How to Rechamber Your H&R-NEF 22 Hornet Without Breaking the Bank

The H&R/NEF 22 Hornet is the easiest of all of the company's rifles to rechamber economically. Whether you just want to increase reloading case life, or change to a much more powerful cartridge, the Hornet offers a great range of possibilities.

The secret to an economical H&R/NEF 22 Hornet rechamber is to choose cartridges bigger in all dimensions than the Hornet, and DO NOT choose a new caliber. If you choose smaller cartridges and a different caliber, the increased engineering and project costs will start at $350, compared to the $100 or less if you stick with larger cartridges and the same .224 caliber.

This article IS NOT about the H&R/NEF Accessory Barrel Program, where you send the company your rifle without the barrel and they fit a new one of your choice from all the calibers they have in inventory.

This article is about making a permanent change to a barrel's chamber, in order to use a different cartridge of the same .224 caliber in your rifle. Remember, if you don't like the rechamber, you can always rechamber it for the next biggest cartridge in the list, or order a new barrel in the original cartridge. Also, if you are prepared to spend an extra $100 or so on each rechamber, raising the cost from $100 to $200, you can always get new 22 Hornet barrels fitted and then rechamber each one of those to a different cartridge.

So read on to learn how to economically rechamber your H&R/NEF 22 Hornet to K Hornet, 221 Remington Fireball, 222 Remington, 22 PPC, 22 BR Remington or 225 Winchester, none of which are available off-the-shelf from H&R.

Things You'll Need

• A H&R/NEF 22 Hornet
• $100 or so to finance the project
• A good gunsmith or your own smithing skills and a workshop
• A desire for bragging rights at the range or on the next hunt when you show up with a cartridge/rifle combo your other H&R buddies do not have

Instructions

1. 

   A Word About Rechambering: While rechambering without having to rebore is straight forward, it is still susceptible to human error. The biggest risk is reaming too deeply so the correct headspace cannot be obtained. In the case of a H&R/NEF barrel, that is bad news, unless you can still rechamber a bigger cartridge in length.

   I developed this list of rechambering possibilities for my own use. It was not suggested by anyone except my research was aided by Internet articles references here and there, and some NEF forum feedback, especially the Graybeard outdoors H&R/NEF forum. My plan is to start with the K Hornet rechamber on my superlite compact 22 Hornet we have setup, and then I will work my way thru the list after I buy a new 22 Hornet and do the 221 Fireball rechamber.

   So, have they all been done before? On the web I have found threads in forums and stand-alone articles for the K Hornet and 221 Fireball rechamberings, the 222 also. I have not seen a specific reference to the 22 PPC, 22 BR Remington or 225 Winchester in regards to the H&R/NEF 22 Hornet as the platform. The cartridge dimensions are an obvious choice, and the 22 Hornet has an abundance of metal around the chamber that the cartridges will obviously fit and be safe.

   Unless I get there before you, you may well be forging a trail here for all H&R/NEF 22 Hornet owners.

2. 

   Choose which rechamber you want: The K Hornet rechamber is a simple change that creates a 40 degree shoulder to help increase the reloading life of the cases, and allows about 1gr extra powder, to bring the case up to a 14gr capacity. The 221 Remington Fireball rechamber creates a round that is good out to 300 yards, rather than the 200 yard practical limit of the Hornet, and only uses a few more grains of powder to accomplish this. The 222 Remington rechamber creates a round that is good out to 400 yards. The 22 PPC rechamber provides a bench rest cartridge upgrade and can hold about 4% more powder than a 223. The 22 BR Remington is another bench rest cartridge upgrade and holds about 16% more powder than a 223. The 225 Winchester rechamber gives you a rimmed varmint cartridge with powder capacity 40% more than a 223.

   During my research, the 218 Bee came up as a possible rechamber. However, the maximum case length is just 1.345", less than the Hornet's minimum 1.393", enough of a difference for me to put it into the "donor barrel" category, like the 17 caliber rechambers that are possible, but more expensive than those outlined above. I discuss the "donor barrel" rechambers at the end of the article incase you are interested in gong that route too.

3. 

   The K Hornet Rechamber: This improved version of the 22 Hornet cartridge was developed by Lysle Kilbourn in 1940. This simple (30 minutes) and inexpensive ($35) rechamber straightens out the case a little and creates a 40 degree shoulder. The result is a little more case capacity, 1gr more to make a total of 14gr, which will give 100+fps increase in velocity and a little more accuracy reported by many. The new shoulder fights brass flow effectively over time in face of many trips to the reloading bench and should significantly improve case life. If you follow the loading data for the 22 Hornet and Reloder 7 in Lee's Modern Reloading, Second Edition, as these loads are very low pressure (50% of max), combined with the 40 degree shoulder, case life may be extraordinary.

   You cannot buy a K Hornet rifle off-the-shelf, nor can you buy K Hornet brass or ammunition. You obtain your K Hornet brass by firing a regular Hornet cartridge in the modified K Hornet chamber. The result is a "fire-formed" K Hornet cartridge, custom fit to your rifle.

