.22 Hornet

[Oops Missed Again]

Has anyone got a .22 Hornet? if so what do you think of it?

I've got .22rf and .223cf slots on my FAC but I'm wondering if the Hornet might be a better bet than the .223

Then I could go for a .308.

Any advice would come in handy.

[casts_by_fly]

What is the purpose you have for the hornet? What was the reason of grant for the 223? I have a 223 and 17 hornet. I had a 221 for a short time until I gave it to my dad. They all have a place. The smaller 22's are a bit more specialized. Consider the 223 to be a 250 yard fox gun. It can do further and shorter. It can do for rabbits and birds on the ground. It is a little big for small plots like paddocks but it is a good alla round gun.

 

The hornet (and to some extent the 221) are for smaller places. They shoot the same bullets (40-55 gr, .224") at slightly lower speeds. In the analogy above, they would be 150 and 200 yard fox guns respectively. What do you gain by giving up the yardage? Smaller cartridge with less powder burn. Cheaper to reload b/c of powder (though not much). The hornet is a little quieter than the 223 unmoderated. It can use a smaller moderator (though in reality you'll probably end up with the same mod for either gun). The rounds are a little smaller to throw a handful in your pocket if you do that.

 

There is not much in it really. For general fox and occasional 'other' I would recommend applying for a 22 CF and then buying the rifle that you find at the right price and you like whether it is 223, 222, 221, or 22 hornet.

 

Now the big 22's are a different story.

 

Thanks

Rick

[wymberley]

Hi,

c_b_f has pretty much wrapped it up for you.

Think I'm right in saying that the Hornet is the oldest 22 CF and was highly regarded but for a while now has been somewhat out of favour. However, with the advent of some new-ish powders, this is changing and again it's potential is being recognised.

As Rick says, it's a very flexible calibre and whether I do actually sell the 223 which was/is my intention remains to be seen but I had planned to swap the 22WMR and the 223 for the Hornet which hopefully should arrive soon. Reloading 30gr Barnes for whatever costs the same as the particular WMR round that my rifle finds best and as I'm finding that I'm overgunned with the 223, ergo, I'm overpriced as well.

Cheers

[njc110381]

Not wanting to sound like a broken record but this is a perfect one for the search function. You'll find loads of past info on the round.

 

My opinion in short is that the Hornet is a brilliant round if you want a bit more than a rimfire to hit close Foxes with whilst bunny bashing. It also has the down side that home loading is really the only way to make the most of the calibre, although getting into this doesn't have to be as expensive as some make out.

 

If you want a Fox gun and want to use factory ammo then you can't go wrong with a .223. If you want a hobby gun to load for and take everywhere, and accept it's limitations on larger quarry then a Hornet is wonderful. Mine goes everywhere with me and once the loading setup is sorted it costs about the same as a HMR to feed.

 

I shoot mainly bunnies and the odd Fox but what the Hornet has over the HMR I had before is that it acts very similar until you need to hit that 100-150 yard Fox. At that point the HMR is dodgy, the Hornet will smack it straight over!

[Oops Missed Again]

Thanks fellers I have read and digested.

The 22rf is for bunnies and plinking and the Hornet I thought would give me longer range for bunnies or the odd fox.

I had the .223 put on the licence for fox control but I'm thinking the Hornet would be better as most shots would be taken at 100-150 yards.

I have been into guns (more than shooting)for a long, long time and don't think I will be happy until I have had most shotgun and rifle calibers that are available!!!