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Old 04-02-2019, 06:20 PM
Teddy Bear Rat Teddy Bear Rat is offline
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Default The Ultimate .22 Hornet

Recent discussion here prompted me to reconsider what exactly the ultimate .22 Hornet would look like? Of course, "ultimate" will be in the eyes of the beholder, but, for me, the answer is crystal clear, and it may be the same for many of you.

Years ago, I was lamenting the fact there really wasn't a great "Hornet-sized" action out there. The various Walther and Anschutz rimfires shoehorned into Hornet service seemed fine but not ideal. Most of the larger actions, like the granddaddy M54/M70, seemed way too big and bulky. I guess the closest was the Cooper M38, and, as a bolt gun, it probably is the best. Sadly, that cute-as-a-bug’s-ear action is now discontinued.

But I really wanted a falling block Hornet. The Ruger #1 and Miroku Low Walls repros were suitable for much larger cartridges and didn't really "match" the little Hornet, though I thought the latter was much closer to being right and have owned a few. Break-open actions are such a pain from the bench, and in the field, I didn't even consider one of those, and the tilting block Martinis are hard to equip with modern scopes and are, well, rather unsightly, to my eyes.

I had purchased a very petite single-shot, falling block rifle kit someone called a “Fraser,” but the design was entirely unrefined (cocking was stiff, awkward, and largely theoretical), and the metallurgy sub-par...meaning dead soft, no carbon, requiring creative surface hardening techniques that distorted the parts badly and never really worked out. It went down the road.
So, starting from scratch, I asked what attributes would combine to create an "ideal" falling block Hornet? After considerable conjitatin', I concluded an 80% Winchester Low Wall would fill the bill...but those don't exist. I decided, therefore, to just make one.

I machined the major components from 4140 bar stock; receiver, lever, breech block, lower tang, and hammer all heat-treated in the 35-45 Rockwell C range. The other smaller parts like the firing pin, trigger, sear, extractor, and link I made from tool steel or other suitable steel alloys, all heat-treated to a hardness I felt appropriate for each job. The springs, pins, and screws were also cobbled from scratch.

The action is a coil-spring version very true to the original, but I did take some liberties with the extractor design, opting for a simpler pivoting unit at the 6 o’clock position. It resulted in greater leverage but less travel; always a compromise. I also elected to use a through-bolt for stock attachment, in lieu of the tang sandwiched original stock design. Other than those two areas, it very closely mirrors the original 1885 Low Wall but 20% smaller.

I threaded, fitted, and chambered a very trim 1:10" twist Badger octagon barrel…I may have octagoned it myself…I can’t remember now!! Since the rifle is so petite, I was able to acquire for a song an extremely highly figured but small and twisted piece of English walnut that would have been unsuitable for any normal sized stock. I finally polished and blued the whole shebang. The whole process took about three years (I assumed I would be done in a couple of months...best laid plans, right?)
So, here she is in all her glory:





The rifle weighs a mere 4.5 pounds but will shoot about ¾” 5-shot groups at 100 yards, using a Nosler 40 gr. BT over 12.5 grains of 1680 fired with a small pistol primer. I’m not thrilled with the vintage 4X ¾” Redfield, but it is the only scope that looks small enough to match the little rifle; the various 1” scopes just overwhelm it. It is a wispy wand, but I’ve shot dozens, probably not hundreds, of prairie dogs with it over the years. My five kids, who were at the time in High School and had shown little interest in Dad’s quirky hobby, actually showed quite a bit of interest as this rifle unfolded, thus prompting me to promise to make a hand-built rifle for each of them. I later extended the promise to my now 9 grand kids – I’m about 5 rifles behind as we speak.

Anyway, that’s my ultimate .22 Hornet, and I’m sticking to it.

TBR
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Old 04-02-2019, 06:21 PM
Teddy Bear Rat Teddy Bear Rat is offline
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Default A Few More Pics




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Old 04-02-2019, 06:26 PM
df06 df06 is offline
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Default 22h

Wow, that’s a beautiful gun. You have talent and ambition far beyond me.
I will take exception on the Anschutz hornets. I have two and consider them the ultimate in function and accuracy.
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Old 04-02-2019, 06:26 PM
Bill K Bill K is offline
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TBR.. That is beyond beautiful. You did a superb job. Thanks for sharing. Bill K
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Old 04-02-2019, 06:27 PM
Teddy Bear Rat Teddy Bear Rat is offline
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Default A Few More Pics





This last pic, with a .22 Hornet cartridge case shown in the chamber, really gives a good idea of the petite size of the rifle:

Enjoy!
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  #6  
Old 04-02-2019, 06:39 PM
Teddy Bear Rat Teddy Bear Rat is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by df06 View Post
Wow, that’s a beautiful gun. You have talent and ambition far beyond me.
I will take exception on the Anschutz hornets. I have two and consider them the ultimate in function and accuracy.
I figured someone would likely call me out on that . I love my early 50's Anschutz 1430 Hornet, as well. The earlier 1430s were just lighter and handle more dynamically than the more recent 1700-series Anschutz rifles. I recently retrofitted a DST to mine and thought it was pretty close to perfect. By saying not ideal, though, I am referring to the rear locking lugs and magazine length. Perfectly adequate but just not perfect to me, if that makes sense.

TBR
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Old 04-02-2019, 06:41 PM
Screaminweasil Screaminweasil is offline
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PERFECT
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Old 04-02-2019, 06:50 PM
Tparrish Tparrish is offline
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You sir do good work! Beautiful rifle.

Tom
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Old 04-02-2019, 06:52 PM
squirrel_slayer squirrel_slayer is offline
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wow beautiful work.

Glad to see that hand made craftsmanship is still alive and well.
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  #10  
Old 04-02-2019, 07:10 PM
Gary in Illinois Gary in Illinois is offline
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Default Unbelievable!

Gorgeous rifle. Just one question, though. Are you adopting?
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Good shooting!

Gary

NRA Endowment Life Member
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