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The .22 Hornet Cartridge By Layne Simpson
Winchester .22 Hornet 34-Gr. JHP
The .22 Hornet was once the most accurate centerfire cartridge going. The good news is that it’s more alive today than ever before.
They made their own .223-inch bullets by using jackets formed from .22 Rimfire cases. Whelen tested his rifle in a machine rest and reported groups measuring as small as 7/8 inch at 100 meters and two inches at 200 meters. Even though this was darned good accuracy in those days, he was not totally satisfied with the DuPont 1204 powder he was loading in the cartridge. He convinced his friends at Hercules Powder Co. to develop a new propellant. It was called No. 2400 because of its ability to push a 45-grain bullet along at 2400 fps when it was loaded in the experimental cartridge Whelen was so excited about.
During spring 1930 Whelen and his two friends headed for the varmint fields with their converted Springfields. Woodworth was first to bag a woodchuck with the new cartridge at 150 yards. Among Whelen’s circle of friends was Winchester executive Edwin Pugsley who gave orders to build a special test rifle on the Model 54 action for the “22 Hornet,” as Whelen decided it should be called.
As fate would have it, the new cartridge produced the best accuracy of any centerfire cartridge tested by Winchester technicians up until that time. Winchester introduced the .22 Hornet in late 1930/early 1931 in two loadings: one with a softnose bullet, the other with a hollowpoint, both at 2500 fps.
When the .222 Remington was introduced in 1950 it stole the show from the .22 Hornet among varmint shooters, but history has proven it to lack the staying power of the mild-mannered little Hornet. You have to look long and hard these days to find a new rifle in .222 Remington, but rifles in .22 Hornet are quite common.
Older rifles, such as the Winchester Model 54 and Model 70, have a rifling twist rate of 1:16 inch while those of more recent production, such as the Ruger Model 77/22H and Savage Model 40, have a quicker 1:14 rifling pitch. Some rifles of foreign make still have the older twist rate, and those built by Anschutz are good examples.
As a rule, the 1:16 twist is too slow to stabilize bullets heavier than 45 grains, and some slow-twist rifles I have shot would not stabilize anything heavier than 40 grains. My Griffin & Howe Krag shoots the relatively short Nosler and Sierra 45-grain bullets quite accurately, but it scatters the longer Hornady 45-grain Spirepoint all over the paper. On the other hand, my Winchester Model 54 also has a 1:16 twist, yet it shoots the Hornady bullet like a house afire. My Kimber Model 82 Super America has a 1:14 twist, and it is quite accurate with bullets as heavy as 55 grains.
Best choices in bullets for the .22 Hornet are the Speer 33-grain TNT and 40-grain Spirepoint, Sierra 40- and 45-grain softnose, Nosler 40-grain Ballistic Tip and 45-grain softnose, and Hornady 35- and 40-grain V-MAX and 45-grain Spirepoint. Weight alone should not be the deciding factor. Sierra offers two 40-grain .224-caliber bullets, a softnose for the .22 Hornet and a hollowpoint for faster cartridges like the .22-250 and .220 Swift.
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.
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.
The .30-30 cartridge carried the Winchester Model 1894 to fame, but it was two old target cartridges that brought the rifle to the dance.
Winchester’s renowned Model 1894 rifle is forever linked with the .30-30 Winchester cartridge, but not everyone knows that the first Model 1894 rifles were chambered for Winchester’s incarnations of two older blackpowder cartridges: .32-40 and .38-55. The story of the .32-40 Winchester and the .38-55 Winchester begins in 1884 with two popular target cartridges for the Marlin-Ballard rifle: the .32-40 Ballard and the .38-50 Ballard.
In 1875 patent-holder Charles H. Ballard licensed J.M. Marlin to build his single-shot rifle design. Marlin made improvements to the original pattern, and Marlin-Ballard target models in .32-40 Ballard and .38-50 Ballard graced the firing lines at many prestigious shooting events. The “Ballard” cartridge name lived on, but Winchester adapted and renamed them for the single-shot rifle that eventually became known as the Model 1885 Winchester.
Early .32-40 Winchester ammo launched a 165-grain bullet at about 1,300 fps. SAAMI specs show it was 1,520 fps at the time it was classed as obsolete. Maximum average pressure (MAP) was 30,000 CUP. Winchester’s ammo listing for the year 1911 has a high-velocity 165-grain loading at 1,750 fps, obviously for the stronger Model 1894 and Model 1885.
SAAMI cartridge/chamber specs for the .32-40 showed bullet diameters of 0.3180 to 0.3210 inch. The groove diameter spec of the barrel is 0.320 to 0.322 inch. It also shows no freebore in the barrel. Based on my measurements of old sample cartridges, most factory bullets were stepped down to 0.308 to 0.313 inch ahead of the cannelure to clear the rifling. My caveat for handloaders is make sure bullet noses do not prevent chambering before loading hundreds of rounds.
The upstart .30-30 trounced the .32-40 as a hunting cartridge. With 8,000 CUP higher pressure than its forebear, it shot a bullet that was a bit heavier 25 percent faster than even the old .32-40 high-velocity load and with 60 percent more muzzle energy. With no new rifles being made, the .32-40 disappeared from major U.S. ammo catalogs between 1965 and 1968. The .32-40 had a brief revival around 1981 when Winchester released a John Wayne commemorative rifle in .32-40. The resurrected ammo had “Duke” in the headstamp.
