Velocity question

hunter22mag

New member
I really want a cz 527 American in 22 hornet, but it's a lot of $ to drop and then my ammo is kinda limited. After reading how velocity can be reduced by handloading I stumbled upon how barrel length effects velocity, and from what I've seen the ruger american ranch in 223 with the 16 inch barrel will throw about the same velocity as a 22 hornet. Would a 223 bullet fired from the short barrel on the ruger be ok for bobcat and fox? I was thinking something along the lines of a 55-65 grain soft point for a small hole in and out, and helpful advice would be appritiated.
 
Yes. I played around with Trail Boss and had good accuracy down to 1700fps. Also with an 18" barrel I am getting more velocity than expected with Benchmark. I would go with a 223 as I feel it is much more versatile.
 
Also recommend staying with 223 for the reasons mentioned.
Berger manual says 192 fps drop from 24" to 16" for 223.

If you try downloading the 223 to 22-hornet speeds with Trail Boss (TB),
you'll probably not get the speed or energy you want with TB.
(60g SP, 16" brl => 1711 fps, 390 ft/lbs @mzl via QL).

My work on downloading 22-250 speeds showed TB didn't have the energy I wanted.
I was after ~900 ft/lbs muzzle energy. Got it with a 64% fill of 8208.
60% fill is the lower limit often mentioned, and then only for a select few powders.

If you download below recommended starting loads, it needs to be done after plenty of research,
proper powder selection, and then careful testing procedures.

TB is the safer route, I'd start with a full load of TB & see if it was fast enough...
 
Here are a couple of related articles from Calhoun Bullets on down loading the 223.

http://jamescalhoon.com/bee.php

http://jamescalhoon.com/tobee2.php

I use his 800x loads in my 222, 223, and 5.6x50R(Rimmed 222 Rem Mag lengthened 3mm) for small game and finisher loads with 33gr HP's instead of packing a 22 pistol

I have 800x on the shelf for my shotgun and pistol reloading so it works out good for me.
 
Last edited:
I guess i didnt word my question right guys lol, i bought my cz 527 American 223 to download, but I'm wondering if buying the rar ranch with its 16 inch barrel will save me the trouble and danger of dealing with reduced loads. But I do thank you for your help with downloading the 223.
 
Last edited:
If you want to down load the 223 look at the new Speer manual it has SAFE reduced loads for the 223.
 
Hornets a better cartridge for Down loading. That's all I've ever shot in my Hornet. All the old time Hornet shooters down here shot nothing but cast bullets in there Hornets!
 
I chronographed my reduced 223 loads at 2670 with a 40 grain bullet. These were shot out of an A-Bolt. My load was from a 12 yr or so old Alliant manual, 2400 powder.

26xx FPS is smack dab in the middle of Hornet velocities. I don’t think your shortened barrel idea will be enough for the reduction you’re looking for.
 
Back
Top