Finally got to shoot my new 22 K hornet

[PigButtons]

A couple of months ago I was reading through older posts here and found some threads on 22 K hornet. I was fascinated by the idea of a mini wildcat and began putting things together to get ahold of everything I needed to join the 22 K club. I ended up with an MGM 24" Encore barrel from Ed's TC for a good price and it looks to be unfired except for maybe factory testing. It came with papers and an MGM barrel sock. It also came with break in instructions, which seem a little over the top, but wanting to do the right thing I began the process.

It took just 3 shots to get the scope ( a Weaver Classic with AO ) dialed in, would've only been two but the first hole was hidden behind a leaf in the foreground. I've only shot 10 rounds total because of the time involved with the break-in procedure, but with Hornady 35 V-max factory ammo, and not paying especially good attention because after all it's just the break-in, I'm shooting 3/8" groups at 50, which for me in this situation is great. When I really wanted to bear down I was able to get them through the same hole. So now I know that I have no excuses for poor groups, because the rifle is more than accurate enough at 50. I figure that with hand loads and a little practice I should be good for head shots on squirrels and crows at 150.

Thanks to all here that have shared your experiences.

 

[snert]

I am happy with my Bullberry K. I like 1680 in it, more than Lilgun. have fun!

 

[Linko]

I am looking for a good gunsmith to rechamber my Ruger 77/22 Hornet to K Hornet. Then I will be in the KClub.

 

['Freak]

I am looking for a good gunsmith to rechamber my Ruger 77/22 Hornet to K Hornet. Then I will be in the KClub.

http://www.ct-precision.com/
Left side of main page, click on “Ruger 77/22”

 

[TheOtherZilla]

I am looking for a good gunsmith to rechamber my Ruger 77/22 Hornet to K Hornet. Then I will be in the KClub.

http://www.ct-precision.com/
Left side of main page, click on “Ruger 77/22”

X2 and while it's there have Randy go full monty on that Ruger.

 

[PigButtons]

Finished the breakin process

As I continued on with breaking in my new barrel accuracy went down just a little, don't understand that. It could have been due to more wind. But I finally tried some of my handloads, 10gr LilGun - 55 gr Midway Dog Town FBHP - Rem 6 1/2 primer in Prvi new casings ( that were annealed because I had read in a couple of places that they tended to crack at the neck when fire forming to K ). This is supposed to be a good "forming" load, and it did that just fine with none of the formed cases showing any signs of cracking. Accuracy was also up from earlier in the session when I was using factory Hornady. I don't think that 10gr of LilGun is enough for 55gr bullets so I'm hoping that a more appropriate load will yield better results.

I have read it both ways the fire forming affects / doesn't affect accuracy of the fire formed round. I'm looking forward to shooting some rounds that are already formed to evaluate the claims.

Linko, I look for your results when you get the 77/22 Hornet converted.

snert, how long is your Bullberry barrel? and do you think barrel length affects velocity, accuracy? I'm still waiting for an 18" K from SSK in stainless.

 

[snert]

PB
Mine is 24 inches.

I find that accuracy during fireforming K-Hornet from Hornet is not nearly as good as say, 243 to 243AI

May i suggest a move away form Lilgun? I know it is the "preferred" powder for hot stuff. However, i find 1680 to perform nearly as well without "issues". I also use a 40 grain bullet and with no wind, the K holds its own against a light bullet 222.

 

[PigButtons]

Thanks snert, I'll look for some 1680 locally but so far I've only been able to find LilGun and H110, but I'll keep looking. The K Hornet is going to be my playground for some time to come I hope and patience has grown on me as I age. I want to try everything from 32 gr to 62 gr bullets and various powders and primers. The MGM barrel is 1:12 and the SSK is 1:10 so I'm hoping to see what kind of range of options are available. This is my first foray into broad experimentation as in the past I was just looking for one good load that I could trust in a specific rifle. Just another way to spend time exercising the scientific method.