I'm being overrun with varmints. Coons, skunks, rabbits, other. When I go to let my dogs out before bed there is a critter for them to chase. I just stopped a rabbit at 10:30. Found he has also chewed my tulips down to the ground. 410 took care of him tonight. I would like to try a light load in my Hornet with 30 grain Varmint Grenades. I have some IMR 4895 that an old book says 45 gr. bullet @ 1735fps w/12.0C charge. How low of grs. can you load this powder without problems? Books seem to list max loads and not min loads. Don't have any SR4759. Have Blue Dot but never tried it in Hornet. Was surprised of low velocity with IMRs. Don't know how slow these bullets will work properly. Only used 4895 in 22-250 years ago. Didn't think it was a Hornet powder. Looking for a little quieter POP! Thanks for any help.

Check out some cast bullet manuals...

why not just use a 22 LR?

Take half a grain of AA #2, add a pellet of cotton to hold the powder against the primer, and seat a lead bullet over it. Nothing but a "click" and deadly accurate: one hole at 25 yards out of my NEF.

If you don't have the projectiles, PM me with an address and I will send you some...

Doubless, Sounds exactly what I'm after. I have Red. and Unique listed for 49g. lead in old Lyman book but want to use 30 gr VG. Rimfire may get to neighbors. Do you know vel. of your load? What weight bullet? Wonder if the VG's would break up at low vel. Always wondered why you can't use lead recipe for jacketed if similar or less weight bullet. (Resistance) Love my 223 NEF, plan to get Hornet barrel this summer. Thanks!

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Love my 223 NEF, plan to get Hornet barrel this summer

Why get a Hornet barrel for your NEF, when you can just download a 223 to 22 Hornet specs?

11 grains of Blue Dot or 14 grains of SR 4759 with a 55 grain bullet will give you 22 Hornet velocity with that bullet weight...

If you are interested in that route, PM me and I'll send you load data for other bullet weights to accomplish the same thing...

I shoot a Rem ADL in 223, pretty much strictly at Hornet Velocities as a walking varminter...

22 Hornet velocities also increase the barrel life dramatically...

also, by down loading your 223, you don't have to buy all the Hornet dies, and also deal with Hornet brass that is easy to screw up.. 223 brass is easier to work with and is much more tougher... along with cheaper and easier to get ahold of...

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I have Red. and Unique listed for 49g. lead in old Lyman book but want to use 30 gr VG. Rimfire may get to neighbors. Do you know vel. of your load? What weight bullet? Wonder if the VG's would break up at low vel.

I suspect the 30s would work with the .5 grain load, but the reduced weight would increase velocity, maybe to the point of supersonic, with a resulting "crack".

I load Lyman's 225107: unsized, coated with liquid Alox and allowed to dry. I think it is around 43 grains nominal, but their 224450 or 225415 will also work, I suspect. No idea of velocity, but it takes care of whatever it hits, within reason.

One recommendation: if you decide to try what you are doing with a jacketed bullet, make sure you take a brass rod to the range and check after every shot. The copper is going to offer more resistance and you very well could stick a bullet. That in itself isn't bad, because it gives you a bottom reference point to work slowly up from.

Years ago I read where Paco Kelly opened up Hornet case primer pockets to hold shotgun primers. He then used 209 primers and a 22-caliber pellet loaded backwards. His statement was to the effect of "600 fps, completely silent and absolutely deadly on feral dogs out to 40 yards." Another tidbit of possibly useful information!

And as a last bit of information, the first load I tried in my K-Hornet for subsonic was the Lyman 225107 over a full grain of AA #2, same cotton pellet. That one popped when it went off, so I cut the load in half. That is how I arrived at the .5-grain load.

Have fun developing your subsonic stuff, and again: if you need some cast 22s, PM me and I will send you some.

Big-V,

If you're stuck on a .22 Hornet - fine.

I use either 45 gr. Copper-clad lead round Noses (H&N bullets) with 5 grs. of Unique or the Hornady 35 gr. V-Max with 5.5 grs. of Unique in the .22 Hornet.

