a "K"Hornet vs. the new Hornady .17 Hornet - opinions?

cloverleaf · Dec 10, 2011

Just came across n internet add for Hornadys new .17 Hornet. Ive always had in interest in the 22 Hornet. I just thought they would make nice "Walk around gun" small game to varmints. Maybe not...? And then I see this add for the Hornady .17 Hornet. Nice concept and 223 MV but I just cant convince myself that I need a .17 anything. I did a little looking on reloaders nest and come acreoos the "K" Hornet. Basically an Ackleyfied .22 Hornet. Fire form the brass and start loading and shooting. Decent velocity and .22 cal bullet availability. Plus the Hornet was chambered in some NICE rifles. The 17 will be chambered in the Savage Model 40. No slouch, but over priced for a plywood stock IMHO.

http://www.hornady.com/store/17-Hornet/

http://www.reloadbench.com/cartridges/w22khorn.html

So just for conversations sake which would you choose? CL

JD338 · Dec 10, 2011

Although the 17 Hornet is cool, I would opt for more bullet weight and go with a 22 Hornet or 22 K Hornet. IMHO, the 17 cal is just too small for coyotes and it will have a lot of wind drift. That is why I have a 22-250. :mrgreen:
If I ever need something smaller than the 22-250, it will be a 221 Fireball.

JD338

SJB358 · Dec 11, 2011

I like it! Looks like a cool varmint rig! Scotty

YoteSmoker · Dec 11, 2011

I'll admit after owning a Marlin 17 HMR shortly after they came out in '02, I'm not much of a fan of the .17. I don't see how this new cartridge will do anything better than the 17 Remington except use a little less powder. The 204 will best any 17 in both efficiency and speed. I've owned a few different varmint calibers but have whittled them down to two that do everything I need them to: 22-250 1:12 twist shooting 60 v-max at 3480 FPS for the daytime, and 22 Hornet shooting 45 "hornet" SP for all night time hunting adventures.

BK · Dec 11, 2011

CL,

Yes!

muleman · Dec 11, 2011

CL,
The 17 Hornaday Hornet will also be availible in the Ruger 77/22(per Hornaday). I'm a fan of the 17HMR and this will be a step up from that - reloadable as well! I shoot a lot of squirrel size varmints - hundreds in a day and the little 17's never over heat and at modest velocities the fouling isn't to bad at all.
Scott

BK · Dec 11, 2011

Yeah, I went and looked around a bit and the only rifles I saw were Savages, and as I'm not a fan of Savage rifles, I was a little less enthused. But if Ruger is going to offer one, I might think about it.

Love to see Winchester introduce a mini-M70 sized a little better for .22 Hornet-.204 Ruger-.223 sized cartridges.

Mountain Goat · Dec 11, 2011

Handling the tiny components would take away all joys of handloading. I really have my squirrel popping sessions taken care of with a 17HMR and 223 Rem. The 17 Fireball didn't really set the shooting world on fire, nor did the 17 Rem. The 204 is about as good as it gets for an "in between" varmint cartridge that delivers down range performance and very low recoil.

I never disapprove of new cartride introductions though. All it does is add interest to our sport along with the possibilty of putting some future highly desireable rifles into the market due to scarcity.

If I owned a Hornet, or any version thereof, I'd certainly shoot the heck out of it, but that doesn't mean I would go out of my way to seek one out for purchase.

muleman · Dec 11, 2011

The 17 Hornet will have ready brass while the K Hornet will need to be reformed. I really like the 77/22 - the clip sytem enables you to keep the volume of fire up when the enviroment is target rich. Maybe not as well as an AR type gun but still fast.
Scott

cloverleaf · Dec 11, 2011

JD338":18ckoxvk said:
Although the 17 Hornet is cool, I would opt for more bullet weight and go with a 22 Hornet or 22 K Hornet. IMHO, the 17 cal is just too small for coyotes and it will have a lot of wind drift. That is why I have a 22-250. :mrgreen:
If I ever need something smaller than the 22-250, it will be a 221 Fireball.

JD338

See, now thats why my Squirrel gun is a 22 MAG.... A squirrel insinde 150 yards will not live on the alleged accuracy improvement of the 17HMR. But the Mag really isnt enough for Coyotes. My 250 savage and some 75 Grain v-Max's (or 85 CT's) will handle any varmint chore.
BUT... the new Hornet .17 qualifies as "Shinny....! :shock:

" and so it gets my attention. Still think the K Hornet might be the way to go. If not for my 250....

CL

chet · Dec 12, 2011

Sometimes, a 22-250 is just too much gun!

As mentioned above, 22mag, 17hmr, 204, 22hornet, and 223 all offer ballistics somewhere bewtween 22 long rifle and 22-250.

We should all just own one of each! :lol:

the 17 hornet has my attention...... but i defenitly don't feel the need for one......

All said and done, the 204 is likely the best performer in the 35gr class and will flat out smoke most any 17 cal out there..... but, if you like to eat your squirrels and bunnies, a less "shocking" cartridge may be desireable.

