22 Hornet - Any info will be appreciated..

[JimSig]

A friend of mine - who is NOT a gun owner, had his father in law giving his son a 22 Hornet. The father in law is a veteran officer in the US army and an avid gun owner. Unfortunately all his rifles are old style, but he wanted to pass something to his grandson before he dies. So my fiend is freaking out and asking me all questions on how to store the rifle, and if I can help his son with range access to shoot his grandpa's rifle, etc.. I can handle all these questions but the puzzling piece is that I have not heard of the 22 hornet before. So I am doing some reading on my own and I am really surprised that such a round do really exist.

The question now is where would my friend be able to buy the ammo for his son's newly acquired rifle.. Is that something readily available at cabela's or local gun shops or does he have to order it online.
Also if you can add any info on this caliber, it would be greatly appreciated so I can sound sophisticated and know what i am talking about when i tell my friend about that round and the rifle.. LOL.. By the way, my friend is gun-illiterate and I can say clip all day instead of a magazine and he will not be able to tell the difference.

Additional information I don't know if it is relevant or not, but i am proud of it: My friend's son was eager to shoot but his dad was almost on the anti-side. Then I offered to host his son at my local club range and had the son shoot couple of my guns. The dad refused even to touch the guns. The son went back with a huge smile on his face. He told his grandpa about the shooting experience and how much fun it was. The grandpa (who is a veteran officer) was excited about his grandson new passion and gave him the 22 hornet rifle. +1 for us, we just earned a new young member.

[JohnS624]

The 22 Hornet was probably the most popular varmint cartridge before the introduction of the .222 Remington. Wholesale price for 50 rd boxes appears to be in the mid $30's. Remington, Winchester, Federal and Hornady all still load it. Bigger gunshops and Cabela's should have at least a few boxes of it around. It is a good 200 yard cartridge, from what I remember.

[hunterspirit]

Most hardware stores in my area stock it.

[10x25mm]

.22 Hornet ammunition is still loaded by all the major U.S. ammunition manufacturers, but on a sort of an irregular basis. Most European ammunition manufacturers also load the .22 Hornet on a regular basis, although their bullet diameters are typically smaller than those of the U.S. manufacturers.

The performance and utility of the .22 Hornet cartridge depends upon the exact model and date of rifle, which you didn't mention. Early .22 Hornet rifles used .22 lr barrels with .220 - .223 inch groove diameters and 16 inch twists. Modern American .22 Hornet rifles typically have centerfire .224 groove diameters and 14 inch twists. European rifle manufacturers are split, with some still making rifles having the older .220 - .222 inch groove diameters and 16 inch twists. The demarcation between barrel practices is not clear and slugging the barrel of pre 1970 U.S. rifles is usually warranted, along with a twist check using a solid cleaning rod with a tight fitting patched jag. All European .22 Hornet rifles should be slugged and twist checked.

The older .22 Hornet rifles with .220 - .223 inch groove diameters and 16 inch twists can perform well, but usually require handloading with .223 diameter bullets to achieve best accuracy. Jacketed bullets specifically manufactured for the .22 Hornet cartridge are strongly recommended because they have thinner jackets and expand well at the .22 Hornet's modest impact velocities. Bullets intended for the more powerful .22 centerfire cartridges do not expand well at .22 Hornet velocities and often produce inferior accuracy. Some ammunition manufacturers still load FMJ bullets in the .22 Hornet to reduce meat damage on small game.

Although illegal in Michigan, these FMJ loads put a lot of turkeys on my table back when I lived down south. A Walther KKJ-HO with a Weaver K4 was my constant companion as a child. My best friend had a Winchester 43 with a Weaver 330 scope. Both rifles had .222 groove diameters and 16 inch twists. Both could be shot in the immediate vicinity of houses and people without creating a ruckus.

Cast bullets are also a good choice in the .22 Hornet and can be driven to 2,000 fps with good accuracy. Cast bullet sizing allows you to exactly match bullet diameter to your barrel. Typical powders used in the .22 Hornet are IMR 4227, WW 680, and Lil-Gun. Some rifles like WW 296 and H-110, but velocities are lower. Bullet 'pull' is a major issue in reload accuracy. .22 Hornet cartridge case wall thickness varies dramatically from ammunition manufacturer to ammunition manufacturer and this can result in loose bullets. Loose bullet cartridges, especially those loaded with ball powder, do not shoot well. A tight sizing die and several different expansion spools are highly recommended.

On a windless day, a decent .22 Hornet rifle with a good scope and proper ammunition will produce sub MoA groups. Velocity at 150 yards drops to the level of a .22 lr at the muzzle, setting a bound on its reasonable ability to take game. The .22 Hornet will kill woodchucks cleanly at 100 yards, but often wound them beyond 150 yards. Wind drift is also a problem due to the low ballistic coefficient of typical .22 Hornet bullets.

[JimSig]

Thanks..