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Been doing some reading and the Hornady manual doesn't list a load for Lil gun with the 35gr Vmax bullets, but has data for the larger bullets. It does list Win 296 for this vmax 35 gr and all of the other bullet weights. Is this Win powder a good choice for the hornet? Thanks boys Greg | ||
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Lil'Gun works well for me with 35 grain V MAX. Pete "Be kind to your neighbor, he knows where you live." | |||
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Great Pete ! How many grains? Thanks Greg | |||
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An outstamding powder for the Hornet is AA-1680. You can use 14.0 grs in standard Winchester cases and 15.0 grs. in the Ackley Hornet, both with 40 grain bullets. It is the only powder I know of which will preform really, really well that a guy can load for in an emergency by just scooping the case full, putting a bullet on top, and seating it. If it makes you feel better, I will add the standard disclaimer that you should start at 13.6 grains (standard Hornet) or 14.6 grains (K-Hornet), and work up 0.1 grain at a time. You can get 3,050+ fps with the standard Hornet, and 3,150+ fps with the K-Hornet, with no signs of pressure at all...at least you can in MY rifle and others whith which I am familiar. Primer pockets usually last almost forever (and they are the Hornet case part which usually fails first with hot loads). You often cannot get that much AA-1680 into many brands of Hornet cases. If so, just weigh however much you can get in there, drop back about a half-grain, and work up from there. Accuracy really starts to perk just as you get the case full and the powder slightly compressed...with a grain less, accuracy is uually only so-so, if that good. Please note, I am talking about 40 GRAIN BULLETS, not 45 grs. or heavier. I prefer the cheapest of the Sierras, but pretty much any of that weight work fine. My country gal's just a moonshiner's daughter, but I love her still. | |||
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A canuk, Thanks for the info on the AA powder. Unfortunately here in Canada it isn't available from the place I want to buy powder. We have a repackager up here that sell Win, IMR, and Hodg powders in bulk and at very good pricing relative to the rest of the Canadian retailers. Your average pound of powder up here is in excess of $30.00. Therefore I'd like to buy some of this bulk product that comes in at around $20.00 per pound. thanks Greg | |||
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13 grains in CZ 527 and 9.5 grains in Martini 12/15 (.223 bore). Pete "Be kind to your neighbor, he knows where you live." | |||
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Generally speaking, 13.0 grains of Lil Gun will deliver good accuracy in "most" Hornets, not all. I had one Hornet that would not shoot Lil Gun at all. It did shoot 10.2 grains of H-110 very well however. Two other powders that shoot well in Hornets are 4227 and 2400. Don | |||
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For us "old Europeans" Vihta N110 is a good alternative, even though velocities achieved are not as high as with Lil'Gun. | |||
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I don't shoot bullets under 45grs in my Hornet, but, with the 45gr bullets I use 13.0gr of Lilgun and have compressed loads. I don't think you can get enough Lilgun into a Hornet case to cause problems with 45gr or lighter bullets. Hogdgon claims about 32,000psi with a 45gr bullet over 13.0gr Lilgun. Most of the other loads with their powders are running over 40,000psi. | |||
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Hodgdon's website has load data for the .22 Hornet. Hodgdon They list a min of 12 and a max of 13 grains of Lil Gun for the cartridge from 35 to 55 grain bullets. LWD | |||
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I too use 1680 in the hornet. The trick I found for best accuracy is to use a small pistol primer. My load for a 14" contender is 13.0gr AA1680 behind a Hornady 40 VMax and a winchester small pistol primer. C.O.L. is 1.860" and won't work in a 77/22hornet. Paul. | |||
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And only the 55gr load reaches SAAMI pressure. I had difficulty in getting Lil'Gun to produce consistent pressure - without neck sizing and crimping! But it can be done and the results are rather impressive. Regards 303Guy | |||
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296 works well for me in several Hornets as does 2400, N110 and 2400....with bullets ranging from the 35 gr. VMax through my all-time favorite Hornet bullet, the Nosler 45 gr. SB Hornet, now sadly discontinued.... Rem 6 1/2s are my primer of choice.... | |||
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Good point about crimping bullets. I do crimp my loads using Lil Gun too. | |||
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With a 40 gr Vmax, I use 12.5 grs of Lil gun and rem 6 1/2 primers also. I don't crimp my bullets. I can't get 13.0 grs in the case, it slightly spills over the casemouth. With the 12.5 gr load, which is slightly compressed, I can consistently tear one hole groups with my Contender handgun bbl. I seat my bullets way out to nearly touch the lands, which I think helps more than crimping. Si tantum EGO eram dimidium ut bonus ut EGO memor | |||
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I am using R-P cases which seem to hold a lot more powder. I can fit 13.7 grs of Lil'Gun in without quite reaching the mouth. I compress the powder down with a ram I have set up in my press. (That's how much I put behind a 55gr bullet - .224 bullets in a .223 bore). Regards 303Guy | |||
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Thats great Pete, because my hornet is a 527 Thanks Greg | |||
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BTW, use a small pistol primer. Pete "Be kind to your neighbor, he knows where you live." | |||
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That will not only vary between today's makes of cases, it will vary within one make over time. That is, today's batch of Remington brass may hold 13.2 grains of H-9947, but the next batch they retail may well hold 13.9 grains of the same powder. All makes' capacities vary over time, too, not just Remington or Winchester. My country gal's just a moonshiner's daughter, but I love her still. | |||
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303, I think I'm using Winchester brass, not sure would have to look. That must be it. I'm very happy with the accuracy of my load, so I'll be happy to stay with the 12.5 gr load. Good shooting. Si tantum EGO eram dimidium ut bonus ut EGO memor | |||
