I'll be picking up my first "improved" calibre rifle in a couple of months - a Martini action chambered for K-Hornet. My question is which reloading dies do I need for it? Wil a standard Hornet neck sizing die do? Should I look at a K-Hornet full length sizing die as well?
Thanks for your time,
Stu

I have heard of people using a standard neck sizing die for "K" rounds and only partially resizing the neck (not far enough to move the shoulder back) but haven't ever tried it myself. I know this is only hearsay but it might be woth the price of a die over the price for a set of K Hornet dies. Maybe some others have real world experience that will be useful.

Dennis

In general it's pretty hard to size an improved case with the old, standard, neck die.

I would suggest ordering a Lee Collet Die. I did not look to see if they list the K Hornet but they will make up a die for wildcats for you. Just contact them and send a case. Of course you can order a three piece set of K dies too.

This is not the cartridge to save money on. It's a delicate one that needs dies that are just right.

I'm not sure whether the standard Hornet neck die would clear the shoulder. This would probably vary from one manufacturer to another. The same applies to the seater die, which might or might not clear. If you spent the money buying a couple of different sets of Hornet dies trying to find some that would work, you would have spent enough to just purchase a set of K- dies to begin with, so the strategy is probably not cost-effective.

Several manufacturers make K-Hornet dies, and since the K- is a relatively common and long-time standardized wildcat, the price is not so very much higher than regular calibers. So I would just go ahead and order a set. I have a set of Reddings with both the neck and FL die, but I have never had occasion to use the FL die, and doubt that I will.

I use the standard Hornet Lee Collet Die Set to Neck Size my "K" Hornet. A washer or two is used to position the sizing location above the shoulder. I am satisfied with this solution, it works well. It is impossible to overwork the Neck of cases with the Collet Die and Winchester cases normally last 30+ firings before Neck splitting. (The neck of my "K" Hornet chamber has a very generous clearance.)

There's a set of Redding K-Hornet dies up for auction on eBay right now. You may get a rare deal if you're lucky.

22 K-Hornet dies for sale

Redding, Redding, and Redding, your choice of brands. Not trying to influence you or limit your choices. Mine average .002 run out. Excellent customer service BTW.

Stu,
The 22 Hornet is the first cartridge that I decided to reload,back in 1948.
When I eventually decided to rechamber the Savage to the "K",I merely bought a RCBS F/L sizer and continued to neck size and seat bullets with the old Ideal Tong tool dies. I bought bushings to adapt these dies to the modern Press.
After fireforming,I F/L resize.Thereafter,I only neck size
Frank