HRNDY 22 HORNET 35GR V-MAX 25/250

Description

Hornady’s Varmint Express line is built around one purpose: putting varmints down cleanly and efficiently at the ranges where rimfire cartridges run out of authority. The .22 Hornet sits at the low end of centerfire varmint cartridges, which makes it a practical choice for situations where noise, recoil, and barrel wear matter — pest control on farmland, small property, or anywhere neighbors are close enough that a .223 would draw attention.

The 35-grain V-MAX bullet is the core of what makes this load work. The polymer tip serves two functions simultaneously: it gives the bullet a higher ballistic coefficient than a hollow point of similar weight, flattening the trajectory at distance, and it drives inward on impact to initiate expansion before the bullet has time to slow down. The result is reliable, rapid fragmentation even at the lower end of the velocity window — which matters in a cartridge like the .22 Hornet, where velocity drops off faster than it does from larger cases. That fragmentation behavior also limits penetration, which is a practical consideration when shooting around livestock or near structures.

Hornady selects powder lots for lot-to-lot consistency rather than simply loading to a velocity specification. That approach reduces the shot-to-shot variation that works against you when you are trying to stretch the cartridge to its effective limit. Brass cases are produced to Hornady’s own dimensional standards, and primers are matched to each specific load rather than chosen generically. This is a reloadable brass-cased, boxer-primed cartridge, so the cases have value beyond the first firing for handloaders working up a .22 Hornet load. Packed 25 rounds per box.