Drduct · Apr 5, 2012

Hi there, first I must say that there is some great discussion on the sight. I just became interested in the 17 Hornet. I didn't realize that the 17 k Hornet was so close to the new Hornady 17 Hornet. I think I will wait for the 17 Hornet and not worry with the reloading.

Now I see a lot of conversation about using the 22 Hornet and Ruger 204 as varmit guns. Now I am sure that they make great vermit guns but the make excellant deer rifiles also. I have shot more eastern whitetails with my savage bull barrel single shot 22 hornet than I can count. I just purchased the Ruger 204 but after sighting it in I can tell it is going to make a great deer rifle.

I also recently purchased to 17 HMR to shoot squirrels and foxes. Haven't missed one yet but may be a bit overkill for squirrels. I am reluctant to shoot deer with this caliber but I am sure that a well placed shot would take them down. My grandfarther shot many deer with a 22 mag. But the 17 hornet I think can definetely take a deer. Can not wait to get my hands on one.

I do hope that Ruger chambers it but if not then I will get the savage. I have 4 savage small caliber rifile and they are all great guns!

All this of course is just my opinion and evryone should decide which caliber is best from them. Happy hunting and stay safe

FOTIS · Apr 5, 2012

I am buying a 17 Hornet!

FOTIS · Apr 5, 2012

Savage 25 is a nice rifle.

Also you might want to look at the 17 Fireball.

cloverleaf · Apr 5, 2012

FOTIS":39i0xg42 said:
I am buying a 17 Hornet!

A range report and some pics will be mandatory......you will be buying the Savage I assume? It will be interesting to see how much the 25 differs from a model 93 rimfire. CL

Oldtrader3 · Apr 5, 2012

Drduct":378kmdyb said:
Hi there, first I must say that there is some great discussion on the sight. I just became interested in the 17 Hornet. I didn't realize that the 17 k Hornet was so close to the new Hornady 17 Hornet. I think I will wait for the 17 Hornet and not worry with the reloading.

Now I see a lot of conversation about using the 22 Hornet and Ruger 204 as varmit guns. Now I am sure that they make great vermit guns but the make excellant deer rifiles also. I have shot more eastern whitetails with my savage bull barrel single shot 22 hornet than I can count. I just purchased the Ruger 204 but after sighting it in I can tell it is going to make a great deer rifle.

I also recently purchased to 17 HMR to shoot squirrels and foxes. Haven't missed one yet but may be a bit overkill for squirrels. I am reluctant to shoot deer with this caliber but I am sure that a well placed shot would take them down. My grandfarther shot many deer with a 22 mag. But the 17 hornet I think can definetely take a deer. Can not wait to get my hands on one.

I do hope that Ruger chambers it but if not then I will get the savage. I have 4 savage small caliber rifile and they are all great guns!

All this of course is just my opinion and evryone should decide which caliber is best from them. Happy hunting and stay safe

Most of us here, who own .204 Ruger rifles are worrying about killing coyotes consistantly with anything less than 45 grain bullets. Plus, I shoot a .22WMR rifle and pistol a lot and do not see either caliber as a "deer" killing rifle. In fact in this state, with its .24 caliber minimum, it would be illegal to use either caliber for hunting deer.

Wincheringen · Apr 5, 2012

I like it, but my .22 Hornet and .204 do everything I need in centerfire, and .17M2 and .22WMR do everything I need in rimfire.

Drduct · Apr 11, 2012

Hi there, I do agree there are a lot of states that require that the rifle .24 caliber or larger, VA being one of those. Those a 243/6mm is the smallest you can use. However there are still several states that are any centerfire cartridge, those the 22 Hornet, 218 Bee, Ruger 204, .223 etc are all legal, WV being one of these states. The Number 1 deer rifle in WV is the 22-250 with the second being the 22 Hornet. The issue with these calibers is that the shot must be precisly place in the neck or head or they can be useless. But if use effectively they are great eastern white tail guns. Again just my opinion based on my experiences. Have a great day

I can not wait for the 17 Hornet. Any body know anybody that has a NIB for sale have them drop me a line.

Wincheringen · Apr 11, 2012

Head and neck shots with a .22-250 or .223 Rem are not required to drop deer. In fact its quite the opposite, a good lung shot is far better. I've personally witnessed a .300 Win Mag fail on a neck shot and I don't take them no matter what. There is no minimum caliber where I hunt.

tjen · Apr 11, 2012

I think fox hunters would like the 17 cal bullets and maybe the Pdog guys too. I have a 22 hornet love it but the 221 rem bets it in ALL catagories. So for a new rifle I think the hornets are not as good as either the 17/221 Fire balls.
with all the old hornet rifles out there I am glad too see new ammo but the hornet should take a back seat to the fire balls with their superior case and the edge that 2-4grs of powder gains them.

A few years back I got a new in box CZ527in 22-hornet out the door for $400. My only regret is it should have been a 221 Rem Fire Ball. I now have the 22-hornet, 221 Rem, and 223 Rem. The 221 has all the advatages of the hornet but with more performance and a better/stronger case (a reloaders dream).