popcan said:
I thought there were only two choices... CCI and the original Hornady?
Try them both and see!
Well there are choices but CCI is still the one loading the ammo Hornady and it's competitors sell...there are differences in the loads though...specifically, bullet choice and load specs:
Companies currently selling .17 HMR:
CCI
Federal
Hornady
PMC
Remington
Winchester
CCI
HMR - 17 grain TNT-JHP; 2525 fps.
V-Max - 17 grain Hornady 2550 FPS
GamePoint - 20 grain GamePoint; 2375 fps.
FMJ - 20 grain plated FMJ : 2375 fps.
Federal
V-Shok - 17 grain Hornady V-Max; 2550 fps.
V-Shok - 17 gain Speer TNT-JHP 2550 fps.
Hornady
Varmint Express - 17 grain Hornady V-Max 2550 fps.
17 HMR - 20 grain Hornady XTP; 2375 fps
PMC
Gold Line - 20 grain JSP. ( Not in Canada yet)
Remington
Premier - 17 grain V-Max; MV 2550 fps.
Winchester
Supreme - 17 grain V-Max; MV 2550 fps
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Lots of choice there. AND the fact the cases are all made by the same manufacturer (CCI) is one of the reasons the 17HMR has gained a reputation for accuracy. Any of us who have struggled for years to make .22mag RFs shoot well know the major drawback was headspace varience caused by brand to brand difference in the thickness of the ammo's case rim and base. The 17HMR ammo I have taken the trouble to mic out, has all been the same rim thickness dimension +/- .001.
In my gun I use the federal V-max because the match chamber shoots better groups with them...but the difference is only .025" spread between the Hornady, CCI or any 17HMR ammo loaded with the Hornady 17 gr. v-max bullet. When the wind comes up I have tried the 20 grains but the results open the groups up to 1" at 100yrds..The little .17 pill gets pushed around by the wind pretty good even though the time in flight is shorter than a .22 mag and the surface area of the bullet is smaller, it is more subseptable to wind than the heavier .22 mag bullets...however, even with this it is inherently more accurate.
My suggestion would be to first break in your gun so the bore is sweetened ( or lapped) then do some bench work with all the brands and loads available and see which your gun likes best...remember the headspace on a rim fire mag is the key to it's repeatable accuracy. How snugly that bolt face mates up with the cartridge head determines a lot of accuracy...all bolt faces and lock positions will vary gun to gun so there is a likelyhood one ammo will be dimensionally better than another in your gun...so try 'em all.
