New experiments

[graycrait]

I picked up a .357 Handi Rifle today and will be trading for a .22 Hornet Handi Rifle this week.  I am sending both barrels off to an old friend who is a gunsmith and can quickly ream the .22 Hornet to K Hornet and the .357 to .357 Maximum.  My ultimate goal is to make small game plinkers out of these but I suspect I will run these up and down velocity/energy scale just for grins.  Pictured is my new .357 Handi.

 

[Dolomite_supafly]

Do NOT send off the 357. Give me a call if you want to find out why.

[DWARREN123]

Toys and more toys. Ain't life grand.

Edited September 8, 2014 by DWARREN123

[Capbyrd]

Do NOT send off the 357. Give me a call if you want to find out why.

Can you share with us all so that we can know too? Edited September 8, 2014 by Capbyrd

[Dolomite_supafly]

Basically when you ream the chamber out to 357 Maximum you loose a lot of benefits. Also the throat on these rifles are like a revolver, not a typical rifle chamber, and that contributes to it being a great 357 Magnum gun. Adding .3" of throat does nothing for accuracy. And finally 357 maximum brass is EXPENSIVE.

 

There is not a lot to gain, other than velocity, by reaming the chamber out to 357 Maximum specifications. But there is a lot to loose.

[graycrait]

After talking to Dolomite I won't be sending the .357 to be reamed to .357 Maximum.  I'll leave well enough alone.  Tomorrow I get the Hornet and it will get sent to Birmingham for reaming to K Hornet.  A friend of mine has been reloading .22 Hornet and K Hornet since 1977 and he is going to give me a hand.  Dolomite and another fella locally are going to give me advice on the .357.  My primary interest is "bunny" loads, cast bullets and utilizing shot balls, etc.  The Handi Hornet I am trading for comes with a nice Burris scope.  I'm thinking this C-More has found a permanent home on the .357 Handi.  

 

[RED333]

I have a mold for 38 that makes a hollow base boolit, you can load it backwards for the biggest hollow point you have ever seen for that round.

Shoot me a PM.

[221 Fireball]

Those Handi rifles are such a bargain for what you pay vs what you get. I bought an Anshutz .17hmr, my buddy bought a CZ .17hmr... both tack drivers. My buddy then bought a Handi 17hmr for his son and to our surprise, it grouped just as tight as both the Anshutz and the CZ.

 

That K-hornet is going to be cool. The couple people I've actually known to do the K conversion were always glad they did.

[graycrait]

Damn,  I had wanted a Ruger American Rimfire in .17HMR as my first .17HMR after my positive experiences with the .22LR Ruger American Rimifire. Now I may just have to look for a .17HMR Handi Rifle. In case you don't know the Ruger American Rimfire bolt action in .22LR is a shooter!  With half decent standard velocity lead round nose that rifle will give a CZ 452 a run for its money.   Plus the RAR in .22LR uses any 10/22 mag - how cool is that?  But with the scarcity of rimfire ammo and the fact that there isn't that many different .17HMR ammo offerings maybe a nice slow firing single shot .17HMR would be a good choice to play around with that caliber. Now if H&R would come out with a Handi in .17WSM!?