22 K-HORNET
Any thoughts on rechambering a 22-Hornet to 22 K-Hornet? As much as I enjoy shooting the Hornet, I find reloading them to be a pain in the behind. A friend told me the K-Hornet case is much easier to reload and that I will get a longer case life out of it. I do have access to the chamber reamer so the conversion will not cost me anything except the cost of a new die set. Can I fire-form factory Hornets in the K chamber? What kind of loading data is available? Any input would be helpful. Thanks
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The 22K hornet is a great conversion. The sharper shoulder adds to capacity and power. Fieforming is how they are shaped, works perfect.Hopefully Bert H will stop by and share his expertise with this round.......he knows his stuff on this round!!!!
[Did I really say that[8D]]
Love them Pre-64's!!!!-Bob
Just hope you're not gonna do it to a nice old collectable!!!!0 -
There are a few guys here( Bert H comes rightly to mind!) on the forum with a great deal of info on the conversion. It is indeed much easier to reload the K than a regular Hornet. Bigger shoulder etc... You can also fire form directly up from factory and will get at least fair accuracy while doing so, but will not see the normal accuracy you are likely getting from the current chamber. Case life with the K will also be better as you will not be stretching/flowing as much as with the regular chamber. Extended case life is a big plus with the Hornet as they normally do not last all that long. You will burn a bit more powder, but wil see a proportionate increase in fps at the same time thus raising the lethality and range slightly. I would think twice, however, before doing this if the gun in question is a collectable as it will lower the collector value substantially. The report of the round, one of the charming aspects to the original round, will be increased a bit as well; lkely not enough to be too concerned with though. All in all, a good conversion whether Lovell or Ackley Improved design is chosen, just take care when doing it that you have weighed all the considerations the changeover might entail!
"When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
"Power corrupts...Absolute power corrupts absolutely"(Descartes?)
"History is written by winners"(Patton)
"You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
"There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)0 -
Hello 01DUSE...
Hmmmm... I think both Hangfire (Bob) & 1KYDSTR (Bill) have covered it quite well.
I switched from the standard Hornet to the K-Hornet cartridge a good number of years ago, and I haven't looked back since. I (like you), found reloading the standard Hornet to be a pain in the arse and was looking for an easier (reloader friendly) cartridge, when an oldtimer suggested simply reaming my chamber out to the K-Hornet... my only regret is that I didn't do it a whole lot sooner[^].
Depending upon which K-Hornet reamer you have (there are several variants of the K-Hornet), case capacity is increased by 11 - 13%, and you will get a corresponding velocity increase. You start out by using standard 22 Hornet loading data, and work up slow until you find the load that your rifle likes. Check out the information on the cartridge specifications at this website - http://www.reloadbench.com/cartspec.html
Good luck and have fun with it!
Bert H.
Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!0 -
Ditto with BertH. 13 Gr. 4227 and a 45 Gr. Hornady "Bee". Most fun cartridge I have ever used. Way superior to the Standard. Love it. Chambered mine on a Ruger #3. Enjoy, you will wonder what took so long. GW. 0 -
Thank you, fellas, for all your valuable input. I'll have to double-check as to which variation of the K reamer my buddy has at his shop and let you know. In my eyes, the rifle I want to convert is not a collectable(H&R M4 Survival Rifle) and if it means I'll be able to enjoy shooting with it more than I do now, then the conversion will be worth it. The plan is to put a 22-24" heavy barrel on it(also take-down) and drop the works into a regular walnut rifle stock. I will retain the original parts so that I can swap back to the M4 mode just by swapping 3 screws. I have dozens of used barrels and stocks to play with so it should be quite a learning experience. Thanks, again. 0 -
I checked the reamer I'm going to use for the conversion...It is the 35' shoulder version. Is this the Ackley or Lovell? 0 -
I don't believe that the original K-Hornet (with the 35 degree shoulder) is attributable to either Ackley or Lovell. It was invented by Lyle Kilbourn.
Bert H.
Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!0 -
I don't know much about the K-Hornets, Bert, so I appreciate your input. Just to save the cost of buying a new reamer, I will be using the 35' reamer for the conversion. Anything I need to watch out for? Any recommendations for loads? Thanks 0 -
Hello 01DUSE...
No, there is nothing to really watch for. I have been using 11.7 grains of 2400 under a 45 grain JSP with great results (but it is on the hot side). I would recommend starting out with 11 grains of 2400 and work it up slowly until you find that sweet shooting load. I have also heard that Lil'Gun powder is great for this cartridge, but haven't tried it yet (actually, I haven't convinced myself that I need anything different that what I am currently using). My load, in my rifle, will shoot 1/2" groups at 100 yards everytime I take it to the range, but as you are aware, no two rifles are the same.
Good luck with your conversion, and good shooting. A word of caution though... you will NEVER want to go back to shooting a standard Hornet[^]
Bert H.
Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!0 -
Bert H:
Who performed your conversion? Did your conversion use the 35 degree shoulder?
SEMPER FI0 -
Hello easygo6...
My local 'smith did the work (I split the cost of the reamer with him), and yes, I converted it to the 35 degree shoulder. Any reasonably skilled 'smith can ream a standard 22 Hornet chamber to the K-Hornet.
Bert H.
Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!0
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