have an old CH press that I take to the
range with me and C-Clamp to a bench for hornet load development. I
start by loading my test loads with the bullet as far out as the barrel
will allow. Seat bullets farther in the case as I test and watch group
size change and pressure signs begin to appear.
The hornet was designed for 40 to 45 gr bullets and
early twist rates
were for these sized bullets. Most reloading books say that heavier
bullets will not expand because of lower velocities. Don't believe it.
My 14" contender will stabilize 52 gr. bullets and newer bullets like
the Nozler Ballistic Tip and the new V-Max bullets
will expand for the
hornet.
I swage a 52 gr. bullet with Corbin swage dies that use a spent 22 rf
case for the jacket. An expensive hobby, but a lot of fun.
My favorite
load before the moly is 10.5 gr
of IMR 4227 and one of my home made
bullets. This combination averages only around 2000 fps but has been
the recipe that has sent many
go rather than drag myself down a hole and take a couple of days to
die. The last two shot kill I had with this load was three years ago
and that was my fault not the bullet's. I have not
been to the range
with the moly bullets that I loaded this spring. My
range is pretty wet
and shooting in the kind of weather is not much fun. I will let you
know when I do get some results.
Most of my hunting is done in
If (or when) you do split a case, here is my favorite method of
removing it. Take a 1/4 20 tap and insert into the chamber. Gently push
and turn until you feel the case slip. It will then slide out on the
tap. With moderate loads you may never need this.
Since I wrote this I have been experimenting with AA 1680 and moly
coated bullets. I swaged 40 gr and 33 gr bullets using J-4 commercial
jackets. I shot about 25 rounds and noticed a real difference in the
moly coated barrel. group size went below 1" at 100 yards and a friends
crony showed a 5 shot average of 2975 fps! Faster than I ever
expected
to see with this round. There are no signs of pressure.
Here is the
load:
Case Remington nickel plated
Primer CCI small pistol
Powder AA 1680 13.5 gr
I came home from this trip to the range and swaged 100 33 gr
bullets
from the same jackets. Using the same load I got good group size but
have not had the opportunity to shoot any through a crony.
Sage rats are out in
I would like to hear about others experiences with this round. I
think I will start to put together a list of your addresses for future
reference.
New Information added
Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to take a mule deer doe at 250
yards with this load. I was hunting with another hornet shooter for
rockchucks in the above mentioned canyon when several
deer took over
the alfalfa field. I shot high a couple of times to get them to leave
the field. They just looked at me and kept on eating. The ranch foreman
was with us and told me to kill one as he had several agriculture tags
and entirely to many deer. I had been shooting squirrels
at the same
distance all day so I held for a spine shot just behind the neck and
took my shot. She folded up and never even kicked. I am NOT suggesting
that the
hornet should become the next deer round, but that with a well placed
shot, it will do the job.
In HIS Service
Robert (Scott) Fairing
Canby, OR
E-Mail: fairing@juno.com
Last Modified: Wednesday, January 21, 2004 8:58 PM