Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 22 K-Hornet fire forming loads

As an inveterate cheapskate, I'm trying to do this as cheaply as possible. The rifle in question does have a 1-12" barrel. Does anyone think 8 gr of win 296 under milsurp 55 gr heads would make a good minute of squirrel accuracy combo out to 50 yds or so?

The fireform loads shoot almost as good as full loads, why waste a bullet. just load them up using 22- Hornet data and go hunting. I've done it for years and it works great.

Michael

I form with 296 and 33gr V-Max.

It's also what I dote upon,in formed hulls...............

Usually i would just use regular hornet loads for fire forming. The thing is I recently inherited a large quantity (~4k) of regular hornet brass. 55 gr milsurp heads are about as cheap a .224 jacketed bullet can be. Win 296 is always on hand for my revolvers. As long as the case forms fully, and I can do good work on closer range squirrels with the unformed loads, I'll save some cash and get a whole bunch of k-hornet brass to share around.

As a "rule",heavier projectiles form cases more "effectively".

That being said,I dig the light stuff in my barrels.

Being in your shoes,I'd burp the milsurp...................

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help. Time to load up a few rounds, head to the range and see how it shoots.Wish me luck!

Home , home from the range...where things worked pretty well. Cases formed just fine, and 5-shot groups went ~2" @100 yds. It looks like I have a new squirrel rifle this fall.

Pics we want pics....before and after cases, rifle, etc..

I've thought about this cartridge as a "yard" crow getter to supplement the .22 Magnum<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I think maybe a Ruger 77/22 would be just the ticket.

Mike

I have to admit I'm pretty horrible when it comes to furnishing photos. One of these days I suppose I'll have to buy a digital camera and hang up the old Konica (or at least but a digital scanner). For now I can say the cases came out nice and sharp. The rifle in question is an old Winchester Low Wall rebarrelled with a 22" Douglas XX chrome moly tube. It wears a steel tube K4 in original Weaver rings. For all the Winchester collectors out there-no, I didn't modify the rifle myself. The work was done many moons ago on someone elses dime. I just bought the end results.

About halfway down the page at this link is a side by side picture of the standard Hornet and the KE Hornet.

http://www.shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=21019

I have experienced some strange results using published maximum standard Hornet loads with Winchester 748 and the bulk Winchester 45 grain bullets in Fire Form loads. Using Winchester 748 I have experienced high velocity and visual indications of high pressure. Using the same load in the standard Hornet I have good results with lower velocity. I am using a 24" TC barrel and have duplicated these results. I stopped using Winchester 748 in Fire Form loads. I have had no trouble with 748 in cases that are already formed to the Improved shape. I now use extruded powder for Improved Hornet Fire Form loads.