22 Hornet Bullet Recommendation For The Tiny Ten

[Jon R15]

I am headed to Namibia in late August for my Damara Dik Dik, Duiker, and Steenbok. I am taking a Ruger African 22 Hornet and would like some feedback on bullet choice. I have always used Hornets for varmints with light fast bullets but don't want something as explosive for these animals. What do you guys recommend?

 

[dchum]

Very nice! I just finished up with my Damara hunt in May.

Me and my friend @jnotzon were both planning on going to Namibia together and taking Dik Diks.

We were going to use his late grandfathers ruger 22 hornet. It shot Winchester x well enough at 50 yards. Time goes on and @jnotzon could not make the hunt.

I then had to borrow the outfitters 22 hornet and we used Sellior and Bellot 45 grain FMJ. It kinda has a little flat nose. I shot the ram in the ham string (rear leg) and it exited the shoulder. Going the length of the little ram. Small exit whole. Still bigger .22 even though it was FMJ. Ram dropped dead paralyzed.

Pretty funny the farm owner wasn’t there so his wife gave us the gun and ammo…. She handed me a box of 22LR…. Luckily the hornet mag was full so we left with out embarrassing her. Latter her husband was singing the permit needed for the Dik Dik said that he prefers the soft nose rather than the FMJ it was loaded with. Either way it worked for my hunt.

Good luck

 

[Ridge Runner]

Weeelllll.......I'm not sure.

I test 35, 45, 50, and 55 grain soft and solid bullets at reduced and increased velocities and for my Ruger Model 77/22 22 Hornet I settled on the 55 grain Hornady SP and FMJ BT.

I'm still trying to figure out how to upload my photos into my phone from my camera. Especially the 2 porcupines I used the 22 Hornet on. Using a soft point the exit hole on the first porcupine took about half of its skull. The second porcupine was about the first one's size. An anal shot. Using an FMJ BT on the second porcupine resulted in the pelvis being blown apart, zipped open the belly from anal to throat opening the rib cage like using a knife to gut and skin it. The entrails were laying on the ground out of it; all Solly, my PH's tracker, had to do to finish the job of gutting the porcupine was to cut the windpipe and the little bit of remaining skin around the rectum. Solly placed the now gutted porcupine over a big rock to fill the body out for the photo op.

On the 3 duiker and a jackal both the 55grain SP and FMJ BT bullets just penciled through them dropping them in their tracks.

The 2 francolin and 3 dove the 22 Hornet blowed them apart so bad Solly could only salvage pieces of the 3rd dove and 1st francolin that I shot destroying the neck and head.

I'll be waiting to read your hunt report for information about the bullet and ballistics on your choice of bullet(s) and your results.

 

[Green Chile]

I have used Sellier 55 grain FMJ on multiple T10 with good results. It would not be my first choice for a longer shot like on klippies. It did not create excessive damage on any of the thin skinned night game either but that's also due to shot selection. You can see from these photos (some of which are on the exit side).

 

[MacJenkins]

When I want stuff to blow up with my hornet or my 5.6x50r I use a 45 sierra or a 40 vmax. When not much damage is wanted I use a 45 or 50 TSX.

 

[Green Chile]

I was also going to load my own version with TSX but Hornets can be finicky and just for kicks, I tried the Sellier FMJs first. They had good accuracy so I stopped there. For those who like to tinker, finding a good TSX load could be worthwhile.

 

[Tgood1]

Ive been using 45 grain barnes for a few years. doesnt seem to explode like most hornet bullets and very accurate. using on hogs, deer, coyote, groundhogs, crow, etc.

 

[MacJenkins]

I was also going to load my own version with TSX but Hornets can be finicky and just for kicks, I tried the Sellier FMJs first. They had good accuracy so I stopped there. For those who like to tinker, finding a good TSX load could be worthwhile.

Lil Gun, almost fill it to the top of the neck and use a battery tooth crush to settle the charge. Probably doesn’t matter but don’t take much time. My loads are 12.5 to 13.1 in the hornet. Yes it’s over book by a lot but many of us use these loads with brass life being just fine. Accuracy is excellent in our K95’s. Like any suggestion start low and work up. And work up in .1 grains when woking with these small cases.

 

[Longwalker]

European bullets for the Hornet are stronger constructed than the typical USA "varmint" bullets. I've used and like the 45 gr. factory loads from S&B and RWS and PPU.