Winchester had so much faith in the future of the 22 Hornet that they put the cartridge into production in 1930, two years before commercial rifles were made for it. The Hornet became a world wide hit because of its mild report, almost non-existent recoil, and sufficient power to reach out to around 130 meters on small game.
Fast Facts
- The 22 Hornet was first loaded and marketed by Winchester in 1930, at a time when the world was thrown into the deprivations of the Great Depression.
- Winchester put 22 Hornet ammunition into production a full two years before commercial rifles began to be produced for it: demonstrating that there was a market out there for customers who were having custom rifles built for it.
- The 22 Hornet took the United States by storm, and was quickly discovered by people in Europe and in such places as Australia.
- The 22 Hornet is a highly effective small game cartridge capable of being used out to 130 meters (140 yards) on game, and out to 200 meters on targets for those who like a challenge if the wind is blowing unpredictably.
In the Beginning: A Short History
The desirability of a small nitro powder 22 centerfire cartridge came onto the radar of quite a few wildcat cartridge designers during the 1920’s. At that time in history there was a population of creative minded shooters primarily in the United States who liked to experiment and invent their own “wildcat” cartridge designs. There were also wildcat creators in some other parts of the world: places where the firearms laws did not act to prohibit such activity.
In that era the sporting rifle world was still transitioning from black powder to the new-fangled smokeless nitro powders: thus there were a few black powder “wildcat” experimental cartridges in circulation and it was in looking at some of these that the idea for a nitro centerfire small game 22 cartridge popped into the minds of a number of wildcat cartridge designers during the 1920’s.
The fathers of the 22 Hornet were indeed a distinguished group: Grove Wotkyns, Townsend Whelan, G.A. Woody and Al Woodworth, this team being based at the famous Springfield Armory.
The initial experimentation was done using the 22 WCF (Winchester Center Fire) cartridge case: however the decision was made to create a new and unique cartridge case, and to use a different bullet diameter. The 22 WCF used a .228″ diameter bullet but for the new 22 Hornet the designers initially decided to go with .223″ bullets.
Although the designers of the 22 Hornet had done their development work using the 22 WCF cartridge cases they decided that for a production version it would be important that the new and more powerful 22 Hornet ammunition could not be chambered and fired in a 22 WCF rifle. To ensure this the rim diameter of the 22 Hornet were made 0.350″ a bit larger than the 0.342″ of the 22 WCF.
The new experimental 22 Hornet was first chambered in modified Springfield Model 1922 target rifles with a view to these being used for recruit training purposes.
In the designers’ thinking this new cartridge needed to be suitable for use in lever-action rifles, single-shots, and bolt actions: to make this a sure-fire thing they decided on a rimmed cartridge case with a gently sloping shoulder to help ensure reliable feeding/extraction/ejection, and head-spacing.
Interestingly the 22 Hornet was never actually chambered in a production lever-action rifle.
The design they settled on proved they had got the design concept right and it was adopted far and wide, not only in the United States, but in Europe and across the world.
The 22 Hornet showed so much promise that Winchester put the cartridge into production in 1930 while there were no factory made rifles offered for it: and it would take a full two years before factory 22 Hornet rifles would make their debut.
But the custom rifle makers and gunsmiths in many parts of the world embraced this little rabbit and fox small game getter with considerable enthusiasm, and some of the rifles the diminutive 22 Hornet was chambered into are near guaranteed to surprise.
For example, we normally associate double-rifles with dangerous game cartridges: but in Europe custom rifle makers such as Britain’s EJ Churchill are known to have made at least one 22 Hornet double-rifle.
In my own experience the 22 Hornet is most likely to be found in under-lever single-shot rifles and bolt-actions. Winchester made their Model 70 in 22 Hornet and it was well regarded. Prominent American sportsman Henry Edward Davis called the Winchester Model 70 in .22 Hornet “The best commercial rifle for wild turkeys the world has ever seen” (that having been said when it was still legal to hunt turkeys with a rifle).
Another of the desirable 22 Hornet bolt-actions was the BRNO ZKW 465, made by the company that was the forerunner of CZ of the Czech Republic. These featured a mini Mauser action and detachable box magazine. This rifle was the parent of the CZ 527.
Many rifles were custom made on single-shot actions. My own which I had built back in the mid-1970’s, was based on the Australian BSA Martini Cadet rifle action. These were a popular action on which to create custom 22 Hornet rifles back then. The Martini Cadet rifles were chambered for the 310 Cadet rifle cartridge that was used for marksmanship training for army cadets, the 310 Cadet cartridge being very similar to the 32-20 that Americans would be familiar with.
So quite a significant number of these Martini actions made by Birmingham Small Arms were cannibalized from cadet rifles that are nowadays quite collectible.
That being said these small BSA Martini actions, typically mated to a “Sprinter” sporter profile barrel, made for a very compact and light sporting rifle.
22 Hornet Ballistics
After the Second World War the decision was made to move from the original .223″ diameter bullets and use .224″ bullets, which had become far more common at that time, made popular by such cartridges as the 222 Remington.
