Winchester Model 70 .22 Hornet?

23 October 2009, 00:55

airgun1

.224 Most if not all .223 bore were reworked 22 rimfires, M1922 Springfield, old Savage Sporter types, etc from the 1920's. For the record M54 Wins are also .224

ETA: I may very well be wrong. I have owned a few pre 64 Win 70 Hornets and also Hornets that were bumped to 222 Rem. I know some sources specified they are .224". I just checked Rifleman's Rifle by Roger Rule and it lists the 220 Swift with a .219" Bore and 22 Hornet with .217". FWIW I always shot 224" diameter bullets through them, even the 222's!

23 October 2009, 16:04

Bo Rich

Model 54, and Model 70 Hornets had .223 barrels.

23 October 2009, 17:50

DMB

I have a Model 54 in 22 Hornet, and shoot Sierra's .223 diameter Hornet bullets in it.

24 October 2009, 10:04

SWD

My early 1930s M54 Hornet shoots .224 bullets just fine. Great accuracy with no pressure problems. Try both bullet sizes and see if one shoots better.

24 October 2009, 17:27

DMB

quote:
Originally posted by SWD:
My early 1930s M54 Hornet shoots .224 bullets just fine. Great accuracy with no pressure problems. Try both bullet sizes and see if one shoots better.

Thanks for the advice, I'll try the 224 bullets. I have some loaded up for a Ruger 77 and a Browning Huntsman Hornet.

27 October 2009, 07:39

TEANCUM

I don't know if this is true or not but I recently heard that this combo, Winchester Model 70 in .22 Hornet is Hotsh$t's favorite go to rifle for deer.

27 October 2009, 18:39

DMB

quote:
Originally posted by TEANCUM:
I don't know if this is true or not but I recently heard that this combo, Winchester Model 70 in .22 Hornet is Hotsh$t's favorite go to rifle for deer.

Also in Afrika. They shoot Zambizi's with the Hornet there.. It's very effective....

27 October 2009, 19:28

seafire2

quote:
Originally posted by TEANCUM:
I don't know if this is true or not but I recently heard that this combo, Winchester Model 70 in .22 Hornet is Hotsh$t's favorite go to rifle for deer.

don't forget, loaded with Blue Dot... his favorite powder...

27 October 2009, 20:16

ledvm

quote:
I don't know if this is true or not but I recently heard that this combo, Winchester Model 70 in .22 Hornet is Hotsh$t's favorite go to rifle for deer.

Their is no telling how many deer I shot from the age of 12 to about 20 with my Savage .22 Hornet.

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01 November 2009, 03:44

Alberta Canuck

I suspect Roger Rule was referring to "land" diameters, when he mentioned bore diameters as .217" and .219". That would be the diameters some individual barrels were bored to before being rifled.

I have owned a lot of factory-barreled both pre-'64 AND pre-war M70s, as well as M-54s, both Hornets and Swifts, over the years and found neither 70s nor 54s were always exactly what one might expect.

At one time it was fairly normal for bullet makers like R.B. Sisk to provide both .223" and .224" bullets. Often I found, particularly in the Swifts, that one size might work better than the other, but it wasn't absolutely predictable which size might be best for any one gun. I could only find out for sure by trying each size in every Winchester-made Hornet or Swift rifle I acquired.

I still have on hand a thousand or so Sisk 55-grain .223" "Express" bullets which I use a few of from time to time to test any new-to-me older Winchester manufactured Swift I happen to come by.