I"m looking into buying a Hornet, but only if I can get it reamed to a "K".
Assuming I can get a smith with a reamer, who makes dies for the K, do I need 3(neck, full and seater) dies and who make the best sets?(all my gear is Lee)
thanks,
good shooting

Try it before you ream it. With a case full of Lil' Gun you might like it as is.

I hand load everything, is"nt normal Hornet brass very short lived(neck splits?) and finicky to load for?
good shooting

Only if you try to get 3500 fps from that tiny case. If you need that kind of speed get a .222 or .223. I have some Norma brass that I have reloaded so many times that you would call BS if I told the number. I have lost a few due to loose primer pockets but am still using them.

Keep the loads within practical limits and you will find that the Hornet is a pleasure to shoot.
Try Lil' Gun or AA1680 and 35 or 40 grain bullets. I use CCI small rifle primers but some guys say pistol primers give better accuracy. 12.5 grains of Lil Gun gives me great accuracy and all the speed I could ever expect from that little case. It works great on crows and groundhogs out to about 200 or 225 yards.

I like my hornet as is. I've not had any problems with case life or achiving the desired velocity.
Having said that I'm not looking for any extra velocity from my hornet because I have a .222 and 7 various .223's not to mention a swift. As you can see my needs for high velocity .22's are well covered.
Hornets we're designed to shoot 40 & 45 gr. bullets and don't have a reputation for great accuracy. I don't know why mine shoots sub moa with 55 gr bullets. I'm sure most modern guns shoot fairly well also. It may be that the reason the hornet has a bad reputation for accuracy is being what it is (a varmit rifle) Most users have high demands for acuracy.

i ream almost all my hornets to K (exception being a BFR revolver) dies are no trouble most everybody makes them, my preference being redding. Using 14.5 gr of lil gun and a 40 gr nosler bt my chrono showed 3470 FPS. soon as i shoot up a couple hundred rounds I going to give the barnes varmit grenades a crack. they seem to be made for small cased 22's. and no you don't need a neck seater. the whole reason that kilborn and other made the K hornet is because they found the hornet to be erratic, throwing flyers. While this isn't always true, it does happen in enough cases to warrant a $35 ream job (thats what my smith charges me)

I have a 3-die set of Reddings that came with my K-Hornet. They're just fine, but I prefer to use a Lee Collet die that I drilled out on a simple drill press with a common drill bit of the proper size so that it accomodates the larger shoulder of the K-Hornet. The collet die makes for fast, clean, and precise resizing.

I've shot the K version and the regular, and now that Lil Gun is available I don't think I would want to fire form cases anymore. I would also agree that if you want super speed choose a cartridge that is made for that. Accuracy with AA1680 and Lil Gun is so good that I often wonder what causes the rumors about poor shooting Hornets...

I use Redding's 2 die set for my K.

+2 on the Redding dies.

Step up and purchase a real caliber that shoots straight . I wouldn't own another Hornet if it was given to me !.

I along with 2 other shooting buddies got suckered into believing that the Hornet was a great little cartridge !. None of the #4 owned between the three of us EVER grouped under MOA at 100 Yd. We used EVERY possible projectile weight powder load combo known and some that weren't .

I would carefully consider real hard before " Buying " one !.

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

Dr K, you"re reinforcing what I"ve heard that many Hornets are hard to load for as they have headspace issues and a badly shaped case.
I hear what you"re saying about Hornets, but I want something quieter than 222. etc, and I"m not expecting much past 200yds.
good shooting

Sam, forget the Hornet, give me a call and I will arrange for you to play with my buddies new Ruger .222rem with a Jet Z can. Makes less noise than a .22mag.

Sunday mornings are usually good for this.

Thanks Brian, but I"m swimming against the current! Everyone is telling me to go for 222/223, but I"ve used them and I know what they can do. If I lived west of the Bann I would go for something bigger, but I still like the idea of the K Hornet. I don"t need the energy of the bigger cases.
good shooting

quote:

I along with 2 other shooting buddies got suckered into believing that the Hornet was a great little cartridge !. None of the #4 owned between the three of us EVER grouped under MOA at 100 Yd. We used EVERY possible projectile weight powder load combo known and some that weren't .

