Thread: .22 K Hornet loads ?

OK you guys with 22 K Hornets

Can you give me an idea of what your preferred loads are for 40, 45 and 50 grain projectiles.

My new old 1885 is rifles 1:12" and 25" long so it will like any of those weight bullets.
New Hugh Bradley octagonal / round barrel.

Just fire forming with factory Hornady 45 grain ammo at the moment and getting 25mm 100m groups
Hope to halve that when I find a load it likes.

cheers

I have been playing quite a bit with my K Hornet since I returned from overseas.
I took it out shooting wee pests and started missing more than I hit and thought I was suffering from a long break behind a rifle.
After some range time it was obvious something was wrong.
After going over it with a fine tooth comb I could only fault the bedding or my loads.
ZK 465. Normally is pillar bedded due to action design.
I conventionally bedded the action and only shot it a couple days ago.

It worked. I shot 40 vmax 45 sierras 50 vmax 40 blitzkings all loaded a year ago.
My barrel likes the Vmax best in both 40 and 50 gr.

I won't post my load but I use 300MP(used lilgun for a start but apart from velocity it was all over the place so looked for a more consistent powder) and RWS brass cci small pistol primers.
Has usable ES under 30fps and velocity of 3180ish with the 40 vmax and 3000ish out of the 50 vmax

Rifle shot everything I used before I noticed its issues under an inch. I was happy with that.

Now it is well under half an inch with the Vmax and half inch with Sierras.


40 vmax 5 shot group with the last one being out to the left. I fluffed it



5 shot 50 vmax.
A Howa barrel believe it or not

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Definitely interested to see how the K performs out of a long barrel such as yours.
There are quite a few powder and brass combos to try and if your getting 1" groups forming I'd say you will improve that markedly with some tinkering.
It is a cool wee cartridge.




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Even in standard form its a neat round to play with really sensitive to even minor changes to powder and projectile combinations it one of my favourites was thinking about k-ing one of mine but decided to keep them as they are the only thing i havnt tried is pistol primers might try them im using lil gun but ive heard of primers rupturing but never seen it for myself

There was another guy on,here thats played a lot with hornets but havnt heard from @zimmer for ages

Yes watch those small changes in powder as they spike quickly. I have an old Walther with a 20 inch barrel which shoots quite well. The book max loads for AR 2205 are around the 12 - 13 grains with the 40- 45 grain bullets ( from memory with out checking the book) I have loaded the 40 gr BT and 45 gr Hornady SP. A load of 11.6 grains of AR 2205 under the 40 gr BT gives me 2830 fps out of the 20 in barrel, and I wouldn't go any higher in my rifle. The 45 gr bullet I use 11.2 grs AR 2205 gives 2701 fps. I tried 11.5 grs of AR 2205 with the 45 gr bullet and got 2789 fps but was to hot . So it goes to show that a difference of .3 gr powder can go from ok to not so ok. Reduce these loads by 10% and work up in your rifle.
I sure wouldn't want to use the book Max in my rifle.