Subcaliber inserts.

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I purchased a pair of 44 Rem mag adapters for my 20 gauge O/U. Mostly to prove or disprove the concept. If you buy adapters, I'd suggest getting ones that are rifled. The smooth bore ones I bought were nicely made and accuracy was pretty decent for what they are. One can easily hit a pie plate at 15 yards with the right load. High velocity loads will keyhole bullets, even at 10 yards. I also have one in 22 lr to 22-250, it works OK but I have yet to find a need for it. Shooting 44's in a 20 is a blast, no recoil, and they rip the crap out of tin cans. It's like shooting a stocked derringer, we've already ripped through over 100 rounds. Once the novelty wears off, they will probably just sit in the drawer, next to all the other silly bobbles I've bought.
 
The best adapters I've found is the Hammond Game Getter -- this is a cartridge case with an off-center primer pocket -- the primer pocket is really a .22 rimfire chamber.

To use it, you load a nail setting blank in the chamber and put a sized buckshot in the case mouth. Mine will shoot 1" groups from my Model 70 Winchester (.30-06) at 25 yards, with the group centered at the top of the thick portion of the bottom crosshair.
 
The McAce inserts that aren't large enough for the offset seat the bullet very deeply, and you then put a little metal "plug" over the end of the bullet which has an offset tab built in.
 
http://www.mcace.com/rifleinserts.html

I just purchased a 10" MCA 30-30 insert for my 20 ga SxS to cover grouse/deer overlap in VT where sub 50 yard shots are frequent. I understand Ace uses ES Shaw barrels cut to length and turned down with several grooves to place O rings for barrel fit. I have no experience of the rifle adapters, but for any of these adapters to work, they need to either adapt a cartridge with a bullet diameter that matched your barrel or, like the shotgun insterts, be of sufficient length to offer some rifling. I think the 12ga 45LC adapter would be quite effective.
 
I'm looking for a 22 lr adapter to fit my 22 hornet M6 Scout. I've emailed mcace to see if their TC version would work in my rifle, but they never responded.
 
You have a special problem there -- you don't have enough room in a .22 Hornet chamber to allow you to offset a .22 LR enough for the firing pin to hit the rim. You would need an adaptor with its own firing pin that would be powered by your standard centerfire firing pin.

I think you'd be better off developing a cast bullet load using about 1.0 to 2.0 grains of Bullseye powder.
 
Vern, 'mcace' has such an adapter listed on their site. It says for the thompson contender - but I'm wondering if it would work in any other 22 hornet set-up.
 
You could give them a call and see if it will work in your rifle -- but I would think it would be cheaper and simpler to work up a cast bullet load for the .22 Hornet. I use just a smidgen of Bullseye, increasing the charge until I get 1200 - 1300 fps. My Hodgdon Manual #26 lists 4.2 grains of HS 6 behind a 45-grain lead bullet for 1746 fps.
 
A neat trick for the 22H is to modify the back of the case for a shotgun primer (propellant) and use a 22 airgun pellet for the projectile. A small lathe makes it easier but a drill press and file works as well. I made one for a 300 Savage, to shoot a lead ball. It works but velocity was a bit low.

If you do get into reloading, you could follow Verns advice, the only change I'd suggest is to check if Trail Boss powder would work, it's bulkier.

I had a Topper in 22H, what a POS. Sometimes you just get a bad one. Just my opinion, but if you were to start reloading, the 22H is not a good one to start with, too small. You would hardly notice a 1/2 grain too much powder in a 30-06, but a 1/2 grain too much in a 22H is bad.

In reality, the 22H is something you would use as the ammo in an adapter, it is only one step ahead of the 22 Mag RF.
 
nitroexpress said:
A neat trick for the 22H is to modify the back of the case for a shotgun primer (propellant) and use a 22 airgun pellet for the projectile. A small lathe makes it easier but a drill press and file works as well. I made one for a 300 Savage, to shoot a lead ball. It works but velocity was a bit low.

If you do get into reloading, you could follow Verns advice, the only change I'd suggest is to check if Trail Boss powder would work, it's bulkier.

I had a Topper in 22H, what a POS. Sometimes you just get a bad one. Just my opinion, but if you were to start reloading, the 22H is not a good one to start with, too small. You would hardly notice a 1/2 grain too much powder in a 30-06, but a 1/2 grain too much in a 22H is bad.

In reality, the 22H is something you would use as the ammo in an adapter, it is only one step ahead of the 22 Mag RF.
Click to expand...
No! The .218 Bee is only one step ahead of the .22WMR, the .22 Hornet is two steps above...........LOL.
 
Mcace finally responded to my third email. They say their adapter only works on Thompson Contenders in 22 hornet because of the two firing pins in the TC system...
 
.22lr in .22 hornet (don't know how they do this one)
.22lr in .223 rem (ditto)
.22 mag in .22 hornet (ditto)
.22 mag in .223 rem (ditto)
(if those are offset to get the firing pin to strike the rim, then how is the bullet centered in the bore??)
Click to expand...

Why not make it a three piece conversion, a chamber insert, and if it has a detachable magazine or can be made this way a magwell block and .22 magazine that sits further forward to accomodate a center-to-rimfire firing pin adaptor on the front of the bolt?
 
Why not make it a three piece conversion, a chamber insert, and if it has a detachable magazine or can be made this way a magwell block and .22 magazine that sits further forward to accomodate a center-to-rimfire firing pin adaptor on the front of the bolt?
Click to expand...
That's exactly how it's done. There is a "cartridge case" that comes apart. The .22 LR is inserted in the front part, with the bullet sticking out the neck. The rear of the case is then attached. The "Primer" is actually a plunger with an offset firing pin. When the plunger is struck by the firing pin of the centerfire rifle, it drives the offset pin into the rim of the .22 LR.

One problem with this arrangement is that the cartridge has to be much bigger han the .22 LR, since the .22 LR has to go inside. For a Hornet, that doesn't leave much room.

Another problem is, to fire another shot, you have to disassemble the subcaliber device and knock out the spent case -- which can be stuck tight.

A variant of this design uses centerfire pistol cartridges (for example, the .32 ACP) in an adaptor for something like the .30-06. Most of the pistol cartridge sticks out of the adaptor, forming a "neck." On firing, the pistol cartridge can swell forward of the adaptor so than it can't be punched back, and sometimes has to be cut off.
 
I shot many a pellet in my Hornets (when i had them) by driveing the old primer out with a nail, putting a new small rifle magnum primer back in, and pushing a 22 cal. pellet in BACKWARDS with my thumb. Push it in flush with the case mouth, no powder needed...

DM
 
In my humble opinion, 'Trail Boss' powder makes sub caliber inserts almost obsolete. Changing your powder load turns a 30-06 into a 30 carbine, or a 375 H&H into a 357 maximum.
 
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