Slightly off black powder, 22 hornet brass

[Distant Thunder]

My Hornet is a Ruger 77/22 Hornet All WEATHER (stainless steel) that I picked up used many years ago.

It took a lot of time and effort to get it to shoot well, but it is capable of 1 moa groups out to 200 meters now. It remains my favorite varmint rifle/cartridge and is very effective to 250 yards as long as the wind isn't too bad.

I have used mostly the Hornady 35 grain V-Max over a case full of LIL'GUN. I took it to Wyoming a on a mule deer hunt many years ago and I spent a couple very enjoyable afternoons picking off prairie dogs, poor little buggers. The V-Max disassembled things very well out as far as I could hit 'em. If I remember right, that little bullet was leaving the muzzle at over 3000 fps! That gives the some real STING to the little Hornet!

I also loaded a Lyman gas checked cast bullet that was a 45 grain RN for small game. Very effective and fun as hell.

In my Ruger just about any short ogive bullet between 35 & 50 grains shot very well. There is a longish freebore in my rifle and pointed bullets had to jump too far to reach the rifling and didn't shoot worth dog poop as a result.

The .22 Hornet is one of my top 10 all time favorites, no doubt.