All,

I've been trying in vain to find 17 Fireball brass for some time. Tried all the usual places without luck.

Has anyone seen any? Or do know of any "off the beaten path" places I might look?

Really unfortunate that Big Green appears to have stopped supporting this fun and useful cartridge so quickly. Cases last a long time so I don't require a huge number, just want to keep shooting without worrying that the rifle will be useless soon.

Thanks!

Matt

I've been looking, but haven't seen any in months. Fortunately 221 brass is more available, so you can neck down if necessary.

I have became a Fireball nut, I did pick up 300 pieces at a local gunshop, but Graf's had 221 Lapua brass and I got 1000 pieces on the way

try highplainsbrass.com

How much of a chore is necking it down? I've done this for larger wildcats, but never for a 17. Any common troubles?

Thanks guys?

Matt

If once fired 221 FB brass you may need to anneal it.
Be sure to use enough lube--nothing better than Imperial Sizing lube.

Gary

You will need a Redding 17 Mach IV form die #90504, to form from 221 Fireball. No annealing needed.

I have formed .223 brass into .17/223 with a single pass through the FL sizer. I can't see that a special "forming" die is needed for this one.

I haven't been around as long as Stonecreek, but I don't think you can take a case that is 3/8" longer and try to run it in a short Fireball die and make it work. You are going to have to cut some brass somewhere. It might work for a 17-223, but not for the short Fireball. I could be wrong though

you trim it a bit 1st. no trouble here either

quote:

Originally posted by Hector:
I haven't been around as long as Stonecreek, but I don't think you can take a case that is 3/8" longer and try to run it in a short Fireball die and make it work. You are going to have to cut some brass somewhere. It might work for a 17-223, but not for the short Fireball. I could be wrong though

Brass for the .221 Fireball is spec 1.400" long. Brass for the .17 Fireball is spec 1.420" inches long. The .221 brass will "grow" a little when squeezed down from .22 to .17, so it usually ends up just about right after a simple run through a .17 Fireball FL die. Of course, it usually needs chamfering, and, depending on the dimension of the .17 Fireball rifle's chamber neck, may or may not need the necks thinned.

I've been forming 17 FB and also 17 Mach IV from 221 FB since Rem first commercialized the 17 FB and 17 Rem, 17 FB and 20 Practical from 222, 222 mag and 223 cases for a lot longer...one pass using a wax sizing lube, always needs a bit of trimming and sometimes some neck turning depending on the chamber neck.

Sometimes if you want to continue shooting you have to resort to extreme measures.

Thanks so much! I have some Lapua 221 FB brass headed my way on a UPS truck.

Matt

Well......that was a complete failure. Tried running the new Lapua brass through a Hornady New Dimension 17 Fireball die and completely ruined both cases I tried. They crushed after about 1/16" had been necked down.....damn. Wonder what went wrong?

Matt

Try running the 221 cas into the 17 seater die first, WITHOUT THE SEATING STEM and a goodly amount of WAX sizing lube...the seater die has a larger ID to begin with so you aren't giving it the whole hog to begin with.

Sometimes you need to run it in fast, other times slow depending on how soft the brass is.

You might also try running the case through a 221 sizer die first WITHOUT the stem as this will also reduce the neck down a few thou to begin with, then into the 17 seater, then into the 17 sizer. Muckling about with case forming can get a bit trying and round about sometimes.

I never had any problems using was lube and Rem/Win cases and a quick down thrust of the ram handle ...might have to experiment.

Or buy a cheap Lee 204 die and cut/grind it down as an intermediate sizer...a lot cheaper than forming dies. I've been using Lee dies for forming dies for many years.

I use bushing dies now with most of my 17,20, 22 small stuff and through 30 cal so I use a .200" size as intermediate now.

I would try to interest you in a Redding Type S FULL LENGTH Bushing 221 sizer die as all you have to do is change bushings for 221, 20 FB or 17 FB or just get the 17 FB FL type S and all your problems are solved, but every time I do that someone jumps in with extraneous BS so I got tired of suggesting something so simple. Your brass will last forever also without the double cycling of a sizer button.

My 17 FB loaded case measures 0.195" OD and the necks are turned so the seater neck ID will measure about 0.198" - 0.200" or there about's. A 22 cal sizer WITHOUT USING THE BUTTON will size down to ~0.220", depending, so you're basically having to reduce the case in steps by about 0.020" to get to the 17 cal point.

Luck

We over here, still have a little factory 20gn Accutip lying about here & there, but getting to be like rocki'n horse muck,I purchased a 100 count bag of 221 formed down from a local smith, £80.00, they are still on the bench unopened in reserve for when my ex factory stuff starts to give up, some of these are on seven firings at the mo',I heard that forming down was fairly simple though time consuming, but worth it for this heavy hitter in a tiny tim case, I was forced into this calibre, (happily), by my local licensing dept,due to being unable to get permission to aquire a .20Tac.

Just buy the form die, and your problems will be solved. By the time you buy dies and grind to fit, and ruin new brass you will have the money tied up anyway. I went through trying necking straight from 221 to 17, and found that it did not work for me no matter how much lube I used. Redding die cost $78.00, but will last you a life time. It will make it easier to form from other cases also.

Use is application intense...depends on what you intend for the future.

I've been wildcatting a long time, forming many different cases and NEVER bought any forming dies...you can buy the Redding Type S die and have a forming die AND a way to size the necks to the minimum dimensions...and be ready for future iterations on that case...economics come in all forms.

When I shoot out the 17 FB barrel I will go to the 20 FB and probably do a 221 on a stub barrel NEF Handi and have a sizer that will work and if I cut of the 204 Rem sizer I can do the same thing to the seater or many other iterations on the theme. Depends on your tool availability and how deep you are into wildcatting.

The form die is a one off item so it is not useful for my immediate or future purposes but may work for someone who will never go beyond the 17 FB.

Here is a listing you might check out...I'm going to.

http://www.armslist.com/posts/...ngton-fireball-brass


Luck

Just finished ordering 200 pieces from High Plains Brass, $35/100 plus flat rate shipping....military brass.

I can't make my own for that price...quality??? Won't know for a while...I have several projects going and I haven't started reloading for rat season yet...17 FB, 17 Rem, 20 Practical, 222, 222 MAG 223, 22-250, 220 Swift and 22-243 and not counting the 25 and 6mm cals/wildcats.

Luck

...http://www.highplainsbrass.com/...

The Redding Type S for the Fireball is $105.00, might be cheaper to buy the form die for $78.00, but Nonagonagin is right, it depends on your future applications.

That's for the full set...Matt don't need no stinking seater, , he already has a set of Hornady dies...all he needs is the FL sizer...$72.99, special order...probably available through Redding.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day...TEACH a man to fish and you feed him for life...this is basically the same thing to me.

You gave him choices, I gave him choices and others gave him alternatives...it's up to Matt to do what is right for him now. At the prices High Plains Brass charges, I wouldn't even bother making any.

Matt, You might also check out Saubier, http://www.saubier.com/forum.html... if you haven't already...lots of folks there have 17 FB's and might know of other sources of brass.

Can't understand why you're having so much trouble forming brass????

Just received my High Plains 17 FB brass...nice and shiny...mouth needs to be beveled inside and out and separated...it is mixed LC 06 and 07, necks and shoulders no different than my forming and have the bumps and dings that get ironed out after the first firing.

Haven't yet mic'ed the neck walls to see if they need turning or measure case volume but I'm guessing there will be a slight variation...nothing out of the ordinary as far as I can see.

I'm very happy...time will tell how accurate they are or will become.

Happy, happy, happy.