Next rifle, Savage 342 in 22 Hornet

sheriffoconee

sheriffoconee

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I have been slaying small creatures with a variety of 22 LR and 17 HMR's now for my entire life, and I have become fascinated with using small centerfire rifle rounds to accomplish the same thing. Nothing wrong with the 22s and 17s, they do the work, but I am more interesting in reloading for my new toy rather than just buying ammo and leaving the empty cases to moulder on the ground. Therefore, I have been looking.
Searched for a couple of 32-20 bolt guns to go with my K frame Smiths, but I never really liked the idea. My old partner and retired Chief Deputy has always been a Hornet fan, and we got to talking and he offered me his old Savage at a great price...so a deal has been struck.
He is throwing in dies, brass and some bullets the rifle likes...it has a scope mounted already, and it is a < inch rifle with his H-110 loads (I wonder if I can swap H-110 for W-296:eek::eek::confused::confused:) Should make a fun little toy and project for me.
I am satisfied that there are more modern Hornets that flood the market, but I like the old style look of the 342....sort of unrefined, maybe a bit like me...
Can't wait to get it in my hands...my wife is giving it to me as a Christmas present...so I must have been a good boy this year
 
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Hornets can be finicky, so go with the loads he suggests. H-110 and W296 are the same powder in different packages.........really! Data is interchangeable.

I think we're gonna need pictures. In fact, I'm sure of it!

Some Hornets were designed to use .223 bullets, some like .224 better. Testing will show you which your rifle prefers.
 
I will post pictures after Christmas, when my wife lets me finally have MY rifle....
The H-110/W 296 was a joke of course.....
My old partner has done the work getting a load for this rifle already, so I should be set up and ready to go...I am excited about loading for these little guys, easy on components, don't take up much room, and will be a lot more fun than rimfire I hope
 
Once in a while, I get the notion that owning an accurate bolt gun in .22 Hornet would be fun, but then, when I consider what use I'd make of it, compared to .22 rimfire, I can't think of any gap it would fill in my battery between .22 rimfire and .223 Remington, and move on to other "wish list" items. The Hornet seems to be the ideal chambering for a "rook rifle" (not much opportunity for use hereabouts), but what other mission does it serve? Not that a new gun acquisition necessarily requires any particular justification, but rather, that there's only so much money to go around, and I like to get the most fun or utility from my expenditures. So, what's my rationale for acquiring a Hornet?
 
As you said, NEED ain't got much to do with it...
As far as a reloading proposition, a pound of powder and a sack full of tiny bullets last a LONG time with the Hornet...there are a variety of powders that work well with it.. it is relatively quiet, it will work with my SWR silencer if I decide to thread the barrel, which I most likely won't, it will alter the rifle more than I want to.
It's good for the small critters we have around here, squirrels and such....
AND, I have never owned a small, as in this small, centerfire .22, and I want to see what all the fuss is about
 
I have this 1st year winchester 70 hornet. Aint exactly a hornet, I thought it was when I bought it, took it to the range and found out it`s a K-hornet. Bought some K-hornet dies. This one is .223, not .224. I have owned it for many years. I need to work with it again. It`s a heavy beast for such a peanut caliber.

winm-708039.jpg
 
I'm looking forward to the pictures. I used to own a Savage 340 in .222 Remington. I'd like to see the differences in the two rifles.
 
i have a Ruger 77/22 Hornet....very accurate gun and boy does it have knockdown power...a favorite ground hog gun of mine
121.jpg
 
sheriffoconee said:
... he offered me his old Savage at a great price...
Click to expand...

Sorry about that. I bought one last year on Gunbroker for the same reasons you mention. I can't wait to sell it.

Heavy, badly-balanced and an absolutely horrible trigger that can't be tuned reliably, as it's assembled with pins driven into a soft stamping. Add to that a squirrelly bedding system that includes an oversize barrel band secured to the stock with a screw, and you have a rifle that needs gobs and gobs of attention if you expect to hit small targets beyond 80 yards.

