22 Hornet - The Little Cartridge That Could

The 22 Hornet is a prime example of the fact that some older cartridges will never completely loose their charm with the American shooter. In the early 1930's Winchester produced the first 22 Hornet factory rifles and ammunition for commercial purchase. It all evolved from the 22 WCF, an old black powder cartridge. At Springfield Armory the experimenters, that included Col. Townsend Whelen and Capt. G.L. Wotkyns, developed the cartridge using a M1922 Springfields converted from rimfire.

The 22 Hornet was quickly picked up as a medium range varmint cartridge both in North America and Europe where it has continued to have a strong following. In 1994 Ruger produced the M77/22, thereby adding to the long line of quality firearms that have been produced chambered in the Hornet 22. With its small case the rifles can be built on small compact actions that have received some popularity due to its weight. For smaller varmints out to about 200 yards the 22 Hornet has proven more than capable of handling the job, especially in the 40-45 grain bullets. The bullet has a relatively flat trajectory which makes the shot very good for precision shots.

With the 22 Hornet having a relatively slow rotation in the rifling of 1 in 16 inches, which is common in most production firearms, the 22 Hornet seems to shoot best with the 40-45 grain bullets. With that slow of a rotation and moderate velocity any bullet heavier than 52 grains seem to have problems stabilizing in most rifles, for that reason factory ammunition is loaded with 45 grain bullets at roughly 2650 feet per second. Even though the twist is on the slow side, the light bullet more than make up for the twist. The light weight bullet though is what gives the 22 Hornet its sting, if you try to put a heavier bullet through the barrel of that twist, the twist will not rotate the bullet fast enough to stabilize its trajectory fully, because as something spins or rotates it becomes much tougher to redirect its path.

When it comes to reloading the 22 Hornet extra care must be given to the condition of the case after firing. The case walls of the 22 Hornet are very thin and usually do not survive the firing process, especially when compared to other center fire cases. During the past few years the maximum pressure for the 22 Hornet has been reduced by 4000 cup. In many tests the only propellant brand that gave desirably results was AA 1680, although many powders now can give velocities that are close to the 22 RF Magnum. Even with the 4000 cup cut back on pressure the industry maximum of 43,000 cup is within the guidelines set for the 22 Hornet. With the 22 Hornet doing so well with commercial sales and still being loaded for varmint use, it proves that unique or rare loadings of ammunition will be around for many years to come, either from home reloaders or factories.