I just love these little cartridges! I'm going to get another one to play with in 2 weeks. I really like the looks and reputation of the new Savage model 40 and CZ 527. What else is there with good reputation that is $500 or less? Please lend me your suggestions.

Ifyou can find one of the old(.50-60) model Brno Hornets you will never look at other rifles!
These tiny rifles are THE perfect Hornet rifles IMHO!

Old sako hornets are great too!

Regards

I have the CZ 527 in Hornet and I used to think it was the cats azz until I got its twin in .221 Fireball this weekend.

The .221 fills that gap between a .22 Hornet and a triple duece perfectly. Have only shot a box of factory loads to break it in, but hope to start working up loads this week.

For the money I think the CZ is hard to beat. I will try to post pics of the wood that came with the .221, it is unreal for a $500 production rifle.

22 HORNET: I also have always had a soft spot for the 22 Hornet - BUT - I have had the worst luck getting them to shoot even fairly well over the decades.
I have owned many in the past and I have been through the miseries with all of them. Even the one 22 Hornet I still have. This Rifle will now shoot just BARELY pleasing groups. MY present 22 Hornet is a Ruger #1-B Model with the 26" semi-heavy sporter barrel. It shoots now from the HIGH 7's to 1.000" groups (5 shots at 100 yards). It took me three years of off and on work and tinkering to achieve that level of accuracy!
Anyway I enjoy the little cartridge and it has its place (small niche?) in the Varmint fields in my opinion.
I bought my brand new in the box Ruger #1-B for a song ($400.00) back in 1997. Oh by the way it has BEAUTIFUL wood on it and that makes up some for its temperamental nature - I guess!
To tell you the truth 22 HORNET, I am not sure if I would give another 22 Hornet a try at this stage in my life?
Which brings me to my point (question) - could you relay to me the accuracy you have gotten from your 22 Hornets presently and/or in the past?
Good luck with your upcoming "venture" into Hornet land!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Hi VarmintGuy, I don't know why but even before I bought my first hornet I loved the way the cartridge looked! I've only had two, a 77/22 and a H&R .22Hornet. I tell you, Ive had much better success in accuracy with the little NEF. That's actully the one I always take out when in the mood to shoot a Hornet. Like you, I've tried many combinations of components. The recipe I have stuck with for the past 1 1/2 years is 13.0 - 13.4 grains lil'gun, WSR or CCI BR-4 primer, Winchester brass and anything from a 40gr - 55gr v-max, 45gr Noslers and Combined Technologies bullets. The NEF has a 1:12 twist so it shoots the heavy bullets great. When I say great, I'm not saying in the .3's or .7's but usually 3/4" - 1". I always get that stray flier but I can live with that. I'm wanting another one with a slower twist like a 1:14 or 1:16 so I can try working up some loads using the super light bullets like a Berger 30gr maybe. I did get a few good groups with the 35gr v-max using 13.5gr lil'gun. Man that stuff is awesome! I've read many posts where guy's using 30 grainer's and lil'gun are getting 3,200 and even 3,400fps with lil'gun. Walt Berger even sent me an email caliming these velocities with the 30 grainer's. Well, good to hear from you! Take care.....

.22Hornet, If you really have to have a Hornet case and that feel for "heaveniss" using the Hornet case.......go ahead and have your trusty neighborhood smith/machinist bore it out to "K-Hornet!! Then use your maximum loads(or maximum accurracy loads) to test it....i.e. if you were using 10.5 grains of powder in the Hornet, then do the same 10.5 grains in the "K-hornet" case. Your groups will shrink!!....what it is, I don't know! I just shoot the 17HMR and do anything a Hornet will do at whatever range you want too!! And don't have to reload for it either!! And I know somebody is going to chime in here about a frigging deer!!!.....litt;e dimple in the back of their neckat the junction of neck and .......put a 17 grain VMAX there and tell me what happens!! GHD

I have a cz 527 american and I like it a lot !!

I punched out my NEF to K Hornet and it shoots minute of crow at 150 yds (1.5"). I don't know what it shot before the reamer was applied to the chamber since I reamed it as soon as I got it. K-Hormet is a great round and it rides in my truck with me always.

My Rem 597 in 17 HMR shoots minute of crow HEAD at 150 yds (3/4") and I don't need to look for the brass in the grass to reload it. I really like the quick follow up shot(s) with the 597. I've gotten a triple on crows on the ground, which I thought was pretty cool. The 597 may replace the K-Hornet in my truck soon if I buy another one. Between the 17 HMR and the .204...not sure which is more fun to shoot and it lasts longer than a blow job!!

