Thoughts on RWS 22 Hornet brass please ?

[silva]

Any thoughts on RWS 22 Hornet brass please ?

Have got some already and was hoping they would be a good case to start working some loads up from - along the lines of case capacity and longliveity.

Other options are S&B and Winchester that I have saved over the years or are there any others you may recommend.

Cheers

[223AI]

IT's got a very good reputation on saubier, it's the preferred brass on there.

S&B is low on capacity and has punched flash holes so needs a bit of work or your decapping pin will get stuck. Winchester is pretty good and has decent capacity, I use mainly that and PPU for 30/35 gr loads. have a couple of hundred rem which has the best capacity for 40 gr ballistic tip loads which I stoke up to 3200 fps. (Don't try and replicate this, stick to Hodgdon's data)

You will find case capacity is probably highest from the Win, rim thickness (which the hornet headspaces on) will be most consistent from the RWS which is why the saubier boys love it......

[Elliott]

..have a couple of hundred rem which has the best capacity for 40 gr ballistic tip loads which I stoke up to 3200 fps.

Wow, that's a fair old velocity, Scott. You using Lil Gun or H110 to get those speeds? It's 200 fps faster than my loads with Winchester brass.

I've been using the same Winchester brass for the last two years until only last week when I found cracked necks. It's been great until then - Well worth using.

I bought x50 46gr RWS Hornet ammo on Friday, just for the brass Cost me £38 for the loaded rounds vs £1 per case if buying the brass on its own. Go figure!

[Ranyhyn]

PPU Hornet brass reloads well. The complete rounds are cheaper than buying other brass on its own.
Can't get on with Hornady brass though. I find it wafer thin and flash hole is so narrow punching out primers is a pain.

[223AI]

Wow, that's a fair old velocity, Scott. You using Lil Gun or H110 to get those speeds? It's 200 fps faster than my loads with Winchester brass.

I've been using the same Winchester brass for the last two years until only last week when I found cracked necks. It's been great until then - Well worth using.

I bought x50 46gr RWS Hornet ammo on Friday, just for the brass Cost me £38 for the loaded rounds vs £1 per case if buying the brass on its own. Go figure!

Its nearer Hodgdon's older max load for lil gun that they reputedly trimmed as it was based on Rem brass and you simply can't fit the amount of powder in other headstamps. Its a hot load but no obvious signs of pressure including on a 20º + day in the summer, not something I would suggest others try (Don't try and replicate this, stick to Hodgdon's data). You can fit over a grain more powder in a rem case vs a winchester case, 2 gr + compared to PPU.

Mag is being modified over Christmas to take the longer COAL, 10 though off the lands with 40 gr SBKs for me is 1.94" so i need to get an extra .205" out of the mag, will involve reducing the plastic spacer at the rear and making an extended follower with a spring stop under.

Nosler varmageedon and SBK are both flat based bullets so with a fuller case you are less likely to get powder trapped bewteen the bullet and case neck compared to boat tail equivalents such as V-max or nosler ballistic tip.

[Elliott]

Thanks Scott, that's useful to know. I really need to get my hands on some of that Remington brass. 3,200fps would be a fantastic velocity to achieve with a 40gr bullet and make the most out of the available BC.

How do the flat based bullets seat? I always used to find the 35gr V-Max too fiddly to load.

[Ranyhyn]

I went round the houses trying to find something heavier than the 35g v-max that groups as tightly but to no avail.
I've found that lightly champhering the case mouth makes seating more successful.
I'm using a carefully worked up charge of Alliant Steel shotgun powder.

[Graham2]

I've loaded most of the various brands of cases over the years and haven't really bothered much about what they are, just loaded them in batches and checked zero when changing over- I've never found much, if any, difference between them at 100 yards.

I use a K&M case mouth reamer on all my Hornet brass and that way all my 35 grain V-Max bullets drop in nicely, sitting about 1mm into the case and no more crushed or wonky cases.

[223AI]

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Thanks Scott, that's useful to know. I really need to get my hands on some of that Remington brass. 3,200fps would be a fantastic velocity to achieve with a 40gr bullet and make the most out of the available BC.

How do the flat based bullets seat? I always used to find the 35gr V-Max too fiddly to load.

Lee expander die then crimp

[Elliott]

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Lee expander die then crimp

Mmm.. Need to invest in a Lee crimp die I think

[nicholiath]

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Lee expander die then crimp

Exactly what I do.

[mick a]

At the moment I am buying Factory v Max is the brass any good for reloading ?

[223AI]

At the moment I am buying Factory v Max is the brass any good for reloading ?

Yes its fine, reasonable case capacity and will give a decent amount of firings, flash holes can be a bit tight so don't go heavy handed first time you resize or make sure the decapping pin fits before actaully sizing

[baldycoot]

I bought 2000 once fired 22 Hornet RWS for resizing to 17 Hornet.
Very good for resizing and extremely consistent neck wall thickness.

Far better than Hornady 17 Hornet, which lost all neck tension on it's third firing.