Its a poor musician that blames his instrument...

Get the CZ 527. If it doesn't shoot MOA with handloads I will buy it from you.

I use LEE Collet dies / De Luxe -set. Cases are "long life" in every calibers, .22 Hornet also.

It"ll be Redding dies from Midway UK. The only hurdle now is whether the barrel wil screw out of the rifle for chambering
good shooting

Hey, this is fun; I haven't run across a K-Hornet forum in a while. I use RCBS "K" dies and have no complaints. Once fire-formed I neck-size only and let the case headspace on the shoulder. I've had good case life doing this. My preference in cases is Rem; all of my neck splits & head seps were with Win SX; at the moment, I'm trying out RWS & S&B brass. My K-Hornet -- bought in the middle of the last century -- won't deliver braggable groups but will put a round thru a squirrel's head @ 100yds out of a cold, clean barrel and not make much noise doing it. That's what it's all about.

Bud W

Crowrifle :Its a poor musician that blames his instrument...

I would normally agree 100% !.

Except it didn't just happen to me . Dave couldn't get his to shoot so Bill took it started loading it up in the mean time he had been telling me what a great little round it was.
So I ordered another manufacturers rifle other than the one Bill had ordered or Dave had . I then came across one in a deal ( Should have known better ! ) on a Trade and $. Between the 3 of us with now #4 different guns and NOT ONE would shoot MOA consistently none EVER went under at 100 Yd..

I figure Bill having 10 years on me , Dave about 4 puts our collective loading experience at near 130 years .

Never met anyone who didn't like Bills method of reloading or Bill him self for that matter .

Everything he reloads for he backs up on paper he must have 10 Journals chocked full of data . along with the paper plate targets he uses.

He makes his own obsolete Brass for some of those OLD Foreign military weapons .

With out exaggeration I'll bet money he has at least 275 rifles if he's got one !. Not counting his TC collection of every barrel they have ever made and some of the same calibers in different configuration .
Man is obsessed with making everyone of what ever he is shooting put #5 rounds in the same hole at 100 Yd. He lives for it !. I'm not joking either .

Good luck with that cartridge you couldn't give me one . I'm not kidding about that either .

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

Maybe I've just been lucky, but I have one Hornet and one K-Hornet, and both are among my best grouping sporters.

The Hornet is a Sako 78, so what else would you expect of a Sako?

The K-Hornet is a rebarreled, retriggered, and generally re-invented Ruger 77-H. The older gentleman I bought it from undoubtedly spent more money on the customizing work alone than I paid him for the whole gun. The Ruger has a very spotty reputation as it comes from the factory, but the one I own proves that it can serve as a good platform for an accurate rifle.

The little cartridge is also just more fun to shoot than the .223 in my opinion.

I often wonder why the 221 rem doesnt get more attention from folks who want a nice little round. With a 221 you would have a hornet up to most of a 222 vel, all with good brass,cheaper dies ect than a K hornet.
That being said, I've had both standard and K hornets and loved them both.

I have almost completed the purchase of a really nice, semi customised, K Hornet.

So far as dies go, I have been happy with the performance of my Lee De Duxe dies, all with Collet dies.

I see all in forums all over the world,that Lee gear is bagged: "the presses are lightweight alumunium junk, the dies are lousy etc. The fact that Lee sell so much gear does mean that their gear is good, just that it is cheap etc"

Have to confess that I never really got to grips with the Lee Turret Press I purchased. But to be fair, I have basically no mechanical skills etc.

Have purchased Lee Cast Iron Press,and as I don't need the volume of ammo, max 1,000 rounds/year , and don't pistol shoot, it is going OK @ the moment. Am a little unsure as to why Lee brought this press out ? , but will put that in a different post.

Apart from the immediate repy of Redding dies, what dies are you happy low calibre soldiers using in this very versatile rifle.

Thanks.

BTW: will start post in "Reloading " etc as to why Lee saw the need to bring out a cast iron press.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr.K:
Step up and purchase a real caliber that shoots straight . I wouldn't own another Hornet if it was given to me !.

