.22 hornet

[Bill W]

The manufacturers lessen the shoulder angle from the Ackley's to aid in manufacture.    At one time there was a .25 Hornet out there as a wildcat.  I believe it was called the Copperhead.

[Heredoggydoggy]

The manufacturers lessen the shoulder angle from the Ackley's to aid in manufacture.    At one time there was a .25 Hornet out there as a wildcat.  I believe it was called the Copperhead.

Yup.  Ruger built a Blackhawk pistol to shoot it at one time.  There was also a K version wildcat called the .255 Banshee.  The copperhead looked to be pretty close to a straight case!

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I sold mine because I needed money more than an expensive (to shoot) .22, I still have an almost full box around somewhere...
The other one I got rid of at the same time was a S&W .22 Jet, now that thing was a monster !! .22 from a necked down .357 case..
Amazing the things they do with .22 caliber.

[jmwaide]

I did a little research. The .22 hornet is a winchester model 54. I looked up the serial number and it was made in 1934. Really cool!

Let's hope your Model 54 is not "bubba'd" and as manufactured.   It's a collector rifle.
[/quote]

How would you tell if it was? There is a nice scope mounted on it. I heard that they didn't have scope mounts originally but there wasn't any open sights either.

Both .223 and .224 diameter Hornet bullets used to be available.   Based on what I've learned shooting cast bullets I'd say a .224 bullet could be shot down a .223 barrel provided the load was worked up.   I wouldn't shoot a max pressure .223 load and substitute a .224 bullet.   In cast bullets I shoot a .314 base diameter bullet down a .308 barrel.

Seem's to me, converting to a K Hornet would be the way to go. Doesn't going with the K Hornet gige a shoulder to headspace on rather than the rim?

No,  It just blows the shoulder out to increase the powder capacity.  Seems to make the case last a bit longer for reloading, too. The conversion is a simple matter, too. Just a few turns by hand with a K-reamer, and it's done.  Got to be careful to get the right length on the shoulder.  I have a fired case from a buddy's K-Hornet to gage the shoulder.  Oddly, there is no brass in K-Hornet available.  You get the brass by firing standard Hornet ammo in the K chamber.  Reloading dies in K-Hornet are available.  You also need a #22 shell holder for the small case head.  I did some research on the K-Hornet, and found that there have been 4 variations of the K-Hornet over the years, the most recent in 1954.  The reamer I got is the one Cooper uses in his custom guns.  I think my gun is an old one, with a .223 bore, and I determined that the twist is 1 in 16, making it not much of a tack driver, but a good truck gun.  I'd love to get a more modern Hornet and K it, or just get a gun chambered in K-Hornet.  (I think Ruger Chambers a gun in K-Hornet.)  Sorry for the rambling post...

P.S.  Shooting Hornet ammo in a K chamber doesn't seem to bother accuracy!

I don't know if I would want to change it out, with it being so old. Would it mess up anything by changing it?

What do you guys mean by shoulder angle?

[Heredoggydoggy]

I did a little research. The .22 hornet is a winchester model 54. I looked up the serial number and it was made in 1934. Really cool!

Let's hope your Model 54 is not "bubba'd" and as manufactured.   It's a collector rifle.

How would you tell if it was? There is a nice scope mounted on it. I heard that they didn't have scope mounts originally but there wasn't any open sights either.

Both .223 and .224 diameter Hornet bullets used to be available.   Based on what I've learned shooting cast bullets I'd say a .224 bullet could be shot down a .223 barrel provided the load was worked up.   I wouldn't shoot a max pressure .223 load and substitute a .224 bullet.   In cast bullets I shoot a .314 base diameter bullet down a .308 barrel.

Seem's to me, converting to a K Hornet would be the way to go. Doesn't going with the K Hornet gige a shoulder to headspace on rather than the rim?

