Small quirky calibers are kinda thing. N ver really got the allure of getting the dog mess kicked out me buy the big 300 ultra manly man calibers when I can load cheaper ,shoot cheaper and but just as deadly as long as I know what I'm doing with smaller stuff (or don't just aim for the big middle hoping big bullet will make up for your crappy
whatever) Just me.
Anyhow this keeps leading em back to wanting to play around with a .17 cal centerfire. Always thought one would be fun and cheap ( reloading, and before someone says it I actually really enjoy reloading, might not be good at it but I enjoy doing it even if I don't save a ton) but man more and more it seems really hard to justify one over somolike a god ole .223 of one of the rimfire.17's I mean you can't find a dang gun. Savage had their 25 walking Varminter in .17 hornet that looked like a good fit but haven't seen one of those for sale in ages. Used to could get a .17 rem AR barrel for $150 from midway but their discontinued. You can still find some 17 fireball stuff though... Then that leads me to barrels.can get custom barrels all day but lead times are anywhere from 6weeks to 6-8 months for the good guys and your really really lucky if your getting for under $350. And most of those still require a smith I think. Then the part that really kills me is the brass . Just about all the .17centerfires you can't find any brass , new at least. And the non wild cats like .17 rem and .17 fire ball both have parent cases that are equally hard to find.
Seems the best thing to do right now if a guy was dead set in a " affordable".17centerfire would be get a .17-223 AR barrel spun up for around $350-$400 wait two months and build it on a AR platform at least then you can just form your brass from .223/5.556 ( just running it up in a die and trine I down from my understanding). But honestly the more I look into it and crunch numbers ( and this is gonna sound weird coming from me I know) I just can't see a reason to make the hassle worth it. Other then just saying I'm an American I have money I want it , which in all fairness I've done a good bit lol.
But anyhow I know some of y'all love the .17 centerfires there anything that makes them worth all the trouble for somone looking at one in 2023 ? Especially when you have the .17 hmr and .17 wsm. Can find them at about eher shop for under $600 all day

17 Remington is fun to play with but being that light of a bullet the wind pushes em around a lot.Mine is in a Thompson contender with a target barrel. For plinking and paper targets I much prefer the 22 Hornet 17 way too light for coyote IMHO.

At one time I wanted a 17 rem. Like you I don't need super mag rounds to kill deer or anything else. I prefer big enough to get the job done no more. But like you said the hassle, and spair time to play with a wild cat or something I have to make brass for well I don't have the time. If I don't want a exit hole I will just shoot a 45g hp out of a .223 that I allready have.

BUT I like odd ball stuff and often becuse I want it is good enough.

mine is on a t/c encore. keep your shots under 300 yards and it will kill what you point it at.it's neat watching the bullet impact on groundhogs! they swell up , then fall towards you!

Yeah that's one of the man compliments I've heard about the .17's honestly the only thing I'd really hunt with them is smaller critters, grey fox and the like. Doubt a (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) over 150yd. Really wish I got a hold of one of them TC break actions

my buddy shoots a .17 Rem very well on coyotes but his fatal shots usually end up in a 300yd tracking job. My .22/250 fatal hits end up with 50 yd maximum track or DOA!

If it's just for grey fox or bobcats....just stick with a .17 HMR ...for yotes and bigger....go to a .223 or up .

No.

.17s were a big deal with coyote hunters years ago. A calling rifle. Little 25 or 30 grn Berger bullets, slip one of those little 30 grn. meanies in the chest cavity and it would explode in the lungs without an exit wound. So, no sewing.

But, that was then. We haven't had any prolonged cold winter weather to bring the fur out and no one will pay anything for a Missouri coyote anyway. So, coyotes killed around here are for depredation and left lay and it doesn't matter what the exit hole looks like. You use anything you want.

The 17 Rem cf is a good coyote gun if it is used within it's boundaries. If you chose to reload and your barrel has a fast twist, 30 grn bullets work well. The 17hmr and other rimfire 17's don't even come close. 17 Rem is a very capable 300 + yard fur gun.
If you are not a reloader, factory ammo is impossible to find right now. Remington claims they will resume production in the future.
Saubier.com has good discussion on the the 17 Rem.
Have both the 17hmr and 17 Rem., no comparsion, in my opinion.

Once upon a time I was reloading my 22/250 with the Barnes 36 gain Varmint Grenades. I was using that gun when I was calling coyotes and I gave it the name “Instant Death”. When hit, the coyotes just stiffened up and tipped over and never an exit hole. A great combination for shooting coyotes and saving pelts.

I've had a 17 Rem for 30 years or more. Instant lights out on wolverines and foxes. I have also beheaded the occasional ptarmigan.

Yeah, no comparison between an .17 HMR and .17 Rem. Night and day.
Truly amazing to see how one of those little bullets explodes in the lungs of a coyote. Looks like gold dust or metal shavings from a grinder maybe.
They're sure enough killers on coyotes. And cats too. One guy I know deer hunts with his and swears by it. I think that's stretching it a might myself.
I never knew anyone who had a .17 that didn't reload.

Read some where the shooter said had to clean them every 20 shots. Then burn a shot to get back on target. I haven't shot mine enough to be able to know he quirks of them yet. What say you long time shooters of the 17 Remington.

Good projectiles are scarce.

Brass is too expensive to use in an AR.


If you can stomach that, it's a fun varmint round.

Shoot way more then 20 rounds prairie doggin without cleaning.

And your 250 shot critters need 250 stitches .Got my first .17 in the early 70's and have used it on deer on down to gophers and in the wind its fine enough to out shoot most . All bullets drop and all bullets get blown by wind . Shoot a red fox and take him home and look for a hole .When Rem. made the bullets they were fur savers .

Good to know arcticotter .

You can tell who has really hunted with 1...lol
25 and 30 gr Bergers are death on yotes...and
whatever else you'd consider a varmint. Molly helps
on the cleaning so often.

You can make any gun purchase worth your time. Bigger question to me these days is what are the logistics in running the thing like. Can you get ammo or components to reload