Barrelsniffer Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Hi Guys just a quick one,i have a 22 hornet which ive never handloaded for yet,looking for any suggestions for where i can start from i have ample 40 grn v-max so will be using them. Any of you use 40s in a hornet let us know what you load ? Cheer Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrelsniffer Posted September 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2009 No one have any loads i can start with ?? Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 LIL GUN!!! There is no better powder for the Hornet. About 13.0 for your 40 grain. I shoot 12.0 with a 46 grain Winchester HP. Check out hodgdon.com for all loading data. The benefit is high (pretty high) velocity and low pressures. Brass lasts forever. Excellent accuracy. If you can't get Lil Gun, check the Hodgdon site for H-110. Another excellent Hornet powder tho high pressure. PM me for details. I shoot 1000 rounds of Hornet a year. ~Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir-slots-alot Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 Hi Micky. I've been using Lilgun and agree with Andrew's comments. I use 13 grns of Lilgun behind a 35 grn Vmax. I have also used this charge behind the 40 Vmax - unfortunately this load is to long to fit into my CZ mag and need to be hand fed otherwise I would use the 40 vmax as ithey were slightly more accurate than the 35 grainers. Mick I have a load of Lilgun that you can try if you want - save you buying a tub whilst testing Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris-NZ Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 Second the 35 V-Maxs Alan. Seem great in a Hornet. Never got to try LilGun before I sold the rifle but by all accounts, the ideal Hornet powder Chris-NZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 Mick, having had a play with the Hornetin an antediluvian Savage 340 a couple of years back, my first reaction is to ask if you value your sanity / peace of mind? The curse of the Hornet is 3+1 or 4+1 groups, and grown men are reduced to gibbering wrecks trying to lose that odd shot striking an inch plus from its friends at 100 yards. If you really must shoot the little bugger, best stick to 'proper' Hornet bullets - 35gn V-Max, and those 40/45-grainers listed as 'Hornet' designs from Nosler, Sierra etc. Same weight bullets listed as V-Max, Varminter etc are too long and won't feed - unless you're using a single-shot job of course. Their accuracy is nothing special (ie even less good) in my opinion, and I suspect they won't expand at Hornet velocities except in very short range hits. Hodgdon Lil Gun gives good velocities and reasonable results. Most other suitable powders only seem to group 'well' (less badly)at or under factory MVs. This is nice quiet, economical little cartridge, but very much a short-range number compared to other .22 centrefires, both in its accuracy and effective range. Much more wind-affected too with light, blunt bullets at say 150yd than .222R or .223R. I'll send a couple of articles I wrote for Target Sports on the .22H as a PM. Laurie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris-NZ Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 .. my first reaction is to ask if you value your sanity / peace of mind? The curse of the Hornet is 3+1 or 4+1 groups, and grown men are reduced to gibbering wrecks trying to lose that odd shot striking an inch plus from its friends at 100 yards. Laurie You're dead right from my experience Laurie. I've never had such frustration and unexplained difficulties loading other calibres. Tried heaps of different projectiles/brass treatment/seating depths/primers/crimping/powders and it was only after I stumbled onto the 35 V-Maxs that things were half acceptable. That's why I ultimately ditched it and stuck with the .223 Chris-NZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrelsniffer Posted September 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 cheers for the input lads Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir-slots-alot Posted September 30, 2009 Report Share Posted September 30, 2009 Not had a moments trouble from mine. Although I agree it is certainly not a tack driver , mine has been plenty good enough to nail bunnys and crows out to 200 yrds which is all you could ask for from this little round. after all, it was never designed as a match calibre I rarely get mine out of the cupboard which is a shame really because it has not let me down. It gets bypassed because I like the longer range shooting and tend to use my rifles which are more suited to that task. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Laurie: I have owned about every Hornet you can think of including customs: I also found flyer-itis lurking in all my loads. My last was an Anschutz and I don't miss it. I also once owned a 340 Savage. (Ahem! No comment.) When I saw how my Son's CZ shot I bought my own. There are none that shoot like the CZ. I have found that crimping the rounds eliminates much of the problems caused by inconsistent Hornet brass. I use a Lee Factory Crimp Die. Combined with good loading techniques and Lil Gun my CZ, and my son's, and Marine PMI's (of this site) will shoot consistent half MOA. My reloading room is wallpapered with tiny Hornet groups. This particular group was using H-110 at 100 yards. It's a great group but no fluke. Cloverleafs are the norm now. ~Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Andrew, nice to see that you can make the Hornet work. Depite all the nasty things I said about it in my earlier post, there are lots of things I like about the cartridge - like bullets at £10-12 / 100 (or they were when I was loading for one), 700 charges from a pound of powder, low noise & recoil. I once had a chat with Norman Clark (the Rugby gunsmith) who experimented with the cartridge in his youth. He reckoned one problem is case-rim inconsistency. Since they headspace on the rim, variations within a case and/or between cases in terms of thickness will affect the group. Norman's answer was RWS brass - machined case-heads / rims unlike the American swaged /stamped efforts. Sounds eminently reasonable, but it looks like your finding a crimp makes a big difference suggests another (cheaper) answer. You do find the odd cartridge design that really needs a crimp. I experimented on 7.62X39mm Russian once with a Lee Factory Crimp die and H335 ball powder loads that had horrendous MV extreme spreads whatever charge weight / primer you used. A solid crimp reduced the ESs enormously and cut group size in half..........now that you mention it, my test Hornet loads had some awful (3-figure!) ESs too with some combinations. Many thanks for the info. It's surprising it's not turned up eslewhere in the American magazines. Laurie PS, yes the Savage 