17 Hornet-- Who has one?

[birdshooter1189]

I have a Savage bolt action 17 HMR.  I like it a lot, but I was shooting it this weekend and was disappointed in the amount of drop at 150 yds.  I'm thinking about selling it and picking up a 17 hornet to replace it. 

I like that I could down-load to match 17hmr velocities, or I can run full power load and get around 3500 fps for flatter shooting.

I'm curious who here has a 17 hornet, what model do you have, and how do you like it? 

[b23]

I have two varmint model CZ 527 17 Hornets.  Bought the first one and liked it so much I bought another one just like it a year later.  Unfortunately CZ stopped making the 527 a couple years ago.  Ruger made a few different variants of 17 Hornet in their model 77 bolt actions but I think they've stopped making any and all of them. 

The Savage model 25 is the only 17 Hornet still being made that I'm aware of.

For a couple years 17 Hornet ammo was pretty scarce and people had a hard time finding any but I did see some for sale a few weeks ago.

Best load I've found for both of mine is 12.2gr 1680 w/20gr Vmax.  I have a buddy that has a twin to my two but he uses CFE BLK with same 20gr Vmax.

I've shot a lot of sage rats with 17 HMR and 17 WSM but even compared to the 17 WSM the 17 Hornet puts a whole lot more hurt on them and reaches out with authority much further then the 17 HMR or WSM. 

[birdshooter1189]

Thanks b23.

I have a CZ 527 American in 223 Rem. I love that rifle.  I bought it lightly used for $500 and it came with 300 rnds of varmint ammo.  I'd love to get another 527 or two if I could get them for around the same price, but now they are selling for about $1500 since being discontinued =(

After doing some searching I'm finding the same as what you said for 17 hornet rifles. It looks like savage is the only current maker. Mixed reviews on the quality of the savages. I suspect my odds are pretty low at finding a reasonably priced used CZ.

After some more reading, I might actually look for and lean towards a 17 fireball. It has potential for even higher velocity, it could be down-loaded to either 17 hmr or 17 hornet velocities, and it uses the same casing base size as  a 223 which increases donor rifle options. I found a new remington 700 sps varmint rifle in 17 fireball for under $500.

[b23]

Unfortunately, I think you are going to run into a lot of the same problem with any of the 17 centerfires. 1) The lack of available options for rifles chambered in anything 17 caliber.  2) Lack of available ammo in 17 cal and if you do find it chances are it'll be about double or double+ what it should cost.  If you load your own then #2 problem is much less of a problem. 

Also, any Rem 700 you look at that's chambered in anything based off of the Fireball case you'll want to make sure it came from the factory chambered in something Fireball or you'll have extraction/ejection issues.  The extractor is clocked slightly different in bolts that come from the factory for anything Fireball related and if you get something that didn't come as a Fireball it won't extract/eject the case out of the action like it should.

Are you locked in on something 17 caliber?  If not and you don't want a 223 I'd seriously consider something in 204 Ruger.  The rifle and ammo selection isn't exactly stellar for things in 204Ruger but they're better than they are for anything 17 Caliber.  I had a CZ 527 in 204 that was a nice piece but a buddy wanted pretty bad so I sold it to him and he's still shooting it.  Not sure if Tikka chambers anything in 204Ruger anymore but I picked up a Tikka Compact in 204Ruger a couple years ago and it's a sweet little gun.  I actually like it better then the CZ I had.

[birdshooter1189]

That's good to know about the Rem 700 extractors.  I do load my own ammo so i'm not too worried about that.  I have a lathe and can build my own custom rifle too if I have a suitable donor action.  The thought crossed my mind to just make a second barrel for my CZ 527 American.

I'm not locked into something 17 caliber. And after thinking through it a bit more I may be best off just keeping my 17hmr and forget about a 17 centerfire.

I like the 17hmr for shooting rockchucks or coyotes or raccoons or nutria around civilization where I can't afford to have rounds pass through and go on to potentially cause damage.  The little 17gr bullet is fast and explosive and never leaves an exit hole.  This past weekend I missed a couple rockchucks at 150 yds.  Bullets were dropping more than I expected them to. That led me down the path of wanting something a bit faster/flatter, but that could still be downloaded to fill the role of the 17hmr.

I have a .223, .20 Practical, and can borrow a relative's 22 hornet, 221 fireball, or 20 vartarg if needed.  So I do have other options available. It might be best for me to stick with the options I already have and just figure out the drop on the hmr a bit better.

[b23]

For rimfires the 17 WSM is the King and delivers a pretty healthy increase over the 17 HMR but Winchester makes all of the 17 WSM ammo, regardless of what the label on the box says, and Winchester hasn't made any 17 WSM ammo in over two years.  Win keeps telling us they're getting ready to do a run 17WSM ammo soon so I'm trying to remain optimistic. 

[jdb]

I have a ruger 77. And 900+ rounds of ammunition that I’d sell.
Oh e had it for a five or so years killed a boat load of diggers and a handful of coyotes. It’s a fun little rifle but my life has changed and I haven’t shot it in a couple years

[b23]

I have a ruger 77. And 900+ rounds of ammunition that I’d sell.
Oh e had it for a five or so years killed a boat load of diggers and a handful of coyotes. It’s a fun little rifle but my life has changed and I haven’t shot it in a couple years

Is it a Ruger 77/17 Hornet or 77/17 WSM?

[emac]

I have a ruger 77. And 900+ rounds of ammunition that I’d sell.
Oh e had it for a five or so years killed a boat load of diggers and a handful of coyotes. It’s a fun little rifle but my life has changed and I haven’t shot it in a couple years

Is it a Ruger 77/17 Hornet or 77/17 WSM?

I think they make it in both calibers

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[Farmer72]

I have a T/C Contender in 17 Mach IV that is a fun little bugger. Something about a 20 gr bullet doing over 4000 fps. Not really much different than the 17 Fireball. But being a break open it is nice and short.

[b23]

I have a ruger 77. And 900+ rounds of ammunition that I’d sell.
Oh e had it for a five or so years killed a boat load of diggers and a handful of coyotes. It’s a fun little rifle but my life has changed and I haven’t shot it in a couple years

Is it a Ruger 77/17 Hornet or 77/17 WSM?

I think they make it in both calibers

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Yes, Ruger does or did make their 77 in both 17HH and 17WSM.  jdb said he had a Ruger 77 and I was asking them if it was a 77/17 Hornet or 17WSM.

[emac]

I have a ruger 77. And 900+ rounds of ammunition that I’d sell.
Oh e had it for a five or so years killed a boat load of diggers and a handful of coyotes. It’s a fun little rifle but my life has changed and I haven’t shot it in a couple years

Is it a Ruger 77/17 Hornet or 77/17 WSM?

I think they make it in both calibers

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

Yes, Ruger does or did make their 77 in both 17HH and 17WSM.  jdb said he had a Ruger 77 and I was asking them if it was a 77/17 Hornet or 17WSM.

I misread your post

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[jdb]

I have a ruger 77. And 900+ rounds of ammunition that I’d sell.
Oh e had it for a five or so years killed a boat load of diggers and a handful of coyotes. It’s a fun little rifle but my life has changed and I haven’t shot it in a couple years

Is it a Ruger 77/17 Hornet or 77/17 WSM?

hornet