Guys,

Anybody out there reloading for a TC Contender in .22 Hornet?? If so, do you use .224 or .223 cal bullets?? My Contender barrel is probably about 10 years old or so (if that makes a difference?), just has not seen much action until now.

I'm about to start loading for a Contender Carbine, and was hoping to start with a Sierra 40 grs HP (.224 cal), small pistol primers and Lil'Gun (if I can get any?).

Any other tips or experience shared would be much appreciated. Might help shorten my learning curve and/or reduce frustration...

- mike

Use standard .224 diameter bullets. It's always ben that diameter for T/Cs. Lil'Gun is good, you can't put too much in a hornet case and small pistol always did better in hornet case than small rifle. H110/W296 and AA1680 have excellent accuracy but you will need to watch pressures.

While we are this subject. I have a 22 hornet barrel on order for my contender. The barrel will be 10 inches. This barrel will be used for field pistol thus pin point accuracy is not vital. I intend to use 55 grain FMJ bullets. I reload straight pistol cartridges but this is the first time I have ever reloaded a rifle cartridge.What do I need for reloading. Full lenght resizing dies or neck? Do I need to full lenght size new brass. I have a RSCB case trimmer should I buy a new collet and pilot What about the RCSB x die? . Comp dies?Forester dies? Price is not a big issue but then I do not want to spend more than necessary. Any advice on getting me up and running would be appreciated

Unless you have a lot tighter twist than the standard hornet, I don't believe the 55gr bullets will stabilize well at all.

Maybe in a rifle length barrel you can. 50gr will stabilize fairly well in rifle lenght barrels, but I have my doubts with 55gr bullets.

I have Redding dies and am happy with them. You don't really need a neck-size die; you can adjust the full-length die to partially resize the fired cases. I sized my cases to just below the base of the seated bullet(0.196" seating depth) when I shot Hunter's Pistol Silhouette and never had a chambering problem. Hornets are known for stretching cases, so you will want to be able to trim them. Before I found out what all the other (better) shooters were using, I shot 46-gr. Remington SP's and Scot 453 or Unique in my matches. Almost everybody else was shooting bulk 55-gr. SP's and Winchester Super Field. I also use small pistol primers (Rem. 1 1/2) in my loads because they seem to give better accuracy them small rifle primers (Rem 6 1/2). The 10" Hornet recoils so little that you can mount a standard rifle scope on it without poking yourself in the eye. I have a 3-9x on mine and one guy I knew had a 24X! I would neck-size new cases just to make sure the case mouths are trued up. A benchrest shooter here fireforms his new cases by seating the bullets into the rifling to make sure the cases expand completely. He claims much better case life and accuracy in his Contender with this method. Avoid Remington brass like the Plague; I had a box of factory loads that had only 25 survivors after the third re-load. Winchester brass is apparently immortal. You should be able to get 1 - 2" accuracy at 100 yards very easily. A can of powder lasts forever at about 4.5 grains per pop. Good luck with your Contenders; they are great guns.

thanks berdan 111
This was the information I was looking for. I am going to follow your advice.

Cedarbrook

I am shooting a Hornet in IHMSA using a 24X scope. I use a 55 FMJ with Win brass, and SR primer, with AA#2 or Win 231 powder. About 4.5g. Just enough to knock the Rams over. Standard T/C barrels will stabilize these bullets. I am INT class and got there using this gun and load. Bullets are even Mil surp pulled bullets that you can get cheap.

Mike