I have been playing with a really nice Anschutz .22 hornet for years. Really like the rifle, but it is very fussy about the ammunition that it likes to shoot. Rem & Win 45gr. SP factory ammo will only give me 1-3/4 - 2" groups.

Most handloads about 1.5" and even after trying many reccomended handloads it is difficult to shrink the group size much further. (tried 35 Horn v max, 40 & 45 gr. Sierras, 40 speer, Lil gun powder, W296 powder, AA1680, neck sizing etc. etc. The Horn 35 Vmax and Lil gun shows promise at about 1 1/4" .

I tried two more factory loads a while ago, and was encouraged - RWS 45gr. soft point shot into an inch, which is my minimum group size goal. But RWS ammo costs enough that I just can't afford it.

So I tried Winchester 46 gr. hollow points. Eureka!! a 5 shot group under 1/2"! And then I repeated that performance just to be sure. I can't find that ammo again, no matter where I look. And cost is a factor when shooting a hornet at high volume in the "gopher" fields.

So I went to my local gun store, bought new Winchester cases, two bags of the Win 46 gr. HP bullets, & win small rifle primers. I can match seating depth with the factory loads easy enough.
Any suggestions for powder & charge? I do have W 296 on hand and the others mentioned above, and H4227.

well i'm sure winchester is using a powder similar to what they sell as a canister grade.
not the same but probably close.
i'd just match the velocity of your loads versus the factory loads.
that should get you as close as you are gonna get.

Have you checked the bullets for diameter? I found that a number of mfg are around .223? I had good results with sierra JSP 40gr.
and 55gr hornady's. i tried a light roll crimp and new brass groups shrunk to about moa. The cast bullets I tried were a joke. The weight range was from 40 grs to 45grs in one batch.
If you put too much crimp on the thin case it will buldge or crush.
Dave

Winchester 296/Hogdon 110 are great powders in the Hornet and a great place to start. You might be suprised what using a small pistol primer will do for your accuracy. That was the grand revelation for me with the Hornet many years ago. Additionally some have reported increased accuracy by using the Lee factory crimp die very lightly. My current Hornet is a Ruger77 Hornet that shoots40 and 45 grain .224 dia "Hornet" bullets into about 3/4" with no special techniques, so I haven't invested in the crimp die.

Matt

If it were me I would pull one of your factory rounds apart and weigh the powder. Then look at the reloading books and see if it correlates with one of the Winchester powder loads for the bullet you have. It is probably close to ww296.

It is also a good idea to measure the bullet, as Hivelocity suggested, hornet bullets come in .223 and .224, your rifle may have a preference.

l-walk,

We have also had great results with Winchester 22 Hornet brass as it has much more capacity than RWS cases.

Our primer success in the Hornet has been with Remington 6 1/2 primers.

I've also found than when using various loading manuals where suggested velocities are given that I usually start at 2500-2600fps range and that has saved us alot of testing also.

I'd try WW296 charges in the 2500fps range as a start with the W-W 46 gr. bullet.

Happy Hornet!

Thanks to all, I will try Gerry's suggestion first, wish me luck!

If you are wanting to reduce loading cost then I'd suggest trying 55gr Remington or Hornady spire points. They'e cheaper than other weights. Then I'd suggest Lil'Gun but don't be shy with the load. Fit enough into the case to require a good compression. I get 2740fps with compressed Lil'Gun using R-P cases. That same load in a Remington case opened up the primer pocket somewhat. Load to max magazine length. I use Federal small rifle primers. These are low power primers with soft cups which are probably comparable to pistol primers. You'd be surprised at the accuracy and velocity possible. No need to go for my velocities - my rifle has a large chamber. Something else I do is to lube my loaded rounds. This prevents case elongation to the point that I get indefinite case life and never need to trim. I had one case that had suffered an 80% case head separation that got into my cases which survived a further eight or so reloads before I found it and took it out of circulation! Anyway, that's your choice, I'm just saying it is safe to do and does produce long case life. Safe that is so long as your rifle is not a rechambered 22lr rifle. Mine is an Anschutz which was also chambered in 222 Remington (with a longer action body).