The thicker jacket of the hollowpoint bullet won't allow it to expand as explosively as the softnose bullet on varmints at .22 Hornet impact velocities. The same applies when the two 45-grain bullets available from Sierra are compared. It is also important to note that 40- and 45-grain Hornet bullets made by Sierra are available in two diameters, .223 inch for older rifles and .224 inch for more modern rifles. Slugging the bore of a rifle will reveal which of the two bullet diameters should be used in it.

Modern powders such as Lil'Gun and W296 are better suited for the .22 Hornet than DuPont 1204, which was used by early developers of the cartridge.

Handloading the .22 Hornet is a snap, but the thin wall of its case is easily collapsed during bulletseating unless the inside edge of its mouth is lightly beveled with a chamfering tool prior to the first loading. Several propellants work quite well here, and one of them is Hodgdon's Lil'Gun. Its relatively low bulk density makes it less than ideal for 33- and 35-grain bullets, but it does a great job when teamed up with bullets weighing 40 and 45 grains.

The same can also be said of AA 1680. Best powders for use with all bullet weights in the Hornet are H110 and W296. The small powder charges used in the .22 Hornet call for relatively mild primers, such as the Winchester WSR, Remington 6 1/2, CCI 400, and Federal 205M.

Maximum overall cartridge length for the magazines of most rifles in .22 Hornet is usually around 1.800 inches, and that's what I seat the Hornady

40-grain V-MAX and Nosler 40-grain Ballistic Tip to. I measured the overall cartridge lengths for the other bullets I included in this report, and they are: Speer 33-grain TNT, 1.690 inches; Hornady 35-grain VX, 1.750 inches; Sierra 40-grain Hornet, 1.735 inches; Speer 40-grain SP, 1.740 inches; Sierra 45-grain Hornet, 1.740 inches; and Nosler 45-grain Ballistic Tip, 1.750 inches.

New light-bullet factory loads and 33- and 35-grain bullets from Speer and Hornady have upped the .22 Hornet's velocity.

Hornet cases are quite thin, and it is not unusual to see excessive stretching of the primer pocket when they are used with some of the maximum loads I see published by various sources. Restricting speeds in the neighborhood of 2900 fps for 33- and 35-grain bullets, 2800 fps for 40-grain bullets, and 2700 fps for 45-grain bullets will usually result in acceptable case life. Those who need higher velocities should consider choosing a bigger cartridge.

Factory Fodder Abounds
More .22 Hornet factory loads are now available than at any other time in the history of the cartridge. Winchester, the company that started it all back in the 1930s, now offers the most options: a 34-grain hollowpoint at 3050 fps and a 45-grain softnose and a 46-grain hollowpoint, both at 2690 fps.

Remington offers 45-grain softnose and hollowpoint bullets at 2690 fps. Hornady advertises its 35-grain load at 3100 fps, but I find it to be even faster in some rifles. The Winchester 34-grain load also has a tendency to exceed its velocity rating; it clocked an average of 3144 fps in the 24-inch barrel of a Savage Model 40 I worked with.

I prefer to zero the .22 Hornet two inches high at 100 yards. Depending on the load used, the bullet will strike a 200-yard target anywhere from dead-on point of aim to an inch or two low. Plastering the crosshairs on the shiny nose of a standing groundhog will place the bullet somewhere in its vital area out to about 225 yards. Retained energy at that range usually exceeds 300 foot-pounds (ft-lbs).

The most consistently accurate rifle in this caliber I have ever shot is a Winchester Model 54. It left the factory around 1934 and was later restocked. Sure, there are more modern rifles than my Winchester Model 54, and there are faster cartridges than the .22 Hornet. But no combination I have found is better suited for easing along eastern hedgerows and picking off varmints without greatly disturbing my neighbors.

NOTE: All load data should be used with caution. Always start with reduced loads first and make sure they are safe in each of your guns before proceeding to the high test loads listed. Since Shooting Times has no control over your choice of components, guns, or actual loadings, neither Shooting Times nor the various firearms and components manufacturers assume any responsibility for the use of this data.