I along with 2 other shooting buddies got suckered into believing that the Hornet was a great little cartridge !. None of the #4 owned between the three of us EVER grouped under MOA at 100 Yd. We used EVERY possible projectile weight powder load combo known and some that weren't .

I would carefully consider real hard before " Buying " one !.

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

I've owned and known of rifles chambered in 22 Hornet that shot just as you described. I've also owned some accurate Hornets. I have yet to see a Hornet rechambered to a K Hornet that didn't shoot better after the rechamber. More than a couple of Ruger 77/22 Hornets come to mind.

quote:

Originally posted by crowrifle:

quote:

I along with 2 other shooting buddies got suckered into believing that the Hornet was a great little cartridge !. None of the #4 owned between the three of us EVER grouped under MOA at 100 Yd. We used EVERY possible projectile weight powder load combo known and some that weren't .

Its a poor musician that blames his instrument...

Right on target!! You hit the mark Crowrifle.

I used to believe the Hornet was a finicky chambering, having had a dozen or so that really weren't even MOA shooters with my loads....and I too thought I had tried everything practical in them.

But I was wrong, DEAD WRONG!!! I have yet to find a Hornet, either standard or improved, which doesn't shoot great with 14.0 to 15.0 grains of AA 1680 and plain jane Sierra 40 gr spitzers. My current improved Hornet Martini is a dead-honest 3.000 fps, 0.5" rifle.

I wish I had back all the beautiful Hornets I sold before a friend told me about full case loads of 1680......

I'm with you, Albert. Screw Lil Gun, AA1680 is the powder for Hornets and K-Hornets.

Well once again Bill was way out in front on that one . His middle name is Accurate Powder !. He believes in using that stuff first for anything !. He went so far as to get another barrel configuration for his TC just so he Didn't Give Up on the Hornet .

He has now come to the conclusion that it's a 1.25 + MOA. After a year of trying anything .

I have no problem with my Fireball or triple duce or .223's all are well under MOA .

I'm the first to admit when one can't get a particular weapon to produce results give it to someone who can .Well #4 Rifles #3 Different Brands and None of us ( #3 of us ? ) were able to produce ANY GROUPS under MOA !.

I've got a CMP Greek M1 Beater that will put #5 into .680" . I never touched it other than cleaned it and scoped it . I had to shoot 60 rounds to re foul the darn thing before it would shoot steady again . Now I just swab the bore and brush it after 100 or so rounds !.

Now in all fairness I never had a K hornet and still don't want one !.

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

I have just purchased my first custom rifle, a 22k hornet, built on an Anscutz action, new stainless heavy barrel, it easily shoots under an inch at 100.. its a dream

If I remember well,
Redding for neck size only and Hornady Custom for the full lenght resize and bullet seater.

quote:

Right on target!! You hit the mark Crowrifle.

I used to believe the Hornet was a finicky chambering, having had a dozen or so that really weren't even MOA shooters with my loads....and I too thought I had tried everything practical in them.

But I was wrong, DEAD WRONG!!! I have yet to find a Hornet, either standard or improved, which doesn't shoot great with 14.0 to 15.0 grains of AA 1680 and plain jane Sierra 40 gr spitzers. My current improved Hornet Martini is a dead-honest 3.000 fps, 0.5" rifle.

Its funny that AA1680 works so well for you. I used to shoot WW680 in all of my Hornets and loved the stuff. When it was discontinued I really did not worry 'cause I had about 4 pounds of it and thought that that would be a lifetime supply when loading that little Hornet case. I had read that AA1680 was the bastard identical twin of WW680 so I never really gave the thought of running out any serious consideration. If I knew then what I know now I would have purchased several hundred pounds of WW680.

AA1680 simply will not shoot in any of my Hornets. Everything I have read states that moving from WW680 to AA1680 is no different than moving between lot numbers of WW680. I finally stumbled upon Lil Gun and have never looked back.

If you by chance have any WW680 lying around give it a try ( or sell it to me! ).

Dr. K, I am sorry that you have had such a difficult relationship with the Hornet. Were the rifles that you mentioned by any chance Rugers?

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
.....
The little cartridge is also just more fun to shoot than the .223 in my opinion.

