Ruger Number 3 22 Hornet, Accuracy Struggles.

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David Henry

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I have had a few Hornets over the years and have done lots of loading for them, but this one is giving me the gears and I thought I would share my journey with the learned on GCN incase they have any insights.
I had a chance about 9 months ago to pick up a very good used Number3 in 22 Hornet, rifle was in pretty nice shape. Purchase was made on line and the owner said nothing of the rifles shooting quality only its condition. The rifle arrived and I was happy with my purchase but the thrill ended fairly quickly after a sit down at my bench and 100 yard back stop.
Initially I though scope, It has since had three different scopes on it all known performers and currently has a VX3 4X12 AO Leupold mounted. Groups if you could call them groups were 4 to 8 inches with some shots off the paper. I ran the Hawkeye bore scope down it and did not like the crown, so recrowned with 11 degree to clean up that end of things. So we now have a good crown and a well aligned throat and only some slight pitting found here and there midway up the barrel. My next session at the bench did produce one group of 2 1/2" with 40 gr Vmax although this was an improvment my 46 grain H.P. and 45 grain S.P. loads were still lousy. These loads I was testing all shoot well in a Ruger 77/22 Hornet I use.
Having dealt with accuracy issues in the past regarding the #1 rifles I turned my attention to the barrel band and forend. The same loads were tested with the barrel band off and finally the forend removed entirely. My results showed no change and 3 shot groups only went to hell when shots 4 and 5 were added to the mix. For the heck of it I did try some 50 grain Hdy SX bullets, again no improvement.
I do not particularly want to butcher this rifle as I like my Ruger's the way they left the factory, I doubt there is any hope of finding a factory new replacement barrel for it nor do I feel like relining it. Maybe this rifle is just for looking at and not shooting'
Any thoughts gentlemen.
 
When I had a couple of Hornets, one of them a #3 I was able to cut my groups in half by switching to a lighter primer, I believe I ended up using a small pistol primer, my loads were something like 10 or 12 grains of powder and it doesn't take much to ignite a load like that. My #3 was .5 MOA once I this out.
 
Clean the barrel till it is absolutely clean, then fire about six rounds to foul the bore. Don't include these six rounds in your group size.

Consider a cheek riser.
 
Thanks bunny I will try your suggestion of the small pistol primers, I have used them before in other Hornets but not this one. Lodi I have run over 150 rounds down this bore, both spotlessly clean and fouled and see no changes in results. No need for the cheek riser in my case, things fit good. D.H.
 
I once had a Sako, model 78 I believe, that just about made me pull my hair out. It would shoot Winchester 50 gr. hollow-point factory ammo into 1/3 " at 100 yds, but all the handloads tried went about 4 " at 100 yds. I tried 2400. WW296,H110, Imr 4227 and several more powders to no avail. Then I happened to pick up a pound of WW 680 powder. That was the answer - it now shot sub 1/2" 5 shot groups at 100 yds. It was the only powder my gun liked. In my experience the Hornet is the fussiest cartridge to reload for that I have ever met.
 
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You could try the load I use in my Browning Micro Medallion. 40 gr VMax, Federal Small pistol primer and Lil Gun. Shoots lights out in mine.

Best of luck.
 
David Henry said:
I have had a few Hornets over the years and have done lots of loading for them, but this one is giving me the gears and I thought I would share my journey with the learned on GCN incase they have any insights.
I had a chance about 9 months ago to pick up a very good used Number3 in 22 Hornet, rifle was in pretty nice shape. Purchase was made on line and the owner said nothing of the rifles shooting quality only its condition. The rifle arrived and I was happy with my purchase but the thrill ended fairly quickly after a sit down at my bench and 100 yard back stop.
Initially I though scope, It has since had three different scopes on it all known performers and currently has a VX3 4X12 AO Leupold mounted. Groups if you could call them groups were 4 to 8 inches with some shots off the paper. I ran the Hawkeye bore scope down it and did not like the crown, so recrowned with 11 degree to clean up that end of things. So we now have a good crown and a well aligned throat and only some slight pitting found here and there midway up the barrel. My next session at the bench did produce one group of 2 1/2" with 40 gr Vmax although this was an improvment my 46 grain H.P. and 45 grain S.P. loads were still lousy. These loads I was testing all shoot well in a Ruger 77/22 Hornet I use.
Having dealt with accuracy issues in the past regarding the #1 rifles I turned my attention to the barrel band and forend. The same loads were tested with the barrel band off and finally the forend removed entirely. My results showed no change and 3 shot groups only went to hell when shots 4 and 5 were added to the mix. For the heck of it I did try some 50 grain Hdy SX bullets, again no improvement.
I do not particularly want to butcher this rifle as I like my Ruger's the way they left the factory, I doubt there is any hope of finding a factory new replacement barrel for it nor do I feel like relining it. Maybe this rifle is just for looking at and not shooting'
Any thoughts gentlemen.
Click to expand...

