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| Your first step in shooting the .17, is to ditch the Remington barrel. I've got a CZ in .17 Rem and I've put about 250 rounds down the barrel with NO cleaning. Still shoots well under 1/2" at 100yds. I shoot a 25gr Nagel T000 bullet with IMR 4064. Incredible gun! The best recipe for longevity is to keep velocities reasonable and keep that damn cleaning rod out of your barrel. I've heard repeatedly that Remington can't make a .17 barrel to save their lives. I do know though, that CZ sure has one hell of a factory barrel on theirs!
"The atomic bomb made the prospect of future war unendurable. It has led us up those last few steps to the mountain pass; and beyond there is a different country." - J. Robert Oppenheimer
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| | | Posts: 385 | Location: Midwestern Corn Desert | Registered: 13 November 2003 | 
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| I think the major problem with the 17Rem is that most people do not clean it properly or often enough. I have owned a couple, built around 10, and if you are shooting fox for fur it has been the go to cartrige for years.
My question for you is if you bought the rifle to shoot then why not shoot it? A slow rate of fire and proper cleaning will provide you with years of use. I wouldn't get to obsessed with trying to wring every last fps the cartridge will develop. My shooters prefer 25-30gr bullets with the 17 Rem. the throat on a standard barrel is designed for bullets in the 25-30gr range. It is very "pressure" sensitive when reloading, pressure spikes come very quickly and my experience has been that unless you are using a ball powder you will want to weigh every charge, keep all the brass trimmed to the same length etc. because even a small change in something can be the difference between no signs of pressure and a pierced or leaking primer. |
| | | Posts: 869 | Location: N Dakota | Registered: 29 December 2003 |
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| quote: Originally posted by Pez:
Just how bad is the .17 Remington on barrels? I bought a Remington model 700 BDL in .17 Remington about 12 years ago just because i was so intriguied with the round and it's velocity. But i've always heard it was terrible on barrels so i bet i've only put about 30 rounds through it for fear of wearing out the barrel. i would really like to use it more because i love the way it shoots and still really like it's ballistics. so what are some ways to shoot it more often and not burn the barrel out so fast or is it just a barrel burner period? i have read to clean the barrel every 20 rounds and not to shoot it in strings with it hot. anything else that helps? also is the wind really as bad on the bullet as they say? does anyone here use it for varmints or anything else and what ranges do you go out to with it and what do you think of it's performance? i want to know as much as i can because i love the round and the rifle i have for it and want to get using it more. the only ammo i've put through mine is Remington 25gr hollow points stated at about 4,050fps and Remington 20gr accutips at around 4200fps. i want to reload this cartridge also and i think i've even read data on a load for something like a 12gr bullet at about 4700fps which sounds amazing to me. i may be a little off on the data for that since i read it so long ago but i'm very close because i know for a fact it was something very light like 12 to 15 grains at 4650 to 4700fps. anyway i appreciate any and everybit of info anyone can give me on this. Thanks.
Pez, I have a 700 in .17 and when I first bought it I went for the fence with velocities(4,025)and cases were growing 1-.002" each firing and accuracy was marginal. I backed the load down to 3,750 and things came back to normal, it shoots into .4 now. My rifle has the factory barrel(stainless) and it doesn't hurt my feelings that it was made in the USA. Stepchild
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| | | Posts: 1326 | Location: glennie, mi. USA | Registered: 14 July 2003 |
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| I had a Remington 700, 17 Remington for several years when I still lived in the lower 48. We made annual pilgrimages to our favorite ground squirrel shooting grounds, taking several small bore centerfire rifles with us. My 17 got used as hard as the 222's and 220 Swift. It was not uncommon to, over the course of a three day shoot, to put 500-600 rounds through the 17. I cleaned it at the end of every day. Out of curiosity once I let it go for almost 400 rounds without cleaning and with only a few brief cooling periods during the shooting. I went to the range after returning from the shoot and found that it was still shooting 5 in slightly less than 3/4". It would normally go 1/2' from a clean barrel. Once cleaned it was back to it's original accuracy level. And that was with the factory original barrel. I should note that I while I didn't hot rod mine, I did run the 25 grain bullets right at 4000 fps. I traded it off with the idea that I would build a left handed 17 on the mini Mauser action and still plan to do that. It was also my favorite fur rifle for the years that I had it. It shut coyotes down instantly and while it is not the long range performer my Swift is, it still has no difficulty to 300 yards. Most of my coyote hunting was by calling so shots tended to be shorter than longer. The 17 is a great cartridge. I regret ever trading mine off and look forward to having another one soon. Mart
"...I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprize, and independance to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks." Thomas Jefferson
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| | | Posts: 993 | Location: Wasilla, AK | Registered: 22 December 2002 |
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| I had one that i sold 15 years ago that was about 10 years old when i sold it. Factory standard model 700 that i got in a trade. It quickly became my number one prarie dog gun with confirmed kills at 500 yards but most shootong at 200-300 yards. I shot 200-400 rpunds a day and logged about 7000 rounds in it before i sold it. I once went about 600 rounds without cleaning and accuracy went to 6" at 100 yards. I usually cleaned it after about 200 rounds and kept accuracy at .75 at 100 with nearly any load. The guy who bought it shot it before buying it and shot .5 with factory loads and was happy enough to buy based on that. I always figured I would buy another but haven't yet found one on a shelf begging and haven't done any varmint hunting to urge another purchase but all in all the barrel lasted much longer than everyone said it would.
