.22 Hornet - Wikipedia

Rifle cartridge For other .22 caliber variants, see .22 (disambiguation).

.22 Hornet (5.6x36mmR Hornet)
Left to right: a .22 Short, .22 LR, .22 Winchester Magnum, and a .22 Hornet with Hornady 35 gr (2.3 g) VMax bullet
Type	Rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1930–present
Used by	USAAF
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Townsend Whelen / G. L. Wotkyns
Designed	1920s
Manufacturer	Winchester
Produced	1930–present
Variants	.22 Hornet Ackley.22 K-Hornet
Specifications
Case type	Rimmed, bottleneck
Bullet diameter	.224 (some older rifles use .223) ref Hornady
Land diameter	.217 in (5.5 mm)
Neck diameter	.243 in (6.2 mm)
Shoulder diameter	.276 in (7.0 mm)
Base diameter	.298 in (7.6 mm)
Rim diameter	.350 in (8.9 mm)
Rim thickness	.065 in (1.7 mm)
Case length	1.403 in (35.6 mm)
Overall length	1.723 in (43.8 mm)
Rifling twist	1-14
Primer type	Small rifle
Maximum pressure (CIP)	43,000 psi (300 MPa)
Maximum pressure (SAAMI)	49,000 psi (340 MPa)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 35 gr (2 g) VMax 3,060 ft/s (930 m/s) 728 ft⋅lbf (987 J) 40 gr (3 g) SP 2,826 ft/s (861 m/s) 710 ft⋅lbf (960 J) 45 gr (3 g) SP 2,787 ft/s (849 m/s) 776 ft⋅lbf (1,052 J) 50 gr (3 g) SP 2,713 ft/s (827 m/s) 817 ft⋅lbf (1,108 J) 55 gr (4 g) SP 2,652 ft/s (808 m/s) 859 ft⋅lbf (1,165 J)
Test barrel length: 24 inchesSource: Hodgdon Powder Company[1]

The .22 Hornet or 5.6×36mmR Hornet[2] is a varminting, small-game hunting, survival and competition centerfire rifle cartridge commercially introduced in 1930. It is considerably more powerful than either the .22 WMR and the .17 HMR rimfire cartridges, achieving a higher velocity with a bullet twice the weight of that used in the .17 HMR. The Hornet also differs significantly from these in that being a centerfire cartridge makes it reloadable, and thus more versatile. It was also the smallest commercially available .22 caliber centerfire cartridge until the introduction of the FN 5.7×28mm.

The .22 Hornet should not be confused with the 5.6x35mmR Vierling. As per C.I.P., the Hornet case has a longer shoulder length, case length and thicker rim than the Vierling. This makes it very difficult to chamber the higher pressure Hornet cartridge in a Vierling rifle. [3] [4]

The .22 Hornet fills the gap between such popular varmint/predator cartridges as the .22 WMR and the .223 Remington. In regard to muzzle velocity, muzzle energy and noise, it is well suited to vermin and predator control in relatively built-up areas.[5]

History

[edit]

Prior to the development of the modern .22 Hornet, there was a conceptually similar but physically different cartridge by the same name invented in the 1890s by Reuben Harwood (nicknamed "Iron Ramrod)", sometimes called the ".22 Harwood Hornet" to avoid confusion, as the two rounds are not compatible. Harwood's cartridge was formed by necking down .25-20 brass to .22 caliber, and was initially loaded with black powder.[6]

The modern .22 Hornet's ancestry is generally attributed to experiments done in the 1920s using the black-powder .22 WCF at Springfield Armory.[2] Winchester adopted what had so far been a wildcat cartridge in 1930, producing ammo for a cartridge for which no commercially made guns yet had been built. It was not until 1932 that any company began selling commercially made guns for the cartridge.

Wildcat variants of the .22 Hornet, such as the .22 K-Hornet (designed by Lysle Kilbourn) and .22 Ackley Improved Hornet, can boost bullet velocity and energy considerably above factory .22 Hornet levels, but performance still falls short of what is deer-legal in the Netherlands or the United Kingdom, although it is legal for deer in some other countries and some American states.[7]

Performance

[edit]

Factory ammunition is widely available from all major manufacturers, with bullets generally weighing 34, 35, 45, or 46 grains (2.2, 2.3, 2.9, or 3.0 g), with bullets invariably either hollow point or soft point. Muzzle velocity typically is in the 2,500 to 3,100 ft/s (760 to 940 m/s) range, and muzzle energy is just over 700 ft·lbf (950 J) for factory ammo fired from a rifle. Velocities and energies are less when Hornet ammunition is fired from short-barreled firearms.

