An other Handi, fell in my arms. A Topper 158 22 Hornet

[Lefty Dude]

Well this one appeared at a Cabela's store in the Pre-owned rack for $99.00.
I could not get it out the store fast enough. It is an H & R and not NEF, has the Xfer bar trigger.
SN/ AS227XXX When was it made ? How strong is this Topper action ?

Question; Can I send in this action for the barrel accessory program ? My other Handi/action is a NEF SB-2, This is my first Topper. I would like to get a 45/70 BC classic barrel for this piece.

BTW; This may stay a Hornet or maybe re-chambered to a 225 Winchester or a 22-250

[quickdtoo]

Nice price and congrats!! Build year info is in the FAQs, it was made before 1987 and too old for H&R to fit barrels, it's a cast iron frame not suitable for the 225 Win or 22-250, be happy with it as a Hornet, they did offer them in 357Mag/Max and 30-30 as well.

Tim

[S.E.Ak]

I have trouble with the older rifles ok shooting the 357max at 48,000cup but not the 225 at 50,000cup?

[quickdtoo]

Pressure isn't the only factor in bolt/breech thrust, the 225 not only has higher pressure than the Max, but more importantly has a much larger case head, .423" vs .379".

Tim

Bolt Thrust
Bolt thrust is easy to calculate. Only two inputs are required. They are peak chamber pressure in PSI and as mentioned, the inside area of the case head that the gas pressure can work on. The formula then is:

THRUST=AREA*CPSI Where:

AREA=3.1416*(HS/2)^2

HS=the diameter of the inside of the case head.

http://www.riflebarrels.com/articles/custom_actions/bolt_lug_strength.htm

http://stevespages.com/page8d.htm

[Lefty Dude]

Tim;
Would my 12 ga. barrel that fits my SB-2 frame, mate and work on the Topper ?

[quickdtoo]

It may or may not, just depends, it seems the older firearms had a much larger range of tolerances than modern firearms, many members have fitted them with no problems, others state they don't come close, I'm 50/50 with the two I've tried, the first one wouldn't come close to any of the 30 some frames I had at the time, it would have taken a lot of filing on the pivot to fit even the closest fitting one. I just bought an older  30-30 barrel with a soldered underlug and it only took a little filing on the lower part of the breech face below the chamber and a .004" shim to fit to an NC frame.

Tim

[PHATINJUN]

You may want to check your twist of the Hornet to see if it is one of the 1-16 twist both my older .22's the Hornet and the Jet have 1-16 with a .221 bore. Kurt

[Lefty Dude]

I own a TC rifle barrel in 22 Hornet, and have hand loaded the Hornet round for 35 years. I'll slug the barrel and see what It is. I have a Lyman 22 cal bullet mold, I may shoot cast bullet in this piece.

My Son was hoping we could get a 45/70 barrel for this action.

What action did they use for the Shakara 45/70 ?

[v8r]

I would leave it as is.you got a very good price on it.I have a Topper 158 .22 Hornet that was built in 75. It has the old style hammer and no transfer bar.Congrats on your purchase.

[quickdtoo]

My Son was hoping we could get a 45/70 barrel for this action.

What action did they use for the Shakara 45/70 ?

The Shikari was a model 155 (1973-1981), yours was made in 1978, it may be the same frame, I don't know,  it was good for trapdoor loads which would probably be fine on the 158.

Tim

[Lefty Dude]

The piece and I made it to the Range today. I had some Hornets left over from a Digger shoot last year and then some I found we loaded in 1983. Both loads were the same, as I developed this for my TC Hornet Rifle barrel 30 years. The piece has the factory iron sights so I was not expecting any thing in the accuracy area, this was a functional test. I placed the target at 50 yards. The 1983 loads printed 2" low below the bulls-Eye. And shot a 1 1/2" - 2" group. The loads of May 2009 shot 2" above the Bull and the group as the same. This was interesting as the 1983 loads had lost 4" of elevation in 50 yards in 27 years.

The powder for both loads is Hercules 2400. Not the same lot or batch. I still have some 2400 maybe 10 years old of the old formula in the Silver container which I used for the 2009 loads. Bullets are the same, Speer 45 gr., so are the primers, Federal 205M.

I need to change the sights or install a scope on the piece, and this will be my Jack Rabbit & Coyote Handi/Rifle.


 

[wreckhog]

You need to find some Y2K reloads. Should be dead on. That gun was a steal.......

[STUMPJMPR]

I wish I could find deals like that.  The Cabela's here would have been asking about $275 for it.  Then you walk down to the new rack and a new one would only be $260.  No deals to be found here.

[Lefty Dude]

BTW;

My 12 ga. SB2 frame barrel is a drop in the 158, locks up tight and seems to function with my Dummy shells. The test will be Saturday when I give it at fire test with my light 12 ga. Cowboy loads.

I doubt if I ever shoot full 12 ga loads, it weighs 5 pounds and no recoil pad. My 12 ga. Cowboy reloads are like one-ounce Winchester lite-target loads.