22 k hornet experience, thoughts and opinions!

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gobigorgohome

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I got a set of 22 k hornet dies at a gun show today for really cheap. So now clearly I need a gun to go with them! What have you done with the K hornet and whats your experience? I'm looking at it for a coyote/gopher/fox/beaver gun kind of deal!
 
I have had the K-Hornet in H&R Handi rifles and Ruger 77/22-KH (X2). It is a neat little cartridge and I enjoyed shooting them, but moved on to a pair of .218 Bee's and then to downloading the larger .22 centerfire's. They will of course kill coyotes, but are light"ish", but excel at fox and likely beaver too... should do a number on gophers to a couple hundred yards.

I will say this; 13.5 gr. Lil Gun and 40 VM'S are your friend, you need not look further.
 
I had a Sako M78 in K-Hornet. Was accurate and ho so fun to shoot and hunt with. I'm a compulsive seller and buyer so i sold it to get something else. I'm back in the Hornet world with a CZ 527 in Hornet. If i ever a K-Hornet reamer was to come by, i think i would ream my CZ. From time to time a K-Hornet appears on the EE but might be easier to get the rifle you want by buying an Hornet and ream it to K-. And yes, between 13 and 13.5gr of lilgun and a 40-45gr bullets will cover all of you intended targets. And keep in mind that you will have to fire form your casings.
Keep us informed of your progress.
 
I was looking at modding my 77/22 Ruger Hornet into a k-hornet because I heard that brass life would be better but I decided against it because the gunsmiths pretty much all recommended that the magazines would need to be altered to have them feed properly. Just something to keep in mind if you mod a ruger. Other than that I would be all over a k-hornet - I like that the case has a real shoulder and that you get a little more velocity.
 
Glock4ever said:
I was looking at modding my 77/22 Ruger Hornet into a k-hornet because I heard that brass life would be better but I decided against it because the gunsmiths pretty much all recommended that the magazines would need to be altered to have them feed properly. Just something to keep in mind if you mod a ruger. Other than that I would be all over a k-hornet - I like that the case has a real shoulder and that you get a little more velocity.
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Magazines do not have to be altered.... I have reamed several Hornet rifles to K-Hornet with zero feed problems even with the straighter wall and sharper shoulder.
 
My regular smith charges 60$ shipped for turning a k hornet into a k and he has done at least a dozen over his days. I just need to find a hornet at the right price to have it turned into one! I currently shoot a 222 rem and 17 fireball for coyotes (both in a left handed action). The l hornet would be for coyotes 200 or less or beavers. I have since have up looking for a left handed hornet. It seems impossible to find. But if I ever come across one, I'll take it.
 
I had a BRNO ZKW 465 in K-Hornet for years...it was a swell little gun. Accurate and frugal on powder.

Hoyt has suggested Lil'gun powder.....I heartily endorse this....it is unequivocally the best K-Hornet powder I have ever used.

I also had no feed problems with the K -Hornet. Regards, Dave.
 
I still have LH Rem 581 rifle (very, very small Rem mod 788 look alike) converted from 22LR to 22 K Hornet some 20 years ago.
It's a very accurate single shot with 2x Redfield scout scope and with 50gr Barnes X bullet has plenty of power to dispatch even large 3 point mule deer at 140m or so.
I never tried a Lill Gun powder never mind 13.5gr of it.
For 50gr bullet the best powder is Win 680 (ball) in my experience and most accurate and max brass capacity is 12.5gr of it only.
 
rocklobster said:
You can turn a 22LR single shot into a K Hornet? Wow worth considering on my old cooey... What did you do to the bolt for a centerfire firing pin?
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Rem mod 581 is overbuild for 22LR has 6 rear locking lugs two piece bolt and double pinned barrel.
I machined new front part of bolt, added new one piece firing pin, machined the ejecting port a little longer, threaded front of receiver with 3/4" NC thread and installed 20" long "quite heavy" (.625" at muzzle) fluted barrel.
The magazine opening was spot tig welded with steel blank b/c installing much longer and wider clip would weaken the receiver IMHO.
I guess almost everything is possible even your old cooey as a 22K Hornet only if you can do it yourself in your spare time b/c
paying the gunsmith to do it would be cost prohibitive IMO.
 
gunrunner8 said:
Rem mod 581 is overbuild for 22LR has 6 rear locking lugs two piece bolt and double pinned barrel.
I machined new front part of bolt, added new one piece firing pin, machined the ejecting port a little longer, threaded front of receiver with 3/4" NC thread and installed 20" long "quite heavy" (.625" at muzzle) fluted barrel.
The magazine opening was spot tig welded with steel blank b/c installing much longer and wider clip would weaken the receiver IMHO.
I guess almost everything is possible even your old cooey as a 22K Hornet only if you can do it yourself in your spare time b/c
paying the gunsmith to do it would be cost prohibitive IMO.
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Thanks, sounds like alot of work but justifiable for a nicer bolt action than a cooey! If it was easy to convert an old cooey... I could only imagine all the more varmint shooters that would exist in Canada...
 
rocklobster said:
Thanks, sounds like alot of work but justifiable for a nicer bolt action than a cooey! If it was easy to convert an old cooey... I could only imagine all the more varmint shooters that would exist in Canada...
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You really (REALLY!) need to understand that the Remington series of rifles in this case were grossly over-engineered for a rimfire rifle and that they quite simply, ain't no Cooey! Mostly, these were originally designed to handle 5mm Remington, and got orphaned when ammo quit being made, but they used the design for other rimfires as well.

The conversion process is a one-way trip, with a bunch of machine work to the action, threading it for a screwed on barrel, and would not be an option if the bolt did not have real locking lugs.

There is actually a fair bit of info online, probably the James Calhoon bullets site is a pretty good source, I know he used to sell conversion plans, if you wish to learn a bit more. If you take the time to do an image search for Remington 581 Bolt, you will see immediately that it is built like a small high power rifle rather than like a common rimfire.

Cheers
Trev
 
gobigorgohome said:
My regular smith charges 60$ shipped for turning a k hornet into a k and he has done at least a dozen over his days. I just need to find a hornet at the right price to have it turned into one! I currently shoot a 222 rem and 17 fireball for coyotes (both in a left handed action). The l hornet would be for coyotes 200 or less or beavers. I have since have up looking for a left handed hornet. It seems impossible to find. But if I ever come across one, I'll take it.
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And, who is that gunsmith?
 
hoytcanon said:
Magazines do not have to be altered.... I have reamed several Hornet rifles to K-Hornet with zero feed problems even with the straighter wall and sharper shoulder.
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What rifles did you do? For a bolt action, does the barrel have to be removed from the action to use the reamer?
 
2tall2 said:
What rifles did you do? For a bolt action, does the barrel have to be removed from the action to use the reamer?
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H&R Handi rifles, BRNO, Ruger 77...

You can pull the bolt and use an extension through the receiver... going from Hornet to K-Hornet can (and should) be done by hand... GO SLOW!
 
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