22H vs .223 balancing act

Between the two I estimate a balance of cost and performance. I am wondering if there is an appreciable difference cost wise reloading the two. From my reading, the Hornet uses about 1/2 the powder, bullet cost is similar, the .223 will get more loads per case with proper care due to brass thickness. The latter is referring to max loads in both and not losing any to splits or crushed necks (Hornets thinner brass wears faster?). I know technique can prevent a lot of problems with the Hornet, but side by side, could the cost of replacing brass vs powder usage make these two about equal to reload?

I am trying to decide on which one for an economical 200 yard max groundhog rifle that doubles as a great plinker.

I have had both. The Hornet is nice but can be a pain to reload. With the abundance of 223 components I would guess the cost would be VERY close to the same. More powder, for sure. I like the 223 MUCH better than the Hornet. Barry

I love the little .22 hornet. That said I wouldn't pick it for 200 yd. woodchucking. loosing velocity fast especially with the lighter bullets, BC of hornet bullets not very good, wind will give you hell.

While I am not a real big fan of the .223 between the two for serious work it would be my pick.

for plinking and shorter ranges I would take the hornet all day long.

for serious woodchucking I would pick the 6BR.

So I guess the consensus is .223 with plated or cheap fmj for plinking, and a proper bullet for varmints is preferred for terminal performance. The cost factor, I presume, would be a wash.

I remember tagging along on groundhog hunts in the late 40s. At that time the Hornet was a fairly popular choice.
So were the 22 rimfires for the closer shots. But when the 222 Rem came along, the Hornets took a back seat position.
That cartridge has also taken a back seat position to the 223.
But it is still a better choice than the Hornet, and might be an option for you if the 223 dosent appeal.

They both appeal to me, and I have owned both in the past. My primary question is about cost, otherwise I would throw something in a 6.5mm or 7mm bore with 50-60 grain capacity and have something for anything in North America. What I want is an inexpensive centerfire plinker that can be used for varmints to an absolute max of 200 yards. The Hornet should be able to do that with proper dope, but the .223 will do it with more authority AND further (though not really needed). I have popped groundhogs at 200 with a 17 HMR, but not the point.

Hersh I have a model 40 22H and when compared to my model 12 223 accuracy wise there is a huge difference at all distances.
As for reloading I get at a minimum 12 loads for 223 as compared to if I'm lucky 3 with 22 Hornet. The Hornet is so bad I carry a 1/4" self taping screw and a cleaning rod with me whenever I shoot it to knock out the broken cases. Plus 22 hornet brass can be hard to find and you have to pay for it.
Just about any range you will go to will have hundreds of 223 brass laying around for you to pick up and with a little prep work they will be fine and last a long time and be much more accurate out to 200 yards or more and it is free.
Primers cost the same and as far as powder what you save on the cost of brass you might spend on the increased amount needed for the load you choose.
For me it is a no brainer 223 is the winner all around

Thank you froggy, that was what I was looking for. I know some had had 15+ reloads with Hornet brass, but they were shooting mild cast loads. I thank you for a more realistic look at what may be on the lower side of average, but at least it is your experience. Do you anneal your .223 brass to get to that number?

Don't forget that you can load the .223 to Hornet velocity, but you can't load the Hornet hotter. With the cheap .223 brass that would be the way to go. I won a .22 K Hornet and a couple of .223s, but if I had to choose between the two the .223 would win every time.

No Hersh I don't anneal, but I also don't load for craziness either. I fl size, check length, champher and de burr and clean every time. Shooting 60gr. Sierra at about 2800fps.
I just prepped 150 cases and found 3-4 split necks and to be honest I don't know how many reloads on these they are all nickel plated and FREE so I don't count, just shoot , reload and do again.
On mine I find a relatively mild load makes them last longer and it is only target shooting and the paper doesn't know the difference.

Ok. I want accuracy over velocity anyways. A 60gr at 2600 is still better than a 40gr at 2600 on game.

there was a good article on another forum several years back but the guy had done testing with the .223 with blue dot and unique and basically got the little .223 to cover everything from a 22 mag to .221 fireball velocity's. he was able to even get good accuracy with no fillers and found that the lightweight varmint bullets actually killed small game with little damage at the milder velocities. and the report was much quieter.

I picked up a 55gr 22 caliber casting mold to try as a 22lr replacement. would cost less than 22lr these days and have more energy on target. you could even taylor the load to the quarry.

Hersh
Since you have taken ground hogs you know they can be tough critters. The 223 will definitely give you better accuracy, thus fewer losses, and a LOT more impact energy, thus fewer losses. The 223 will make a marginal hit a good one.

Never owned a Hornet, but if I did, it would be the 17 K hornet for our ground squirrels.

So the next question is something in a repeater (Savage Axis) where I will be limited to magazine length, or something along the lines of a used T/C Contender platform(I would prefer a Ruger #1 or #3, but it is more than I have to spend).

not sure about the axis but the other savages just had a spacer in the magazine and the extended bolt baffle. you could remove the spacer and modify the mag follower or put a different one in then cut the baffle or put a standard baffle in and you could load up to 2.8"+ if you wanted.
Contender's have become pretty pricey over the years including the barrels, but are nice. I want one and a carbine kit but can't justify the price.

I shoot two .221FB's, a striker pistol and a CZ 527 switch barrel Sinarms built for me. I shoot .223 and sold a .20VT that was made for the Savage rifle. Right now, the shop is set up for production loading .221FB and .223. I put together a Savage rifle but to get the mag sized right for a repeater is a pain and will work sometimes. If you want a repeater, CZ 527 is available for the price of a Savage, and it works.

My thoughts after almost 10 years tinkering and loading for the small calibers; .22 hornets/etc are an "old" case design that can be finicky to reload, if you're going with a small .22 cal choose the .221FB. Modern case, I get mine made 500 at a time from .223 Lake City brass, the shop I found on 300blktalk.com member(Grumpa); sized, annealed, de-primed, cleaned.

The .20 Vartarg didn't give me anything the .221FB couldn't, and it was a mess to clean the barrel, easy to crush a case neck. Both FB's are tight twist so they shoot the light and heavy bullets and if you search, the factory ammo is around. The FB will shoot pretty near what the .223 does, uses same primers, dies are cheap and powder charge is less than the .223. I gave up trying to use Bluedot for reduced loads, too many ways for me to screw up. Reduced load data for .223 used to be listed on Calhoon's website.

I thought about the FB, but brass is as difficult to get as Hornet and loaded rounds much more scarce on store shelves. I have found Lapua brass for it at about $65/100 and $555/1000 though. I think I would prefer it except the cost of brass over the .223.