22 HORNET: Thanks for your response and the load information! I have copied it for my loading log!
My Ruger #1-B in 22 Hornet finally perked up when I went to the 35 gr. Hornady V-Max!
I have not tried the lighter Bergers as yet and like you allude to I may need a slower twist myself to get these to shoot well.
Thanks again.

PC: Yes it is almost amazing how well virtually everyone that owns the CZ's are so happy with them! Good for you.

Lowrider 49: I have had experience with just three NEF Rifles. All are owned by friends. They are all in 17 HMR caliber and all shoot VERY well!
One of my friends got two in a row of the NEF's in 17 HMR that would only discharge the ammunition sporadically. One fired at a 50% clip and the next one at a 65% rate - as I recall. I did the scope mounting and sight in on both of these nifty little Rifles. We are working on his second NEF more intently because it is SO accurate!
Since the Ground Squirrels went down on the first of August around here we have not had it out in the field for performance testing.
I am sure hoping we can get the trigger pull/hammer fall/discharge situation solved.
I bet that 22 K-Hornet is just a splendid truck gun! What scope do you have on it?
I saw one of these NEF's in 17 HMR somewhere for sale and they wanted $119.00 for it as I recall. I may just have to "squirrel" away some made money for one. With the synthetic stocks and a good protectant they should be about indestructable and worry free for my winter travelling here in the Rockies.

Long live the 22 Hornet and the 17 HMR!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Varmint Guy my load is the 45 gr sierra .224 hornet bullet with 11 gr of W296 with rem case and rem 7 1/2 primer seathed to 1.71" OAL.

It shoots under 1" at 100 yards which is ggod for such a lite out fit, but it did take a couple of powders and weights to find the load it liked in the end it was the rem 7 1/2 primers it wanted

My hornet is mounted wit ha 3-9x50 leupold.

Awe Sako, you make me feel left out as my Brno has '49 proof marks! And yes it is the Hornet to compare others to. I wouldn't mind a nice young Cooper though, they will shoot with the best and are put together properly as well.

Varmintguy the missfire rate on those handi's seems really unusual. One thing to look out for is because of the transfer bar system you need to follow through on the triger if you don't the transfer bar could fall out of position before the hammer falls.

I've had two Hornets over the past 10-12 years. Sold them both. I have been excited with a friend's Ruger 77/22H recently, so I decided I had to have another. This time it is a 22 K Hornet from Cooper. It should be here on Friday. It does not fill some imagined gap in the rifle arsenal. With a 17 HMR, 19 Calhoon, 221 FB, 223, 204 Ruger & 220 Swift I think I have the varmint range fairly well covered. I bought it just for the fun of it! That's why we do this....isn't it?

You might as well go and get a .22-250.
Thats the way to do it, have everything, then you can say they are all good.
The best of luck with them all West.

The Hornet is so cool. Cheap to shoot too. Have not been without a Hornet for the last 38 years. Never had a K-Hornet, God knows why. Currently, I suppose my "no K-Hornet" excuse is that I don't want to mess with a Anschutz that shoots regular Hornet ammo so well.
Now, Hornet ammo. Does ANYONE have any experience with RWS .22 Hornet ammo? I hear it is The Best on the planet. Any comments??

LLS - Mannlicher Collector

I have the CZ 527 american and with 40 grn vmax and 13.2 grains of lilgun it groups about .3 at one hundred at 3000 fps and with sierra 45gr soft points it shoots .50 to .75 with 10.6 grns rel7 at 2200 the 45s hit dead on at 100 and the 40s dead on at 200.I modified the clip to put the vmax bullets in it works great. The CZ is the best hornet I ever had and I had alot of them from an anshutz to a savage this gun out does them. I also have a 221 fireball in the rem lvsf it shoots great with 50 vmax mollys and 15 grains lilgun at 3200 fps I fired a 10 shot group the other day with it .35

I modified the clip in the 527 so i could seat the 40 vmax just off the lands

Sako:

I want you to know that this old man bitterly resents your referring to a rifle chambered for 22 Hornet as a "tiny rifle"!

The 22 Hornet was my next step up from a 22 rimfire. It meant that now instead of being limited to shooting woodchucks at 75 yards, that now I could "reach out" and shoot them at 150 yards! Watch your language, Sir! You are insulting my first centerfire cartridge!

I have two Hornets which I dearly love:
CZ 527 which consistantly shoots under 1/2 inch using the 35 grain V-Max over 13 grains of Lil'Gun and a Rem 1 1/2 primer.

A BSA Martini which regularly shoots under 3/4 inch using the same bullet and 11 grains of Lil'Gun and the same primer.

I am now in the market for a 218 Bee--love those insects!