Cases for .32-40 are still available from specialty reloading vendors. Proper lead bullets are available online. Hodgdon’s online Data Center shows loads for 198- to 204-grain cast target bullets that are all under the max pressure of 30,000 CUP. If you have an old .32-40 lever-action or single-shot rifle in good condition, go enjoy it!
The .38-55 Winchester cartridge was the .38-50 Ballard before Winchester got into the game. Although originally a target cartridge, the .38-55, firing a half-ounce of lead accurately at distance, doubled as an effective hunting cartridge in its time. I confess it is one of my favorites. I’ve shot my 1918-vintage octagon-barreled Model 1894 rifle for over 50 years.
Early smokeless loads pushed a 255-grain bullet at about 1,320 fps, and that velocity remains much the same today in Winchester factory loads. The pressure limit is 30,000 CUP. The 1911 Winchester ammo list showed a high-velocity loading at 1,600 fps for stronger actions, but only the slower load survives today in U.S. ammo.
The .38-55 went on “vacation” for several years, last shown in ammo catalogs from 1964 through 1967. Fortunately, CIL ammo from Canada was available for much of that hiatus and loaded to the old “HV” spec of 1,600 fps for 50 percent higher muzzle energy.
Popularity in Canada plus Cowboy Action Shooting helped with the reentry of this cartridge. Marlin and Winchester made new rifles for a while, and Winchester continues to catalog one jacketed SP load at 1,300 fps. Buffalo Bore makes a high-speed load for modern rifles that’s loaded to .30-30 pressures.
Handloading the .38-55 for a Model 1894 can safely improve performance within industry pressures. Hodgdon’s online Data Center shows 250-grain cast bullet loads at over 1,600 fps and none exceed 27,600 CUP. It also shows loads for a 255-grain jacketed bullet at 1,800 fps that do not exceed 28,200 CUP with Barnes’s “Original” 255-grain FNSP bullet, still cataloged.
Pairing the .38-55 with cast bullets is satisfying once you deal with barrel groove diameter. Although bullet diameter spec is 0.377 inch, most old Winchester rifles seem to run larger. My vintage Winchester, with a near-perfect bore, measures 0.380 inch across the grooves. A coworker at Speer had a Marlin lever gun that we measured at 0.375 inch.
Barnes sells the best jacketed component bullets for the .38-55: a proper 255-grain FNSP in 0.375- and 0.377-inch diameters. The CIL factory bullets that shot so well in my rifle also run about 0.377 inch, but the bearing surface has multiple grooves that seem to allow the thin-jacketed bullet to “slug up” under pressure. Accuracy is excellent.
Starline sells .38-55 empty brass in two different case lengths. That product webpage has a link to an excellent discussion of why different lengths are important.
Ideally, cast bullets should be 0.001 inch over groove diameter, but sometimes you can’t get there. When I started with my Winchester rifle in about 1972, I could not afford a custom 0.381-inch lubrisizer die, and my molds cast at 0.379. I bought the biggest Lyman die available (0.379 inch). It worked.
A misfit between factory jacketed bullets and bores explains so many original rifles suffering gas leakage and erosion. Wanting a shooter, I exchanged a fair bit of exterior wear for a nice bore, and it was worth it.
What can a 140-year-old cartridge, a 100+-year-old rifle, and iron sights do at the range? Plenty. With younger eyes I posted some 1- to 2-MOA groups from the bench with both cast bullets and CIL factory ammo. Later, I plucked my go-to cast-bullet HV load from Barnes’s jacketed bullet data: Lyman’s No. 375296GC 265-grain bullet over 25.0 grains of Reloder 7. It goes just over 1,600 fps from my rifle’s 26-inch barrel yet remains two grains under the published maximum for jacketed bullets. The old rifle has done some nice work at 300+ yards with that load.
The new Weatherby Orion Side-by-Side 410 shotgun will be welcomed by upland and small game hunters, as well as small-bore enthusiasts.
October 11, 2023
In August, Weatherby added the Orion SxS to its line of shotguns and today they add a 410 to this classic-looking shotgun lineup. It’s been decades since Weatherby has offered a 410, so this new side by side should be a welcomed announcement for uplanders, small game hunters, and small-bore enthusiasts. The new offering is a true 410 receiver and is scaled down from the 20-gauge version launched just a few months ago.
It accepts up to 3-inch shells and the barrel is ready for today’s modern shot selections. Like the 12- and 20-gauge options, this new shotgun features a straight English stock, splinter forend, five extended chokes, and double triggers. It has a swamp rib with a brass bead to ensure a clear sight picture for quick and accurate wing shooting. Made for conscious hunters, the side by side features extractors to make sure empty shells end up in your pocket and not on the landscape. Starting at just 6.1 pounds, this is a shotgun you can carry all day long. Orion SxS MSRP: $1,099
Features
- Mechanical Double Trigger: Reliable mechanical double trigger. The front trigger fires the right barrel, and the rear trigger fires the left barrel.
- Ambidextrous Tang Safety: The tang safety is ergonomically placed for quick transitions from the safe position to the fire position.
- Swamped Rib: A classic swamped rib is used to aid the shooter in keeping their face on the stock and allows the user to see between the barrel silhouettes which encourages focus on the target
- Straight English Stock with Splinter Forend: A classic straight English stock with a slim splinter forend allows for natural pointing and an easy transition between the two triggers.
- Extended Chokes Tubes: Comes with five extended choke tubes (SK, IC, Mod, IM, Full) and utilizes the Yildiz choke system.
- Long Tang Trigger Guard: The long tang trigger guard adds strength and additional stability to the wrist of the stock.
Learn More at https://weatherby.com/store/orion-sxs/
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