Published handload data from major handloading-product companies shows how versatile the .22 Hornet can be. According to the Hodgdon Powder Company reloading data, the heavier bullets show an affinity for Lil'Gun smokeless powder to produce much higher velocities than other powder with heavy bullets in this small case.[1]

Applications

[edit]

Survival

[edit]

Beginning during World War II, aircrew survival rifles in .22 Hornet were developed and issued by the U.S. military. They were a bolt-action rifle with collapsible stock (M4 Survival Rifle), a break-open rifle/shotgun over-under (M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon), and a takedown bolt-action rifle (AR-5/MA-1). Military survival issue .22 Hornet ammunition was loaded with soft-point expanding jacketed bullets, not complying with the Hague Convention. The United States was the only exception to a complete prohibition of the use of expanding bullets in war, due to its ambiguous policy.[8] However, the cartridge boxes were labeled "Under no circumstances is the ammunition to be used for offensive or defensive measures against enemy personnel. This ammunition is provided for use with your emergency survival rifle for the killing of game for food under emergency survival conditions only."

• Disclosure
• .22 Hornet Box

Competition

[edit]

The .22 Hornet is a popular cartridge for the Field/Hunter's pistol category in IHMSA and NRA metallic silhouette shooting.[9]

Hunting

[edit]

Survivalist Mel Tappan on the .22 Hornet: "It is accurate, has virtually no recoil and a light report.... [I]ts performance limits its use to small game and pests within 150 to 175 yards (137 to 160 metres). It is by no means a reliable deer cartridge, even with handloads."[10]

Sam Fadala of GUNS magazine calls it "perfect for mid-range varmints of all stripes," everything from small game, mountain birds (e.g., blue grouse), turkey, javelina, peccaries, coyote, and Australian wild pigs and goats.[11]

The Hornet is considered an optimal cartridge for turkey hunting, though it is not as powerful as modern .22 centerfires.[12] At mid-century, southern sportsman Henry Edwards Davis pronounced the Winchester Model 70 chambered for the Hornet "the best commercial rifle for wild turkeys the world has ever seen".[13] In 2011, Lane Kinney was awarded the "Top Turkey in the World" award by Safari Club International for a record-setting Osceola turkey taken with a T/C Contender pistol in .22 Hornet.[14][15]

The Hornet's virtual absence of recoil has made it even quite popular among deer hunters in some areas, although it is generally regarded as very underpowered for deer unless bullet placement is absolutely precise.[16] American hunter Jack O'Connor decried this practice in the 1950s, stating the Hornet could "under no circumstances" be considered a deer cartridge.[17] Some jurisdictions such as the Netherlands, the UK [18] and some states in the USA currently prohibit the Hornet (and other .22 caliber cartridges) for use on deer. Other countries allow the .22 Hornet on all game, such as New Zealand.

In contrast to those who believe the little .22 Hornet is incapable on larger game, the round has proved popular among the Canadian and Alaskan Eskimo and Inuit peoples due to its low cost, who have used it extensively for hunting seals, caribou, and even polar bears.[19][20][21][22]

Firearms

[edit]

Rifles are currently (2007) being chambered in .22 Hornet by Ruger, New England Firearms, CZ and various other mass-market manufacturers. Most current-production rifles in .22 Hornet are either bolt-action or single-shot designs, with the exception of a very few "survival" rifle/shotgun over-under designs such as the Savage Model 24 from Savage and a few European-made kipplauf break-action single-shot rifles, and drilling break-action shotgun/rifle combinations consisting of two side-by-side shotgun barrels and a rifle barrel underneath. Older guns generally have a slower twist rate of 1-16" (or one turn in every 16 inches (410 mm) of barrel length) for lighter bullets with a .223 caliber dimension. Newer guns feature a faster 1-14" twist in the .224 bore diameter.

Revolvers have been produced in .22 Hornet by Taurus, Magnum Research, and others with Ruger releasing a large frame version in 2024.[23] Single-shot pistols in .22 Hornet have been made by Thompson Center Arms. Muzzle velocities are somewhat less for this cartridge in short-barreled handguns than in rifles.

