77/22H, K-Hornet, and Connecticut Precision?

BoilerUP

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Mar 14, 2011
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Location
Clark Co., IN
Have the opportunity to get a safe queen 77/22H from my father.

I know these rifles have internet-legend poor accuracy. This particular rifle was last shot about 10 years ago by myself with Hornady factory V-Max ammo; all I remember was it provided consistent hits on soda-sized cans 50-100yd with a 4x Nikon scope.

I want to get the rifle and see how it will shoot at 100yd with a variety of factory ammo; if accuracy is "good enough" I'll leave well enough alone and start reloading for it. If it isn't isn't satisfactory, I'm thinking about shipping it to CPC for their accurizing & trigger package, and possibly conversion to K-Hornet.

I've got 22LR and 223, so I'm thinking the Hornet will provide a <200yd coyote gun that is cheap to feed and and has low recoil/report for my son's first centerfire in a few years.

Curious to know the experiences of others with this rifle and CPC's work...and if K-Hornet conversion is really that beneficial.
 
Other than maybe bedding it and making sure it has a good crown, and installing a decent 3-9x40 scope on it, I'd probably leave it alone and try some handloads if it doesn't shoot well enough to be useful out to it's max range (150 to 170 yards, which means 1" to 1-1/2" groups centered on POA are good enough for ground hogs at those ranges). It should shoot better than that with handloads.

The .22 Hornet is a really fun cartridge and a super good choice as a first centerfire cartridge for a young shooter. The report isn't all that loud, recoil is almost non-existant, ammo is cheap, especially if you load your own, and it is a great ground hog/wood chuck rifle out to 170 yards or so.

If you are interested in reloading, it may be the easiest cartridge on the planet to reload. The brass is a bit fragile but the recipie for good ammo is dirt simple. Both of these loads shoot nicely under an inch @ 100 in my CZ.

35g V-MAX seated to just fit in the magazine, Win brass, 13.3g Lil'Gun, CCI 400 primer.

34g Midway DogTown seated to just fit in the magazine, Win brass, 13.3g Lil'Gun, CCI400 primer.

The terminal performance of both bullets is excellent on ground hogs. I've shot a couple dozen with my Hornet using only these bullets in handloads.

BTW: These loads shoot well in my buddy's Browning A-Bolt MicroHunter .22 Hornet as well.

I quite frankly like the .22 Hornet cartridge as designed just fine. You already have a .223 so trying to make it into one doesn't make a lot of sense. I'd rather have a .221 Fireball than a K-Hornet given a choice.

Try some 40g bullets in your .223 for some flat shooting varmint hunting fun.

Fitch
 
K-Hornet is the way to go . Brass isn't so fragile and last longer. 40 Vmax over said load of Lilgun works great out to 200 plus yrds.
 
winchester brass. If you bell the casings just a bit you will never have problem messing up brass. Lee makes a universal case expanding die that works on all calibers. Load with said amount of powder for fire forming. You will really like the K-
 
winchester brass. If you bell the casings just a bit you will never have problem messing up brass. Lee makes a universal case expanding die that works on all calibers. Load with said amount of powder for fire forming. You will really like the K-

OK, I'm confused. If you are using fireformed Hornet brass in the K-Hornet, why isn't it just as fragile as the original thin wall Hornet brass? It's the same thin brass, right?

I've had no problems with my Hornet brass, others have, but I'm careful with it. So far it's been fired 5 or 6 times and is doing fine.

I am happy with my Hornet as it is. Different strokes for different folks, but I think if I wanted more muzzle energy in a cartridge between my Hornet and my .223, my first choice would be a .221 Fireball. What does the K-Hornet have to offer that is better than the .221 Fireball?

Fitch
 
Fitch,sorry I thought I was talking to boilerup. But the angles on the K make the brass stronger and less likely to crunch when seating bullet. I'M SURE THE 221 IS BETTER BALLISTIC WISE BUT THE k IS A HOOT. @ 200 YRDS WITH a 40GR v-mAX THAt LOAD WILL FLIP THOSE PESKY VARMINTS A LONG WAYS, sorry I wasn't yelling, didn't know I had capps on.
 
Fitch,sorry I thought I was talking to boilerup. But the angles on the K make the brass stronger and less likely to crunch when seating bullet. I'M SURE THE 221 IS BETTER BALLISTIC WISE BUT THE k IS A HOOT. @ 200 YRDS WITH a 40GR v-mAX THAt LOAD WILL FLIP THOSE PESKY VARMINTS A LONG WAYS, sorry I wasn't yelling, didn't know I had capps on.

Ok, I understand. I chamber my own rifle barrels, and I could chamber one in K-Hornet for my CZ, so I was just checking to be sure I wasn't missing something. As much fun as the stock Hornet is, I've no doubt the K-Hornet is lots of fun to shoot too.

I've had really good results introducing kids and other newbies to rifle shooting with the Hornet.

Thanks
Fitch
 
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