22 Hornet

cookimonster

Anyone still using the Hornet for hunting /vermain control?

I've been thinking of adding another poney to the stable. Would love a .222 but I'm afraid the ammo is not widely available as are the rifles.
Ruled out the .17HMR and not too pushed on the .223, but....

... I've seen some nice rifles in the Hornet, I like wood and blued steel and there seems to be a fairly good selection of ammo around.

Would be used for a mix of rabbits and foxs, I dont shoot a hughe amount of each. I try and perserve the rabbit populations while satisfying the farmer. While I will take foxes when the opportunity and circumstances arise with any of my firearms when out.

Few comments, realistic range, moderator or not etc etc...


Thanks

meathstevie

cookimonster wrote: »

Anyone still using the Hornet for hunting /vermain control?

I've been thinking of adding another poney to the stable. Would love a .222 but I'm afraid the ammo is not widely available as are the rifles.
Ruled out the .17HMR and not too pushed on the .223, but....

... I've seen some nice rifles in the Hornet, I like wood and blued steel and there seems to be a fairly good selection of ammo around.

Would be used for a mix of rabbits and foxs, I dont shoot a hughe amount of each. I try and perserve the rabbit populations while satisfying the farmer. While I will take foxes when the opportunity and circumstances arise with any of my firearms when out.

Few comments, realistic range, moderator or not etc etc...


Thanks

Perfect caliber for what you have in mind and plenty of nice CZ’s and the odd Anschutz floating around.

I had one and still regret getting rid of it when I bought the .308. I’m quite sure I’ll have one again some time in the not too distant future.

I’m far from a crack shot but I’ve shot foxes with it out to around 150m and rabbits at anything from 20m out to about 120 to 150m.

It left every fox I hit with it dead on the spot with chest shots and the odd head shot. If you shoot rabbits with it go for head shots only, otherwise you’ll have very little rabbit to take home.

The downside is that it’s not much cheaper than a .223 to feed if it all. The upside is that it’s a nice quiet round, so much so I wouldn’t bother with a moderator, with virtually no recoil.

No need to go mad on a scope either, a decent 3-9x40 or an older good 4 to 8 times fixed magnification scope will work fine.

mallards

I've a krico hornet and I'd second everything meath stevie says about it.

schmidt223

I have an Anschutz hornet and think the hornet is a fantastic round.

Once you keep your ranges sensible for foxes like meathstevie said out to 150m it will do the job.

If pushed out to 200m though on foxes the energy is really not there if you place the shot badly so it's not as forgiving as a .223.

I do have a Hausken moderator on mine and I find the report very close in comparison to my mates .17hmr which has has a SAK moderator.

cookimonster

Thanks for the replys guys, good to see there are a few champions of this venerable round.

meathstevie wrote: »

Perfect caliber for what you have in mind......

Good info there Meathstevie.
Ammo wise your spot on re costings, with it ranging from roughly €0.75 up to and over €1.00 a shot, but I wouldn't be plinking with it, so I could live with that.
Always hard to judge via UTube vids but the report does seem fairly tame and compared to a moderated .220 Swift or .243 then a bare rifle may well indeed be a option.
150m fox ranges are good for me, even when using centrefires under the lamp thats in and around my shooting distance, with most shots being done at closer distances. I like to shake hands with them.

Thanks again guys, any more info will be appreciated.

solarwinds

I had a Walther Hornet for years a very versatile round. Will take anything the .223,.204 or Swift can but at reduced ranges.
Very mild calibre a joy to shoot. I stupidly traded it for a Swift, another great round but I only kept that rifle one year, it was un moderated and like a flame thrower at night. Went to a .223 and still have it but every now and then I wish I had my Walther double set trigger back. For the ranges I shoot at a Hornet is more than adequate BUT the ammo is more expensive than the .223. But this is irrelevant for hunting only. I would get a Hornet you won't regret it, there are some nice rifles out there for reasonable money.
I myself am holding out for my Walther and when I come on one again its bye bye .223.

Straffan1979

I have a Sako M78 Hornet... not the cheapest round these days but I use it for shooting the odd fox when the sheep are lambing; it’s lethal around smallish fields and farmland where the shots are relatively close- stone dead with the Remington hollow points if u hit the engine room.