The Hornet can be a bastard to load for. Couple things to try / consider:

Your bore should be .224" Some 22 Hornet bullets are .223" (I doubt this is the problem)

A 2.5" group with a relatively light and slow bullet out of a rifle that's not really known for accuracy in the first place isn't all that bad. I'm sure it CAN do better, but the Hornet is hard to load for, so it could take a lot of trial and error. I struggled for a long time to get my old Brno to shoot well. After loads of wasted bullets and powder, I found the right combo. Sierra .223" bullets and 11 grains of 'lil gun powder.

Don't be afraid to slow the bullet down a bit, or try a faster powder the builds up pressure quicker - you never know what it's going to like.

Keep trying (lol. or PM me and let me know what your price is for that #3)
 
My understanding, is that Ruger contracted out some of their barrels at times, and a bunch of them (10/22 esp.) were pretty sub-par.

Maybe the barrel is just a POS. How hard do you feel like searching for the Unicorn (ie: the load that works)?

FWIW, I have not yet been down that path, though I have been pretty keen on a Hornet and Cast bullets (have collected barrels, action, dies and molds), researching and accumulating a great number of molds, and reading of other (respected contributors, over on Castboolits over the years) folks experiences. The guys that most recommended the use of small pistol primers were the cast bullet guys, based on the idea that the initial explosion of the primer compound was able to unseat the bullet before the powder ignited, thus causing yet another variable in the equation.

Might be worth slugging the barrel, as well as sticking a bore scope down it. Neither will definitively tell you that the barrel is good, but either may point out some potential issues...
 
Ok I said I would get back to those following this thread with my findings after some more load work, this time with small pistol primers. I had a couple of P.Ms. and like some posts above the small pistol primers were expected to shrink groups in the hornet case, sadly this was not to be in my Ruger #3. Three to four inch groups were the average.
Working with IMR 4227 and Winchester 296 powders and bullets in the 45 and 46 grain weight my groups were no better and perhaps worse than those shot using the small rifle primers. Loads ranged from mild to maximum and the wind was cooperative, groups were shot at 100 yards. I have yet to try the light 35 grain Hornady V Max bullet but I doubt very much if I will see any improvement with these as the 40 grain V Max were a disappointment in this rifle as well.
New barrel or a re-bore I think. Thanks again to all who contributed. D.H.
 
David Henry said:
Ok I said I would get back to those following this thread with my findings after some more load work, this time with small pistol primers. I had a couple of P.Ms. and like some posts above the small pistol primers were expected to shrink groups in the hornet case, sadly this was not to be in my Ruger #3. Three to four inch groups were the average.
Working with IMR 4227 and Winchester 296 powders and bullets in the 45 and 46 grain weight my groups were no better and perhaps worse than those shot using the small rifle primers. Loads ranged from mild to maximum and the wind was cooperative, groups were shot at 100 yards. I have yet to try the light 35 grain Hornady V Max bullet but I doubt very much if I will see any improvement with these as the 40 grain V Max were a disappointment in this rifle as well.
New barrel or a re-bore I think. Thanks again to all who contributed. D.H.
Click to expand...

Have you tried any factory ammo to verify the lack of accuracy you are experiencing ?
Tighter Groups,
Rob
 
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Hi Rob, I have not shot any factory ammo through this particular rifle. I am a fairly fussy hand loader and without patting myself on the back I think I put together as good or better a loaded round than our factory offerings. With that being said what an awakening it would be if I was to be proven wrong. I have some factory cartridges, perhaps I should give it a try.
 
A Ruger #3 in .22 Hornet was the only rifle that I ever worked with that could not be made to shoot as accurately as a Hornet should be able to shoot. The one solution that I didn't try was getting it rechambered to .22 K-hornet. This solution worked wonders with a couple of Ruger 77 Hornets that were giving me issues as well. Just a thought.
44Bore.
 
44Bore, I have punched out many chambers into the 22 K Hornet over the years and it defiantly has it's advantages over the parent case. I have half a mind to turn this one into a 219 Zipper, but why not try 22 K Hornet first just out of curiosity. D.H.
 
I would probably lap that barrel, before doing anything else. After that, maybe the usual No. One stuff. Hammer, contact between hanger and barrel, forearm, etc. When a rifle shoots real badly, it's usually the barrel. When lapping, I wouldn't take it past about .225". Any spots looser than that, I would live with. If the looser spot was at the muzzle, I' be thinking of a new barrel. If the looseness was in the last two inches, I would counterbore it, if I wanted to keep the length, or shorten it, if not.
 
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