I recently purchased a Ruger 77/22 Hornet. It wears a custom stainless barrel chambered for 22 K Hornet. With the traditional Hornet powders such as H-110, H-4227, or Lil Gun, are you better served with small pistol or small rifle primers?

Some .22K-hornet data pushes the pressure limits of pistol primers, unless you've started well below and worked up keeping an eye on primer condition, I 'd not use them.

Once ran an experiment with a K-frame S&W revolver. Kept backing the straing screw on the mainspring out in 1/4 turn steps and shooting groups. BEFORE I got to the missfire stage, groups grew very large.

Seems accruacy goes south with weak igniton...perhaps there are un-noticed "mirco-hang fires" going on that we don't notice. Eratic igniton starts befroe our powers of observation can detect it.

Found that to be true with some rifle calibers as well...sudden accuracy loss not tracable to any other cause. Clean the mainspring area and/or replace the spring, and accuacy goes back to normal.

That's where small pistol primers have been a help..some actions just don't have a strong main-spring hit due to design.

The other thought with the .22horent sized cases is that a too strong primer can break crimp (or the bullet/case neck juntion) before the powder starts a normal burn...that too hot a primer can change accuracy. Personally, I've only had that suspision when working with boilt guns with long throats (to use the magazine, have to load short even in a long throated barrel)...with single shots and the bullet right against the rifling, haven't had suspision.

I collect and shoot hornets for varmit control so have some experience concerning you question. There are several schools of thought on the use of rifle and pistol primers in the caliber. Doing a lot of research and trials of my own I've come to the conclusion that you can use either in this caliber.

If you are developing new loadings and want an early indicator of pressure then use the pistol primers as they are thinner. If your primer strike is light use them. Using primer flattening for pressure indication is dubious at best considering all factors involved.

Some articles I've read tend to support the theory that too much of a good thing is bad for accuracy. Another words using magnum primers whether rifle or pistol tends to degrade accuracy and I've also experienced this. I will say I didn't have time to do an indepth test of this subject thou just some left over magnum primers I wanted to use up and the load I was using went south in the accuracy department. Since the only change made in an otherwise accurate load was the primers I assume the magnum primers are to blame.

Ross Seyfried suggests trying both for Hornet in his writeups, as you never know.

I have had decent luck with small pistol primers in regular hornet, but can not say the same for K-Hornet with full loads. I have now standardized on 12 gr. of H-110, under the 35 gr. Hor. V-Max, with CCI SR-Primers, and have excellent results.

Good Luck! Paul

In a ordanary hornet I'd say no problem with the smallpistol primer but in the K" I opt for small rifle every time due to increased presures .Remember Your Barrel maby stainless but leaking primer pockets do nasty things to bolt faces over a period of time!