22 K-Hornet: Just a little help

[Gdbyrd]

I just recently started reloading, so I'm very much new to the whole process.  I also just bought an Encore, but I can't seem to find a barrel in the caliber I want..at least for a price I'm willing to pay..so I'm thinking more about getting something that's just fun to shoot that can be reloaded cheaply.

So, I'm looking for a barrel.  What all do I need to get this going?

[Gdbyrd]

Are the only Die makers RCBS and Redding?

[Reed1911]

I'm not really understanding what you are asking. Do you need help re-loading the .22K Hornet? Or do you need help finding a barrel and dies?

[iiranger]

there are many suppliers of barrels. Factory and customs. Ed's contenders on the front page is a good source. Virgin Valley. EABCO.com. Grafs.com has an imported line of T/C fitting barrels from Spain. Save you a few bucks. Almost any caliber is available custom. Popular calibers otherwise.

b). I don't, either, understand the question. .22 K Hornet is a wildcat and costs alot more. Custom Dies. You make your own brass. If you just want to play... why not the .22 Hornet, REGULAR?

I). I suggest you buy a half dozen or more used reloading manuals and read them. Get a firm grip on the process. Then buy a new manual for current data. Brand that you find the most easy to understand/helpful. This will give you a good "grounding" in regular/factory cartridges. THEN if you wish to go wildcat... (Improved actually) you will have a good idea with what you are doing.

Real simple, you buy ammo or cases. If you buy ammo, you shoot it to get fired cases. Then you shove in a new primer. Fired cases have to be deprimed.  Dump in a weighed amount of powder. (You set a measure by weighing charges.)  Then you seat the bullet. Adjusting these processes as described in the manuals can improve accuracy in your gun. Re using the case saves you about 50%. And you can reuse it 5? 10? or more times. That adds up savings.

ii). The K Hornet is an "improved" version of the regular hornet that gets you a slight increase amount of velocity from long, long ago. And it gives you a shoulder to headspace on. That can mean better accuracy. Today, WHY? There are dozens of other cartridges available. .222 or .223 is a bit hotter and cheap, cheap, cheap in contrast. But you have to be happy.

First you need to study the basics. Then you can ask specific questions and get precise answers. LUCK. Happy trails.

[Gdbyrd]

Sorry about the lack of direction with my question.  I typed it while multi-tasking before the wife and I went to dinner..not a lot of thought went into it unfortunately.

I understand how to reload, the basics of it for sure(Pistol).  After talking with some more people I've decided to get another .223 barrel.  I have one for my contender..might as well have another for the encore : /  and I'll just load light with blue dot of 800X for my plinking needs. 

I do plan on getting a 22 K-hornet, though..maybe in a month or two, just so I can have something to do...as in getting my hands wet in something different.   Unless.....

Is the 22 K that little of an improvement?  I really like small calibers, especially ones that I can shoot occassionally without any ear protection, and stuff that won't scare game off of the entire lease from a couple shots.  To me the 22 Hornet seems like a good way to go, but the thining of the brass and the reduced number of times you can reload(from what I've read), it makes me think it'd be better to go with the K-hornet.
----BUT, if I can load down the .223..and basically have the same fun without spending money on new dies and brass...Then I'll stay with that.  And from what people have told me, you can do that.

[Reed1911]

Well, let me hit on one thing that I am very vocal about, I don't care what caliber you are shooting, ALWAYS, ALWAYS wear hearing protection. If need be, buy a pair of muffs that only cancel out the noise over a certain Db level. They are not expensive (75-125 fo good ones) and are much much less than you will spend in battries alone for five years for your hearing aid later in life.

Okay, on to the good stuff.

The .22KH is a pretty significant improvement over the standard Hornet in terms of both speed and accuracy. No don't get me wrong as there are a lot of Hornets out there that will out shoot 99.5% of shooters, but overall, all the KH's I've seen shoot more accuratly with less trial and error than the standard version. The loss of case life is generaly due to FL re-sizing rather than neck only sizing but there are many hornets out there that just plain shoot better when the cases have been FL sized. They are less noisy than the .223, but you can certainly down load the .223 to match the same general performance you'll get from the .22H or .22KH though you may give up a bit of accuracy, (may; not will).

As far as I'm concerned I'd buy the extra barrel it will only cause you to have more fun experimenting with a new caliber.

[Gdbyrd]

I am with you on the hearing protection..I've already suffered hearing damage in my right ear and I'm only 22, sometimes though when I'm plinking with friends..chatting and all, I hate having to ask huh?...But I suppose if I continue to do that..then I'll be asking huh a lot without hearing protection on. 

