ing is a one-step operation requiring no die adjustments, lubrication, or clean up — it therefore could not be simpler. At the other end of the Hornet
loading operation, I will use nothing other than the RCBS Gold Medal Seating die because, to the extent possible, this die solves all problems related to the Hornet case and tiny bullets. The Gold Medal Seating die allows
a handloader to drop the bullet through a window, above the top of the press — no more pinched fi ngers! Then a sliding body aligns and holds the bullet, await- ing the seating operation. When the case enters the sliding body and pushes that up suffi ciently, the bullet nose engages the fl oating seating stem, which then centers and aligns the bullet. Then case, sliding body, bullet, and seating stem rise until the stem abuts the adjustable (micrometer-indexed) die head. Then, as one forces the shellholder further, bullet seating occurs. With this system, the bullet is always perfectly centered and aligned above the case mouth; hence, seating is fl awless. This elimi- nates crushed case necks and accuracy-
destroying case shoulder bending. Combined with an extended
shellholder, the Lee Collet and RCBS Gold Medal seating dies are perfect for decapping, neck sizing, and bullet seat- ing (in tiny cases using tiny bullets). No dies could be simpler, faster, or easier to use and none are apt to generate loaded ammunition that is more accurate. BACKGROUND
The Hornet most resembles a re-
volver cartridge — capacity is limited and just happens to fall within a range where very few propellants perform excellently. (The improved Hornet has significantly greater usable capacity. This enlarges the selection of useful propellants. And, it has a wider, sharper case shoulder. This allows transfer of headspace to the case shoulder, which can eliminate headspace problems in poorly chambered guns). The Hornet is notorious for head-
space problems. The thin, tapered case with the gently sloping shoulder cannot hold headspace against the combined force of striker impact and primer explosion. In Hornet-chambered guns
with excessive working headspace (all too common in older U.S.-made guns), this is no small matter. The fact that the Hornet is so often poorly headspaced partly explains accuracy problems so commonly reported. Moreover, poor headspace is the sole reason that Hornet case life is, so often, dramatically limited (I know of one gun in which cases of one brand of factory ammunition are ruined — either cracked or separated — upon fi ring). Fortunately, the CZ 527 and the
Savage M-40 that I used for load de- velopment have minimal working headspace. When I used the CZ, even the top loads listed here did not result in short case life. During maximum-load develop-
ment testing in the Savage, some cases failed because of stretching allowed by the rear-locking action. With loads at normal pressure, cases should last through many cycles. But, that is a weakness of any rear-locking action — as load pressure increases, case stretching increases. For this reason, the front-locking CZ is a better choice with top-end loads. It seems that significant case
stretching did not occur until I pushed for about the last 100 fps of velocity that the case would tolerate before case head failures occurred. Therefore, I suspect that by merely reducing charges about 0.5 grain from maximum suggested here that you can extend case life signifi cant- ly when loading for a well-headspaced M-40 or other rear-locking gun. The front-locking CZ is so tightly
headspaced that during factory-load testing, several Winchester cases from one production lot were difficult to chamber, the rim was slightly thicker than spacing between bolt face and end of rim cut. Remington cases that I used had less than about 1/1000-inch headspace. PERFECT! BULLET SELECTION
The plethora of bullets appropriate
One of many similar groups fi red with the Savage M-40 … a degree of accuracy that U.S. shooters do not expect from the Hornet. I fi red this 100- yard group the fi rst day of testing with the Barnes Varmint Grenade (a bullet designed explicitly for the Hornet). With muzzle velocity at 3,425 fps, this sort of 100-yard accuracy suggests the potential for solid hits well beyond 200 yards. On smaller species, total disintegration of this bullet is certain to result in spectacular and instantaneous kills and, for those hunting in the Republic of Kalifornia, it contains no lead.
Page 162 Winter 2012
for use in the Hornet presented a serious problem. Feasibility required that I limit the number of bullets included. I settled on testing only eleven. Arbitrarily, I chose not to test any
bullet heavier than 40 grains. I justify this with the fact that 40-grain, plastic- tipped bullets have better long-range ballistics and terminal performance than any heavier bullet that is useful in the
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