I have had good luck with 35gr vmax, rem 6 1/2 primers and 13gr lil gun. This summer I got an Anschutz 1730D which is tightly chambered and some of my loads won't chamber. This is down to the rim thickness on the rem brass I have been using. So I have got hold of some RWS brass which chambers nicely but will at maximum hold around 12gr of powder. So the question is whether anyone has found a good load using something around the 12 mark. Give me your data!

I´m reloading the same combi, but with other primers. I use RWS brass, 12grs Lil´Gun behind a 35grs V-Max and use RWS small pistol primers.
And yes, the RWS brass will not hold 13grs of Lil´Gun.
Here´s pic, shoot at 100m.


Martin

Interesting, I have a 1730 Anschutz and an 82 Kimber in the hornet. Found sone RWS brass at a gun show and use it exclusively in the Kimber and I get 13.0 grains Lil Gun in it. I also use Fed small pistol primers and 40 bergers for PDs and 40 Sierra HPs for bigger stuff(coyotes).

I use Winchester brass as that the only kind thats available where I live.
I can but 13 gr of Lil'Gun in these cases and that leaves about 1/8" of space above the powder to the case mouth.
I use a long 5"drop tube funnel and touch a vibrator to the case side to settle the powder down.
I've loaded 35 gr Hornady Vmax and Sierra 45 gr Hornet this way. I leave the bullet sticking out of the case mouth quite a bit so as to get the bullet about .015" off the lands of my Ruger K77/22.

I favor using Hodgdon's H110 powder with those light weight 35 gr Vmax's. With that thicker RWS brass I would load H110 powder with the 35 gr Vmax.

I'm shooting the 40 gr Vmax and 12.5 grs of Lil-Gun with a Rem 6 1/2 primer. I also can't get 13 grs in the case (I'm using Winchester cases). But, I'm not using a drop tube or vibrating the powder down either.

I am seating long, at 1.900", and I'm cutting all 5 shots into the same hole at 100 yards, so I don't mess with success.

Interesting the variations in case capacity, even from the same manufacturer. When I received the RWS brass I check-weighed it into lots - and although the case weights were all very consistent, they averaged about 20% heavier than the Rem brass. Subjectively they are much more consistently made - all the primers take the same force to insert, where the Rem was all over the place. I've now loaded some of the new brass and will post the results. This is what the gun can do with the Rem brass so I have high hopes for the RWS.

5 shots from the bench at 100 yards.

Have a martini cadet 22 hornet. Use Privi Partizan brass with 35 gr vmax, CCI small pistol primers and 12.1 grs of Lil Gun to shoot 1" or less groups at 100yds. Gent at range gave me a partial container of the powder telling me he'd found 12.9 grs of Lil Gun gave him the most accurate reloads for the 22 hornet. No idea of brand brass he used or the bullets. But, quickly found my Prvi brass wouldn't hold 12.9 grs.

quote:

So the question is whether anyone has found a good load using something around the 12 mark.

I'd start with the 35 grain VMax and see what happens. If that's no good, then try other 30-45 grain bullets. The beauty of Lil Gun in the Hornet is that you can't get enough powder in the case to have a pressure problem with lighter bullets. Pressures with bullets 50 grains and below are less than maximum and less than what you'd get with other powders.

LWD

Interesting,

I have no problem getting 13.0 grains of Lil gun in my WW cases. I'm seating a 50 gn Hornaday SPSX over it. Extremely accurate.

Those Prvi Cases might be the ticket for my old Savage 322.

13.1 Lil Gun with 35 Vmax and CCI BR4 primers in Winchester Brass.
Neck sized only with a Lee Collet die, seated with a Forster Benchrest Seater, and all put together on a Dillon 550 for bulk varmint shooting.

In both of the CZ 527s I had it was a extremely consistent 5 shot 3/4" @ 100 yards load.

BTW: CCI Small Pistol primers also did a good job with this load. I would use them now CCI BR 4 cost so darn much more than they used to.

Pretty much the same of what we've found over the years, too.

In a coupla rifles we use W-W Hornet brass which by our experience has much more capacity than R-P & RWS. The stingiest of all is RWS; they are consistantly the most difficult to get charges of L'il Gun into for those who desire Hornet screamer loads; even w/long drop tube and powder settling measures.

For the RWS brass we moved to AA-1680 which afforded us a couple more tenths of a grain.