No,  It just blows the shoulder out to increase the powder capacity.  Seems to make the case last a bit longer for reloading, too. The conversion is a simple matter, too. Just a few turns by hand with a K-reamer, and it's done.  Got to be careful to get the right length on the shoulder.  I have a fired case from a buddy's K-Hornet to gage the shoulder.  Oddly, there is no brass in K-Hornet available.  You get the brass by firing standard Hornet ammo in the K chamber.  Reloading dies in K-Hornet are available.  You also need a #22 shell holder for the small case head.  I did some research on the K-Hornet, and found that there have been 4 variations of the K-Hornet over the years, the most recent in 1954.  The reamer I got is the one Cooper uses in his custom guns.  I think my gun is an old one, with a .223 bore, and I determined that the twist is 1 in 16, making it not much of a tack driver, but a good truck gun.  I'd love to get a more modern Hornet and K it, or just get a gun chambered in K-Hornet.  (I think Ruger Chambers a gun in K-Hornet.)  Sorry for the rambling post...

P.S.  Shooting Hornet ammo in a K chamber doesn't seem to bother accuracy!

I don't know if I would want to change it out, with it being so old. Would it mess up anything by changing it?

What do you guys mean by shoulder angle?

I don't think I'd change an old classic gun like that.  I only reamed out my old gun because it was an H & R Handi-rifle anyway.  Reaming your gun to K-Hornet wouldn't mess it up, but it wouldn't be original any more.  If your gun has the original barrel, and there are no fixed sights on the barrel, then it was meant to be a scoped gun.

Shoulder angle is the part of a bottlenecked case that goes from the big part of the case to the neck where the bullet seats.  An "Ackley Improved" case is a case that has had the shoulder angle pushed out to allow more powder capacity.  It's said that Ackley improving helps some calibers, and does very little to others.  Hope this explanation helps you out!

[jmwaide]

I did a little research. The .22 hornet is a winchester model 54. I looked up the serial number and it was made in 1934. Really cool!

Let's hope your Model 54 is not "bubba'd" and as manufactured.   It's a collector rifle.

How would you tell if it was? There is a nice scope mounted on it. I heard that they didn't have scope mounts originally but there wasn't any open sights either.

Both .223 and .224 diameter Hornet bullets used to be available.   Based on what I've learned shooting cast bullets I'd say a .224 bullet could be shot down a .223 barrel provided the load was worked up.   I wouldn't shoot a max pressure .223 load and substitute a .224 bullet.   In cast bullets I shoot a .314 base diameter bullet down a .308 barrel.

Seem's to me, converting to a K Hornet would be the way to go. Doesn't going with the K Hornet gige a shoulder to headspace on rather than the rim?

No,  It just blows the shoulder out to increase the powder capacity.  Seems to make the case last a bit longer for reloading, too. The conversion is a simple matter, too. Just a few turns by hand with a K-reamer, and it's done.  Got to be careful to get the right length on the shoulder.  I have a fired case from a buddy's K-Hornet to gage the shoulder.  Oddly, there is no brass in K-Hornet available.  You get the brass by firing standard Hornet ammo in the K chamber.  Reloading dies in K-Hornet are available.  You also need a #22 shell holder for the small case head.  I did some research on the K-Hornet, and found that there have been 4 variations of the K-Hornet over the years, the most recent in 1954.  The reamer I got is the one Cooper uses in his custom guns.  I think my gun is an old one, with a .223 bore, and I determined that the twist is 1 in 16, making it not much of a tack driver, but a good truck gun.  I'd love to get a more modern Hornet and K it, or just get a gun chambered in K-Hornet.  (I think Ruger Chambers a gun in K-Hornet.)  Sorry for the rambling post...

P.S.  Shooting Hornet ammo in a K chamber doesn't seem to bother accuracy!

I don't know if I would want to change it out, with it being so old. Would it mess up anything by changing it?

What do you guys mean by shoulder angle?

I don't think I'd change an old classic gun like that.  I only reamed out my old gun because it was an H & R Handi-rifle anyway.  Reaming your gun to K-Hornet wouldn't mess it up, but it wouldn't be original any more.  If your gun has the original barrel, and there are no fixed sights on the barrel, then it was meant to be a scoped gun.

Shoulder angle is the part of a bottlenecked case that goes from the big part of the case to the neck where the bullet seats.  An "Ackley Improved" case is a case that has had the shoulder angle pushed out to allow more powder capacity.  It's said that Ackley improving helps some calibers, and does very little to others.  Hope this explanation helps you out!

It did! Thank you guys very much!