I checked out a CZ carbine in 7.62x39 and loved the way it felt. Are you saying Ruger or CZ is better than Savage?

really like the 25-20, mild but works. have a Marlin 1894 in 25-20 and it works well for small game and at short ranges for deer and hogs.

Why God invented the 410 or shot placement.

When I was a kid I saw a 410/22 hornet over under combo, I told my dad I've got to have it!!! No pheasant or duck could escape me near or far. ..his reply exactly why your not getting one..

in the hornet i feel they are, the model 40 the bolt locked at the rear like a rimfire i believe the model 25 has lugs now, either way the ruger and cz are smaller and lighter, no need for a full size rifle in the hornet, might as well carry a full size cartridge if you have a full size rifle.
the cz is no joke that would be my choice , only thing i dont like is the clip on the cz, the ruger has a rotary magazine which sits flush unlike the cz magazine

I had a feeling that's what you were getting at. That makes sense.

With the ammo shortage I suggest a caliber that can be easily found at Wally World, Academy or a country store in the boonies. Some calibers mentioned here are virtually impossible to find factory ammo for. If you plan on reloading then you have another treasure hunt ahead of you. Components are hard to find especially for the out of the main stream calibers. Earlier I suggested .223 because it can be generally be found online or at the local WW or Academy. .243 is also a viable caliber for all you plan of doing with it. Personally I would steer away from 7.62x39 as it is not noted for it's accuracy especially at long range.

most people dont get a hornet for ammo availability, its because its the smallest caliber available that has the punch and legality of taking deer, or a squirrel, although its a bit rough on small critters. i hunt some areas that are near town, feeders are 50 yds. its perfect for that.
nothin special about a 223, a hornet is exquisite.

What you say is true to a degree. Most get a Hornet for the characteristics you describe but I contend that when you run out of ammo or components the rifle will be relegated to the gun safe and you will begin to look for something else to take it's place. Why not just get that something else to begin with. It's a sad state of affairs when we have to make these kinds of decisions because of ammo hording etc.

for me the 223 is just to loud, if i am gonna make that kind of boom ill go 243 instead, i have a 22-250, it just sits there, i dont hunt varmints so its useless to me, my hornet sees all the action

i will say this i think the hornet is a reloadres round, factory ammo is darn near a buck a round, but 100 cases should last a lifetime, when you get at least 10 loads out of a case

The problem right now is finding cases or factory ammo for that matter. Bullets are around but you have to really look for them

Saw 8 boxes @ the Allen Cabela's yesterday

I have a set of 22 Hornet dies and 100 rounds of reloaded ammo, so it is not impossible to be happy.

I just have a really hard time talking myself into a Hornet. It does seem to have a cult following but that's about it. It's not the most accurate round in the small bore category so in my opinion you are already handicapping yourself to an extent. As far as efficiency goes it does do well but so does the 222 that is far easier to get components for and easier to load for.

Wish the Cabela's had it up here. I get factory ammo whenever I can so I can save the brass for reloading. But at $1 a round that is pretty expensive brass. I guess I should not complain as I have plenty of brass and bullets to last me a long while. I am a happy camper. I don't think I would get into 22 Hornet now with conditions the way they are.

Amazing thing happened today. My Ruger 77/22 Hornet up to now has not been the brightest star in heaven until today. It went from a 7 lb trigger pull to a 2.5 lb trigger pull and 2" groups to 3/4" groups at 100 yards. All of this with just 20 min work. I installed a volquartsen accurizing kit and .003 bolt shim from TriggerShims.com and floated the barrel. What a transformation.

CZ527 American. Have one and love it. Single set trigger is the way to go

I do like the single set trigger. I have one in my Sako 75 in .223 and it's a tack driver. You do have to be careful with them though. At least in mine it's a hair trigger where a sneeze will set it off.

I'v only hunted two things Dove and Turkey and no I did not hunt Dove with a 22Hornet.... but I did hunt Turkey with one Sooooo fun!

I haven't mentioned my favorite 22 Hornet.



Browning low wall 1885

That's a beaut. I want one.

I agree, it can be a persnickety little cuss to load. The smallest errors in charge weight can be pretty costly in the accuracy department, at least when compared to cartridges with more voluminous cases.

But still, there IS something appealing about it and maybe more so to those of us who love the little .22 rimfire. I always equated it to a reloadable .22 magnum.

Good thread

Beautiful rifle kmon1!

I have a 22 hornet in a Browning Micro Medallion that I love. Barrel was factory floated and shot great out of the box (after lightening the trigger) with Hornady VMax. IMO it is a little light for deer but as others have proven, it will get the job done so long as you know its limitations and don't overdo it.

A caliber that hasn't been mentioned is the 221 fireball, which is slightly bigger than the hornet, thus a little better on deer. Over the past year, I have had more luck finding ammo for it online than I have Hornet ammo. But I do stumble across hornet ammo in stores slightly more often than the 221 fireball ammo. Biggest hurdle on the fireball is finding a rifle. CZ makes them, remington made them around 2002, Cooper makes them (big $$$ though, and remington made them in a bolt action pistol back around the late 60's I believe.

Remington introduced the 221 fireball as a single shot pistol round in the 60's or very early 70's with the XP100 single shot pistol. shoot a 10.5 inch barreled XP100 chambered in 221 fireball and you too can discover how it got its name.