Sidewinder

It's been a while, but i still haven't found a trigger guard, nor anyone that can make one for my Savage 24 .30-30/20Ga. combo gun. Someone made an aluminum butt plate...like the Savage 24C has...with the trap door for ammo storage in the butt-stock. It looks real good, so I'm trying to either go with an original, or match the aluminum trigger guard to the aluminum butt plate. Anybody know a smith that has an old drawer full of old trigger guards? Maybe I could find something there that works. Thanks for your help.

That's a very good price! I'd pay that in a heart beat for some .22 Hornet brass. The .22 Hornet loaded ammo is running around 88 cents a round for factory new, and the brass around 30 cents a round! I've bought a couple of boxes of old ammo, that I'll reload after I shoot it. If you know where I can buy 500 pieces of .22 Hornet for $80, please let me know...and I'll be all over it.

So glad your daughter was returned to you, safe and unharmed. There is an old cliche that goes... when they're little they will break your back, and when they're grown they'll break your heart! I realize 14 is not grown, but 14 now days is more like 24 when I was that age! Hopefully, respect, trust, and honesty, can be restored between you and your daughter and you never have to go through this again in your lifetime. Raoul probably nailed it...it appears there's a lot of work to be done. There's a great organization & book called "Tough Love"...in the Nashville area, I believe. The best to you and your family.

Thanks Jaysouth, where are they located? The Reloader's Bench in Mt. Juliet has .22 Hornet in Privi Partisan for $30 per hundred, and The Outpost Armory has it for $31 per 100. I was hoping to find some cheaper, or be able to find a few boxes of factory loads, that I could re-load after I shoot them. I'll give them a call...thanks for the info.

TDR, prayers to you, your family, and your daughter for her safe return.   If you can get a pic of the boy she left school with, it might be a good idea to post it also.

LngRngShtr, can you identify a hand-load by sight? The question is the same for others reading this. If so, what are the identifiable things to look for...things that anyone can spot just by looking at them? This is of major concern to me, as it seems to be with the OP, because I was recently sold a box of reloads as factory loaded ammo. My bad... I should have asked more questions when he said he bought them at Bass Pro a couple of years ago, and the box looked like it was 10 years old. He is a member on this web-site, and may very well read this post. Or... he may have more re-loads to sell to unsuspecting GOC members as "factory loads".    If you show Remington the round, the box, and the numbers on the box, they should be able to tell you if they match up. If they don't, it's possible you have bought some re-loads. Sorry, but hope with all of the experienced hand loaders we have on this site, we can all get more educated on how to recognize re-loads.

Dlm37015, I appreciate the input. Interestingly, I noticed you didn't mention Lil' Gun. Also, I didn't know that some of the .22 Hornet barrels were .221 in the bore. Are you talking about the Thompson Center line of guns, or some other makes and models? Are your loads pretty hot, or back off of max a little bit? What is your favorite load? Thanks.

GoneBallistic, actually the military did use .22 Hornet ammo...way back when... in their aircrew survival combo guns. These had a rifle barrel on top of a shotgun barrel. I believe there may also have been some that were bolt action with folding buttstocks. I'm thinking time frame was probably 50 - 60s.

Luke E, thanks for the update. I'll probably just buy ammo, as I find it, until I build up some re-loadable brass. Thanks again for the offer to pick some up for me though. That's awfully nice of you, and I appreciate it.

Really like mine too. It's blued with the bull barrel...and very accurate.

Luke E, thanks that's nice of you to offer to do that. Do you remember the price, and if it was virgin brass or used brass? I can buy new brass locally for about 31 cents a round, but don't want to pay that much for it. Some say frugal...others say cheap! I do enjoy lowering the per round cost, but I really like the tailoring the loads to fit the shooting situation...cheap for plinking, and spend more on my hunting loads.   I'm not sure if the TGO Monitors would consider this a transaction or not. I'm not a Benefactor, and wouldn't want to break any rules. I'm advertising for .22 Hornet ammo/brass on one of our other local gun sites, but haven't heard from anyone yet. Thanks for your reply.

Not really too concerned, as I inspect each piece of brass before loading it. I'm just curious as to what others use as a check to verify in their own mind that it truly is once fired brass. I guess most re-loaders have their little secrets for checking. I was just wondering what some of them were. I realize some of the information could be ambiguous. For instance, I guess a flattened or punctured primer could indicate a piece of brass that has been re-loaded so many times the primer pocket is worn/stretched and loose, or it could indicate that the re-loader loaded a real hot load. Just trying to learn all I can while enjoying re-loading. Thanks again.

LngRngShtr, thanks for the information. I can see there would be pretty clear extractor/ejector marks if the ammo is being fired from a semiauto or bolt. But, I've got some once fired brass... I know because I shot it in my TC Contender, and it doesn't have a scratch on it. Not trying to be argumentative...just saying. I agree with you on the case prep...and I do a good inspection of each piece of brass prior to reloading. I load strictly according to the published data...and usually not the max. Thanks for your reply.

Being that I am in the process of looking for some .22 Hornet brass, I got to thinking. How do we really know that the Ziplock bag of "once fired" brass is "really" once fired brass? Maybe it's been fired once, and maybe it's been fired nine times! Who can tell, and how? Sure, if it's someone you've known a long time, or a gun shop you trust, you may feel a little better about it... but, there is probably a difference in feeling and knowing. Is there anyone on here that can positively identify a piece of brass as "once fired"? If so, how do you do it... how do you know for sure, and what do you look for? What are the indicators between once fored brass and seven times fired brass? It's kinda like a fired gun, isn't it? I can't tell if a gun has been fired six times, or sixty, or a hundred and sixty times. Once it's fired, it seems only the owner knows for sure. Just food for thought...what's your opinion?

