Contender Barrel Problem.

M

mj30wilson

Inactive
I have a 8" Octagon thompson center barrel or it's contender in .22 hornet.
Like brand new unmodified. Old stlye contender frame not g2.

After firing it fireforms the brass with a pushed back shoulder it looks like. It might be changing the shoulder angle. The barrel is marked prominantly with .22 hornetand is a factory barrel made in rochester by thompson center. The round goes in the chamber fine and the action closes normally without extreme pressure.

What is going on? Is this normal? Could this be a way to accurize this cartridge? Can I reload the brass after this?
 
It sounds like your barrel is chambered for one of the improved versions of the Hornet case. When you fire a factory round in the barrel, it "fire forms" the case to the new chambering. I would consider that a plus as the improved versions, like the Ackley Hornet or K-Hornet, allow a larger powder charge and more velocity. The improved cases may also provide longer case life due to how the round headspaces. The .22 K-Hornet is a very popular chambering; I have a thirteen-inch MGM barrel chambered for the round. Dies are offered by many of the reloading companies; mine happen to be from Redding.

If the barrel is not marked with the new chambering, a cast of the chamber may be necessary to determine what you have.
 
It looks like the K-hornet so can I reload with standard hornet die set?

Why would TC only stamp .22 hornet instead of .22 K hornet on the barrel?

Could that have been dangerous?
 
The barrel should have been remarked by the ...

gunsmith that rechambered the barrel.
I have a .222 Rem rechambered to the .223Rem., the only thing is the lasr digit of .222 was "xed" out with an electric pencil.

The improved hornet is the "K-Hornet", which is more striaght wall to an abrupt neck then sized to the caliber.
You cannot use the standard dies of the.22 Hornet for reloading the "K-Hornet"

YOu should get the complete set as the seater MIGHT NOT SEAT THE "K"

Take to a smith and confirm rechambered to the "K" and asked if he will remark correctly.

Did a second barrel for a Ithaca M37 and the smith asked if I wanted the SN replace with new new reciever, I said yes that would clue anyone in that the two barrel were mated and have correct headspace.
 
Is their an way to tell if the barrel has been rechambered?

I am a machinist and know that their is no way to tell on bare metal except by measuring.

The barrel's bluing is seamless and does not look like it has been touched up at all.
 
The barrel needs to go to someone who can definitively tell you what you have. Or you can use Cerrosafe to make a chamber cast and compare the results to the various improved Hornet rounds. While the K-Hornet is popular, not everyone chambers it to the same dimensions.

You also need the proper dies for the chamber; otherwise, the brass is going to be work-hardened quite quickly as it would be resized to the factory round while loading and expanded back to the improved case after firing. That is a recipe for failed brass.
 
OK... 1st... I agree, it sounds like the the chamber was altered... however, it could also be a head space issue, if the fired case doesn't look "like a mini 223" with a sharper shoulder...

if it has been rechambered, it could either be an Ackley or Kilborn improved chamber...

either of these are perfectly safe to fire factory rounds, & in doing so, fire form to the new chamber shape... the Hornet brass is pretty delicate in the 1st place... these improved chambers are said to make the brass last longer ( if you get the proper set of dies... either Akley or Kilborn, & there are slight differences between the two ) if you reload using standard 22 Hornet dies, your brass life will be much shorter, as the thin brass will get worked too much moving the shoulder back & forth...

I really love the Hornet, & have several guns chambered for it... only one with an improved chamber, but that is a 17 K Hornet... all my 22 caliber Hornets use a standard chamber, but I have both a rifle & a revolver that now have fast twist ( 1 in 9 twist ) barrels, which allows me to shoot up to 68 grain bullets out of the Hornet...

if you could post a pic of one of your fired cases, we could confirm that it is either of the improved chambers... if it still has a slowly tapered shoulder, there may be a head space issue... though that is less likely, as it was quite popular to rechamber the Contender Hornet barrels in the 60's & 70's
 
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