Post by Bullshop on Aug 4, 2018 14:14:39 GMT -7
There is no denying the fact that I am a huge fan of the 22 hornet cartridge. There is just something inherently interesting about things in miniature the 22 hornet being one of those things. Its mini in size mini in performance and mini in its appetite for mini components. It also comes in mini rifle platforms and is the basis for my theory on the cartridge.
Over the years I have had the good fortune to test perhaps a dozen or more different 22 hornet rifles as well as a couple Contender pistols. I discovered early on that the use of small pistol primers usually led to the best accuracy prescriptions but never really gave much thought as to the why. Many sources of load data today seem to agree with the small pistol primer use in the 22 hornet.
During a long life of gaining cartridge loading experience there have been a few things that have I believe led me to my theory on the 22 hornet and these things have all been related to primer ignition and more specifically uniform primer ignition. Living 20 years in the cold of the Alaskan interior taught me some things about the effect of extreme cold on primer ignition. One thing I learned was that at -50F the presents of any amount of liquid or grease lube in the firing mechanism caused so much drag on the firing pin spring that it could lead to a very wide extreme velocity spread in a load that was otherwise very uniform. This to the point of very long hang fires and total misfires and a recorded extreme velocity spread of 800 fps in one particular load in a 22-250.
Now taking into consideration some of the things I have learned about primer ignition and applying it to the 22 hornet gives credence to my theory about the 22 hornet. My theory is that the reason small pistol primers are recommended for loading the 22 hornet is not because of something inherent to the cartridge itself but because of something inherent to the rifle platforms that it is chambered in. Those platforms have traditionally been and still are basically center fire conversion of rim fire rifles. As such most of these platforms have what I consider a modest firing pin energy to the point with some that I consider them inadequate.
Its really easy to compare if you own both a rim fire rifle and a high power center fire rifle by simply dry firing both and comparing the intensity of the snap each delivers. In comparison the rim fire has no where near the snap or energy if you will of the center fire judging from the sound produced by each. This energy difference can even be felt in some CF actions especially those produce for warfare such as Springfield's, Enfield's, and Mausers.
This idea about primer effect on 22 hornet accuracy was punctuated for me by the acquisition of a Springfield model 1898 converted to 22 hornet a conversion that was apparently quite popular during the great depression. Here now was an example of a proven battle rifle with robust firing pin energy designed to function under battlefield conditions. Until I acquired this rifle I had decided that the best primers for the 22 hornet were those that were the most sensitive and or had the thinnest cup material which would have to be small pistol. More specifically I had decided that when developing 22 hornet loads the best primer to start with was the RP # 1 1/2 because in my testing it has proven to have the thinnest cup material and the mildest brisance of all available primers on the market. My Krag conversion changed my mind! The Krag conversion pierces the RP1 1/2 not because of a sharp firing pin but because of the very energetic impact on the very thin primer cup material. Now even small rifle magnum primers having the thickest toughest primer cups are easily and very uniformly ignited by the Springfield .
This has led me to a new direction of testing for accuracy in the 22 hornet. This by completely eliminating what I believe has been one of the biggest determents to the cartridge an inadequate firing pin strike to center fire primers. This rifle has given me a different prospective on the 22 hornet cartridge in that it has changed some ideas that I had accepted as basic truth or accepted norms about the 22 hornet cartridge.
One of the things I used to do while living in Alaska and after learning about the effects of cold on firing mechanisms was to completely strip the action of all liquid or grease lubricants and replace them with dry molly. Also I replace all factory firing pin springs with after market increase energy springs. This eliminated all issues with inconsistent primer ignition due to cold. On the same train of thought I wonder if the same could be accomplished by enhancing the firing pin energy of some of the marginally adequate platforms the 22 hornet has traditionally been chambered in. This is a big question mark in my mind and makes me wonder how or what effect it might have had on the many 22 hornet rifles I have had that were sent on their way because of disappointing accuracy.
I just wonder!
Over the years I have had the good fortune to test perhaps a dozen or more different 22 hornet rifles as well as a couple Contender pistols. I discovered early on that the use of small pistol primers usually led to the best accuracy prescriptions but never really gave much thought as to the why. Many sources of load data today seem to agree with the small pistol primer use in the 22 hornet.
During a long life of gaining cartridge loading experience there have been a few things that have I believe led me to my theory on the 22 hornet and these things have all been related to primer ignition and more specifically uniform primer ignition. Living 20 years in the cold of the Alaskan interior taught me some things about the effect of extreme cold on primer ignition. One thing I learned was that at -50F the presents of any amount of liquid or grease lube in the firing mechanism caused so much drag on the firing pin spring that it could lead to a very wide extreme velocity spread in a load that was otherwise very uniform. This to the point of very long hang fires and total misfires and a recorded extreme velocity spread of 800 fps in one particular load in a 22-250.
Now taking into consideration some of the things I have learned about primer ignition and applying it to the 22 hornet gives credence to my theory about the 22 hornet. My theory is that the reason small pistol primers are recommended for loading the 22 hornet is not because of something inherent to the cartridge itself but because of something inherent to the rifle platforms that it is chambered in. Those platforms have traditionally been and still are basically center fire conversion of rim fire rifles. As such most of these platforms have what I consider a modest firing pin energy to the point with some that I consider them inadequate.
Its really easy to compare if you own both a rim fire rifle and a high power center fire rifle by simply dry firing both and comparing the intensity of the snap each delivers. In comparison the rim fire has no where near the snap or energy if you will of the center fire judging from the sound produced by each. This energy difference can even be felt in some CF actions especially those produce for warfare such as Springfield's, Enfield's, and Mausers.
This idea about primer effect on 22 hornet accuracy was punctuated for me by the acquisition of a Springfield model 1898 converted to 22 hornet a conversion that was apparently quite popular during the great depression. Here now was an example of a proven battle rifle with robust firing pin energy designed to function under battlefield conditions. Until I acquired this rifle I had decided that the best primers for the 22 hornet were those that were the most sensitive and or had the thinnest cup material which would have to be small pistol. More specifically I had decided that when developing 22 hornet loads the best primer to start with was the RP # 1 1/2 because in my testing it has proven to have the thinnest cup material and the mildest brisance of all available primers on the market. My Krag conversion changed my mind! The Krag conversion pierces the RP1 1/2 not because of a sharp firing pin but because of the very energetic impact on the very thin primer cup material. Now even small rifle magnum primers having the thickest toughest primer cups are easily and very uniformly ignited by the Springfield .
This has led me to a new direction of testing for accuracy in the 22 hornet. This by completely eliminating what I believe has been one of the biggest determents to the cartridge an inadequate firing pin strike to center fire primers. This rifle has given me a different prospective on the 22 hornet cartridge in that it has changed some ideas that I had accepted as basic truth or accepted norms about the 22 hornet cartridge.
One of the things I used to do while living in Alaska and after learning about the effects of cold on firing mechanisms was to completely strip the action of all liquid or grease lubricants and replace them with dry molly. Also I replace all factory firing pin springs with after market increase energy springs. This eliminated all issues with inconsistent primer ignition due to cold. On the same train of thought I wonder if the same could be accomplished by enhancing the firing pin energy of some of the marginally adequate platforms the 22 hornet has traditionally been chambered in. This is a big question mark in my mind and makes me wonder how or what effect it might have had on the many 22 hornet rifles I have had that were sent on their way because of disappointing accuracy.
I just wonder!