See also

[edit]

• .17 Hornet
• .22 Remington Jet
• .221 Remington Fireball
• 5 mm caliber
• List of rimmed cartridges
• List of rifle cartridges
• Sectional density
• Table of handgun and rifle cartridges

References

[edit]

1. ^ a b ".22 Hornet load data at Hodgdon". Archived from the original on 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
2. ^ a b Barnes, Frank C. (1997) [1965]. McPherson, M.L. (ed.). Cartridges of the World (8th ed.). DBI Books. p. 16. ISBN 0-87349-178-5.
3. ^ C.I.P .22 Hornet
4. ^ C.I.P 5.6x35R
5. ^ Dwulet, C. (n.d.). 22 Hornet vs 223 rifle cartridge comparison by ammo.com. Ammo.com. https://ammo.com/comparison/22-hornet-vs-223
6. ^ American Rifleman. National Rifle Association of America. 1906. p. 509. Archived from the original on 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
7. ^ "Deer licences - GOV.UK". Naturalengland.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-09-22. Retrieved 2015-07-04.
8. ^ "Customary IHL - Rule 77. Expanding Bullets". ihl-databases.icrc.org. Archived from the original on 2019-05-04. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
9. ^ Women and Guns. Little River Press. 2002. p. 51. Archived from the original on 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
10. ^ Tappan, Mel (1977). Survival Guns. Los Angeles: Janus Press. p. [page needed]. ISBN 0-916172-00-7.
11. ^ "The .22 Hornet". gunsmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
12. ^ Field & Stream. November 1989. pp. 52–. ISSN 8755-8599. Archived from the original on 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
13. ^ Ben McC. Moïse (28 July 2014). A Southern Sportsman: The Hunting Memoirs of Henry Edwards Davis. University of South Carolina Press. pp. 168–. ISBN 978-1-61117-357-4. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
14. ^ "Osceola Turkey | Big Game Hunting Records - Safari Club International Online Record Book". Scirecordbook.org. 1999-01-01. Archived from the original on 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2015-07-04.
15. ^ "Bullberry Barrel Works - Kinney's Record Osceola Turkey". Bullberry.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2015-07-04.
16. ^ Reg Darling (April 2005). Coyote Soul, Raven Heart: Meditations of a Hunter-wanderer. iUniverse. pp. 37–. ISBN 978-0-595-34977-7. Archived from the original on 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2016-09-26. Although the .22 Hornet is legal for deer hunting in Pennsylvania, calling it marginal is rather an understatement.
17. ^ Jack O'Connor (1952). The big-game rifle. Knopf. p. 123. Archived from the original on 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
18. ^ "UK Deer Legislation". County Deer Stalking. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
19. ^ Mike McConnell (6 January 2002). Bear Tales and Deer Trails. iUniverse. pp. 217–. ISBN 978-1-4697-1881-1. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
20. ^ Jack O'Connor (1 January 1977). The Art of Hunting Big Game in North America. Outdoor Life. p. 205. ISBN 978-0-394-41119-4. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
21. ^ Constance Helmericks (1952). The Flight of the Arctic Tern. Little, Brown. p. 220.
22. ^ Richard L. Knight (7 November 2008). Conservation for a New Generation: Redefining Natural Resources Management. Island Press. pp. 221–. ISBN 978-1-59726-921-6. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
23. ^ "Ruger® Super Redhawk® Standard Double-Action Revolver Model 5526". ruger.com. Retrieved 2024-08-19.

Further reading

[edit]

• Fadala, Sam (November 5, 2012). "The .22 Hornet". Guns. Archived from the original on 2016-12-15. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
• Raab, Rocky (June 2000). "K-Hornet Is Old and Improved". Handgun Hunter Magazine. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2014.

External links

[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to .22 Hornet.

• Chuck Hawks .22 Hornet Page
• .22 Hornet article in Petersen's Hunting
• Cartridge Dimensions at Steves Pages