Both @ 1" at 100 meters, sometimes better. At (sorry, don't know how large your garden is) garden sized ranges these ought to let you be able to pick the exact spot you would like to plant a bullet.

They do have a fairly good report though; my favorite for the garden pests is a .177" BSA XL Tactical with it's "moderator". The pellet slap is the loudest part of those shots.

Good Luck

SF, I'm going today to get a NEF in 44 mag. I plan to send it in for a few more barrels. I load for Hornet and have 2 rifles and a 10" Cont. barrel. I luv/hate that cart. but not enough options in 221. That would be my all-around pick for reg. and downloading. I hope to have one of the NEF Horn brls rechambered to 221 Fb. I have about 200 pcs using brass and 200 new Hornets in bag. Been loading Hornets 10+ years. I've been Bludoting 223 for a while. I will P.M. you latter on that. Works pretty good so far. Doubless, you are prob right on about light bullet and a CRACK! Not totally concerned with noise but could live with less. I know very little about lead bullets. I did a little casting for Muz loadrs with a friend 35 yrs ago. Sounds like you can buy those bullets with the #s you show. Stayed away from that idea as I used to hate digging lead out of my pistol barrels. Sounds like a sweet load you have developed. Just take a piece of cotton off a cotton ball or is there a cotton "Pellet"??? Think I would like Paco Kelly! Gerry, Your Unique load is about what I'm heading for "I Think" I bought a Beeman 177 3 years ago and shot pretty good at first. Now groups like my 410. PMO! It's been sitting in the corner. Next air rifle will be expensive. Doubt I'll live to see it. Size of garden> I have 10 acres, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 295 yd backstops from bench on patio. My daughter jokes that the animals come to me for slaughter. Seven deer I walked up 50' on the night before I got the Easter Bunny. Her words. 3 coyotes one dead at 100yds in Dec. Groundhogs in my backstop. Saw one go there today. Waiting for babies to grow. Fox too I think! When I built here I could only see one house, that has changed alot in 20 yrs. Sorry about writing a Book! But I DO THANK YOU ALL FOR SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE!! PS I'm looking for a 22 cal c.f. load with no recoil, Muz blast, light frangible bullet, low vel, ACCURATE, SAFE. Pellet gun on steroids! 223 Blue Dots are very close so far. Want smaller strong case!

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Sounds like you can buy those bullets with the #s you show.

Actually the numbers I quoted are from the Lyman moulds... There may be a commercial caster out there that will cast you lead .22 cf bullets, but I sincerely doubt it. That is why I offered. I suspect a couple hundred would last you a long time... And as far as a cotton pellet, I just pinched a piece off a cotton ball and inserted it in the case, pushing it down against the powder with a small screwdriver. Funny thing is, out of my NEF, I had to break the rifle open and blow down the barrel to dislodge the pellet. The vermin were dead as last year's bird nest, and yet there wasn't enough oomph in the load to push the cotton out the end of the barrel!

If you don't worry about a 410, why be concerned over a 22 ?

Doubless, Do you have the 20 or 22" barrel? My 223 is only a 20" and it shoots great. If I rechamber one to 221 I think I'd go with 22". Benjamin will get me another to stay Hornet. Think I'd make it 22" also. The stuck cotton is a good reason for the single shot. My two Hornet rifles are bolts. I really like this little 30g bullet so far. Thank you for your generous offer but don't want to put you out just yet. Hope you don't change your mind if I change mine. Does that alox act as lube and help prevent leading? I prob should check out lead bullets. I've read a little about them for small game. I Beagle hunt rabbits and want to try c.f. Headshots with light grenades might work. I use 22 rimfire but have had occasion to worry about where those ended up. Don't use scattergun much anymore. I'm pretty sure the 410 pellets are staying on my property but don't think rim fires always would.

My NEF has a 22" barrel. And yes, the liquid alox, once dried, leaves a kind of waxy coating on the bullet that acts as a lube. Most folks don't know it, but a lot of the lead 22 rimfire rounds have a lubricant on them. It is all done to keep leading down in the barrel, as I am sure you know...

And if you change your mind, it is not a big deal. I have one of the 22 moulds in four cavity, so it wouldn't take long to cast up a hundred or so for you...