Can this be done?

[Idaho Bob]

Can a bolt action in 22 Hornet be rechambered to 22 K Hornet without removing the barrel from the action ? May be a dumb question, forgive me if it is. Asking for my computerless son. Thanks

[Chuck Miller]

I"ve seen several K Hornets where the guy walked in and $40.00 later walked out with a K Hornet, It's actually done by hand. I'm not convinced it's the way I would go but yes it can be done.

[john]

I asked a gunsmith about this. He said it could be done and he'd seen the results several times; an interesting sort of banana shaped chamber. My rifle was one of those he was talking about. He did say that he would not do it, under any circumstances, at all.

[Vibe]

I'd rechambered one rifle, by hand, without removing the barrel. But I replaced the bolt with a bearing sleeve to keep the reamer straight. I wouldn't call it the preferred method, but it can be done.

[Rbertalotto]

Because the Hornet headspaces on the rim and not on the shoulder, you do not need to remove the barrel and set it back a thread. A standard, rimless Ackley is actually .004" shorter than the parent round. But with a rimmed cartridge the Ackley round is actually a bit longer than the parent round.

I've seen some real great shooters on Contender barrels converted to Ackley , by hand. 30-30 and Hornet come to mind.

If it is done correctly, you can be left with a nice chamber. But it all depends on who's driving............

[Crowhunter]

I had it done to a Ruger 77/22 hornet. I did not see any problem with it. It did not shoot any better or any worse than before. The fired rounds looked normal.

[AWS]

I've done a couple by hand, 223 to 22-204 and 6x47 to 6mm-204 and if you go slow and pay atention they turn out just fine. A rimmed case is even easier as you don't have to worry about headspace as much as you can adjust your sizer to match the chamber. You can't do a true AI on a rimless case by hand but you can do an 30-35-40 dergree Improved by hand but you have to form your brass the same as any othe Improved where you move the shoulder forward.

AWS