“.22 hornet”

The .22 Hornet was the first commercial high-velocity centerfire cartridge designed for varmints, predators and small-game animals, driving a 45-grain bullet to just about 2650 fps. And with a wide selection of factory ammunition, your rifle will remain well-fed.

Both cartridges are easy on the ears and have minimal recoil, yet are effective for any of the smaller species for which they are suited. Which is the better choice for the hunter? Contributor Philip Massaro examines the pros and cons of each.

Winchester's popular Varmint X line is expanding in 2016, with the addition of two new calibers: .17 Horney and .22 Hornet.

Rimfire conversion kits for the Blaser R8 rifle are now available in .17 HMR, .22 WMR, .17 Hornet and .22 Hornet, in addition to classic 22 LR.

SilencerCo's new Omega 36M modular rifle suppressor is purpose-built to accommodate multiple platforms and calibers from .22 Hornet to .338 Lapua Mag.

The .17 Hornet, son of the classic .22 Hornet, is a well-balanced design. Sharing the rimmed design of the parent case, it feeds nicely in a bolt-action repeating rifle, provides pinpoint accuracy and minimal recoil, and checks all the boxes for varmint hunting.

Other than the feral hog, the whitetail deer covers more diverse types of terrain than any other game animal, leading hunters to have a wide variety of favorite cartridges. Additionally, whitetail hunters are perhaps the most fervent defenders and proponents of their chosen cartridges, which can range from the .22 Hornet to the .45-70 Government—not to mention the shotgun crowd. How do you even begin a "Top 5?"

Federal Ammunition has announced plans to offer consumers 40- and 50-count bulk packs of its American Eagle Varmint & Predator loads this spring. Shipments of the new bulk packs are being delivered to dealers now, and will be ready for high-volume varmint shooting this spring and summer.

New rotary actions don't debut all that often, which makes the Ermox-made Rotary-X action .410, imported by Foxtrot LLC, of the more interesting releases at this year's SHOT Show.