converting to centerfire

[44mag1]

I aquired a [bubbaized]H&R 565 pal from a gun show a while back. seems someone wanted a 22 mag and thought a 1/4 inch drill bit was the way to do this. I thought I was getting a 22lr until I got a face full of powder. It shoots mags fine but are real hard to extract due to the spiral shape from the drill bit. After looking this thing over it dosent look like it would be hard to convert to a 22 hornet, this thing is beefy. the firing pin would be easily altered, as would the bolt face and extractor. All I would have to farm out is the reaming. any thoughts? This would be for cast bullets or .222 .223 bullets only I would guess.

[deltaenterprizes]

I think there is a large difference in the operating pressure of a 22LR and 22 hornet. The quality of the steel that was used to make the components may be unable to withstand the higher pressure. I have seen 22LR barrels that were so soft the muzzle deformed when hit with a rawhide mallet. When this thing blows up in your face the cost of the medical bills will make a rifle of that caliber look cheap.Bubba butchered it now you are going to make it worse, thank God you are in AZ and I am in Texas, that lessens the chance of me being next to you when you shoot that bomb.

[44mag1]

http://www.lasc.us/SAAMIMaxPressure.htm
this site shows the pressure difference. Im only asking for suggestions here not neccecarily going to convert it. I know that the 5mm rimfires were converted to centerfire regularly. This thing has so much metal it probably would hold up to a 222.

[leftiye]

44, I think that you are right about this action holding up to a Hornet. It is basically (I think) the same action that various shotgun barrels were fitted to. I've heard it suggested that the older actions may have been made of cast iron, but some of them were also made in 30-30 (probly were steel, but without the higher heat treating of the SB2's). The centerfire conversion consists of drilling out the rimfire firing pin with a hole that is centered on the bore, threading it and screwing in a plug (heat treated 4140 is a good metal, though O-1 tool steel and etc. would probly work fine) with a hole in the middle for a centerfire firing pin. The newer centerfire firing pins are held in by a pin, and the plug would have to be installed, and drilled for the pin previous to heat treating.

[44mag1]

this is acualy a bolt action. savage makes a hornet based on the same action as their 22lr

[Terrier]

The Savage M-40 action is a beefed up version of the MKII. It has dual locking lugs as well as more metal. A regular .22 bolt action may contain the .22 Hornet for a while but headspace will increase eventually leading to failure. Not a conversion to be recomended.
Terrier

[deltaenterprizes]

The actions may look the same but the quality of the alloy and the heat treatment can be the difference that cannot be determined by visual inspection.