The Best Review of The Timeless .22 Hornet

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The development of the .22 Hornet cartridge is significant in cartridge history for several reasons. Interestingly, it was the first smokeless powder round designed for varmint shooting. Its “parent” cartridge was the blackpowder .22 Winchester Center Fire (WCF), which dates from 1885. It was chambered in the Winchester Single Shot falling block rifle designed by John M. Browning and also in the Remington No. 7 Rolling Block in 1904. The cartridge’s length of 1.61 inches made it too long for repeating arms. The .22 WCF was eventually loaded with smokeless powder to the same ballistics, but it was discontinued in 1936. Experiments by Col. Townsend Whelen and Cpt. G.L. Wotkyns at the Springfield Armory in the 1920s led to the development of a new round that later came to be called the .22 Hornet. The original guns for it were made on Springfield Model 1903 actions. Consequently, early .22 Hornet rifles had 0.223-inch bores.

The .22 WCF case was only modified slightly to form the .22 Hornet. The length of the .22 WCF case was 1.39 inches, while the Hornet’s is 1.403 inches. The rim diameters of the rounds in that same order also were similar, at 0.342 and 0.350 inch. Ditto the neck diameters at 0.241 and 0.242 inch. However, as I stated earlier, the overall cartridge length of the WCF was 1.61 inches, but the Hornet’s COL is 1.723 inches. Both little bottleneck rounds produced different velocities with their 45-grain bullets. The velocity of the .22 WCF was listed at 1,550 fps, which produced 240 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle. The Hornet bullet of the same weight at 2,690 fps at the muzzle made 723 ft-lbs of energy. In addition, the standard twist rate for the .22 Hornet is one turn in 16 inches. This limits the round to lighter (i.e., shorter) bullets.

Some Great Old Guns

The grand old Hornet originated in commercial form in 1932 from Winchester, and soon most American ammo manufacturers were on board with the round. Rifles for the .22 Hornet have seen only sporadic production to this day. Examples are the Winchester Models 54 (1930 to 1936) and 70 (1946 to 1963), the Stevens Model 340 (1950 to 1985), and the Savage Model 23D (1933 to 1947) and the Models 342 and 342S. Then from 1938 to 1965, Savage offered the Model 219 break-action single shot in .22 Hornet, to which I shall return later.

It is significant that the .22 Hornet was the first varmint cartridge designed for smokeless powder. Its continuing popularity is interesting since the case is small, doesn’t hold much powder, and the maximum average pressure (MAP) is only 49,000 psi, quite low in comparison to modern cartridges, such as the popular .223 Remington (MAP: 55,000 psi). The .22 Hornet may look weak, but it is perfectly adequate as a 100- to 150-yard game-getter. The round has enjoyed varying degrees of popularity over the decades, and it refuses to die. As I’ve noted, Winchester, Savage, and Stevens made rifles for the Hornet in the past, but all of those are currently discontinued. Hornet rifles were also made by Anschutz, and I think the model numbers were 1433D and 1730D. In 1994 Ruger announced the Model 77/22 bolt-action rifle in .22 Hornet. Since then it has periodically been listed as “unavailable.”

I was introduced to the .22 Hornet cartridge in a rather unusual manner. I hated junior high school, so when classes were dismissed for the year, I hot-footed it to my grandparents’ 80-acre farm in Cooper County, Missouri, where I stayed until the day before school started the next fall. Woodchucks were numerous, and they voraciously ate my granddad’s soy beans, red clover, and just about anything else he tried to grow. My job was to wage war on these pesky rodents with my granddad’s .22 LR rifle.

When I escaped to the farm in the spring of 1956, I was shocked to find a Remington Model 11 12-gauge shotgun standing in the corner, instead of the Winchester Model 69A .22 LR with which I had previously hunted ’chucks.

The why and how of the trade were not related to me, but I confess that the woodchucks were delighted. As I prepared to return home that year, Granddad came to me with the Model 11 in his hand and said, “Here, you can have this. I’ve got no use for it.”

After I returned home, I realized that Granddad was gunless on the farm, so I went to the local Sears Roebuck store and ordered what I thought would be suitable armament against woodchucks for a Missouri farmer. It was a Savage Model 219-B in .22 Hornet. I ordered the gun, and Sears sent it directly to the farm. The next summer, it was a different story in the ’chuck wars. I was impressed with what seemed to me to be such a powerful cartridge, and the 219-B and I made a serious dent in the ’chuck populations.

Well, in 1978, the 219-B was bequeathed to me. I still have it and cherish the memories of those long-ago ’chuck hunts.

