Reloading the Hornet, K-Hornet, and their wildcats .......

[Brant Buster]

Can't remember where I read about loading this case, but a poster commented about his problems and frustration of only getting 2-3 loadings per case.

He was over-working the brass.

My question is How does one reload this brass without exerting too much stress on the thin case neck, causing it to prematurely crack/split?

Best two ideas I came up with was (one) to start reloading with factory loads shot in the firearm I'd be reloading for and only neck size, or (two) use a .17 caliber decapping pin for depriming, and resize the case using a body die, then a neck sizing die.

Suggestions? THANKS!

[COLOR=BLUE]10/10 -- Any other inputs? Please?[/BLUE]

[BILLY D.]

you answered your own question. neck size only. don't work the brass so much.

also i found using lower pressure powders, by that i mean slower burning powders.

lil gun is the best in this respect. i love that stuff. accuracy is great and it doesn't overwork your cases.

lilgun also works great in my fireball. it also has various pistol applications. 45 lc and 38 super are two of my favorites.

try it, you'll like it.

[skeet]

You really did answer your question. But the fact is You are resizing the thinnest part of the case so you'll still get the neck splits. If using in the same gun all the time I have found that just depriming and cleaning if necessary, and then reloading the case is just fine for my Ruger 77-22 Hornet. I mean decapping with out resizing. I can get 6 or more loads out of each case without splitting. So far anyway. I bought 100 new cases(Winchester) and haven't lost many of them yet. And that little gun shoots. Oh and Billy is right li'lgun is a great powder for the hornet

Edited to add
Oh and I use a Lee factory crimp die. Seems to help but just a little crimp...and keep case length consistent from case to case. They seem to stretch a bit.

[Brant Buster]

Thanks! BTW, for your posts.

I didn't express myself as well as I had hoped.

How does one ONLY SIZE THE NECK on a Hornet case without "working" the brass at least two, or three times in the process? That's what I meant to ask - about "technique."

Consider ......

When you buy new brass or take a once-fired cases, or reload for a different gun than you've previously been shooting, you have to FL-size the case - even to initially prep the case (trimming, chamferring, cleaning up the flash hole/primer pocket).

As you insert the brass into the die, the decapping pin/expander ball goes through the neck - possibly expanding the neck slightly.

As the case continues up into the die, EVERYTHING including the neck is sized DOWN.

Then as you go through the down stroke that pulls the resized case out of the die, the expander ball again resizes the neck/case mouth.

My point is 'the neck of the Hornet case has been "worked" two or three times.'

Somewhere I read how to only work the neck only ONCE!

Once the case has been fired once in a bolt gun or single-shot like a T/C Encore or Contender, what I would do is use a bushing-type neck die with a decapping pin that has NO EXPANDER BALL on it, or one in .17 or .20 caliber.

Maybe there's no getting around that initial full-length sizing.

Comments?

[skeet]

Take the expander ball off the stem or replace with a 20 cal ball..then there is no working of the neck such as you are saying. Also extend the decapping rod as far as necessary to decap the case without working it. I only load for my Ruger and a TC Contender in Hornet. I bought a 100 cases for each. I also had a bunch of OLD cases from the 60's that I loaded and almost every one split on firing. When Rocky gets back he'll probably get ya straight on the Hornet. BTW my Ruger shoots at an inch or slightly under which is better than any 22 Hornet rifle I ever had. And I've had a few.

[pistolchamp]

Just buy a neck sizing die... $20 bucks or so and they ONLY size the neck... using the 20 caliber neck ball will also help a little.

I don't reload for the Hornet anymore... I discovered the 218 Bee... enough said.

My Ruger #1-S in 218 shoots the Calhoun 46 grain double hollow point over 17.0 grains of AA-1680 (approach carefully its WAY over the book, but, safe in 5 #1s so far) into 1.1" at 200 meters all day.

It also likes the 50 grain Ballistic tip with the same powder charge.

Coyotes and gophers don't like my rifle a bit.

My Contender barrel is 10" and shoots okay with a much milder load. Usually going into about 1.5" at 100 meters... not to worry, I still have the rifle.