22 Hornet On Fur?

huntinaz

huntinaz

New member
For those of you who shoot it, how's the 22 Hornet on fur? I think it pretty much has to be good. Mostly concerned with fox and bobcat, coyotes I don't much care. I've always wanted a 22 Hornet and found a decent deal at the local pawn shop. Is the hornet a bit much on fox hides?

Like I said I've kinda always wanted one so I'll probably get it anyway, but if I heard it was fur friendly on small critters it would put me over the edge...

Feel free to give ammunition selections, including roll-your-own recipes. I'll be doing just that.
 
I havent used the Hornet much but it has done great things for me in terms of being hide / pelt friendly. You just gotta make sure your shots count with a round like that !
 
I Have a 22 K Hornet, and with BT style bullets it rips rabbits apart pretty well. I have not called in a Coyote when using it. But Id bet with the right bullet you will be fine. Good Luck.
 
You will like the Hornet! It's a fun little round to shoot and load for. My current recipe for my Ruger 77/22 Hornet is a CCI small pistol primer in Winchester brass. I'm filling them with 12.7grs of Hodgdon Lil' Gun and topping them off with a Hornady 40gr V-Max! I was shooting the 35gr V-Max with great results but have since switched to the heavier bullet for better results on coyotes at greater distances. Go snatch that Hornet up and start having some fun!
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I have taken several coyotes with the 35gr V-Max's and had no problems, but all were within 100 yards. When calling, my shots are rarely more than that! I just thought the 40's would give me some extra security for the possible longer shot. I have shot several other types of critters with absolutely no fur damage, however, loading the V-max's to maximum loads could cause it to happen depending on the shot placement. A soft point or less aggressive hollow point bullet would almost gaurantee no damage. I shot the Remington 45gr factory ammo for years before I recently started reloading, and took many coyote, some fox, and other varmints without even hardly knowing where I hit them at! I would always have to do a good close-up examination to find the entry hole and rarely had exit holes. Just thought some of this info might help you make the right decision, which should be ... FAST, GO BUY IT!
 
They work fine for me. I have hunted with one the past 3 years. I have killed around 10 deer with it. Now most was 100 yards and in. Now I have killed one out to around 200 yards to just see if I could. Now I shoot the HP and shoot neck or head with it. You will like it because it not that loud and very little kick.
 
I have one and It's the best thing on fur I've ever owned. Knocks down cats like lighning and doesn't leave a mark. Never even found an entrance wound on fox.

There you go. Buy it quick.
 
Hornets are very easy on fox. I used one as my go to fox gun for a few years. As was mentioned earlier, never an exit, and little tiny entrance wounds.
 
I've been using the Hornet for coyotes for a long time, maybe 18 years. For about 10 years it was my only coyote round. In most cases, with most bullets, it's fur friendly on coyotes. I've settled on a 45gr Barnes XLC as my all around bullet. Excellent penetration, small exits.

You already have Lilgun powder, add small pistol primers, and you should be set. I noticed very high velocity swings when using light bullets with Lilgun. When I use 45gr or heavier, the velocity is much more consisten.

My coyote load is 13.0gr Lilgun, small pistol primer, 45gr Barnes XLC and usually a Winchester case. The velocity is about 2,900fps.
 
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This guy took the bullet at about 75 - 100yds, I was using a 22 K Hornet short (22 Mink. 10.6gr of Ramshot Enforcer will move a 40gr Vmax 3000fps from my 22" barrel. Adam

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This guy too, I did splash a bullet on it's shoulder though.
 
I shoot a CZ 527 American in 22 Hornet and it is a tackdriver.
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I shoot either the Remington 45gr PSP's or the Hornady 35gr V-Max's with little fur damage. The Remington's are slightly more fur friendly in my opinion. I don't reload so I'm stuck shooting factory ammo, haven't had any issues.
 
Hornets the only way to go on the fur rifle!I like 40gr. 45gr. Sierra H110 or IMR4227 around 2,500fps. I load my Hornet between 2400fps. and 2500fps., no need for all that speed. If I wanted speed I would have got a Swift. Keep pressures down and brass will last and last. At those velocitys lots more power than the 22 or 5mm magnum.
 
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