22 Hornet Loads

[drt213]

I recently picked up a Ruger 77 22 Hornet and I'm ready to crank out some loads for it. If anyone has any pet loads that work well in their 77 hornet I would appreciate heading from you as to what they are. That might same me some time and supplies as I try to fine what my likes.

Thanks.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I've heard a Max. load of Lil'Gun does the trick. I have also heard that both pistol and rifle primers can be tried? I don't know anything else but that is a very cool cartridge.

 

[M'BOGO]

Recall my load uses 12 grains of Lil'Gun, don't recall the primer, with one of the plastic tipped slugs, in Winchester brass. Accurate enough to be called a liar if I talk about it.

 

[mattsbox99]

Fill the case up with Lil Gun, no need to measure it, seat any bullet and use a small pistol or Rem 6 1/2 small rifle primer. Lil Gun can not go over pressure in the Hornet case. Don't use any other small rifle primers, they build up too much pressure and the bullet gets going before the powder ignites and accuracy suffers. Lil Gun lights just fine with a standard small pistol primer.

I prefer RP brass, it has a little more volume than Winchester brass. I get very good case life by just sizing the part of the neck that holds the bullet, not the whole neck.

 

[drt213]

Thanks for the feedback. No one mentioned bullet and weight...any input on that?

 

[M'BOGO]

To be honest, I used Hornady 40 gr V-Max. The reason I didn't want to bring it up, it has to be seated very deeply to fit in the magazine. I did work up, and the accuracy in that rifle will get me called a liar. No I don't have any pics.

 

[mattsbox99]

I've used the 35 and 40 grain VMax, 40 grain Nosler BT, and several Sierra 'Hornet' bullets with success.

 

[hammie]

As M'bogo said, most spire point bullets have to be seated deeply because of the shorter ruger magazine. The case mouth will be past where the bullet ogive starts and it may look like a rocket in a silo. The solution to that is to use bullets designed for the hornet. I now use only by 35 grain hornady's in my ruger. The ballistic coefficient is not as good, but I figure the hornet to be a 150 yd cartridge and so ballistic efficiency is not that important to me.

For 40 grain bullets and heavier, hodgen's lil gun (as others here have said) and accurate arms 1680 are hard to beat. For 35 grains or less, a slightly faster powder works better, and I just use the classic hornet powder, "2400", for those lighter bullets. The old timers trick: use small pistol primers.

 

[loaded round]

I own two Ruger 22 Hornet rifles (VT 77/22 and 1B) and have found that AA 1680 and the Hornady 45 gr bullet will shoot into 7/8'' groups at 100 yds. I don't want to post powder charges since both are slightly over max but work well in my two rifles w/o any pressure signs.

 

[David LaPell]

7.4 grains of 2400 with a small pistol primer and a 40 grain Nosler ballistic tip. A fun little round.

 

[pps]

Regardless of whether I ise the V-max, or the Varmint Grenade...I fill the case up with Lil-gun and use a small pistol primer.

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