Have been thinking about a hornet rifle for a while. I located a nib savage. It is the single shot action that is basically a 22 rf action, no locking lugs other than the bolt handle. I have read mixed reviews on this one.
Other option as far as a single shot is contender or encore.
As far as a repeater I could just down load 223 or 22-250. I played with trail boss but accuracy with several different bullet weights and designs was not anything to talk about.
Jeff

They are spendy, but if you can swing it, get an Anschutz. I tried several other hornets, especially Rugers and they did not perform well at all.
I would have been better off financially doing it right the first time by getting the Anschutz. Mine is a heavy barrel 1730. It is headed to the PD fields in an hour.

cz 527

Found myself a BRNO Fox the other day in good condition - with double European set triggers.

Precursor of the CZ 527

quote:

Originally posted by budiceale:
cz 527

Mine is amazingly accurate. I lengthened one magazine so I can seat 50 grain Hornady SP SX. Over a healthy dose of Lil Gun it shoots clover leafs.

Anschutz is the cream of the crop. I got lucky and found a Ruger that a friend had that I already Knew was a tack driver. Some Rugers are really good, others not so great. Anschutz always shoot great.

CZ

If you can find one, an old Kimber of Oregon 22 Hornet would be nice. I've had mine for many years.

Kevin
P.S. Stone would like the Leo 3.5-10X

quote:

Originally posted by Kevin Gullette:

P.S. Stone would like the Leo 3.5-10X

For that matter, Stone would like the whole rig!

An Oregon Kimber similar to this one will cost about what the Anschutz does, but I'd prefer the Kimber. The Anschutz has a reputation as a good shooter, but it has a lot of stamped parts and is built too much like a rimfire for my tastes -- especially at such an elevated price.

I have both an early BRNO ZKW 465 and a later BRNO Fox Model 2, both of which were the precursors to the current CZ 527. Their double set triggers are just fantastic, as are their groups. The primary fault I find with any of them, including the CZ, is the backward-operating safety. I make a point never to move the safety out of "fire" position and simply don't close the bolt on a chambered round until I'm ready to shoot. If I don't shoot a chambered round for some reason, I simply remove it rather than chance making a fatal mistake with the backward-operating safety. The CZ also inexplicably has a very thick bolt root which forces the scope to be mounted higher than is desirable. But they do tend to yield better than average accuracy.

The Ruger is a very well-designed rifle which is executed too economically. As others have said, some shoot and some don't. Recent production seems to have a better batting average than early ones, and its relatively economical price and liquidity in the used market makes gambling on one a reasonable risk: If you get a good one you're into a Hornet pretty cheap; if you get a "bad" one you can recoup most of your outlay in resale. But do budget for an aftermarket trigger if the gun shows potential to shoot well.

Then you can always buy a TC if you don't mind shooting a rifle adapted from a pistol which itself was previously adapted from a shotgun. I personally can't imagine anything more frustrating when in an active prairie dog town than having to remove your rifle from battery and break it half-into in order to get ready to fire another shot before the little beggar dives into his hole again.

Some people say Hornets are finicky in terms of accuracy. Maybe, or maybe not, but I've had better accuracy on average from the six Hornets I've owned (and still own five of them, including one K-Hornet) than from most larger .22 Centerfires.

Does anyone have any experience with the Browning Micro Hunter 22 hornet? I just acquired one in LH, but haven't had the opportunity to shoot it yet. I have an early Ruger that I have yet to find a load for. I have considered sending it to Connecticut Precision, but don't if it is worth the expense.

whichever you choose do yourself a favor and run a k hornet reamer into it

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
whichever you choose do yourself a favor and run a k hornet reamer into it

I've got nothing against the K-Hornet and own one myself, but in a well-made rifle (tight headspace, minimum chamber dimensions, etc.) it offers no accuracy advantages over the standard Hornet.

It will give you about 100 FPS or so more velocity, but if you're looking for more velocity there are only about two dozen other centerfire .22 cartridges which will give it to you. A Hornet is about "small, light, and quiet". Pushing its velocity, either by pumping up pressures in the thin brass, or by blowing out the chamber, is a fool's errand. HOWEVER, if you get hold of a Hornet which does have a sloppy chamber, then going the K-route is a useful and expedient thing to do.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
whichever you choose do yourself a favor and run a k hornet reamer into it

I've got nothing against the K-Hornet and own one myself, but in a well-made rifle (tight headspace, minimum chamber dimensions, etc.) it offers no accuracy advantages over the standard Hornet.


It will give you about 100 FPS or so more velocity, but if you're looking for more velocity there are only about two dozen other centerfire .22 cartridges which will give it to you. A Hornet is about "small, light, and quiet". Pushing its velocity, either by pumping up pressures in the thin brass, or by blowing out the chamber, is a fool's errand. HOWEVER, if you get hold of a Hornet which does have a sloppy chamber, then going the K-route is a useful and expedient thing to do.

Winchester mod 43, the poor mans mod 70. I own and shoot the 43 in both the Hornet and Bee, if you have the correct change a mod 70 in Hornet is top of MY food chain, Im still on the search.. very best

My all time favorite Hornet was a Win. mod 43 in K-Hornet, I loved that little gun but alas someone else wanted it more than I...Someday I'll have another, but they sure have jumped up in value..

A rancher neighbor of mine had a 43 in a 218 Bee, it was his everything gun, and he slew a bunch of deer over the years with it, and never lost one, and as far as I know he never shot one twice..He got close like under a 100 yards and popped them in the ribs and they flopped over. Use whatever factory ammo he had on hand and shot the original iron sights.

I got lucky last August. A guy brought an old model 70 (sn:36xx) 22 Hornet carbine to a gun show in town and I bought it for $1200. Sub moa, and really likes the new Hornady bullets.

Don't even ask Ray...

I guess it is all in what a man wants, and what his wallet will let him spend. I am a southpaw, and ~15 years ago when I got the hankering for a Hornet there weren't a lot of options. The CZ LH Mini-Mauser hadn't made the scene, if memory serves.

So I went cheap: I bought an NEF in 22 Hornet and had a K reamer dropped into the barrel. I got a good one. Checking the twist on my $179 rifle ( at the time) revealed a 1 in 12 twist.

To date, the best load I have found is 10 grains of AA 2200 (I use the original Data powder) behind a standard Winchester 55 grain soft point. They are quiet, inexpensive to shoot (or were before everything got crazy...), and will clover leaf at 100 if I do my part. That is minute of prairie dog out as far as the Hornet is effective, and breaking open the action between shots is a very minor inconvenience. There will always be another mound whistler to shoot at...