Hello,
Basically the question is this. I want to learn everything possible any tips, tricks, triumphs and tribulations regarding loading for the 17 Remington. I have one on layaway, and am very excited about that so I want to have all my ducks in a row the day the final bill is paid.

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Safety & Ethics,Accuracy, Velocity, Energy
Joe M

Hello Joe,
I've just gotten a Remington 700 Classic in .17 Remington myself. I haven't tried a lot of different loads, but one that shows promise is 23 to 25 grains of Varget behind a 20 grain Starke hollow point. I'm using Federal 2.5M primers, and seating the bullets .020" off the lands. 5-shot groups are right around 1/2" @ 100 yards.
I've just gotten some 20 & 25 grain Berger MEF Moly coated bullets. The Bergers have been excellent in my .22 Hornet, and I'm expecting the same results in the 17.
I've decided to shoot moly coated bullets in the 17, since they're prone to copper fouling pretty easily.
Believe me, at $18 to $19 per box for factory ammo, it REALLY pays to reload for the .17 Remington! Good luck with your new rifle.
Regards, George.

I also have a 700 classic in .17 remington and have tried a number of different loads with it. I have used Hornady 25 HP's, Berger 25's and now Starke 25's. I just received some 30 grain Starkes that I hope to try soon.

As for powders, the best powder that I have found is IMR 4320 - in my gun. I have tried Varget and Winchester 760 as well. I had good accuracy with the Winchester 760 as well, but settled on the IMR 4320. Most load manuals list load data for the .17 Remington and I use a max load according to Lyman's 47th manual. I should also mention that I have found preference with the 25 grain Starkes and am really happy with their performance on paper and critters. If you get a .17, you owe it to yourself to give the Starkes a try.

You will really like this gun, it is a blast to shoot and you can watch the action unfold in the scope. Recoil is nil, but you can really reach out there.

www.saubier.com

[This message has been edited by jim saubier (edited 09-20-2001).]

Jim,
Bye the way, I loved your website.

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Safety & Ethics,Accuracy, Velocity, Energy
Joe M

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JoeM:
[B]Hello,
Basically the question is this. I want to learn everything possible any tips, tricks, triumphs and tribulations regarding loading for the 17 Remington. I have one on layaway, and am very excited about that so I want to have all my ducks in a row the day the final bill is paid.

I've been shooting a 17 for about the last 20 yrs and still am learning. The first thing is get a good bore guide (lucas) and a bore-teh cleaning rod. I'm still using G-M top engine cleaner with Kroil. After about 100 rds I'll use alittle Sweet's. I don't use moly bullets anymore! I'm down to my last 2000 Rem 25 gr bullets and have been using berger or Hornaday 25 gr bullets. My powder is IMR4320. My 17 Rem is a Dan Dowling built one on a 40x action and my 17mach1V is on a rem 700 action. I use to shoot a 17/222 and a 17/223. In the 17 Rem I can shoot between 70-100 rds before cleaning and it also will depend on how hot it is out when we shoot PD. I break the barrel in cleaning after each shot for the 1st ten and for every other shot for the next 10 and every third shot for the next nine and use Sweet's to check for fouling about every 3-5 shot fired. When I first started shooting a 17 all I heard was about fouling and you had to clean after every 10-20 rounds fired well I must of been lucky because I could go about 50 rounds before I had to clean and that was on a factory Remington. I don't use any lighter or heavier bullet than a 25 gr and they work real great for me. I also make my case from Federal 223 match brass now. I use a Neil Jones dies and also Wilson dies. I keep the velocity at about 3836fps in the 17 rem and find my cses last alot long. I kind of put the 17 on the back burner when they quit make IMR4320 some years back. Sure was glad when 4320 came back out. Well good luck!