.22 Hornet gel test

[bearhunter]

???

22 Hornet ammo is outrageously expensive.

$100-$125/50.

Most people shooting it treat it like it's rimfire ammunition, because of the low recoil.

It's much more expensive than comparable 223rem .

It used to be cheap, but it's a very old cartridge, and newer 22 cal rounds easily outstrip it.

I have a Ruger 77/22 Hornet, and like it a lot.

I have a lot of brass and bullets for it. It prefers 40-50 grain bullets with flat bases.

It's never been in the "tack driver" category, but it's accurate enough for what I use it for, which is mainly Raccoons and the odd Coyote that's brazen enough to come into my yard to check out my dogs.

I've tried a lot of things to get it to shoot better, but it wears a Wilson barrel, which in this case seems to be one of the problematic ones that created a lot of negativity for Ruger. Most Wilson barrels are just fine, but they dropped the ball with many of those they sold to Ruger.

I could rebarrel it, but ????????????

My handloads with 12 grains of Lil Gun, over CCI400 primers, under 40gr VMax, seated to just fit into the rotary magazines, give just over 2800fps

The Vmax is long for weight and inhibits powder capacity. This is a compressed load, which is what Lil Gun needs.

45 grain Speer Flat nose/base, works best with 9.6 grn of W296, over CCI 400 primers, giving 2575 fps.

9.8 grains of H110, over CCI 400 primers, works best with 50 grain bullets of all types, with just over 2500fps.

Lil Gun powder can quite easily fit the bill as a "one powder fits all," for the 22 Hornet.

It's a great little cartridge, but IMHO, it's not even close to being an ethical "Deer cartridge."

Even on the very small Haida Gwai Black Tails, it's minimal at best, and shots should be under 75 yards.

 

[1899]

Even on the very small Haida Gwai Black Tails, it's minimal at best, and shots should be under 75 yards.

That’s what I thought until I saw the results first hand. I was surprised. Have you been there before? The deer can really be small.

from that trip:

 

[1899]

At 5:40 there is an Impala ram shot at 160m - didn't go too far. An Impala ram is bigger than the deer he shot on Haida Gwaii. Like I said, I was skeptical, but he took a bunch while stalking in timber, swamps and through clearcuts. It worked fine. Again, a huge difference between those little deer and a 250 pound buck, so keep that in mind.

 

[bearhunter]

I was there in 1985 for a Deer Hunt/Halibut fishing trip.

There were a lot of Deer, and we were each allowed to take up to ten.

I took three, the largest might have weighed 25Kgs at most, live weight.

I used a 243 Win, which was more than enough gun for the purpose.

The local fellow I hunted with, who was also a very good friend, had hunted with me several times over the years, but on mainland BC country.

His rifle of choice was a Model 340 Savage/22Hornet.

He shot the first Deer at just under 50 yds, and it went down, but ran off through the very thick foliage. It was leaving a good blood trail, and only went about 100 feet, but it went down in a ground depression, and if it hadn't been for the good blood trail, we likely wouldn't have retrieved it.

I shot the next two Deer, and they both dropped, got back up again, but stumbled and stayed down after ten yards or close to it.

The fourth Deer was taken with the 22 Hornet, but at almost 100yds. The bullet only took out one lung, before stopping and never touched the lung on the opposite side. The bullet weight was 45 grains, and the cartridges were factory Dominion brand.

That Deer only stumbled a bit, and I shot it through the butt hole when it turned away. It was an uphill shot, and my bullet went from the butt hole, through internals, and through the heart, then out of the brisket. It fell immediately.

We were curious about the 22 Hornet performance on that little Buck, so we opened it up right away to inspect what we could see.

I believe the bullets used by Dominion at that time were made by IVI, but they still may have been CIL.

The bullet hit a very small rib on the way in, and it expanded almost immediately, almost completely shattering the rib and mangling the onside lung, with the shrapnel. We didn't find anything in the offside lung, which was in perfect condition. That animal would have died "eventually."

My friend sold that rifle to one of the local commercial fishermen for shooting seals caught in their nets or raiding their nets. I don't believe recovery of seals was an issue.

My friend bought a 223 Rem shortly after, and was very pleased with the way it handled those small Deer.

1899, listen to the caveats the producer of that video makes.

The 22 Hornet is a minimal cartridge for Deer, in experienced hands, at "CLOSE" range. Even the small Sitka Black Tails.

Hunting should be an ethical sport, unless you're a subsistence hunter. Even then, more gun would ideally be used, because the meat is even more important.

There are a lot of tales about people shooting Deer with 22rfs, but the successful shots are minimal. 15-20 yards at most, sometimes closer.

You can kill the animal quickly, or you can kill it slowly. One method will put meat on the table, the other will more than likely cause a game animal to die a hard death, and rot, or become food for predators.

 

[bearhunter]

At 5:40 there is an Impala ram shot at 160m - didn't go too far. An Impala ram is bigger than the deer he shot on Haida Gwaii. Like I said, I was skeptical, but he took a bunch while stalking in timber, swamps and through clearcuts. It worked fine. Again, a huge difference between those little deer and a 250 pound buck, so keep that in mind.

Head shots are "unethical" IMHO, unless you're close enough to ensure a good hit. How good are you when excited?

A good head shot is difficult at best.

The brain is not a large target.

Miss, and all you do is wound the animal.

 

[1899]

I'm not a fan of heads shots either - in 39 years of hunting I've taken 2, and both were under 25 yards.