So if you have an older 22 Hornet rifle it is important to have the bore slugged to determine its groove diameter – it would not be a good idea to use commercial ammunition with .224″ bullets in a .223″ barrel.
Original loadings for the 22 Hornet have been typically a 45-46 grain bullet driven at approximately 2,300fps (i.e. 3 gram bullet at 700m/s).
Modern loadings offer quite a few alternatives. For example Winchester’s 2024 catalog lists the following:-
- 35 grain Varmint-X Polymer Tip Rapid Expansion bullet @ 3.100fps
- 45 grain Super-X Soft Point bullet @ 2,690fps
- 46 grain Super-X Hollow Point bullet @ 2,690fps
Remington’s 2024 load offerings for the 22 Hornet are:-
- 35 grain AccuTip-V bullet @ 3,100fps
- 45 grain Pointed Soft Point @ 2,690fps
- 45 grain Hollow Point @ 2,690fps
European ammunition maker RWS lists these loads for the 22 Hornet (5.6x36R) in their 2020 catalog.
- 46 grain (3.0 gram) “MJ” (Full Metal Jacket) bullet @ 2,264fps (690m/s)
- 46 grain (3.0 gram) “TMJ” (Teil Mantle – soft point) bullet @ 2,297 fps (700m/s)
(Note: the RWS full jacket loadings for the Hornet are intended for use where minimal damage to the animal’s pelt is desired, for fox shooting for example where the pelt is going to be harvested and sold. Historically RWS offered full jacket bullets for a number of their smaller bore cartridges up to the 6.5×68, which is on a par with the 264 Winchester Magnum.)
The factory loads available for the 22 Hornet provide the full range of loads suitable for the hunting and sporting uses the cartridge might sensibly be used for. For game such as rabbits, hares, foxes etc. the Hornet delivers a nicely adequate amount of power without the inconvenience of a harsh muzzle blast. Small game is “lightly killed” with a minimum of noise or fuss.
That being said, if you hope to eat your rabbit, a brain shot will ensure there’s meat left to eat.
Reloading for the 22 Hornet
Using modern 22 Hornet components should be trouble free. Be aware that this is a small cartridge case loaded with fairly fast burning powders and small changes in powder charge can produce fairly dramatic changes in pressure. When following commercial load data start with the lowest powder charge and work up carefully.
The cartridge requires small rifle primers, and is at its best if you use bullets specifically designed for the lower velocities that the Hornet produces.
Rifling twist can be 1-16 in some older rifles, or 1-14. and so bullets up to 45 grains are about right. If you want to try heavier bullets you may have success, but be prepared to find bullets going sideways through the target if your rifle decides its not going to digest a longer bullet you might try to feed it.
For my Hornet I started out with a Lee hand tool kit which only neck-sized the brass and that worked rather well. Checking the Lee website it appears that the Lee hand tool kit is no longer available in 22 Hornet.
Using standard dies in a press, full-length-sizing should be done with care as the small cases can be a tad thin in the neck. Care must be taken with die adjustment when sizing, and when bullet seating so as not to collapse the neck: line the bullet up as best you can, and gently does it.
Load data for the 22 Hornet is quite plentiful:-
- You can find the Nosler load data here.
- Speer publish their load data online and you can find their 22 Hornet data using the links below:-
Modern 22 Hornet Rifles
There have been many rifles made in 22 Hornet, ranging from everyday affordable to eye-wateringly expensive. For those looking for something amazing its worth visiting the Fuchs Fine Guns website by clicking here to look at their Hummingbird bolt-action double-rifle which is available in 22 Hornet.
For those looking for an American production rifle then there are 22 Hornet rifles made by Ruger.
Winchester used to make their Model 1885 Low Wall single shot in 22 Hornet. These were an utterly beautiful rifle.
Savage make a nice range of 22 Hornet rifle models at very attractive prices.
Over in Europe Anschutz has made a few models in 22 Hornet. The current model is the Model 1771.
Conclusion
The 22 Hornet is a cartridge that does not attempt to compete with more powerful .22″ caliber cartridges such as the 223 Remington and such things as the 22-250. It sits between the rimfire .22″ calibers and those more powerful .22″ centerfire cartridges that make much more ear splitting bangs when you press the trigger, especially if the barrel is short.
But if you are looking for something that offers centerfire power and the ability to use reloaded cartridges then the Hornet is worth careful consideration.
It is a great choice for a young person learning to shoot, and learning to reload. It can be used in places where its mild report makes it acceptable to the neighbors.
The 22 Hornet can be made in a small and remarkably lightweight carbine: the BSA Martini action was one of the best around which to build such a rifle.
And the surprising news is that Ruger even make their Super Redhawk revolver in 22 Hornet: which is in all likelihood one of the most outstanding of small game revolvers.
Practical hunting range for the 22 Hornet is about 130 meters (140 yards), and on targets it can be used out to 200 meters although it becomes a challenge if the wind is fickle, but it makes for good practice in reading conditions.
Picture Credits: Feature image courtesy Rock Island Auction. All others as credited.
Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he’s a long time contributor to Silodrome.
Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges.