I have occasionally dabbled with other Hornet rifles, and one was a CZ Model 527. It was imported into the U.S. from about 1995 to 2009.

The Hornet Today

The limiting factor of the .22 Hornet these days is not its ballistics but the dearth of guns available to shoot it. Fortunately, in 2024, Sturm, Ruger & Co. made an announcement that should gladden the hearts of Hornet lovers everywhere. As previously noted, Ruger announced the Model 77/22 bolt-action rifle in .22 Hornet in 1994, and since then it has periodically been listed as “unavailable,” but in early 2024, the rifle became available again, and it is structured similar to original ones. It has a five-round rotary magazine. I obtained a vintage Model 77/22 from a fellow rifle aficionado, and lo and behold, the serial number indicates that it was made in the first year of production. In addition, I just received one of the new 2024 Model 77/22s on order for comparison with my 1994 version. It is a little different than my 1994 version, but it, too, is a real shooter.

The 2024 version of the Model 77/22 features an 18.5-inch barrel, with a 1:14 twist, so it can handle slightly heavier (longer) bullets than rifles with the 1:16 twist. This version has what Ruger calls the Green Mountain laminate stock, and it’s quite attractive to my eye. It is solidly bedded along the stainless-steel barrel, which is a bit more robust than the barrel on my 1994 rifle. The muzzle of the 2024 rifle measures 0.748 inch, and it is 0.923 inch at its junction with the receiver. The rifle came with 1-inch Ruger rings for easy scope mounting. The trigger pull averages a hair over four pounds but is crisp and without a lot of overtravel. For testing, I used Leupold 30mm rings to attach a Sightron 1-6X 24mm S-TAC IR AR1 scope. The 2024 rifle shot even better than my 1994 rifle, averaging 0.71 inch with four handloads and two factory loads. The velocities of the two factory loads were somewhat lower than in the 20-inch-barreled 1994 rifle.

Before I leave Ruger, I must report that the firm also offers the Super Redhawk revolver in .22 Hornet for 2024. I just received one, and it is up to Ruger’s usual high standards. I think it would be a super truck gun. The trigger pull averages 4 pounds, 14.4 ounces, and I mounted a Nikon Force XR 2.5-8X 28 EER scope for this report. With the scope installed, the weight is 5 pounds, 6 ounces. (The revolver alone weighs 4 pounds, 6 ounces.)

This fine piece of ordnance has a 9.5-inch barrel with a 1:9 twist, which spins these stubby .22-caliber bullets sufficiently to stabilize them into satisfyingly small groups. The revolver has an eight-round, unfluted cylinder that is 1.781 inches in diameter and 1.749 inches long. The grip is a rubber Hogue Monogrip, and the gun has a green HiViz fiber-optic front sight. The rear sight is adjustable, but also included are Ruger 1-inch rings that clamp directly to the topstrap, making mounting a long-eye-relief pistol scope a breeze. You can read more about the new Super Redhawk in Joel Hutchcroft’s review of it elsewhere in this magazine.

Only a few other handguns have been made in .22 Hornet, such as Taurus’s Raging Hornet revolver. It is the Model 22H SS, an eight-shot stainless-steel revolver with a 10-inch barrel. It was offered from 1999 to 2004.

Additional news on the Hornet front is that Cooper of Montana (in Stephensville) made at least five rifle models in .22 Hornet from 1996 to 1999. However, in 2023, Cooper of Montana was sold to Nighthawk Custom in Berryville, Arkansas, and production was suspended. A new firm named “Cooper of Arkansas” has been formed in Berryville and is in the process of resurrecting the Cooper line. Nighthawk asked me to recommend cartridges for these rifles, and as you might expect, the .22 Hornet was high on my list. Time will tell if the Hornet ever flies from Arkansas.

Handloading the Hornet

The accompanying chart shows the velocities of several representative handloads and the factory ammunition I was able to obtain for the Hornet guns I tested. It’s obviously possible for the handloader to assemble ammo with a variety of bullets and powders that can take care of a variety of targets, paper or live. Woodchucks, rockchucks, ground squirrels, and coyotes should quake when a Hornet-equipped hunter shows up. Where legal, a mild load in the Hornet should be just the ticket for turkeys, as well.

This article is not a treatise on handloading the Hornet, but it is almost mandatory that I explore this aspect in some depth, as factory ammunition is hard to find and, well, just plain expensive. Plus, it is very rewarding to brew up a batch of handloads for your Hornet rifles.