Damnit, I hate some of you guys..and the bastards at work..I own 3 .223's..I'm trying so hard to convince myself that I need a 4th.  The more and more I think about it the more attractive another..new cartridge is to me..as in the 22 hornet or K-hornet.  I own 2 22-250's, a .243, 6mm, and a whole mess of the larger calibers...Everytime I start to order my barrel I second guess myself...

After talking with a friend of mine, I'm now leaning to the 22 Hornet..and sending it out to get reamed into 22 K-hornet after I get some time with the normal caliber.  Would it be worth it to just order the K-hornet now than have to send a barrel out later?  My only thing is that it'd mean I'd need two sets of dies, and ordering it later would cost more money...

ALSO, you said "many hornets out there that just plain shoot better when the cases have been FL sized."  I had heard the total opposite..that the brass fireforms to the chamber to fill in gaps and neck sizing only will increase accuracy. 

[Reed1911]

You'll be better off just buying the K-Hornet outright.

Oddly enough, though most calibers will be more accurate with neck-only sizing, two caliber always come to mind that break that rule. The .22 Hornet and the .22 Jet. There is no proven reason but my guess is that a combination of the long shoulder and small case capacity have something to do with it.

Get the barrel, look at it this way, T/C products hold their value and often go up in value over time, if you decide you don't like it you can get most of you cost back later.

[iiranger]

I think Lee did a run of K hornet dies at close to regular pricesssss....

It is a fun little gun but you have to want too... Foreign brass is supposed to have more thick rims. As I have said, years ago when I was young and studying the columns lf Jack O'Connor in Outdoor Life he mentioned several times how the K with its shoulder to headspace on was more accurate, reliable, longer case life... enjoy... luck

[Gdbyrd]

I just wanted to say thanks.  I'm gong to keep my eye out for a barrel..it appears that most of the K-Hornets produced for the Encore are custom jobs, and it looks like I might have to wait 8-12 weeks to get one..We'll see.  To my understanding you can pretty much use the same loads for the hornet as you can for the K-Hornet right?  I was recently given about 9 lbs's of Hercules..which to my understanding is the old Blue Dot.  Any load data you guys can share?

[spinafish]

I too want a K-Hornet.  I purchased 100 rounds of factory Hornets several years ago when a business was closing..been waiting to fireform them into K-Hornet some day down the road..I just think the little round is darn cute..ought to be just the ticket for crows in my pecan trees!Hodgdon's magazine reloading manual from last year has data for the K-Hornet..

[Gdbyrd]

I found this from them:  http://www.hodgdon.com/data/rifle/22khornet.php

And also this:  http://www.reloadersnest.com/query_all.asp?CaliberID=13

I 100% agree on the looks of the round..I wouldn't say cute..more like menacing..or...aggressive   I hate describing anything I plan on using frequently as "cute."  Hehe

I finally found a barrel and it's on the way!  I ordered it from Bullberry and it was already done..should be here in about a week or so.  The gentleman I spoke with on the phone said that the chambering in their barrels is extremely accurate, and that he "wouldn't doubt it if I see one ragged hole down there on the target."  But someone selling you their product will very rarely ever tell you something bad about it.

I spent SOOOOO much money recently I'm going to have to wait until march-april(Maybe later) to get this all going : /  I found a set of dies http://www.sinclairintl.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=REDIREDS&item=RD84XB&type=store Comes with all three dies.  So I think by the time I can get everything going I'll have a LOT of brass ready to go

Would you guys recommend 35 or 40 grain hornady V-Max bullets?  I think I'm going to try H4227 first..that or Lil'Gun(Low pressure).  Also, do Moly coated bullets make that much of a difference?

[Gibbsfan]

It is by far one of the most economical little rounds ever built. I  have a m40 savage that shoots a 35gr vmax at 3300 fps with hodgens lil'gun for powder. I have also shot H110,win 296 and  all produce great velocities.

[btmidwest]

I've heard it said that if you want to keep things straight forward get a 221. If you don't mind playing with it a little more get the K-Hornet.  I've got the K-Hornet and still want a 221.  It has been awhile but lil'gun worked well for me also in the K.   

[securitysix]

The 35 grain V-Max and Lil'Gun seems to be the magical combination for the Hornet and the K-Hornet.  I haven't played with the 35 grain bullets in my K-Hornet yet, but my dad has used them in his Hornet and has had good luck.  I've been playing with heavier bullets in mine, only to find that it doesn't seem to like anything heavier than 45 grain, which is fine.  I sure do wish Nosler hadn't discontinued the old 45 grain Solid Base years ago.  It shot extremely well out of my 21" K-Hornet barrel, but I only have a few of them left, and I'd like to put one in a coyote some day, so I can't go burning them all up on paper.

My next K-Hornet related project will be trying the Sierra 40 and 45 grain Hornet bullets before moving on to the little plastic tipped jobs like the V-Max.