Also, which rifle maker would you choose in the above calibers. I have heard enough bad things about Ruger to lean toward Browning or CZ for the Hornet, but how about the 17. Cost, unfortunately is a factor, so I have to keep the price near $500.
Thanks in advance
Brian
quote:I didn't like my 17 Rem when I had one it fouled the barrel and was very pickey about its loads....and you have to get special rods/jags/brushs to clean with and limited ammo choices....I have a yearning to try a 17 again but it will be the smaller mach iv version which is supposed to be much easier to live with....as to the hornet...it is a fun cheap to shoot as far as powder and barrel life..and there are some very nice small light or heavy barrel guns for the Hornet....several loads factory available....it also requires a little extra care to get extreme accuracy as compared to your fine 222 loadings....I have had 6 different guns for the Hornet and for fun it is a good choice....and if you want to trade or sell it later it will move better than a .17...at least in the areas I browse and shop.....good luck and good shooting!!!
Originally posted by bjk:
I am planning on picking up a new small caliber rifle. Any thoughts on the 17 or the 22 H? I would like an accurate, quiet, soft shooting round. I already have a 222, but as we always seem to do, want something new and different. Any thoughts wold be appreciated.Also, which rifle maker would you choose in the above calibers. I have heard enough bad things about Ruger to lean toward Browning or CZ for the Hornet, but how about the 17. Cost, unfortunately is a factor, so I have to keep the price near $500.
Thanks in advance
Brian
As far as I know, only Remington still sells rifles in .17 Remington cal. Price may be above $500, I'm not exactly sure what they normally go for.
However, if you're not totally committed to only .17 Rem or .22 Hornet, take a gander at this:
http://www.remington.com/2002/fi_700classic.htm
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When in doubt, do a nuclear strike.
quote:
Originally posted by bjk:
I am planning on picking up a new small caliber rifle. Any thoughts on the 17 or the 22 H? I would like an accurate, quiet, soft shooting round. I already have a 222, but as we always seem to do, want something new and different. Any thoughts wold be appreciated.Also, which rifle maker would you choose in the above calibers. I have heard enough bad things about Ruger to lean toward Browning or CZ for the Hornet, but how about the 17. Cost, unfortunately is a factor, so I have to keep the price near $500.
Thanks in advance
Brian
Thanks for the responses. I will likely go with the Hornet, but am always hearing conflicting stories about accuracy. is the 22 hornet an iffy cartridge when it comes to accuracy or is it the Ruger that many shoot it from. I am going to lean away from the Ruger and towards the Browning or the CZ, any thoughts on how these rifles are out of the box? All info greatly appreciated.
Brian
What the hornet will do however is provide enough power at medium range to kill varmints and do it with low noise. There is not much talk here about the report of a rifle but it was a concern with Landis 50 years ago. It can't be better now.
Now unless a reduced load is made up the .17 Rem is going to be noisy so the "hornet" class does have its place.
Since the topic here is really a excuse to get another rifle something must be selected.
We have just got to buy something!
I have been thru this and I feel that in that size a stock .222 Rem is the class of that bunch of cartridges.
Consider buying a .220 Swift and making up reduced loads for shorter range shots with the .222.
[This message has been edited by crowrifle (edited 01-11-2002).]
It also works a charm on foxes under the light, they do not go anywere with a well placed sierra 45gr out to 200 yards.
It can be fiddly finding a load but the cartridge is a real joy to shoot and if you understand it's limitations it is extremely versatile.
In the future I am looking to hot mine up and get a custom thumbhole stock for it and place a heavy stainless barrel on it. I would never be without the little hornet now. I was popping rabitts out to two hundred yards the other day and due to lack of noise I could easily get off five shots before they would take cover for 10-15 minutes. I went through around 40 shots and the reloads cost me about 7-8 cents each I think.
Regards PC
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Brian
I have only begun to reload with 'lil gun but it appears VERY promising. Definately go with a match quality seating die. I use the RCBS and am very happy with it. As George also suggested, try small pistol primers and see how they work.
Good Luck,
Ben H
I even made a .22 LR adapter for my old Remington 722 back in the early 50's.
You can shoot reduced loads in a .222 you know.
I installed a Canjar trigger and bedded the action and the chamber area, and installed pillers and hex head action screws, then opened up the barrel channel so it could breathe easier and stay cool.
I stroked the muzzle to remove any burrs and to get into clean rifling.
I lapped the lugs and the raceway and polished the feed ramp.
I mounted two piece mounts, shimed and epoxied them in place. I installed the rings and lapped them true then put on a 6.5 to 20 Leupold Vari-X III target scope with target knobs.
I polished the stock a high gleam. Now it loves me and loves to shoot small groups.
Yes, you have to get special cleaning rods and patches and jags, BUT, you could say the same thing for any rifle caliber.