The .22 Hornet is a delightful option for the walk-around varmint hunter who wants an accurate round with adequate power that is quiet and very economical to hand-load. Fortunately, loading dies and suitable powders and bullets are usually available. Currently, Winchester, Remington, Hornady, Nosler, and perhaps others offer new cases for the reloader. Bullet weights suitable for the Hornet are available from 30 to 50 grains, and heavier bullets may be only marginally stabilized at Hornet velocities.

Here are some general guidelines for handloads. The .22 Hornet case is small, and the powder charges are about like a centerfire pistol round, so much experimentation has been done on primer selection. The use of Small Pistol primers in the Hornet has shown improved uniformity and good accuracy. As a general rule, I use Small Pistol Magnum primers for most Hornet rifle loads, and standard Small Pistol primers for the revolver. The Speer Handloading Manual Number 15 lists CCI 500 Small Pistol primers for all loads with bullets over 30 grains. The Hodgdon Annual Manual for 2024 used Remington No. 6½ and WSR Small Rifle primers for its loads.

The standard bullet weight for the .22 Hornet has been 45 and 46 grains, and velocities of 2,700 to 2,800 fps are obtainable in rifles. The 50-grain bullets reach about 2,500 or a little higher. Loads for the Speer 30- and 33-grain bullets and the Hornady 35-grain V-Max bullets show velocities over 3,000 fps, but 40-, 45-, and 50-grain bullets are more appropriate for the useful spectrum of Hornet shooting. The small capacity of the Hornet’s case and its modest MAP of 49,000 psi make fast-burning propellants work best, and one can run out of case capacity before a bullet can be seated over heavier charges.

In days of yore, Hercules (now Alliant) 2400 powder and IMR 4227 were the go-to powders for the Hornet, and they still work fine. However, the highest velocities are obtained with spherical propellants like Lil’Gun and H110 and W296 from Hodgdon, and they meter nicely. A charge of 12.0 to 12.5 grains of Lil’Gun is appropriate for 40- to 45-grain bullets. Loads with H110 were less ballistically uniform and a bit slower, but in the 2024 rifle, the modest load of 10.5 grains of H110 with the Sierra 40-grain HP shot a 0.55-inch group average at a leisurely velocity of 2,472 fps.

Range Results

My 1994 version of the Model 77/22 and the new Super Redhawk were benchrest tested at 50 yards from my indoor shooting building. The results are shown in the chart. The average group size in the revolver with the two factory loads and for the four handloads was 1.30 inches. The revolver’s somewhat hefty trigger pull made shooting groups a bit of a challenge. The older Model 77/22 averaged 0.81 inch with the two factory loads and six handloads.

The differences in velocities of the factory loads by barrel length were enlightening. The Winchester 46-grain HP load was 889 fps (36 percent) slower in the 9.5-inch Super Redhawk barrel than in the 2024 Model 77/22 with its 18.5-inch barrel. The same comparison with Remington’s 45-grain PSP bullet was 744 fps (28 percent) slower.

I got a new batch of Hornady’s Varmint Express just in time to test it in the 1994 Model 77/22, and the velocity was 2,950 fps, group size was 0.43 inch, and the standard deviation (SD) was only 18 fps.

There has been much to do about the effects of primers in the small .22 Hornet case, with its very small powder charges that are really about like a .357 Magnum load. A few years ago, I did some tests of various primers in the CZ Model 527 .22 Hornet, and frankly, I saw little conclusive evidence that primers make much difference.

My tests did show, however, that the ballistic uniformity (as indicated by the loads’ SDs and group sizes) was dramatically different by powder. In the 1994 Model 77/22, the average SDs of five loads with Lil’Gun were about double the SDs for six loads with H110. It definitely pays to test loads in a gun to see what works the best.

What’s next for the Hornet? While the .22 Hornet may be old, it can still be a useful part of the varmint and small-game hunter’s battery. It is mild of voice, has virtually no recoil, is economical to handload, and the wide selection of bullets and powders makes it a delight to develop specialized loads for it. About the only drawback is that the tiny case is rather hard to hold onto in the reloading process.

Perhaps the most intriguing Hornet news today is that availability of Ruger’s Super Redhawk revolver and the Model 77/22 bolt-action rifle, both proven performers.

Time will tell if a new .22 Hornet rifle or revolver can eke out a sliver of market share in a field crowded with small-caliber, accurate rounds. But the fact that Ruger’s Model 77/22 has stood the test of time for 30 years says something about the unique appeal of the .22 Hornet. It is a Goldilocks cartridge—it’s just right. Okay, woodchucks, marmots, and other LFCs (little furry critters), you’ve been warned. 

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