Caster, I took your advice and did some research on the K Hornet. Even though it has some positives, it has some negatives for me. I've just never been much on modifying any of my guns from factory standard. Also, I didn't like the fact that that no factory brass, nor ammo, is available. I liked the figures on paper though.

Thanks Dave Shooter, I bought some Lil' Gun, and probably will just stick with it. Most say it's the best in .22 Hornet.

Thanks for the update on the .22 hornet brass, Westwindmike. I may just build brass as I go, from my once fired ammo.

I found some "un-primed" Remington brass at a LGS for 31 cents a round. Has anyone seen any cheaper than that in the Murfreesboro area? Thanks.

Caster, the fever's back up on the .22 Hornet! Thanks for your post. I watched some U-tube videos last night of a guy shooting ground hogs in the head (17 for 17, I think) at 170 yards with a .22 Hornet! As Andy Griffith would say, "I like that something terrible"... translation, I like that a lot. Reloading brings the price down to a manageable level...and no recoil, a 170 yard varmint gun... what's there not to like? In reading the various forums on the net, it sounds like there's a considerable amount of interest and come-back in the .22 Hornet.

First time I have heard of the FTF on neck sized loads. Being that I have the FL die set, my first batch will be with them. I may still try out the neck sizing later, to see if I have the same problem. Thanks.

I was looking through the .22 Hornet loading data in my old Lyman and Speer manuals (Lyman 44th Ed. from the '60s & Speer Number 7 also from the '60s) tonight. Back then, they were calling for powders like IMR 4227, 2400, IMR 4198 and Unique. Today, most will say use Lil' Gun. If there's anyone reading this, that has loaded with these "old school" powders and Lil' Gun, I'd love to see a "compare and contrast" on these different powders...especially when used in a short barrel, like the Contender.

I got a knock at the door...and wa-la... my .22 Hornet dies arrived today. These are a RCBS F L .22 Hornet 2 die set.   Pinus, welcome to the retiree world and reloading. What will you be shooting your reloaded rounds through? You revealed a serious air of caution in considering the .22 Hornet for reloading...and that's good... do that on "any" round you're reloading. I'm new to the Hornet, but not to reloading. Maybe I can use an analogy to nudge you not to give up on the .22 Hornet as your first cartridge for reloading.   I taught other people to fly for years, and some of the "training" aircraft were less forgiving than others. But, the up side of that was, that the less forgiving aircraft usually made the student a much better pilot. Possibly the .22 Hornet could make a new re-loader a much better re-loader.   Leroy, thanks for the vote of confidence in the .22 Hornet-Contender hook up. For me, performance in the woods and field is the final test to see how the complete package works. I like the flexibility of the re-loads in the .22 Hornet, and think I am going to like it very much.   As I try loads offered by the "authorized" manufacturer's data, and well established loading manuals, I'll post the results. For now, I'll be shooting from a 10" barrel.

Dolomite & Westwindmike,   I appreciate the hands on experience you guys have passed on to me. I haven't given up on the idea of a .223 barrel on my earlier model Contender. I have passed on the 10" barrel though...even if it was a very fair price. I don't want to look like the kid that pooped in the swimming pool, while shooting at the range. Lots of blast is an attention getter at the range... for about the first three shots...then it becomes a nuisance. I do not want to upset my friends at the range, or anywhere else I'm shooting. Shock and Awe works well in the sand box, but gets old pretty fast at the gun range. At least, that's my thinking...I could be wrong though...I've been wrong before.   I like Westwindmike's idea of downloading for range plinking, and being able to open the throttle on Mr Coyote. Not only would this reduce the annoyance blast, it would also help stretch that pound of powder. I like that idea.   Dolomite, I have rifles in both .222 and .223, with reloading capabilities for both. So, I wouldn't just outright pass on a nice 14" .222 barrel, if one came along... but, would prefer a .223.   I just got a knock at the door, and delivery of my RCBS .22 Hornet FL die set. So, maybe I'll amuse myself by loading various .22 Hornet loads, while I await the availability of that 14" .223 barrel. I've started a thread on .22 Hornet reloading under "Ammo and Reloading" elsewhere on this site. Being that I'm a complete newbie to reloading this round, I'll take all of the advice I can get... especially if it'll make things safer and lower my cost. I can be frugal at times...and downright cheap at others.

It would have been my luck that they would have asked me to leave! Sounds like the short barrel is an attention getter, alright. My plans, are to be able to shoot a yote, without destroying my hearing. Is this possible with the Contender 14" barrel... or would I have to go to a rifle length barrel for that? I'm keeping my eye open for a Savage 24 in .22 Hornet / 20 gauge...and maybe this will be the best way to go. Anybody got experience with that combination?

Thanks guys, for all the Hornet information. I checked "new brass" and it seems to be running about 31 cents a round! I bought a pound of Lil' Gun, and figured I'd start with that. I think my 10" .22 Hornet Contender barrel is 1:12 twist. Also, I thought I'd start with small pistol primers, as I heard that they are a little more gentle on the brass. I'll have to figure out a "paper bullet" and a "hunting bullet" in weight and design. Most of the loaded ammo that I've bought has been semi jacketed soft point in 45 grains. Should get my dies by Wednesday...let the fun begin!