Loading the Hornets – .22 Hornet & .17 Hornet

The .22 Hornet has been around about 87 years, one of the very first varmint-dedicated cartridges to appear and a very American development. The cartridge offered a huge jump in velocities from those offered by prior varmint rounds, and redefined the meaning of mild report and recoil. The cartridge provides sure hits on small varmints to 200 to 250 yards (up to 300 yards with modern bullets, more momentarily) with bullets ranging from 35 to 45 grains (though heavier bullets can be used).   

The modern Hornady .17 Hornet appeared in 2011, providing a velocity boost over the .22 Hornet and improved accuracy potential due to the round headspacing off the 25-degree shoulder, and not the rim of the slope-shouldered .22 Hornet. The .17 Hornet provides trajectories identical to the .223 Remington, pushing 15.5- (Hornady NTX) to 25-grain bullets from 3,900 to 2,800 fps—though best results are offered by 20-grain bullets at about 3,650 fps. The .17 Hornet’s faster velocities provide flat trajectories to around 330 yards, after which the light bullets run out of gas and drop quickly. 

Both cartridges remain quite popular within their respective capabilities and maintain a cult-like following with burrowing-rodent shooters and predator hunters wishing to minimize pelt damage. Specialized bullets with thinner jackets and softer cores are offered for the .22 Hornet, while flyweight .17-caliber bullets ensure minimal ricochets. This, combined with mild muzzle report, make these cartridges that can be shot near civilization without undue disturbance. 

I own both the .22 and .17 Hornet. I purchased by first .22 Hornet in 1983, an affordable Savage Model 340 E. That rifle was my primary varmint rifle back in the days when I trapped and called predators for a living, and has been used to bag literally hundreds of coyotes. I chose it to minimize pelt damage in the days when a prime coyote was worth $55 to $70, shooting 45-grain soft points more often than not. In more recent years I’ve mostly used my .22 Hornet to snipe burrowing rodents such as ground squirrels, now choosing polymer-tipped 40-grain bullets that produce flatter trajectories at longer ranges due to superior ballistic coefficients.      

Here’s the basic rundown: Let’s call 300 yards the .22 Hornet’s absolute maximum range. Traditional 45-grain Hornet soft points, sent at about 2,690 fps, slow to 1,128 fps and drop 19.5 inches at 300 yards with a 100-yard zero. A modern 40-grain polymer-tipped bullet departs at 2,800 fps and is moving along at 1,698 fps and drops 11 inches at 300 yards. By further comparison, a 35-grain .22 Hornet load will leave the muzzle at 3,100 fps, but slows to 1,127 fps and drops 17.5 inches at 300 yards. Ballistically, the 40-grain poly-tipped bullets give the most from the .22 Hornet.   

Variations of the .17 Hornet—built on .22 Hornet cases—have been around for some time, namely P.O. Ackley’s .17 Ackley Hornet from the 1950s. Hornady’s version introduced an efficient round that fits into standard .22 Hornet actions, including miserly powder consumption that makes handloads much cheaper than even .17 HMR rimfire ammo. Tiny, highly-frangible bullets also make the .17 Hornet safe for shooting near civilization. From the most practical standpoint, 20-grain bullets provide the best combination of velocity and striking energy from the .17 Hornet—though 25-grain bullets can serve well on larger targets such as coyotes at moderate ranges. 

.22 Hornet Loads

Standard .22 Hornet powders have long included Alliant 2400, IMR-4227, Hodgdon 110 and Winchester 296. These options provide excellent velocity and good accuracy, though may not prove entirely temperature stable under a hot sun, or especially clean burning. Hodgdon Lil’Gun has emerged as a more modern speed king, but can also prove somewhat dirty. Newer formulas include Hodgdon’s CFE-BLK (a temperature-stable formula including Copper Fouling Eraser technology), Western Powders Ramshot Enforcer, Accurate No. 11 FS and A-1680, Vihtavuori N110 and N120, and Alliant Power Pro 300-MP. In many cases modern options sacrifice some velocity to the older formulas, but are extremely temperature stable and much cleaner burning. 

My own testing has revealed excellent accuracy with 35-grain bullets while using Hodgdon CFE-BLK, Accurate No. 11 FS and A-1680. With 40-grain bullets my best results were obtained from Ramshot Enforcer, Accurate 1680, Vihtavuori N110 and N120 and Hodgdon CFE-BLK. Hand trickling each load to within the nearest 1/10-grain is imperative to accuracy.     

When assembling modern .22 Hornet loads my bullet choices include 35-grain polymer-tipped options (Hornady V-MAX or Nosler Ballistic Tip Varmint) or 40-grain polymer-tipped numbers (Hornady V-MAX, Nosler Tipped Varmageddon or Ballistic tip Varmint or Sierra BlitzKing). Stumpy, flat-base 35-grain bullets include a G1 ballistic coefficient (BC) of around .109, but are preferred in populated areas where shot distances are moderate to minimize ricochets. More streamlined 40-grain poly-tipped bullets offer a G1 BC around .200 for flatter trajectories on longer shots and superior wind-bucking abilities. Thin .22 Hornet brass requires frequent trimming (trim-to specs 1.393 inches) to ensure pressure spikes do not occur. The .22 Hornet can prove finicky regarding primers, some rifles/loads doing best with plain small rifle primers, others with “benchrest” options and still others with small pistol primers. 

.17 Hornet Loads

Tiny powder charges can make the .17 Hornet somewhat finicky, though certainly not nearly as fussy as the .22 Hornet. The .17 Hornet’s sharp shoulder helps keep cases centered to the bore, alleviating some of the .22 Hornet’s accuracy challenges. The .17 Hornet doesn’t seem to be as particular about primers, and I’ve experienced much fewer problems coaxing tight groups from my .17 than my .22 Hornet. Case trim-to specs for the .17 Hornet is 1.34 inches.   

My .17 Hornet is a Savage Model 25 Walking Varminter that has proven inherently accurate. I enjoyed such excellent accuracy while firing Hornady 20-grain V-MAX factory loads while gathering brass for handloading that when I did began handloading I did my best to duplicate those velocities (3,650 fps), Accurate 1680 found to do the best job. Those loads have consistently grouped into less than ½-MOA.  

I have since conducted tests with Hornady’s flyweight 15.5-grain NTX (lead-free Non-Traditional eXpanding), pushing velocities to around 3,900 fps, generic 20-grain hollow points from Midsouth Shooter’s Supply (Varmint Nightmare X-Treme) and Nosler (Varmegeddon), the aforementioned V-MAX with different powders and Berger’s 25-grain Flat Base Varmint. Other worthwhile powders have included Hodgdon CFE-BLK and Lil’Gun, Vihtavouri N120, Alliant Reloder 7, Accurate 2200, and Hodgdon 322 and H-4198 for the 25-grain bullet. Accurate 1680 remains my all-time favorite, though Hodgdon CFE-BLK, Vihtavuori N120 and Accurate 2200  have proven quite viable with the lighter bullets, though with a slight sacrifice in velocity to A-1680. With the heavier 25-grain pill Alliant Reloder 7 and Hodgdon 322 proven excellent.

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