My story last month on FN's 5.7x28mm cartridge got me to reminiscing about my beloved .22 Hornet. It also made me wonder why, with all the Hornet has going for it, this fine cartridge has become lost in the wake of newer, hotter small-bore speedsters. After all, the Hornet is more deadly than the .17 rimfires, and it's considerably easier on the ears and the wallet than hotrods like the .220 Swift or .22-250 Remington. So why has its popularity waned?

Clearly, the .22 Hornet can't compare to the .220 Swift or .22-250 in the trajectory department. But I don't use it for long-range prairie dog work. Instead, I reserve it for calling coyotes and busting jackrabbits where the majority of my shots are less than 100 yards.

I try to limit my shots with the .22 Hornet to inside 175 yards. Its low downrange energy is one reason; another is its problematic trajectory beyond 150 yards. For example, Winchester's 45-grain softpoint load drops a hair more than 2 inches at 150 yards with a 100-yard zero. By the time it reaches the 200-yard mark, it drops almost 8 inches. Hitting a ground-hog, crow, or jackrabbit beyond 200 yards with the Hornet is hardly a sure thing.

Though Winchester's 45-grain softpoint factory load has been around a long time and isn't as sleek or sexy as some newer offerings, it is the load I still feed my Hornet rifle. With a velocity of 2,690 fps and muzzle energy of 723 ft-lbs, it's deadly on coyotes, crows, and even javelinas. I must confess that it is not quite as accurate in my Browning Micro Hunter as Hornady's 35-grain V-Max load, but it's accurate enough, and I believe it's more lethal on bigger game like coyotes and javelinas.

The author's Browning Micro Hunter really likes Hornady's 35-grain V-Max load. Groups like this 0.48-inch one (top) are the norm on calm days, but the wind is hard on those lightweight bullets. The 1.22-inch group (bottom) was fired from the same Micro Hunter with the same load on a windy day.

That 35-grain Hornady load is my favorite for smaller game like jackrabbits and prairie dogs. It launches that pointy V-Max bullet at 3,100 fps. With a 200-yard zero, it hits just 2.8 inches high at 100 yards and drops 17.1 inches at 300 yards. It won't even pretend to keep up with the .204 Ruger or .22-250 in a busy prairie dog town, but it's a lot more fun to use on close-in prairie dogs.

Perhaps the Hornet's most endearing traits are its mild recoil and low report. It has so little recoil that just about anyone can shoot it, and its minimal muzzle blast isn't likely to induce a flinch either. It's also the perfect tool for calling predators at night, where its mild report isn't likely to spook game for the morning hunt. That quiet report also means shots at the second or third coyote or fox to come to the call happen more frequently than with a bigger round.

Hornet detractors say the .22 Hornet is not an accurate cartridge. Truth be told, they're right...sort of.

The Hornet's long neck and gently sloping shoulder are not traits I would design into any cartridge. But in my opinion, the biggest problem is that the difference between the minimum and maximum SAAMI spec for the .22 Hornet is too great.

A tight chamber is essential for accuracy in a Hornet, so the difference between a tight chamber and ammunition on the maximum side of SAAMI spec can be a real problem. For example, fired brass from my buddy's rifle will not chamber in my Browning Micro Hunter. My gun is a real shooter, whereas his, for obvious reasons, isn't.