17 cal

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brybenn

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Hey all. I have a desire for a center fire 17 caliber. I don't need the fastest or easiest to load for but I don't want the hmr or wsm.
My goal is a crow and groundhog gun and general economic plinker for hunting smaller properties. Nothing more.
My question is really not a question but gathering of experiences. The 17 Hornady hornet has my attention but with such a small case any tiny weight change in charge will really affect accuracy so a larger cased cartridge would have the advantage of keeping my loading practices more stable. However something like the 17 rem requires more detailed cleaning
What would you choose as the most economical well balanced 17 out there. Factory or common wildcat

I own a 17 mach 2 rimfire already. I now want a center fire that shoots flat to 200 yards.
 
I have 17 HM2, 17 HMR, 17 Hornet and 17 Fireball. My favourite for what I use them for (gophers) is the 17 Hornet. But for what you are describing I would go with the 17 Fireball.
 
I've been shooting a 17 remington for several years and have never trouble with it. When people heard I bought it the BS started to fly on how they foul up and need to be cleaned so often and the accuracy changes between shots, its all crap. I cleaned it well when I bought it used and started fresh. I now have over 300 rounds through it and haven't cleaned it yet and it still hits every gopher at 200 plus yards. Birds don't stand a chance. The larger the case the easier they are to load because of less pressure variances. The 17 hornady is I find a little fussier to load because of the smaller case.
 
I have a 17 Hornet and 17 Fireball and had a 17 Remington until I burned out the barrel. My 17 Hornet is a CZ527 American and it is very accurate, even with the Hornady factory ammo and I would highly recommend that rifle.
My 17 Fireball was my 17 Remington rebarreled with a Shilen Select Match Grade barrel, it too shoots very well too but 17 Fireball ammunition and brass is very difficult to find right now.
As far as availability of brass and ammunition goes I would recommend the 17 Hornet, also you are looking at reloading about 700 rounds to the pound of powder with the Hornet.
17 Hornet brass runs about $39 for 50 and loaded ammo is $24.95 for 25 rounds so I bought loaded ammo to start. For the extra $21.80 per 100 rounds of loaded ammunition I didn't think it was worth starting with empty brass.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1251173-Hornady-17-Hornet-Brass-available

http://www.theammosource.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_108_481&products_id=2407&zenid=28205ac8ad6fdef6a1584a0d3c6c39f2
 
I had a buddy that owned a 17 rem and after 100 or so shots his groups would open. Maybe he had a rough barrel I don't know.
I weigh each load twice even in my big bores so I should be good with the hornet and I think it will do what I want but the 221 fireball and 222 case 17s have the appeal of more even pressures with a bonus of velocity.
If I'd use it for coyotes I'd go to a 20 cal but I'd like a nice 200-250 yard crow gun. More reach then a rimfire but still use the explosive 15-20 gr Vmax
 
brybenn said:
Hey all. I have a desire for a center fire 17 caliber. I don't need the fastest or easiest to load for but I don't want the hmr or wsm.
My goal is a crow and groundhog gun and general economic plinker for hunting smaller properties. Nothing more.
My question is really not a question but gathering of experiences. The 17 Hornady hornet has my attention but with such a small case any tiny weight change in charge will really affect accuracy so a larger cased cartridge would have the advantage of keeping my loading practices more stable. However something like the 17 rem requires more detailed cleaning
What would you choose as the most economical well balanced 17 out there. Factory or common wildcat

I own a 17 mach 2 rimfire already. I now want a center fire that shoots flat to 200 yards.
Click to expand...

That, in bold above, is going to be a fact of life you will have to live with if you are loading for a .17 cal.

Take a read on the Saubier small caliber forums for info on other options. There are a LOT of .17's out there, provided you are not adverse to doing some case forming.

If factory ammo is a requirement, you are limited to picking from the new Hornet, the Fireball, or the Remington.

Cheers
Trev
 
I only have experience with a .17 Hornet for .17 centerfires. I can say for gophers and crows if I have a rest then out to 250y they have some serious problems! In the form of a 20gr V-Max!

My Hornet is a 527 Varmint, and I was just at the range with a buddy a couple days ago. I set my empty coffee cup at 200y and took on shot at some writing on it. I was half an inch high at 200. My buddy didn't believe my when I showed him, so I said "I'll shoot at the first "O" in Tim Hortons. That shot was right on the bottom of the "O", about a half inch lower than the center of the "O"! It's the most accurate rifle I've ever owned.
 
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