I don't know what to say about your experience in 1985 other than bullets and loads make a difference. The video in my original post is interesting in that regard. I believe my friend was using 46gr Winchester ammo. Like I said, worked fine and none of the issues you guys ran into. Seems odd to have such poor performance on 50 pound animals.

Having said that, I've been there 5 times and have used .270, 7mm-08 and 7mm RM. I think next time I will use .223.

 

[FLHTCUI]

At 5:40 there is an Impala ram shot at 160m - didn't go too far. An Impala ram is bigger than the deer he shot on Haida Gwaii. Like I said, I was skeptical, but he took a bunch while stalking in timber, swamps and through clearcuts. It worked fine. Again, a huge difference between those little deer and a 250 pound buck, so keep that in mind.

Earlier in this thread I shot from the lip when some made a statement on cost of shooting the .22Hornet .
Gerald replied with a well written rebuttal and most informative too.
My point was lost in my low brow Union Thug humour.
It would seem some would consider the .223 for Moose or elk when there are better suited calibres available .
Then there are a few who would consider the .22 Hornet for Fallow Deer or Blk Tails of the Queen Charlotte Islands while others would not.
A hunter has to know his/her limitations after all.
As for the .22Hornet I would use it on Sydney Island near Southern Vancouver Island and nowhere else...but, that adventure has long since sailed.
For now I'll stick to punching paper and varmint targets of opportunity with the 1-1/2 inch groups with thanks to Gerald and his offer on a load offered when I first acquired the Brno Fox II in the .22Hornet.
Tight Groups and buy a rifle of choice if you find one that tickles the itch for a trip down memory lane.

 

[1899]

Ah, Sidney Island….i missed out on that as well.

 

[DGY]

I would Io e yo go down in bc and hunt black tails, I think it would be a cool experience since up here the smallest “deer” are caribou.

 

[98ssuck]

22 hornet is like the 30-30 of the 22 centre fires. Not just in case design. But application.

Unfortunately it’s the lack of new affordable rifles that hamper this cartridge. The cz 527 was the last new hornet rifle that really fits the cartridge in size and style. The savages are bulky. I cannot stress how poor a fit the savage 340 is for the hornet.

I spent a decent amount of time looking at those charlotte deer when I worked on the island. Have heard many stories of them being taken with a single 22lr. For those that haven’t seen them in person. Although called a deer think golden retriever for size.

 

[bearhunter]

When I was a kid of 10 years of age, we watched herds of Woodland Caribou swim across Mabel Lake, just over a kilometer.

10 years later, they were few and far between, but still available to hunt.

Five years later, the Ministry actually did a real count, and the numbers were at 3% of what they were 15 years previously.

Overhunting didn't wipe them out as it was logging and clearing land for farming that did it.

Same thing is happening with the Deer in our area. I've never seen so much "clear cut" in my life. Habitat loss is horrendous.

Yes, a lot of it is replanted and starting to grow back, but the damage is done. The waterholes, small streams, and protective areas are gone.

I'm not blaming loggers per se. They would be cutting those trees if it weren't legal. Maybe some would.

The last Woodland Caribou I saw in our area was 20 years ago, and it was an old bull, all by himself, lonely as being the last of his kind can be.

I miss seeing them. They were once a common sight. Gone forever, and now other species are following them.

Sorry for going off topic. DGY's comment just brought it back.

I had the opportunity to shoot several of those magnificent creatures back in the day, just couldn't bring myself to do it, other than a couple up around Ft St James, where we ran across a herd of at least 50. I took a young bull and a calf, which were both legal at the time, while on the Muskwa River. I didn't like the meat, so I never shot another.

 

[bearhunter]

22 hornet is like the 30-30 of the 22 centre fires. Not just in case design. But application.

Unfortunately it’s the lack of new affordable rifles that hamper this cartridge. The cz 527 was the last new hornet rifle that really fits the cartridge in size and style. The savages are bulky. I cannot stress how poor a fit the savage 340 is for the hornet.

I spent a decent amount of time looking at those charlotte deer when I worked on the island. Have heard many stories of them being taken with a single 22lr. For those that haven’t seen them in person. Although called a deer think golden retriever for size.

There are several single shot rifles available which allow the bullets to be seated further out and increase the powder charge.

I've had to "dispatch" several Deer in my area, one recently, that a poacher shot in the neck with a 22LR. It was stumbling around in a daze, from blood loss and gangrene. It was on private property, and I was watching it from one of the front upstairs windows.

I called the landowner, and he came out about an hour later to shoot it. He had to phone the Conservation office for permission, I guess.

I helped him get it out to the edge of the field. The Eagles, Ravens, and Coyotes cleaned it up in a few days.

It can be done by experienced hunters at very close range, but is it ethical?????????????????

98suck, do you care if your kill is clean??????? I think you do, but your post doesn't say that.

 

[Hissatsu]

What are some the most reliable best choice bolt rigs your guys recommend in .22 hornet?

I too got a huge stash of this ammo on a lot I purchased and been saving it for a nice new rifle

The best shooting and a very nice looking bolt action has been the Browning micro medallion. Brnos have a shorter mag that limits longer bullets. They do shoot well though.

 

[FLHTCUI]

The best shooting and a very nice looking bolt action has been the Browning micro medallion. Brnos have a shorter mag that limits longer bullets. They do shoot well though.

There you go !!
The Browning Micro Medallions are a very nice shooting rifle and they look pretty too.
Affordable too, well at one time , at least.
Yes, the Brno does have a short mag box though as I found out and does limit bullet selection/choice.