Well, I found one at the same time I had some pocket money, and it is shooting as well as can be expected, as I am shooting factory ammo. I have shot two 5 shot groups on two seperate days which measured less than 1.3" at 100 yards.

I cannot wait till I have enough brass "freed up" to start reloading. I am certain it will shoot very well with hand rolled ammo.

The accutrigger is really sweet.... it's the first Savage I bought that had it. Based on what I have seen so far, I am three for three with exceptional shooting Savage rifles....

I've had (3) bull barreled Savages and all three shot very good.Just like you,I've never had one with the Accu-Trigger.I'm getting one of these http://savagearms.com/12PrecVarm.htm in 22-250 sometime in my near future.I don't think I'll be disappointed.

Have you loaded 22 Hornet before?I used to load some for a couple of neighbors of mine.Both had T/C's.I was using midrange charges,but couldn't get the brass to last over 3-4 times,most only 3 times.The primer pockets would be very loose or cracked necks.

Mike, I shoot the 22 hornet quite a bit and it is true the brass doesn't last long. But reloading is very beneficial for accuracy and cost.

To help prolong brass life, I use the Lee Collect die. I thinking of checking to see it a body only die is availible for the hornet to use to slightly set shoulder back once cases get sticky.

Joe A.

Hello gentlement,

I have reloaded for the Hornet before, and I am familiar with some of the quirks surrounding it. When I sold that damned Ruger, I sent the dies with it. That Ruger soured me up pretty good.

I have just purchased a set of the Lee Delux dies which have the FL and Collet dies in the set. I just loaded up some using 45 gr. Hornady Hornet bullets with some 2400 and IMR4227 powders. They are neck sized. I'll let you know how it works out.

mike.

I you haven't yet, try some Lil Gun. Can't hardly beat it in a Hornet.

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:
mike.

I you haven't yet, try some Lil Gun. Can't hardly beat it in a Hornet.

I don't have any Li'l Gun in my stock pile, yet. I'm working out of some powders I have had for close to 8 or 9 years... gotta use it up!!!

My hornet liked small pistol primers the best. Also the Lee factory crimp die helps too.

Well folks,

After an extremely busy summer, I have finally focused back upon getting the load worked up for the Hornet. Today, I have finally found the load for it. I shot a 5 shot group in less than a half inch at 100 yards!!! I am pleased.

The magic load for this Model 40 is as follows:

40 gr. Sierra Ballistic tip
OAL 1.785" (-)
11.7 grns of Lil Gun Powder
Federal small pistol primers
Winchester cases.... neck sized with Lee Collet Die

The load is easy on brass, and dead on consistant for a cartridge like the Hornet.

I have yet to chroney it, but that will be done soon.

It seems my Savage Model 40 didn't handle loads with the 45 gr. bullets very well, and caused pressure problems. When I switched to the 40 gr. bullet, extraction and pressure wear on cases dissapeared.

The groups look loverly, and I will post a pic of them soon.

Craigster, that Lil Gun was certainly a great powder choice.

Thanks again for the suggestions and assistance.

That sounds like a very mild load.

I use 11.7gr Lilgun with a 52gr Sierra hpbtm and get 2600fps; I use 13.0gr Lilgun with a 45gr Barnes XLC and get 2900 out of my Ruger M77 w/20" barrel. Both shoot great. All my Hornet loads use Lilgun and a small pistol primer and are loaded with a Lee Collet die.

Keep us posted on your Savage.

I use 13 grains of Lil'Gun with Rem 1 1/2 Small Pistol primers and a 35 grain VMAX in my CZ American. Have shot groups under .25 inch.
Pete

I ran 5 shots over the chrony yesterday and found velocities to fall between 2650 and 2775.

That is a rather large deviation, but I must explain,... when I worked the load up, I used the same 15 cases. Those cases have not even required trimming due to the mildness of the load. They have formed quite nicely to the chamber due to the repeated firing and neck sizing.

Yesterday's sample of 5 shots was a combination of some cases I mentioned above, and some cases which have been fired only once with their original factory loading.

It did open the group up a little, but it is still under 1". This tells me that the load can handle some minor variations with components while still mantaining an acceptable level of accuracy.

If the weather holds today, I will take it out hunting, and see how it works on groundhogs.

The Model 40 action is truly an oversized .22 rimfire action, which may explain the problems I had experienced earlier in load developement, especially regarding "sticky" cases in loads which were well under max.

Yesterday, I had a few hours of time, so I went to a local small farm and hunted for about an hour and I shot the first groundhog with this rifle/load combination. The yardage was measured at 165 yds with a Bushnel rangefinder. The Sierra 40 gr. BlitzKing performed perfectly, with no exit wound on a neck/shoulder shot.

It looks like this rifle and I are going to have a long, satisfying relationship.

Well, as of today I have chalked up 3 more hogs at varying ranges from 18 yds to 146 yds and all have been anchored on the spot. I could not be happier with this rifle and load combination.

I would certainly recommend the Savage to anyone considering the purchase of a 22 Hornet rig. It's very reasonably priced, accurate and easy to handle in the field.

The Sierra 40 gr BlitzKing is an awesome bullet for .22 Hornet applications. I have yet to see an exit wound at any distance.

Again, I wish to thank all who have offered suggestions and assistance.

Mike