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Slowpoke Slim I had a Winchester case slip into my lot and even though the powder level was higher, and I rechecked the charge, it did not register that something was amiss. The primer was over flattened and the primer pocket loose. (My first real overload!) That was with Lil'Gun - 13.3 gr, I think. Regards 303Guy | |||
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Off the top, I can't remember what cases I was loading at the time for the Hornet, but I was able to get 13.7 grains of Lil-Gun in them. My take is, Lil-Gun works best with the heavier Hornet bullets. Don | |||
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It seems to me (in my gun at least), a heavy charge of Lil'Gun, compressed all the way down the neck and a heavy bullet seated deep, works best. I have already mentioned that reducing the charge a little makes the barrel get very warm very quickly! The whole barrel and suppressor gets evenly warmed. Strange, that.  Regards 303Guy | |||
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296 and Lil-gun. Speer 40gr Hornet bullets SP shoot better in my T-C carbine than any of the under 40gr bullets. | |||
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3000 small pistol primers waiting to ignite some Lil gun, thanks Pete Greg | |||
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Lil gun works well in my friends M77 Ruger shooting 45 grain bullets. (12.6 grains of Lil gun). Red C. Everything I say is fully substantiated by my own opinion. | |||
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FASTEEL, I've been considering a 22 Hornet but I've heard they are difficult to reload, is that true? Jim fur, feathers, & meat in the freezer  "Pass it on to your kids" | |||
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It'll be interesting to hear another’s take on that one. From my perspective, it is dead easy apart from trying to pick up and handle those tiny cartridges. They are small and fragile but not as fragile as one would think. I have seen poorly aligned bullets due the neck expanding unevenly during seating. I made up a custom neck sizer that seats a wad (if I want one) or compresses the powder and sizes the neck to a point just above the wad or powder but only just enough to hold the bullet firmly. This works pretty well. But I don't use it because I don't size at all. My method seems complicated and finicky but it does eliminate several of the other steps in the process and gives indefinite case life - and a heck more performance than one would normally expect. It did take me a good few hundred rounds to get there 'though. That's the good thing - lot's of shooting and experimenting! And then when you're out there and a magpie is sitting on a fence pole at 160m (measured) and takes a 60gr bullet in the centre of its chest - which gets completely hollowed out. Yoo Hoo!  That was still early days. Now I have a flat shooting, hard hitting, accurate load!  Every household should have one!   Regards 303Guy | |||
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Abob, I don't think they're hard to load for. I seem to have fallen into a very accurate load right away. It's hard to go wrong with a load of Lil'Gun powder and a 40-45 gr bullet. My barrel's favorite is 12.5 gr Lil'Gun, Rem 6 1/2 primer and 40 gr Hornady Vmax bullets. Shoots them into one ragged hole if I can hold my Contender handgun still enough. Si tantum EGO eram dimidium ut bonus ut EGO memor | |||
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I did some pressure and velocity testing recently with the .22H in a 21" Contender barrel. The pressures/velocities were measured with an Oehler M43. Cases for reloads were R-P and primers were WSPs. Factory Winchester 46HPs ran 2514 fps at 24,900 psi(M43). The classic load using the 40 gr Sierra Hornet bullet over 11.5 gr H4227 gave 2532 fps at 24,500 psi(m43). The same bullet over 12.5 gr of H110 gave 2852 fps at 30,700 psi(M43). The 45 gr Hornady Hornet bullet over 11.5 gr H4227 gave 2539 fps at 26,000 psi(M43). The Hornady bullet over 12.5 gr H110 gave 2840 fps at 29,400 psi(m43). Velocities out of my 24" barreled Savage M40 with 13 gr of LilGun (I will pressure test in the Contender when the weather breaks) with Sierra 40 gr Blitz bullets was 3020 fps for 10 Shots. With the Hornady 45 gr Hornet bullet velocity was 2940 fps for 10 shots. Accuracy with both loads was sub moa for the 10 shot groups. Larry Gibson | |||
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I havn't done any pressure testing but out of my 21 inch contender barrel I am just under 3000 fps with 13 grains of lil gun and a 40 grain bullet. I have to tap the case on the bench with my finger over the top to settle the powder enough to load a bullet without spilling powder out of the case. It is also an accurate load shooting under an inch most times with long 10 or 20 round targets growing to 1.5 inches or 1.75 inches. It is hell on ground squirrels. DW | |||
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Lil-Gun  ________________________________________________ Maker of The Frankenstud Sling Keeper Proudly made in the USA Acepting all forms of payment | |||
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What kind of game are you going after??? Elk or whales?? Hot Core and Bartsche recommend 30 pound test line with your bullet... Kablewy recommends taking a trailer big enough to carry 4 horses and attach it to a 1/2 ton suburban, especially if going over Eisenhower Pass with your Hornet... although he informs us a Dodge Diesel with a Manual Tranny might even be a better accessory for your Hornet... seafire recommends 3 grains of Blue Dot with a 240 grain Match King....  ..........  Life Member: The American Vast Right Wing Conspiracy Jan 20, 2009.. Prisoner in Dumocrat 'Occupied America', Partisan in the 'Save America' Underground Beavis..... James Beavis..... Of Her Majesty's Secret Service..... Spell Check Division "Posterity — you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it." John Quincy Adams A reporter did a human-interest piece on the Texas Rangers. The reporter recognized the Colt Model 1911 the Ranger was carrying and asked him "Why do you carry a 45?" The Ranger responded, "Because they don't make a 46." Duhboy....Nuttier than Squirrel Poop... | |||
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Try seating a 55gr bullet on top of 13.7gr Lil'Gun. This is how I do it (when I want to size the necks). The punch inside the neck die presses the powder down just ahead of the sizer.  My 'regular' loading is done like this.   Regards 303Guy | |||
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