   Your smith will need 5 or so regular Hornet live rounds to test-fire to make sure the headspace is still good after the rechamber. The K Hornet will likely use the same bullets as your 22 Hornet.

4. 

   The 221 Remington Fireball Rechamber: The 221 Fireball was introduced by Remington in 1963 for their XP-100 pistol. It has only become a rifle round in the recent years. This rechamber cuts a short 223 chamber, which holds 2 or 3 more grains of powder than the regular Hornet case, to a maximum of about 16gr. This is a high pressure cartridge and will provide good coyote size varmint hitting performance to 225yds, well beyond the regular Hornet 175yd effective range.

   It is a more complicated rechamber than the K Hornet. There is more metal removal required compared to the K Hornet. Unlike the Hornet, the 221 is a rimless cartridge, so there is headspace work to be done. It will likely cost you $50-$100 for your smith's time including parts. As well as cutting the chamber, the smith will also have to swap out your 22 Hornet ejector for a 223 ejector. Ejectors are cheap, but the replacement must be done at the same time so the smith can test-fire a few rounds while getting the headspace right.

   The 221 cartridge load work up may well use heavier bullets than the Hornet. Always buy a box of factory ammo just to see how they shoot before you start reloading. It is also a good way to get your reloading starter brass.

   If you have looked at the 22 Hornet and 221 Fireball graphic accompanying this section, you may say, "Hey, hold on, the maximum case length is 1.403" and the 221 maximum length is 1.400". Isn't that a problem? Good observation, shows you are paying attention and will be ready for the test after you have finished the article. It seems that 0.003" is not a problem in this case according to web sources, so go figure.

   Able Ammo lists only two 221 Remington Fireball chambered rifles on their website - CZ 527 Bolt - $711.82, and Remington 700 Bolt - $834.04.

5. 

   The 222 Remington Rechamber: The 222 was the first rimless 22 centerfire rifle cartridge produced in the USA and was introduced in 1950. Some folks consider the 222 one of the most accurate rifle cartridges of all time. This rechamber cuts a longer 223 chamber than the 221, but still shorter than the 223. This rechamber will give you solid 250+yrd coyote size varmint knockdown power. The case holds 15% more powder than the 221, and 10% less powder than the 223.

   Just like the 221 rechamber, it is a more complicated rechamber than the K Hornet. There is also more metal removal required compared to the 221. Like the 221, the 222 is a rimless cartridge, so there is headspace work to be done. It will likely cost you $50-$100 for your smith's time including parts. As well as cutting the chamber, the smith will also have to swap out your 22 Hornet ejector for a 223 ejector. Ejectors are cheap, but the replacement must be done at the same time so the smith can test-fire a few rounds while getting the headspace right.

   Whatever bullets you use for the 221 loads will likely work just fine for your 222 loads.

   Able Ammo lists only one 222 Remington chambered rifle on their website - CZ 527 Bolt - $718.19.

6. 

   The 22 PPC Rechamber: In 1974, Dr. Louis Palmisano and Ferris Pindell developed the 22 PPC as a benchrest cartridge. The rimless case dimensions come from the Russian 220, a hunting round that looks very similar to the 7.62x39. It uses a small rifle primer if you can find brass to purchase. You can make your own from 7.62x39 brass, but it will use large rifle primers. The solution to this dilemma I think is to use the mildest LR primers you can find. The case holds only 4% more powder than a 223. It is considered as a good varmint cartridge to 250 yds. New brass can be expensive, however some web reports indicate the cases very rarely need to be replaced (one benchrest forum source quoted 100+ reloadings and still going!) That may be worth the price of entry right there.

   Just like the 221 and 222 rechambers, it is a more complicated rechamber than the K Hornet. There is also more metal removal required compared to the 222. Like the 221 and 222 is a rimless cartridge, so there is headspace work to be done. It will likely cost you $50-$100 for your smith's time including parts. As well as cutting the chamber, the smith will also have to swap out your 22 Hornet ejector for a 7.62x39 or 308 ejector. Ejectors are cheap, but the replacement must be done at the same time so the smith can test-fire a few rounds while getting the headspace right.

7. 

   The 22 BR Remington Rechamber: J. Stekl is credited with having developed the 22 BR Remington in 1963 as a benchrest cartridge, which is good to 250 yards on coyote size varmints. It has the speed of the 22-250 using 20% less powder. The case holds 14% more powder than the 223. The basic cartridge is a 308x1.5". It uses a small rifle primer if you can find brass to purchase. You can make your own from 308 brass, but it will use large rifle primers. The solution to this dilemma I think is to use the mildest LR primers you can find.

   Just like the other rimless cartridge rechambers, it is a more complicated rechamber than the K Hornet. There is also more metal removal required compared to the 22 PPC. It will likely cost you $50-$100 for your smith's time including parts. As well as cutting the chamber, the smith will also have to swap out your 22 Hornet ejector for a 308 ejector. Ejectors are cheap, but the replacement must be done at the same time so the smith can test-fire a few rounds while getting the headspace right.

