Really pleased with my Hornet

njc110381 · May 8, 2009

I've just come back from my first real quarry shoot with my .22 Hornet. I had to zero it first so didn't get much (scared it off) but it shot very nicely. The crimp die I've been waiting for turned up today so I crimped the ammo I'd made ready and was off down the farm!

I set a target up at 90 yards and took a shot at it. It was a little out so I dialled the crosshairs to where I wanted it to hit. Fired again and it was out in the opposite direction (bloody scope obviously doesn't move 1/4" at 100 yards per click!). I was a little worried for a moment as the gun wasn't shooting all that well with the factory ammo, so I wondered if I'd bought a scatter gun. I fired another shot without changing the scope and ******, no more holes appeared! I decided I'd walk to the target and check it out. The box I was shooting was about a foot square so if I missed it the gun was getting binned! When I looked more closely at it though the bullet hole from the last shot I could see was slightly mis shaped - both bullets through the same hole then.

I moved the impact point to the bull and went off in search of some fluffy stuff.

Getting myself down on the bipod behind some nettles I prepared myself for a long wait for the bunnies. It was less than five minutes before the first popped out at about 50 yards. Let off a shot and it was down and kicking. Five more minutes and another appeared. Shot that one and it ran off! Now tell me I'm assuming too much here if you want, but if a .17HMR firing a 17grn v-max at 2500fps can drop them cleanly then surely a .22 Hornet firing a 35grn v-max at 2800fps should really learn 'em?

Never mind. I laid up for another ten minutes or so and had the best luck I've had in ages. A big dog Fox trotted out of the hedge and tried to steal me bunny

I gave him a squeek and he looked right at me. Whack - Right in the boiler room. The V-max dropped him without a twitch. This is where I got really excited, not even a flinch from him as I watched him through the scope! Perfect result, that's exactly why I bought it!

I went to pick the bunny and the Fox up as it was getting dusk and there was the second bunny. He'd managed to run about fifteen feet before dropping. I don't get it, when I picked him up his guts fell out! All the front end was missing including a leg! How did it run like that then? I've got a picture when I can get it onto the computer, I'll post that later. No guts, I took the picture with the good side of both bunnies on show. No need for horror shots here as we all know what they look like!

Load was 13grns of Lil-Gun, 35grn V-max (cheers bivvy, this load works a treat just like you said it would!).