340 is an 'interesting rifle' - best treated as a modern historical piece rather than a serious vermin control rifle. The late Frank de Haas in his book on rifle actions is none too flattering about it in technical and/or appearance and/or handling terms. He reckoned its main (only?) claim to fame was that it was the cheapest centrefire rifle available on the post-WW2 US market for many years. Having said that, they're collectible now in the USA, especially if chambered for .30-30, and even more especially if the rifle still has its magazine, this often mislaid when the old rifle is consigned to the attic or wherever else it is Americans keep unused / inherited guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Laurie: I also had some erratic grouping in the 7.62x39 that was cured by crimping. I was using very early-import I.M.I. (Israeli Military Industries) brass back in the 1980's with a pair of custom bolt guns I built for a couple of brothers. Accuracy was "ok" until I applied a healthy crimp. Then it cinched right up. I am a big proponent of crimping as a component of accuracy testing. Often a crimp will cure some ills. Interesting observation about the Hornet brass rim dimension. What I have found to be a real eye opener is that using Lil Gun, the case is filled to within a thirty-second of an inch or so of the case mouth, generally. (You need to tap the rim to settle it...) I have noted that in many cases, the volume in cases similarly sized and treated, will have varying levels of powder in the case when the charge is dropped from my exceptionally accurate Belding and Mull measure. Weighing the apparently low charges showed them to be dead nutz on. This leads me to believe that the drawing is faulty allowing varying case capacities. My Marine buddy has found identical symptoms in some of his brass. I believe that crimping uniformly trimmed cases helps to negate that variance. I'm an old school loader...what works works and I stick with it til it doesn't! So far, so good. The 340 is getting some interest but here in Montana, they are very common. The thirty-thirty version hangs in every pawn/loan shop in Billings; usually to be had for around $150. Now that being said, the Hornets and the (gasp) .225 Winchester models command better prices. I can tell you from first hand experience that the 30-30 version shoots quite well. Frank de Haas was a level headed guy and pretty blunt in his evaluations. I corresponded with him in the early eighties about various single shots, especially the Austrian Werndl single shot. I seem to have been the only fool he knew that would rebarrel one. He was pretty much blind by the time he finished his last book but he was a talented gunmaker/gunsmith. I'm pleased to see that some of his work made it across the Big Pond. It's all worth a read. I was saddened when my last letter was responded to by his son Mark inclosing a copy of his obituary and the funeral program from the services. He was a nice guy. Which of his books do you have?? Ah well,I'm rambling. I enjoy your posts. Regards, ~Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
223 Posted October 23, 2009 Report Share Posted October 23, 2009 Hi Guys just a quick one,i have a 22 hornet which ive never handloaded for yet,looking for any suggestions for where i can start from i have ample 40 grn v-max so will be using them.Any of you use 40s in a hornet let us know what you load ? Cheer Mick Hi there, hodgdons Lillgun or N110 are very good powders, I don't wish to go public on the amounts but if you PM me i will send them you. Ihave loaded the Hornet for the last 2 years and found it to be an excellent 150/ 175 yd gun.Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrelsniffer Posted October 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 Hi there, hodgdons Lillgun or N110 are very good powders, I don't wish to go public on the amounts but if you PM me i will send them you. Ihave loaded the Hornet for the last 2 years and found it to be an excellent 150/ 175 yd gun.Paul. Hi Paul,i cant pm you on here,but my emial is on my profile.if you can use that ? Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 Mick, go for the Lil-Gun loads. They're brilliant! It seems that small irregularities in powder weight have far less effect than they do with other powders? The Hornet also works very well with small pistol primers so give that a go instead of the rifle ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
223 Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 Hi Paul,i cant pm you on here,but my emial is on my profile.if you can use that ? Mick Hi Mick, email on its way, Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir-slots-alot Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 Mick - I have about a pound and a quarter of Lilgun if you are still interested... I also have some small rifle primers. Will hold them till next time your home if you still want them. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted October 25, 2009 Report Share Posted October 25, 2009 Mick, go for the Lil-Gun loads. They're brilliant! It seems that small irregularities in powder weight have far less effect than they do with other powders? The Hornet also works very well with small pistol primers so give that a go instead of the rifle ones. I'll second that with two thumbs up on the pistol primers. My Lil-Gun/ Hornet loads enjoy a crimp as well. The Lee "Factory Crimp Die" cut my groups in half.~Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrelsniffer Posted October 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2009 Mick - I have about a pound and a quarter of Lilgun if you are still interested... I also have some small rifle primers. Will hold them till next time your home if you still want them. Alan Yes andy will take them from you,home in dec upto now,did you manage to sell your hornet then ? Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir-slots-alot Posted October 25, 2009 Report Share Posted October 25, 2009 Yes andy will take them from you,home in dec upto now,did you manage to sell your hornet then ? Mick Ok MIck - see you in Dec. Just sorting the sale of the rifle .. will be confirmed next week . Cheers mate. ALAN ---- AKA Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrelsniffer Posted October 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 Ok MIck - see you in Dec. Just sorting the sale of the rifle .. will be confirmed next week . Cheers mate. ALAN ---- AKA Andy Alan just realised what i put,,fxxking heads up my ass at mo,,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir-slots-alot Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 No problem Micky. The hornet stuff is saved for when you back. ATB ... Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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