.22 Hornet

Even today it has plenty of sting.

- Stan Trzoniec

Few varmint cartridges can claim the history, accuracy or reloadability of the .22 Hornet. From the first time I encountered this little cartridge, to the years that followed with various rifles, woodchuck forays, uncountable bullets and grains of powder, it has yet to let me down. It seems that small-game enthusiasts have felt the same way, as the availability of rifles (old and new) has been steady over the past 20 years, including single shots and bolt actions – even revolvers.

The beginnings of the Hornet can be traced to around 1893 or 1894, to a writer of the time named Reuben Harwood in Somerville, Massachusetts. He set about developing what some people believe to be an early Hornet. Using the .22 WCF cartridge, he loaded a 48-grain bullet with, of all things, a “duplex” load of powder consisting of a blend of smokeless and semi-smokeless propellants, which he claimed gave a velocity of around 1,900 fps. This cartridge looked nothing like our current .22 Hornet (ballistically or otherwise), as it was based on the .22 WCF (.22-13-45).

Looking back in research material, it seemed like the Hornet we know today took a long time to get going. There was a similar cartridge imported from Germany, the 5.6x35R Vierling, loaded with various bullet weights from 39 to 46 grains. Then the Ordnance Department at Springfield Armory, including Woodworth, Woody, Whelen and Wotkyns, worked out many special loads on the .22 WCF case.

Other notables, Sisk, Donaldson and Niedner, also worked on the concept using the .22 WCF case and used specially developed 2400 powder, but it wasn’t until Winchester first took note of the cartridge around 1930, later cataloging the .22 Hornet as we know it today in 1932, that it started to be noticed.