My opinion too! I've loaded up air rifle pellets on top of 10gr AR2205 (disintigrates beer cans filled with water) right up to 60gr Hornady's over Lil'Gun. (I won't say how much - there is a technique to keep pressures down). Mine shoots best with 55gr Nostler BTSP's of all things!

Mostly I don't resize at all but when I do I use my own neck sizer and bullet seater.

Any of you know how to kill a Hornet ?

Roll up a news paper and smack it !.

Let the Hornet DIE already !.

RIP Hornet !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

I have several Hornets and one K. To me the trick as mentioned above is don't try to make em what they aren't, which is a .223 or a .221 FireBall. Trick two is after initial firing neck size only till the cases get sticky if they ever do.
I use Lil'Gun, WW cases, WSR Primers, and 40 grain V-Max's in all of em. The Hornets run right at 3,000fps and the K 3,250ish. Some batches of cases for both have been fired 6 or 7 times and still going strong. After the 4th or 5th firing I usually anneal the necks to cure being work hardned. I use Redding dies.
Both are fantastic rounds that are definitely at the top of the all time "fun-factor" rounds! Cheap to shoot too.

I had an A bolt in Hornet that shot OK. Then a guy traded in a 527 American in Hornet which I quickly latched on to. It came with 7 boxes of factory Hornady ammo. This CZ is much more accurate than the A bolt was and the magazine takes alot less messing about to use. It will be a while before I blast off all those factory rounds, but I stocked up on WSP primers, 35 grain Vmax bullets, and a 7 lb box of little gun powder, when I first bought the A bolt. FS

Brass thief: Have you considered The 204 Ruger or 17 HMR Or Rem. and there is always the 22 PPC. I don't Have a lot of experience with the 22 Hornet , but I always wanted to try one. I have had several 17 HMR's In Savage and CZ and I can say I have never had one that shot bad. The same with the 17 Remington. The 22 PPC is in its own league.

I have a 22 K Hornet in Anschutz 54action

MOA at 200 is no problem at all

12.1 grains of AR2205 for me

quote:

Originally posted by Dr.K:
......
Roll up a news paper and smack it !.

Let the Hornet DIE already !.
.....

No way! The hornet is waayyy too much fun! A cartridge of 1/3 the capacity of a 223 and delivers 3/4 the energy! (with 60gr bullets). It's just ,... well ,... so much fun!

quote:

Originally posted by Beefa:
I have a 22 K Hornet in Anschutz 54action

MOA at 200 is no problem at all

12.1 grains of AR2205 for me

I get MOA in my Anschutz 1431/32 with cheap bulk bullets even with its rust damaged bore! It shoots cast bullets OK too. (Using AR2205). I have had better results with it with 60gr Hornady's and 55gr Nosler boat tails, using Lil'Gun.

quote:

Originally posted by brass thief:
I"m looking into buying a Hornet, but only if I can get it reamed to a "K".
Assuming I can get a smith with a reamer, who makes dies for the K, do I need 3(neck, full and seater) dies and who make the best sets?(all my gear is Lee)
thanks,
good shooting

brass thief, my hornet has an oversize and rough chamber that actually causes head separation on a reamer mark. I am considering getting it reamed to 'K' for that reason but am hesitant for two reasons. Firstly, the bore is rust damaged so may not be worth the cost. Secondly, I do not want to fireform. But, if a good load of Li'Gun in an un-fireformed case would give good accuracy, I might still go that route. Don't try this, but I get 13.1 grs Lil'Gun into my cases with a 60gr bullet that still fits the magazine! (The exposed lead tip gets cut off, making it a 58gr flat tip bullet - that's why it fits and shoots well).
A warning here - that powder charge in a neck-sized or fully sized case with that weight bullet will definately be an overload. Don't do it!

I have a gun on the shelf in my mate"s gunshop, but living in the UK, it"s going to be at least 3 months before I get it on my FAC.
In the meantime I"ll get it converted to a K Hornet, trigger job, bolt shimmed/pinned(Ruger!)and threaded for suppressor.
Should have it in time for summer bunnies and big lanky dumb adolescent foxes!
good shooting