After booking a Lord Derby eland hunt in the Central African Republic, my outfitter advised bringing along some small caliber handgun so I could fill the "pot" with birds, or smaller game like duikers. I wanted to thank this outfitter for giving me another reason to buy a new gun. My wife didn't see the humor! I couldn't decide between a .22 Magnum or the Hornet. Wavering back and forth I decided since I was taking an Encore with a 375 JDJ barrel, I might as well take a back up frame in case something went wrong. So, I ordered a 22 Hornet barrel for the Encore.

The Encore frame is blue with rubber grip attached. The barrel is factory but I have a custom forend from Georgia Jim. This forend makes shooting from a rest much easier, and steadier, with its 2 1/2 inch width. I liked the forend so much I have already ordered another. After mounting the gun with a Burris 2X-7X scope in Warne mounts and rings, I acquired some ammo. Three different bullet options from Winchester, 34 grain JHP, 45 grain soft point, and 46 grain hollow point were considered. Hornady's 35 grain V-Max is also an awesome looking little round. Since I would use the Hornet on small duikers, the 45 grain soft point was shot first. From the 15-inch Encore barrel accuracy was more than acceptable. As a matter of fact, it was so good I haven't tried any of the others at this point, settling on the soft point bullet for the hunt. Shooting was done mostly from 50-100 yards except for a few rocks on a pond bank that stretched out to 120 yards or so.

I have read conflicting reports in the past on the performance of the 22 Hornet. Some shooters felt the accuracy was horrible, yet others praised the round. As with any cartridge and gun, I'm sure a lot of these reports had to do with the particular bullet and gun they were fired from. Thompson/Center Arms is one of the reasons this round is still fairly popular today. There are other reasons as well and include the enjoyment of shooting a cartridge that offers the shooter little or no recoil. The 22 Hornet does not punish the shooter by any stretch of the imagination. It's simply fun to shoot! Handloaders have some excellent bullets to choose from including Hornady's V-Max and Nosler's BT offerings. A one pound can of powder can load in the neighborhood of 600 rounds of ammo thus making it cheaper to shoot than a .22 Magnum. There is no intimidating muzzle blast with the Hornet, yet for the experienced shooter, 150 yard prairie dog shots are not uncommon. Speaking of prairie dogs, my buddy and I are already gearing up for a South Dakota PD hunt this summer and you can bet your boots the 22 Hornet will be seeing plenty of action.

There is a ton of loading data on the 22 Hornet floating around. If you didn't hand I wouldn't worry much, factory ammo is prevalent and available in several different flavors. I wish I could go more in-depth about this little centerfire round-but it will get a chance to prove itself in the months ahead. I know this much; it's accurate and a lot of fun to shoot. As one of the first small-bore cartridges designed for varmint hunting in this country, the 22 Hornet has been around for a long time. With any luck it will be around for a long time to come. If you're looking for a reason or excuse to get another barrel for your T/C, get yourself a Hornet and have some fun!

Best Regards, Mark Hampton

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