annealing

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

This is true. With the go-to Hornet powder (Hodgdon Lil'gun) however, you can't get enough powder in the case for it to be an issue unless using unusually heavy ( >55gr) bullets. Typically I load 12 gr Lil'gun with 50 gr Hornady SP bullets

@Rimshot
I got told Lil' gun was the ducks guts in the K Hornet. To me it was a disaster.
I loaded up 5 cases with the recommended 13grains in the K Hornet. I fired three shot and called it quits. I know the chronograph was correct because I always check it with known velocity 22lr subsonic ammo at 1,070fps.
My velocities for the lil gun load with a 40gn VMAX varied from 3,300fps to 2,800fps. With results like that I was very confused,annoyed and pissed off. The temp on the day of testing was 36 Celcius. I do all my load development in summer that way my loads are safe year round.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

False shoulder vs long seated bullet:
The shoulder will generally give a more precise case after firing because the shoulder will hold the case more firmly against the push of the firing pin than a bullet which can slide back into the neck or further imprint on the rifling. That said, the differences are miniscule.

@Ray B
This is true only in rimless cases that head space off the datum line on the shoulder
The Hornet is a rimmed case so headspaced off the rim.
The beauty of the K Hornet is in some older Bruno ZKKs they can have headspace issues . Conversion to the K Hornet and using the datum line instead of the rim can assist in this issue.
When I had my k Hornet built I only use Remington brass so had my lowall spaced for the rim thickness of that brass.. That made it one very accurate little rifle. It will put 3 shots into a group that can be covered with the base of a Hornet case and if I do my part it will do the same for 5 shots. What's not to like.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

So?? Best accuracy and case life occurs when chamber fit of the cartridge is based on the neck-Magnum, rimless or rimmed.

@Ray B
Yes and no
That's why anal rimfire competition shooter measures the thickness of the rim to give them the best accuracy
Rimmed cases space off the rim but on rare occasions using the datum line ( if the case allows) can be beneficial to reduce incipit head seperation as well
All my rimmed cases are headspaced off the rim for minimum headspace including my old 303.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Well, a K hornet has a shorter headspace than its parent ayway, so you are already crushing the case 0.004 when you close the bolt. Creating a false shoulder is a total waste of time.

@5shot
How can the headspace be shorter on the K Hornet compared to the standard Hornet when both headshot in the rim???
Yes the case overall length becomes fractionally shorter.
In my 10 years with the K Hornet creating a false shoulder has been if great benefits because I lose less cases when fire forming. That little thin walled case changes shape in a big way and anything I can do to help and prevent cases splitting I will do.
I do the same when forming my 25-303 cases. Capacity goes from 47 gn before forming to over 60 gn so anything to reduce strain on the case during forming can only be good
Bob

 

[Rimshot]

@Rimshot
I got told Lil' gun was the ducks guts in the K Hornet. To me it was a disaster.
I loaded up 5 cases with the recommended 13grains in the K Hornet. I fired three shot and called it quits. I know the chronograph was correct because I always check it with known velocity 22lr subsonic ammo at 1,070fps.
My velocities for the lil gun load with a 40gn VMAX varied from 3,300fps to 2,800fps. With results like that I was very confused,annoyed and pissed off. The temp on the day of testing was 36 Celcius. I do all my load development in summer that way my loads are safe year round.
Bob

Did you crimp at all? I use the Lee factory crimp die on all Lil'gun loads in the hornet. The case is so small that just the force of the primer can start the bullet before the powder lights off (so I am told). Lil'gun has a high nitroglycerine content so it benefits more from consistent ignition. The other thing I have found is forget about trying to make it an even 12.0 or 13.0 grains load. Aim for 100% case fill or very minimal compression. Maybe that is 13.4 or 13.7 in K-hornet? My experience with 40gr bullets also had some velocity spread, but not nearly that bad - they still gave good accuracy though. I haven't used the 40s much because I can't get enough powder in the case to get much over 2900 fps anyway, and I'm mostly using it for larger varmints and tiny 10 so I've settled on the 50gr SP bullets, though 55 works well too.

 

[Ray B]

I'm not sure how using cases with different rim thicknesses can result in decent accuracy if the rim is used as the headspace datum. With cases with thinner rims, how is the boltface adjusted for the closer fit? My Win 1885 High Wall shoots 22/30-30 Ackley Improved cases just fine (1" groups at 200 yards) with the cases headspaced on the shoulder, just like rimless cartridges.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Did you crimp at all? I use the Lee factory crimp die on all Lil'gun loads in the hornet. The case is so small that just the force of the primer can start the bullet before the powder lights off (so I am told). Lil'gun has a high nitroglycerine content so it benefits more from consistent ignition. The other thing I have found is forget about trying to make it an even 12.0 or 13.0 grains load. Aim for 100% case fill or very minimal compression. Maybe that is 13.4 or 13.7 in K-hornet? My experience with 40gr bullets also had some velocity spread, but not nearly that bad - they still gave good accuracy though. I haven't used the 40s much because I can't get enough powder in the case to get much over 2900 fps anyway, and I'm mostly using it for larger varmints and tiny 10 so I've settled on the 50gr SP bullets, though 55 works well too.

@Rimshot
Didn't try crimping.
With ADI2205 I get very consistent velocities with very little variation, great accuracy and just over 2,900fps. I'm using a single shot 85 lowall that's been throated to allow a COAL of 1.9"
This combination is very effective on small game and has accounted for a couple of wild dogs in the 30-40kg range with a behind the shoulder shot. Dropped them on the spot. The bigger one tried to bite what had stung him being the shout and fell down dead.
Bob

 

[Albert GRANT]

One thing everyone either forgets or does not know when annealing brass is to water quench. Brass is not steel and quenching actually has the opposite effect on it. You do not get the full benefits of annealing brass without quenching it. Heating and air cooling will work, though you are likely to have more issues and shorter case life because people tend to overheat (greater than 900F) their brass trying to get the same result heating to a lower temp and water quenching yields. Also be aware if you water quench after overheating, you will have brass that deforms after repeated loading and unloading because it is too soft. Interestingly, if you extremely overheat brass (1100F+) and air cool, you will have "brittle" brass that is weak and cracks because you have essentially cooked out the zinc but this is still considered "soft brass". You can actually get away with underheating (around 800F or a bit less) your brass if you water quench and still have a good result.