Yes, if you want good accuracy you have to clean every so many shots. I clean my big 22's every 20 shots so I keep the barrel clean and shooting small groups. I clean my medium bores and my big bores every 3 to 6 shots because thats all I shoot at any time.
Yes, I use moly bullets and Kroil and Sweets and Shooters Choice and now Butches Bore Shine and just a bunch of other snake oils and secret blends and such just to keep things shooting straight.
Yes, the 17 is a bit kinky to load, OR SO I WAS TOLD BEFORE I KNEW ANYTING ELSE.
BUT, MY 17 isn't any more weasely to load than any other caliber I have. I just don't listen to the naysayers or I'm just do dumb to understand them.
I use Varget, IMR 4320, IMR 4064 and BL-C2. Varget seems to shoot faster but no more accurate than the others. It's not a bit more finicky than any of my other wildcats but they ARE a bit more "selective" about what components they like than, say, my 308.
The same thing can be said for just about any other caliber except for maybe, the 308, 223, or maybe the 375. Each rifle likes its hamburger a little different, just like I do. I don't think that's picky. How about you, with or without onions and pickles and tabasco sauce, rare with blood dripping out and just barely warm or sacrificed to the fire gods.
I take the same care with preping the 17's cases and loads as I take with all my other lead poppers.
24.5 gr of Varget or IMR 4320 for a 25 grainer, a little bit more for 20 grainers.
Rem 7 1/2 fire starters.
Necks turned, cases trimmed and weighed and sorted. Primer pockets and flash holes uniformed, and a nicely reamed taper on the inside of the neck so the bullets slide in and out without getting their butts nicked. Nick my butt and I won't go straight either, unless you count going after whoever or whatever is holding the nicking device.
FL resized to +0.004" shoulder set back with Redding competition dies, seated 0.010" off the lands.
4050 fps +/- a few, chronoed with an Oehler 33.
5 rounds go into a scant .400" when I can hold that close, 1" high at 160 yds and I can hit anything I aim at out to 250 yards unless a gail is blowing, most of the time. The potguts just hate to see me coming and the coyotes stay real hidden just waiting for the feast thats about to come.
Now that is REAL PICKY.
Of course, the barrel is rough as a cob half way down the bore and I have to use bore paste or outers foul out after 50 or so rounds, but that was done before I bought it. I only get 3 to 4 round off before letting it cool, but that's no problem either. I usually have at least 4 other rifles waiting for their turn depending on how far or how close the shots are.
I have a Shilen 26" SS, match, #5 taper just waiting for the original Remington barrel to quit, but it doesn't show much sign of doing so, soon.
I don't know how many shots went down range before I bought it and I am now on my 2nd hundred cases loaded for the 6th time which means over to 2500 rounds.
Maybe the 17 is picky and I just dont' know it.
Hey, keep dry and stay health.
http://www.riistamaa.fi/tikka/eindex.shtml
If you're looking for good info on .17's try these two forums
http://www.coyotegods.com/ubb/forum.shtml
http://www.predatormastersforums.com/cgi-bin//Ultimate.cgi?action=intro&BypassCookie=true
But I have learned the hard way to stay away from Ruger .22 Hornets. Unless you like to fuss around and try to find problems, buy a different brand of hornet. I went through two Rugers. Neither would shoot well and I tried many different loads etc. I had excessive movement in the two bolt halves and cases sticking in the chamber. I considered the options of rebuilding my last one to be something it was not, and finally sold it and bought a Browning Micro Hunter. I decided rebuilding was not a good bet compared to buying a new rifle of another brand, especially since I am a hard user and high volume shooter. I expected to keep on fixing the Ruger VHZ The excellent finish, appearance, and durability of the Ruger VHZ not withstanding. Now I am a happy Browning hornet owner. The folks at my gun shop tell me every Browing hornet owner is happy with his gun.
Thing is I have some other super guns, .22 FinnFire, Cooper .221 Fireball, Sako .223, and even an old bull barreled Ruger .22-250, that all shoot great. I always find myself going for the hornet first. When I have a good outing, I shoot about 600 rounds a weekend through it at Prarie Dogs. The main feature I like is quiet. The more quiet I am the longer the dogs stay out. The .221 is noticeably louder and has much more umph than the hornet.
But, to boggle my mind, my .22 mag, in Ruger VHZ, is one heck of a gun.
All the left over trial loads I had for the Ruger hornets, that would not shoot well in them, shot great in the Browning. The CZ appears to be a great gun too but I decided the Browing was better for me. Look at a Browning bolt and then look at a Ruger bolt. There is all the difference.
Good luck and let us know what you work out.
If I was to start over, with no romanticism about falling blocks, I would probably want a Cooper in .221, and just load it down a bit
if it barked to loud.
Dave 32-20
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Dave