.22 Hornet

.22 Hornet (5.6x36mmR Hornet)
Left to right: a .22 Short, .22 LR, .22 Winchester Magnum, and a .22 Hornet with Hornady 35 gr (2.3 g) VMax bullet
Type	Rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1930–present
Used by	USAAF
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Townsend Whelen / G. L. Wotkyns
Designed	1920s
Manufacturer	Winchester
Produced	1930–present
Variants	.22 Hornet Ackley .22 K-Hornet
Specifications
Case type	Rimmed, bottleneck
Bullet diameter	.224 (some older rifles use .223) ref Hornady
Land diameter	.217 in (5.5 mm)
Neck diameter	.243 in (6.2 mm)
Shoulder diameter	.276 in (7.0 mm)
Base diameter	.298 in (7.6 mm)
Rim diameter	.350 in (8.9 mm)
Rim thickness	.065 in (1.7 mm)
Case length	1.403 in (35.6 mm)
Overall length	1.723 in (43.8 mm)
Rifling twist	1-14
Primer type	Small rifle
Maximum pressure (CIP)	44,000 psi (300 MPa)
Maximum CUP	25,000 CUP
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 35 gr (2 g) VMax 3,060 ft/s (930 m/s) 728 ft⋅lbf (987 J) 40 gr (3 g) SP 2,826 ft/s (861 m/s) 710 ft⋅lbf (960 J) 45 gr (3 g) SP 2,787 ft/s (849 m/s) 776 ft⋅lbf (1,052 J) 50 gr (3 g) SP 2,713 ft/s (827 m/s) 817 ft⋅lbf (1,108 J) 55 gr (4 g) SP 2,652 ft/s (808 m/s) 859 ft⋅lbf (1,165 J)
Test barrel length: 24 inches Source(s): Hodgdon Powder Company[1]

The .22 Hornet or 5.6×36mmR Hornet^[2] is a varminting, small-game hunting, survival and competition centerfire rifle cartridge commercially introduced in 1930. It is considerably more powerful than the rimfire .22 WMR and the .17 HMR, achieving higher velocity with a bullet twice the weight of the .17 HMR bullet. The Hornet also differs significantly from these in that being a centerfire cartridge makes it reloadable, and thus more versatile. It was the smallest commercially available .22 caliber centerfire cartridge until the introduction of the FN 5.7×28mm.

The .22 Hornet should not be confused with the 5.6x35mmR Vierling. As per C.I.P., the Hornet case has a longer shoulder length, case length and thicker rim than the Vierling. This makes it very difficult to chamber the higher pressure Hornet cartridge in a Vierling rifle. ^{[3] [4]}

The .22 Hornet fills the gap between such popular varmint/predator cartridges as the .22 WMR and the .223 Remington. In regard to muzzle velocity, muzzle energy and noise, it is well suited to vermin and predator control in relatively built-up areas.