All of this with 35 grain A-Max's, too & Remington 6 1/2 primers.

We also use a Lee FCD as the highly compressed charges of L'il Gun were expanding and pushing even the 35 gr. A-Max's up quit a bit.

quote:

Originally posted by LWD:

quote:

So the question is whether anyone has found a good load using something around the 12 mark.

I'd start with the 35 grain VMax and see what happens. If that's no good, then try other 30-45 grain bullets. The beauty of Lil Gun in the Hornet is that you can't get enough powder in the case to have a pressure problem with lighter bullets. Pressures with bullets 50 grains and below are less than maximum and less than what you'd get with other powders.

LWD

Not with lil gun, but here's something with H-110 around the 12.3 gr. mark and 35 gr. Hornady V-max out of my Cooper 38 in 22 Hornet.

GWB



Cooper Model 38 Classic 22 Hornet

I've been shooting a Ruger M77 Sporter with the 20" barrel in a Hornet for a long time. Lilgun and small pistol primers really enhanced the accuracy of my rifle, and upped the performance by a wide margin.

My accuracy load is 11.7gr Lilgun under a 52gr Sierra HPBTM and a WW case. Velocity is around 2,650. My kid's called this load the 'penny' shooter as they would shoot pennies at 100yds with it.

My coyote load is a 45gr Barnes XLC over 13.0gr Lilgun in a WW case. Velocity is right at 2,900fps, and shoots MOA.

I've loaded the barnes 45 gr. tsx's in a Sako 1 in 16 twist Riihimaki in 222. Have to try them in my hornet. I also do the 13 gr. of lil gun.
IIRC "Mic" McPherson wrote a whole article on the Hornet and "300 MP" powder in Precision Shooting magazinea few months back. Anybody tried that?

GWB

I just tried 13gr of Win 296 with the Berger 30gr bullet and the results were just pathetic, so maybe this time I'll try 12.3 with some vmax's. I have 5 hornets to feed all CZ's FS

Never could get the results everyone else was getting from Lil Gun. Speed was consistent at about 2900 fps but accuracy was not to be found. 2 inch groups the norm, and I found it to be a dirty powder.

I tried 2400, H110, and W296 before settling on AA1680. 40 grain Hornady VMax and CCI smal rifle primers give great results in my CZ and my old Savage.

A buddy of mine in Montana and an avid Suabier varminter swears that AA 1680 is the very best powder there is to use in Hornet cases, so does Calhoon and he should know a thing or two about loading hornets. FS

quote:

Originally posted by Geedubya:
I've loaded the barnes 45 gr. tsx's in a Sako 1 in 16 twist Riihimaki in 222. Have to try them in my hornet. I also do the 13 gr. of lil gun.
IIRC "Mic" McPherson wrote a whole article on the Hornet and "300 MP" powder in Precision Shooting magazinea few months back. Anybody tried that?

GWB

GWB,
Did the 45g TSX "shoot" in the 1 in 16 twist .222?

Stonecreek, whom I find to be a valuable source of reloading knowledge, also tells me AA-1680 is the go to powder for the Hornet.

I now have the powder (1680), cases, and bullets (45g TSX) sitting on my bench waiting on me. I'll find time soon to give them a whirl. I would like them to shoot well in my low-wall 1-16 Hornet.

It isn't a true hornet, as it is the "K" version, but my K shoots one hole groups with 10 grains of the original Data 2200 powder from Accurate Arms, which is now available again. And I shoot Winchester 55-grainers and Winchester SP primers. Everything I had ever heard about the Hornet was that it wouldn't shoot the 55s. Well, that NEF does...

quote:

Originally posted by INAG:
I have had good luck with 35gr vmax, rem 6 1/2 primers and 13gr lil gun. This summer I got an Anschutz 1730D which is tightly chambered and some of my loads won't chamber. This is down to the rim thickness on the rem brass I have been using. So I have got hold of some RWS brass which chambers nicely but will at maximum hold around 12gr of powder. So the question is whether anyone has found a good load using something around the 12 mark. Give me your data!

If you use a drop tube and then tap the side of it about two times 13gr Lil Gun will fit in the RWS cases. Been using them a number of years with no issues. It is pretty much to the rim or just a tad under, once bullet seated recommend using a LFCD to keep them in place. Rem 6 1/2 primers, 35gr v-max, excellent load in my Anschutz, good luck, Waidmannsheil, Dom.