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| I have an old pressed "checkering" 700 in 17 rem. It pisses me off, but factory loads, the old green&white box stuff will shoot as good as my reloads. The old stuff runs 3950 fps and will group 3/4" 5 shot groups. I have 20 something boxes left I'd bought for $3 a box from a shop going out of buisness.
I clean it every 40-50 rounds with solvents only, with tight patches. |
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| I forgot, I have had my best luck with Rem 7 1/2 primers, as the cups seem to be hard, and IMR 4320 powder. |
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| quote: I have had my best luck with Rem 7 1/2 primers
This would be correct. when remmy brought out the 17 mike walker stated that remmy 7 1/2 primers should be used. that they had tried others but the 7 1/2 primers gave the best accuracy by far. I, for one have the greatest respect for anything mike said. He was an extremely knowledgeable man |
| | | Posts: 13466 | Location: faribault mn | Registered: 16 November 2004 |
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| I hate to burst your bubble but the 17gr VMax is as light as you're going to find these days unless you go custom (GSC, Berger, ect) The 25 and 30gr bullets are the ticket for the Rem. It's one of the larger 17's and thus gets it bad reputation just like Duane said people don't clean it. I would highly reccomend 25gr Nagles or Bergers, even the Hornady HP is great with this cartridge. I have had most of the 223 case head rounds and this is the one of the better "lazy" 17's. When Berger was making the 15gr HP, Blaine Eddy was moving them @ 5100fps killing coyotes with them. The little 17gr Vmax, I've had up to 4700fps from my 17Jav. Give http://www.saubier.com/forum.html a check for 17's you'll be shocked at what's been done. Adam
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| | | Posts: 463 | Location: Dresden, Ohio | Registered: 09 January 2012 |
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| My best groups were with IMR4320 Rem 7 1/2 primers and hornady 25gr hollowpoints. I tried 18 and 20 gr Genco and Bergers but the Hornady always grouped and performed down range best from my gun.
I still have 5 lbs of 4320 left over from my 17 rem days.
Matthew |
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| The Rem. 700, 17 Rem. i owned for a number of years had a VERY good bbl... I put several thousand rounds through it, and it didn't fowl bad and it stayed accurate.
I was hired as an animal control officer to get rid of some packs of dogs, and i wasn't too impressed with it's performance for that job, so that's why i finally got rid of it.
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| | | Posts: 696 | Location: Upper Midwest, USA | Registered: 07 February 2007 |
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| quote: Originally posted by DM:
I was hired as an animal control officer to get rid of some packs of dogs, and i wasn't too impressed with it's performance for that job
I've heard the .17 Rem performs like a lightning bolt on coyotes. the only game i've shot with mine was a couple of rabbits and a possum. the bullet did'nt exit from the possum so i cut it open and the insides were pretty much liquified. also i shot some pumpkins and when shooting a pumpkin with a .223 at around 3300fps the entry hole is small but it explodes exiting but with a .17 Rem at 4000fps the pumpkin exploded on impact and the exit hole was tiny. the .17 Rem 20gr accutip will penetrate a 1/4 inch thick iron plate. i would think the .17 Rem would make a great round for defeating bullet proof vests. |
| | | Posts: 229 | Location: North Carolina | Registered: 09 August 2011 |
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| quote: Originally posted by DM:
The Rem. 700, 17 Rem. i owned for a number of years had a VERY good bbl... I put several thousand rounds through it, and it didn't fowl bad and it stayed accurate.
I was hired as an animal control officer to get rid of some packs of dogs, and i wasn't too impressed with it's performance for that job, so that's why i finally got rid of it.
DM
DM, Which bullet did you use? I had similar unsatisfactory results with the Remington bullets but the Hornady bullets performed well on coyotes. Tiny entrance wounds, much internal damage and no exit wounds were the norm for the Hornady 25 grain bullet. The Remington bullet seemed prone to pencil hole unless bone was struck. I gave up on the Remingtons shortly after purchasing the 17 and stayed with the Hornady 25 grain exclusively. The lighter bullets, and heavier, were just new in the 17 market when I traded off my 17 and I never got the opportunity to play with them at all. Mart
"...I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprize, and independance to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks." Thomas Jefferson
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| | | Posts: 993 | Location: Wasilla, AK | Registered: 22 December 2002 |
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| After shooting factory loads to get brass, all of my reloading/shooting was done with Hornady bullets.
DM |
| | | Posts: 696 | Location: Upper Midwest, USA | Registered: 07 February 2007 |
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| Kindler Gold 30gr bullets, without a doubt wicked on K9's of all sizes. Adam
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| | | Posts: 463 | Location: Dresden, Ohio | Registered: 09 January 2012 |
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