Save up and spring for a Winchester 43 instead. Or save up even more and spring for an Anchutz. You won't be happy with the Savage. The good news is there is a market for reasonably-priced Hornets and you can easily trade up.
 
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Savage has always had good barrels. Triggers can be "fixed". the enjoyment of reaching out to 150-200 yards (won't do that with a rimfire) for a groundhog or crow, with ammo you lovingly made yourself is part of the enjoyment.
 
22 hornet is a lot of fun to shoot and can be very accurate when you find what your gun likes. The brass is delicate so you need to be careful when reloading.
 
I've had a model Winchester 43 Special and a model 219 Savage, both in 22 Hornet. They were very fun, but a guy only has so much safe room. I still have a Winchester model 43 in 218 Bee. I'll be keeping this one. I like the little ones too!
 
here is my ugly pitted bore 342 i bought off a guy i was doin' work for....paid 80 buc's for it 10 years ago.....took it out and shot some of my 45gr and 50gr handloads that i have shot for over 30 year from my H&R Topper 158....my 12g holds a tighter pattern than the 342 did!!....it made it's way to the rear of the safe for about 8 years....2 years ago i pulled it out and bought some 40gr v-max bullets and started workin' loads.....tried 6 different powders and the 2 that bought the ol' nasty bored 342 around was IMR 4227 and W 296...started at 8gr of each got to 10gr with 4227 and groups pulled into around 2" at 100y.....4227 was compressed at 10gr and had stuck cases....went the same rout with 296 and at 10.5gr group came into 1" at 100y and no stuck cases....so i bumped it to 11gr and groups went to clover leaves at 100y.....the ol' nasty 342 has took over 100 crows and 12 yote's to date from ranges from 50y to 200y....just had to find something it liked...

S3010459.jpg
 
I would highly recommend the Hornet. I have a Sako 78 and have really enjoyed it as a pest rifle. Suggest IMR 4227 and 45 gr. soft points but have been trying Hornadys 35 gr VMAX. Jury is still out but they are accurate. My neighbors like the soft speaking Hornet as well. Get It.
 
In the "What is the best Hornet for you?" category, you might have just as good a chance to get the Savage to shoot well as anything else. Have you folks checked the price of a Winchester 43 lately? Out of sight, because of the name, and from a shooter's standpoint a 43 is just not that much gun. You could get a used Ruger No. 1 or No. 3 for less. The barrel band secured by a screw through the forearm of the Savage could be a concern, but nobody ever criticizes the early Win Model 70s for having them. I glass bedded the one on my Savage 340 and then I could play with screw tension - mildly snug gives best results. BTW I have put about 3000 rounds of .30-30 through this Savage with very good accuracy and no trouble at all. Back with the .22 Hornet, you will be rewarded by using precision reloading techniques, because the case is so small. I sort cases by weight because some lots vary in a big way. Also deburr the primer flashholes and measure case neck thickness selecting only those with uniform measurement. For the max in accuracy, powder charges should be weighed. Lastly, do not neglect the heavier bullets. Sierra's 50-grain RN has worked very welll for me.
 
22Hornet is one of my favorets. The 35gr. factory ammo is the best factory ammo I've found in years. IMR4227,1680,& Little Gunrrent powders( Little gun gets nasty power on the top end) are great for reloading. A few years ago at dad's farm I popped a running Whistle pig at 167 yards with my pre-61 340 Savage, The light weight gun swings better than heavy varmint gun. I hear of people going out as far as 350 tards on prarrie dogs with the 35 gr. loads- which makes sense with the old tripple duce going out to 400-450 in dog towns. Low noise is a big plus in built up areas, the Hornet and the 218 Bee work great on ground hogs. A gun that only shoots 2" at 100 yards will be enough for any practical range you encounter this "big game" at. If you use IMR or H 4227 this a great round to teach new or young reloaders on, as it won't hold an unsafe load.
 
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