v t e Rimmed cartridges
Handgun and Carbine	.22 Hornet .22 Remington Jet .32 S&W Long .38 S&W .38 Special .38-40 Winchester .41 Short Colt .41 Long Colt .41 Magnum .44 Remington Centerfire .44 Russian .44 S&W American .44 Special .44-40 Winchester .442 Webley .45 Colt .45 Auto Rim .45 Schofield .454 Casull .455 Webley .475 Linebaugh .500 Linebaugh .500 Special .500 S&W Magnum 7.62×38mmR 8mm Gasser 9mm Japanese revolver 10.4mm Swiss Centerfire 10.6×25mmR 11.3×36mmR
Shotgun	2 bore 4 bore 6 bore 8 bore .410 bore 12 gauge shotgun
Intermediate	.22 Winchester Centerfire .222 Rimmed .25-20 Winchester .32-20 Winchester .45-60 Winchester .45-75 Winchester .50-70 Government 10.4×47mmR 11×42mmR Albini-Comblain 11×50mmR Comblain 12×46mmR Musket Spain XPL 14×33mmR Wänzl
Fully powered	5.6×57mmR 6.5×53mmR 7-30 Waters 7.62×53mmR 7.62×54mmR 8×50mmR Lebel 8×50mmR Mannlicher 8×52mmR Mannlicher 8×56mmR 8×58mmR Danish Krag 9.3×74mmR 9×53mmR 10.15×61mmR 11×59mmR Gras 11×58mmR .22 Savage Hi-Power .30-30 Winchester .30-40 Krag .30 R Blaser .32 Winchester Special .32-40 Ballard .38-40 Winchester .38-55 Winchester .38-72 Winchester .40-72 Winchester .45-70 .50-110 Winchester .219 Zipper .222 Rimmed .303 British .303 Savage .307 Winchester .348 Winchester .375 Winchester .405 Winchester .600 Nitro Express
Autocannon	20×99mmR 20.3×95mmR 20×145mmR 20×180mmR 25×193.5mmR 25×205mmR 25×187mmR 37×57mmR 37×94mmR 37×145mmR 37×190R 37×223mm. R 37×249mmR 37×250mmR 37×254mm. R 37×258mmR 37×268mmR 37×380mmR 40×158mmR
Artillery	40×304mmR 40×311mmR 47x351R 57×441mmR 57×464mmR 75×272mmR 75×350mmR 76.2×420mmR 76.2×583mmR 84×295mmR 88×292mmR 94×92mmR 94×206R 94×675mmR 94×857mmR 113 640–645mmR 114×73-86mmR 114×695mmR 133×782mmR
Flare and Riot	37 mm flare 37 mm riot gun
Blank	.50-120 Federal FireStick 5-in-1 blank cartridge 9mm × 17 / .380 R

v t e Winchester firearms and cartridges
Rifles	Lever-action Henry rifle Model 1866 Model 1873 Model 1876 Model 1886 Model 1892 Model 1894 Model 1895 Model 53 Model 55 Model 64 Model 65 Model 71 Model 88 Model 150 Model 250 Model 255 Model 9422 Bolt-action Model 1878 Hotchkiss Model 1895 Lee Navy Model 1900 Model 1902 Model 1904 Model 43 Model 47 Model 51 Imperial Model 52 Model 54 Model 56 Model 57 Model 58 Model 59 Model 60 Model 60A Model 67 Model 68 Model 69 Model 70 Model 72 Model 75 Model 121 Model 131 Model 141 Model 320 Model 325 Model 670 Model 770 Pump-action Model 1890 Model 1906 Model 61 Model 62 Model 62A Model 270 Semi-automatic Model 1903 Model 1905 Model 1907 Model 1910 Model 30 Model 63 Model 74 Model 77 Model 100 Model 190 Model 290 Model 490 M1 carbine Full-automatic Olin/Winchester FAL Model 1917 WAR Falling-block action Model 1885
Shotguns	Pump-action Model 1893 Model 1897 Model 1912 Model 25 Model 42 Model 1200 Model 1300 Lever-action Model 1887 Model 1901 Model 9410 Single-shot Model 20 Model 36 Model 37 Model 37A Model 41 Double-barrel Model 21 Model 24 Model 96 Model 101 Semi-automatic Model 1911 SL Model 40 Model 50 Model 59 Model 1400 Model 1500 SX-1
Cartridges	.17 Winchester Super Magnum .22 Magnum (WMR) .218 Bee .219 Zipper .22 Hornet .220 Swift .223 Winchester Super Short Magnum .225 Winchester .243 Winchester .243 Winchester Super Short Magnum .25-20 Winchester .256 Winchester Magnum .25-35 Winchester .264 Winchester Magnum .270 Winchester .270 Winchester Short Magnum 6.8 Western 7mm Winchester Short Magnum .284 Winchester .30 carbine .30-30 Winchester .307 Winchester .308 Winchester .300 Winchester Short Magnum .300 Winchester Magnum .32 Winchester Special .32-20 Winchester .325 Winchester Short Magnum .33 Winchester .338 Winchester Magnum .345 Winchester Self-Loading .348 Winchester .35 Winchester .35 Winchester Self-Loading .350 Legend .351 Winchester Self-Loading .356 Winchester .358 Winchester .375 Winchester .38-40 Winchester .38-55 Winchester .38-56 WCF .38-72 Winchester .40-60 Winchester .40-72 Winchester .400 Legend .401 Winchester Self-Loading .405 Winchester .44 Henry .44-40 Winchester .45-60 Winchester .45-75 Winchester .458 Winchester Magnum .50-110 Winchester