We have booked a javelina hunt for this spring. One of our party would like to take his Kimber chambered for 22 hornet. Does anyone have any 55 grain loads for this cartridge?

I've only shot one javelina but I would think a 45 grain bullet would work if I could find one that would not explode on impact. Do you know of any well constructed 45 grain bullets for this situation. I'm thinking of loading them in th 2,600 fps range if I can't find a suitable 55 grain load.

Thanks

Sierra makes (or made) a 45gr SMP, a semi-pointed heavy duty bullet. Nosler still offers their 45gr Solid Base Hornet bullet. Even the Sierra 40gr hp is a tougher than expected bullet, able to withstand being used in Federal's 22-250 loading. They work very well in my 221 Fireball, allowing good penetration on coyotes.
I believe the Kimber has a 1:14 twist, and at Hornet velocities, may not stabilize a 55gr very well.

I have a K-Hornet in an NEF Handi-Rifle. It isn't a true 22 Hornet, it is a wildcat, as I am sure you know... All that to say this: I have shot some 1/2 moa groups with Accurate Arms Data 2200 (discontinued several years ago) and 55-grain Winchester soft points. Excellent accuracy with the 55s is doable, assuming the Kimber has a tight enough twist to stabilize them. (My NEF is 1 in 12, if that is any indication...) I used 10 grains in the K, you will probably need to start around eight and work up...

If you can't find Data 2200 (and you probably won't if none of your friends have any...) I would recommend either Accurate 1680 or Hodgdon Li'l Gun and a pistol primer. A good friend who recently ended his second career at Accurate Arms told me that rifle primers were too violent for Hornets; they shot better with pistol primers...

If the shooter is a reloader, and he should be for the hornet. Try Lil Gun and work up to the maximum his rifle will stand comfortably. This will work better than expected! Velocity should be in the neighborhood of 2750 ft/sec's...!

Important!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heed the advice to use a small pistol primer, my choice has been the CCI small pistol magnum for the Lil Gun loads.

I don't have the exact load I use memorized, but I use Win. 296 powder and 50 grain Barnes XFB's, and have dropped Javelina out to 130 yards with that load. My Hornet is a Ruger 77/22 Hornet and over the past 9 years, I have killed about a dozen Javelina with that loading.

Thanks for the info. I've been shooting Barnes TSX's in my 375 and love them. I just didn't know how they would stabilize in the Hornet.

The first Javelina I ever shot on the ranch where we do our hunts was right at 100 yards out and going along a cross fence. I hit the animal in the neck, just in front of the right shoulderf with a 50 grain X bullet out of the Hornet. The animal hit the ground mid-step.

My intentions were to make a European mount out of the skull, but when I went to skin out the skull, I noticed a dime to nickle size bump on the forehead almost dead center, right above the eyes.

When I got the skin off of that area, I noticed that it was the bone of the skull sticking up. I stuck the point of my knife in the crack that was most of the way around the piece that was sticking up, and pryed the flap up. To my surprise and astonishment there was the base of the X bullet. I pulled it out, it had lost one petal, but had turned when it hit the neck vertabrae and traveled about 8 or 9 inches up into the skull. I have not retrieved an X bullet from a broadside shot on a Javelina from the Hornet, they have all been pass thrus, and the Javelina have never made it more than a few yards after being hit, in fact I can not remember one making it 10 yards before dropping.

Stabilizing a 55 grain bullet of any type in your friend's Kimber may be a problem. Only loading and shooting will tell.

I like the 45 grain Sierra SMP in my Hornets, but I find it to be a pretty frangible bullet. The Hornady .22 centerfire bullets have a reputation for holding together a little better. He might try a 50 grain Hornady to see if it will stabilize. Almost any bullet that will stabilize will be sufficient for Javelinas. Tons of them have been killed with .22 Rimfires (although they're hard to anchor with a .22).

My coyote load for my Ruger M77 is 13.0gr Lilgun, a 45gr Barnes XLC, fired by a small pistol primer. I get just over 2,900fps and excellent performance.

For a 52gr Sierra HPBTM, I use 11.7gr Lilgin, small pp and get around 2,650fps.

With the Hornet, change powder increments by 0.2grs. The small case can be very sensitive to changes

k-22hornet,

Barnes recommended I try the bullets you mentioned. Are these the same as x-bullets except with coating? How well do they hold together? I figure any bullet in the chest cavity will kill a javelina but I also know in hunting situation you always don't get a perfect shot.

These are the X bullet with the blue coating. They are 'classic' Barnes X in performance on game. I think they should do very well for javelina, within reason. I try to limit my range on coyotes to 175yds if broadside, and 100yds if facing me.

Barnes used to make a 45 gr. X bullet. I really like them in the hornet and you might be able to find them around yet.

Telly