For the folks I offended a couple years ago when Remington announced the chambering and I replied, "Why do we need it? We've got 204's now!" I apologize! The 204 is a rat amacker, groundhog killing machine! Neglible recoil, easy to load for, flatter than a lot of the common chamberings and does the deal on vermin.
The 17 FIREBALL is just a darm plain fun gun to shoot!! In the words of my long range buddy, Bobby Brown, after he witnessed the effects of the chambering yesterday in groundhog fields, "It's a 17HRM on SERIOUS STEROIDS!!"
We were all a little bit taken with the 17HRM and it's little bitty 17 grain VMAX and the unequaled accuracy and killing efficiency of a rimfire cartridge when they came on the scene. The 17 FIREBALL(Mach II, 17VarTarg) could all be serious "rat smackers" or "renderers of the Big Sleep"!
After testing the little guy on paper and then testing it in the field, I'M A FAN!!
The paper testing rendered some dramatic potential for accuracy using either the 20 VMAX's or ESPECIALLY the 25 grain Hornady VMAX's. Powder choices in testing were limited(time) HODGDONS BENCHMARK and ACCURATE 2230 were the powder testing choices. Either is sufficient! No more testing needed! The field results were even more impressive!! I wasn't looking for "launches" "rendering" "spectacular acrobatics".......I was looking at efficiency! It is efficient! 365 yards , groundhog facing shooter, shot to the neck, "bow his head to pray and slump!" Groundhog(full grown male putting on his fall coat 12 pounds or so) sitting on a rock outcropping surveying his "big old world", strategically placed shot to the neck............lights out!! Groundhog, 80 yards away standing broadside, shot to the shoulder............fall face forward, tail twitching signifying the "death knell", no noticable entry, NO EXIT!!! Crow at 541 yards, dial the distance in, allow for windage...................SURPRISE!! I missed!! Not but about 1" of windage but I missed and it was still impressive!!
Bottom line is, the 17 Fireball is a fun gun!! And you can see all the effects!! Easy to load, easier to shoot and a legitimate 400 yard rat smacker!! Almost no earplugs needed!! Try one, you'll like it!! Charlie (GHD)

Welcome to the club.
I load for the 17 ackley hornet, 17 hebee, 17 fireball, 17 mach iv and 17 remington. Love them all, don't know which is my favorite, but I'm beginning to think it may be the hebee.

Also, the Tac 20 is no slouch.
best to you and yours.
GWB

Gotcha didn't it???
They are indeed a great time as you've discovered. Not the end all, do all, worlds most perfect round for every purpose but just a great little round that tickles the fun spot in varminting real good huh?
GHD I can't tell ya how good it feels to see ya post this. It's like that guy in that old science fiction movie when he realizes..."I am not alone"...
Good shooting on the hogs! Wish I coulda been there.
Gotta warn ya though, as Geedubya and I have both discovered, they are addicting. I just ordered dies made for my next project on the way, a .17 Tactical.
Sure glad ya had fun!!!
Right after that 25 grain V-Max came out my wife and I were hunting p-dogs with it in my .17 MachIV among others (it's now her .17 MachIV I'm afraid). She shot this lil'doggie in the back at a bit over 325 yards. She didn't miss many that day at this distance and farther.



Little buggers kill a lot bigger than they are don't they? Ya hear a lotta bad things about em but it don't take long shooting them to forget all the magazine hogwash. No need to apologize GHD your one a the believers now .

Thanks a lot GHD. Now, I'll be dropping by gunbroker.com to see what might be available in the 17 "Furball".
I thought I was done on small calibers but NOooooooo, you had to give us a ringing endorsement and now i'm going to have to check into this caliber.
Here's another fine mess you've gotten me into!

Great to see you have been won over to the dark side of "small" calibers. I have been shooting/enjoying a 17 Mach IV for over 10 years. It is too sweet for words. Nothing like being able to watch your hits in your rifle's scope.
I really like to use it for getting youngsters hooked on shooting. I will set up some cans of red pop, full of course, at 200 yds. Then let them shoot the cans. Great red mist. Instant feed back they can see in the scope. Just what the kids want.

muck