   The biggest caution with this rechamber is that the cartridge is designed with very long bullets in mind, it does not even specify total cartridge length! The Hornet barrel twist will have certain limits to how heavy a bullet it will stabilize, however, some sources quote 55gr - 60gr may not be the upper limit of bullet weight with the H&R new 1" in 9" twists. Before the rechambering, it would be wise to make up 22 BR Rem loads with the heaviest and longest bullets you know work in the Hornet and provide those rounds to the smith so they can cut the chamber to your specifications, not benchrest specifications.

8. 

   The 225 Winchester Rechamber: Winchester introduced the 225 in 1964 based on the 219 Donaldson Wasp case. It was eclipsed by the 22-250 and was to be a replacement for the 220 Swift. The 225 Winchester is a solid 300 yard coyote size varmint cartridge.

   Just like the rimless cartridge rechambers, it is a more complicated rechamber than the K Hornet. There is also more metal removal required compared to the 22 BR Rem. It will likely cost you $50-$100 for your smith's time. As well as cutting the chamber, the smith will also have to modify your 22 Hornet ejector.

   Brass is available from Midway for about 50c a piece.

9. Other Possible Rechambers: There are additional cartridges that would fit our 22 Hornet rechamber guidelines, they are: 222 Remington Magnum - developed at the same time as the 223 for military consideration, the 223 won that competition needless to say; 224 Weatherby (Magnum) - developed over 10 years and released in 1963, does more or less the same thing as the 22-250, so it didn't gain in popularity; 220 Swift - introduced in 1935, was the first commercial cartridge to achieve over 4,000 fps.

10. 

    There are another family of rechambers that cost more money, but they are reputed to be some of the most fun cartridges a person can shoot...the 17s. It is possible to take a H&R 17 HMR barrel and rechamber it for The 17 Ackley Bee, 17 Mach IV (based on the 221 Rem Fireball case), 17 Remington (based on the 223 Rem case), and the 17-222 (based on the 222 Rem case).

    The extra costs comes in the form of having to use an entire 17 HMR rifle as the donor. It'll cost you $180 to get the rifle for the barrel. The H&R Barrel Accessory Program will not fit up rimfire barrels to centerfire frames, even though the barrels will handle the cartridges. This quote about rechambering H&R 17 HMRs to the bigger 17s, is from Tim, a moderator for the Graybeard Outdoors H&R/NEF Rifle Forum, "Sure, there's plenty of metal, the chamber swell is the same size as any other H&R barrel, 1.1", they're made of 1137 mild steel instead of 4140 chrome moly tho, barrel life won't be as long, but that's not stopped anyone from rechambering them yet!" Folks have been doing this ever since the 17 HMR became available.

    The rechamber is the easy part, the fitting of the barrel after the rechamber is another matter. Handi-rifle barrels are not universally fit for every frame. If you have a random number of barrels and a random number of actions, some barrels will lock up perfectly, some will be over tight and others will be loose. Relieving the too tight barrel and tightening up of the too loose barrel requires some mechanical skills and instructions for the Graybeard Outdoors H&R/NEF Rifle Forum, or a competent gunsmith. But that is little reason to deprive yourself of some 17 fun. In the end, you will have your 17 and a spare rimfire action. You could sell it, or send it in to the Accessory Barrel program and get a 22LR, 22WMR or 17 HMR barrel fit.

11. 

    There is one other rechamber, that like the 17HMR, requires a donor barrel, this time a 22LR or 22WMR. That is the 218 Bee. An intersting, rimmed, low-powder capacity round like the Hornet. You could carefully and patiently hand-ream this rechamber.

Tips & Warnings

• Look for a good gunsmith that has a stock of reamers and the specific one you need. If they do not have the reamer you need in stock they will have to rent one, or they may ask you to buy it ($100), however, if you buy it make a deal where they keep it on hand after they do your job, and pay you $25 every time they use it on someone else's rifle. There are some forums where reamers are loaned around or sold at ever decreasing prices until they become so cheap someone keeps them.

• If you do a rechambering, remember to come back to the article and make a comment about how well or poorly it went, and what the ultimate performance and cost was.

• All these rechamberings are straight forward, so use all the usual caution when creating loads for these new cartridges. The H&R action is strong enough to deal with the maximum load in each cartridge, it will not be the rifle's fault if it blows up! Take care and take your time reloading.

Resources

• H&R/NEF Rifles - Manufacturer's site
• 221 Rem Fireball Article
• 222 Remington Article
• 22 PPC Article
• 22 BR Remington Cartridge Info
• Chuck Hawks on the 225 Winchester
• H&R/NEF Rifle Forum
• Able Ammo - Online Gun Prices
• Hodgdon Online Reloading Data
• Midway USA Reloading Components
• Grafs & Sons Reloading Components
• Elk Ridge Reamer Rentals
• All eHow Gun Articles by Brian Lewis
• All eHow Articles by This Author - Brian Lewis