Reloading
You read the disclaimer and said that you understood it. With that in mind, we move
forward.
The following comments are observations that I have made over the years dealing with
the Hornet and reloading in general, and are not implied to be proven safe, sensible or
fact.
Hornet brass is thin and delicate, and for this reason alone you should keep very accurate load records and keep your brass in specific lots or groups. It is very easy to go to the range with several loads to test and get cases mixed up. Down range performance is not worth much
if pressures run high enough to put you or any part of you at risk ! Brass can give you
warning signs if you watch it closely.
I found some notes in preparing to write this, that made reference to a load I was working
up for a .223 Contender.
| Charge |
Case after firing |
Accuracy |
Pressure |
| 13.5 | 1.755" | Large group | No Signs |
| 14.5 | 1.761" | Smaller group | Slight flattening of primer |
| 15.5 | 1.76" | Great group | Slight crater in primer |
| 16.0 | 1.765 | Larger group | Substantial flattening of primer, case developed a ring .44 behind shoulder |
Max load listed in the book was 16.5 grains, but I was not happy with the case response
at 16.0 so I stopped. Recently, I read that a flattened primer can indicate headspace or
pressure. I know for a fact that the Contender had a very tight chamber so I took the
case response as pressure.
I backed away from 16.0 grains and worked all around the 15.5 grains including going back to
14.5 and switching primers. I probably should have gone all the way back to 13.5 when
switching primers. If the reload gods saw everything we did, they would lock us out of our loading rooms.
What does this have to do with the Hornet ? Simple ! The Hornet has an even
smaller capacity than a .223. Given that, the jumps you make in your charge should
be smaller and more frequent. If you look at percentages, it gets really scary.
For example: 1/2 grain in a .223 amounts to roughly 2% of the case capacity, where
1/2 grain in the Hornet amounts to roughly 4% of the case capacity. In contrast 1/2 grain
in the 30-06 amounts to less than 1% of case capacity.
Tools
For a small investment, you can start with the basics. If you enjoy the results you will
graduate to more and better equipment.
Knowing what I know now, I would never be without a Dial Caliper and Powder Scale.
You can get by without a scale but at least a $10 fiberglass caliper is a must.
Saw a man walk up to a counter in a sporting goods store the other day and said "I want to
reload" "I don't know what I need". You better hope the salesperson does, and I've met
very few who do. I have 3 words for people like this man. "READ READ READ"
If you
are not sure you want to reload, "BUY A RELOAD MANUAL 1ST". Read it cover to cover.
If you are still interested, proceed, otherwise, give the manual to a friend. $20 or $25 is cheap
education as opposed to hurting yourself or a bystander. For what it's worth the Lyman
manual seems very comprehensive.
Tips
I purchased a plastic box in which to carry the loaded shells to the range. It holds plenty and it
is fairly easy to keep track of what is what. Problem - I put the shells in bullet down and
the slight rattling around of the shells in the box put a ring on the brass at the same
point one might find a ring on a case that is beginning to separate. Then, it is either
risk life and limb, or toss it. I toss brass if there is even the slightest doubt.
Here is one I just found. Determining the rate of twist in a barrel.
Using a cleaning rod with a ball bearing or otherwise freely rotating handle, place a cleaning
patch on the jag and pull the rod up to the chamber. Make sure the patch is tight enough to
engage rifling. Next place a mark on the rod at the muzzle. Draw the rod up through the
barrel until your mark has made one revolution, then measure from the mark back to the
muzzle. There you have it, 1 twist in x number of inches.
Last Modified:
Sunday, November 30, 2003 10:20 PM