Can anybody shed any light on the .20 tactical. I have a tikka 595 in .17 rem and have toyed with the idea of converting to a .20 tactical. Has anybody got any views on this project?

I have a 20 tactical and enjoy it. If you aren't into wildcatting the 204 ruger may be a better option, price wise it is certainly cheaper, but you can buy ready made brass from Lapua(in December) and the 20 Tactical uses a 223 case so they are cheap enough to form your own.

They are quite the flat shooter, I'll say that.

Is there anything you are hoping to gain over your 17 by doing this?

The .17 groups when it feels like it, so i wouldnt mind something more reliable and a good fun vermin gun.

quote:

Originally posted by Alex.Y:
The .17 groups when it feels like it, so i wouldnt mind something more reliable and a good fun vermin gun.

Your problem is the barrel not the caliber, so either way it needs to be rebarreled with a quaility barrel. If your itching for a 20 and you have to rebarrel anyway (if you want it to shoot that is) go for it. Don't have a 20 myself, but I love my 17.

Well I say go for it then. You'll have a very enjoyable caliber. When they first came out there was talk of them being a 500 yard coyote gun, however I think that is stretching it a bit but I've whacked them at 300 yards with a bit of authority.

I have an AR that is built on .20 Tac and it's pretty much my very favorite varmint rifle. I've never owned a .17 rem but now I don't see the reason to either. Very flat shooting little cartridge and I can get the same or better velocities as the .204 with less powder and much more available brass. If you have a bunch of .223 brass it works great. Wildcat dies will cost a bit more but I think it's been worth it and brass is quite easy to form. Mine will do an inch at 200 all day. I sound like the world's biggest .20 Tac fan and may just be but I have also seen what minimal pelt damage a .17 Rem can do to a coyote in it isn't bad either.

quote:

Originally posted by Dog-duster:
I have an AR that is built on .20 Tac and it's pretty much my very favorite varmint rifle. I've never owned a .17 rem but now I don't see the reason to either. Very flat shooting little cartridge and I can get the same or better velocities as the .204 with less powder and much more available brass. If you have a bunch of .223 brass it works great. Wildcat dies will cost a bit more but I think it's been worth it and brass is quite easy to form. Mine will do an inch at 200 all day. I sound like the world's biggest .20 Tac fan and may just be but I have also seen what minimal pelt damage a .17 Rem can do to a coyote in it isn't bad either.

You've got a AR in a 20???????? How cool is that! I would love to build a 17 on a AR platform anyone know if their making barrels for this application? Thanks

This would be simple for me. Keep your .17 just have it rechambered for .17 Tactical instead of .20. What really draws me to the .17 is the fact that it takes time and effort to figure the little bugger out, once you iron out the kinks there is no better sense of accomplishment! And it really pisses friends off when your in the field outshooting them with the .17.

I do plan on building some sort of .20 but until then I'll never let a .20 replace my .17.

You've got a AR in a 20???????? How cool is that! I would love to build a 17 on a AR platform anyone know if their making barrels for this application? Thanks[/QUOTE]

I've seen ads here here for .17 cal AR chamberings. I attempted to find a link for you but was unable too. Happy Hunting.

I've been using the 17 Rem since the early 80's. That being said I sold my last one a while back and most likely will never work with them again.

Personally I would enjoy working with a Tac or a 204 but never did enjoy the 17.

IMO it never did anything (besides giving me something unique) for me that a 223 wouldn't do better. And the thing I hated about it was trying to hold onto those darn bullets while loading them (seating the bullet in the case I mean). Now I realize that going 20 isn't a big difference but the bullet is a bit easier to get a hold of for me.

So, I'd go 20 and never again look back! Not once question about it for me.

Just the way I feel

Mark D

ARs chambered in .17 Remington:

http://www.tromix.com/Tromix_Tackhammer.htm#17%20remington

http://jnrifleworks.com/

http://www.whiteoakprecision.com/index.htm

I have a tact20 based on a quadlite action. Absolutly love it, easy to load for , 4100+ with no pressure but have had it up to 4500 (v warm and checked on two chrono`s because i didnt belive the reading on the first one), longest shot to date 546y rabbit.

Thanks for the replies,
The barrel needs to come off and I am liking the sound of a .20, I would say its as good as done.

where in the uk are you alex?

Alex,

I made the dies for my 20 tactical, it was pretty simple lathe work so PM me if you are interested.

HOWEVER, once when I was comparing prints when the 204 Ruger was coming out I was impressed with the similarity except the 204 is slightly longer. Just for grins I bought a neck-size set for the 204 and ground off the bottom of the die. Surprise surprise it works perfectly! Later on someone had Hornady FL die sets on sale so I bought one for an experiment and shortened it. (What happened was the first set I had I removed about .1 inch, the difference between the 2 cartridges and it was quite a bit more than what was needed, so with the FL sizer I just ground a little at a time until the case would chamber). I now use the Hornady sizer die as my primary one, and my homemade one for case forming. My home made die I have to deprime in a separate step, which is a big reason.

So if you go with the 20 Tactical, get a FL 204 die set and simply shorten the dies until they chamber in your gun if you are on a budget.

Thanks Mark, I would be really interested, I am having real problems with pm's on my computer, I'll keep trying though.

Nute, im down in deepest darkest wiltshire.

Alex - im down the road from you - hampshire, eastish on newbury. If you want to have a go with my .20 let me know.

Hey both you two are welcome to shoot mine too. I have 120+ fireforming rounds loaded up just sitting here. You gotta pay your own airfare but I'll pick you up at the airport <G>.

Be careful what you offer - we might just take you up on it, id love to do some US style varmint shooting.

My wife is American and we spend quite a bit of time back there but she from the east coast so no dogs or chucks.

Is it possible to post a picture direct to this forum without haveing to have it hosted elswhere?

Bearcat,

Sorry for the late reply. I found a smith in Pueblo, CO to build mine. I can give you his number if you're interested. I had it done as a perfect coyote rifle and now I love it for shooting PDs too. No recoil, flat shooting and takes PDs apart just as well as my .223. Just went out and shot a .710" 5-shot grp. @200. I was quite pleased. This is truly one of my favorite rifles. I may have him cut me another barrel to have waiting when I wear this one out. The only downsides so far are having to form brass and a higher cost of dies.

I had heard that Lapua were going to start making factory .20 tact brass. Anyone confirm?

Peruse this site for some great info on the .20's, including the Lapau brass!

http://www.6mmbr.com/20caliber.html