17 Remington Likes Dislikes

I have been thinking of getting one to add to my collection of varmint rifles. If you have or had one in the pass how did you like it? Is there any advantage of having one over the new 204s , 17HMR and others?

I've been very impressed with the HMR. Don't know about a 17 Remington

The .17 rem is a great chuck, fox, and coyote gun. 200 yards for smaller critters - for the larger ones would keep it inside 150 yards.

I love it. Lots of fun for prairie dogs. Good coyote gun also

love mine. 300 yards and watch the bullet hit.mine is a t/c encore with a mgm barrel.

I used a 17-223 last winter for a calling gun; ballistics are very nearly the same as the 17 Rem. I really liked it. Fast and flat obviously, only had one coyote with any damage and it was mangey anyway. I used the 25 Hornady hp and will again this winter. The 204 may be more versatile but I think those 17’s running 4000fps are pretty good.

Do they still make factory loads for the 17 Remington? I remember when that gun came out back in the 70's. I thought it was obsolete.

There is still factory ammo made, last I knew. I went with the 17-223 just because I reload and already had what I needed to form the brass from 223.

The 17's have been around for much longer than most think. Ackley necked down a big verity of calibers to .17 The 17 Rem first came out in a factory rifle in 1971. But as a wild cat it had been around as a 17/222.

In about 1943 Charlie O’Neil asked P.O. Ackley to make a 17-caliber barrel for him. With the war effort in full swing, Ackley had trouble acquiring the tooling and did not get the barrel made up until 1945. By then O’Neil had lost interest in the project. The first cartridge that Ackley made up in 17 caliber was the 17 Pee Wee, a necked down 30 Carbine case.
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It quickly became obvious that there were no actions that would readily handle the 17 Pee Wee and surplus .30 Carbines were still years away from the market. Consequently Ackley quickly realized the need for more useful cartridges in 17 caliber. So, he moved on to the 17 Ackley Hornet, 17 Ackley Bee, and eventually the 17/222. In his “Handbook for Shooters and Reloader”

Ackley stated that, “Experience has shown that the 222 Remington simply necked down without any other change is about the best, and most easily made since it requires no trimming or fire forming. This cartridge is about maximum capacity for the 17 bore and only a slight increase in velocity has been possible by necking down larger cases.”

The lineage of the 17 Remington is clear, it goes back directly to Ackley’s work with the 17 caliber.

I built one in the late 70s or early 80s when they came out with the Mini Mauser action don't remember the load I worked up but it was a tack driver I still have it but I use my Ruger 17 hmr the most.

Bought my first .17 rem in the early 80's. Killed piles of fur and rodents with them, Just bought a new barrel to put on the shelf for a future project.. Hornady discontinued the 25 grain hollow point that has been the main stay of most .17 shooters.

Reloads are inexpensive, recoil non-existent, excellent round if you understand it's limitations.

I have shot the .17 for over 40 years. I believe it’s the best fur cartridge ever produced. Don’t expect too much out of factory ammo, it’s a handloaders round. Team it with a good 30 grain bullet and you will have a wicked taker.

Would you share your load for that 30 grain?

I’ve used mine since the early ‘80s and love it. It stayed home on Night hunts and Windy days but is the “go-to” the rest of the time. Mine was part of a recall after I’d shot a few boxes. They replaced the barrel.

I studied Ackley's books and had to have a 17. In the 1980's I found a used H & R in 17/223. Most things shot had the pin hole in and nothing out. I did shoot three deer with the 25 grain Hornady bullets. First traveled about a quarter mile or so before it was finished with a 270. The second dropped dead after two or three jumps. The third is still running for all I know. Sold it to Cabelas & kind of wish I had it back.

Pm sent.

My son has one, He killed 14 coyotes with it this past winter using the 25 gr Hornady bullet. it is a tack driver but the fur damage was the worst I have ever seen. most even shot perfect had holes as big as a soft ball. He switched back to his 204 for the rest of the winter. He is going to try the Burger bullets this winter, He worked up a load with the Burgers that are a 5 shot group you can cover with a dime

I have a 17 REM but all I have ever used was remington 25gr HP's. I should get her back out with some other bullets

Exact opposite experience as super cub son.

Been killing coyotes and bobcats for over 30 years with one and hands down the best fur caliber I've ever shot.

Used to check in at the calling contests and other contestants would start calling BS and inspecting for trap marks because their was no blood in the truck bed.

Tiny entrance hole and explosive destruction inside. "They kill almost like magic"

Speed, rotation, cross section, and bullet weight/construction are what harvests fur good and bad. Once the projectile leaves the barrel it doesn't matter what was head stamped on the case.
Delicate balance to arrive at something that does it all. Impossible really but the .17 Rem is as close as it gets.

If your having fur damage with the .17 or any other small bore on COYOTES it could very likely be fixed with patience and shot placement which go hand in hand

ML

Run a few test rounds with a 30 grainer before you buy a bunch.
My custom built rifles don't have the twist for them.

Woodchuck Den out of biz so far as I know? Too bad because they made great bullets.

I didn't know anyone else made 30s ?? Please share.

ML

Chan Nagle was making 30's a while back

Most .17s won't handle 30's with out slowing the twist just a tad.

Like Mercer, out of the hundreds of fox,cats coyotes I've dumped with numerous .17's I cant ever remember a hole that I was disappointed with. Even in fox a .50 cent piece size hole is rare. I did have a run of 28 straight coyotes a few years ago that required zero stitches.


I have run 25 hornadys in my .17 Remington's since day one, slowed down to about 3550.
Here was a good night/morning of calling with a factory .17 Remington. not much blood at all.

One of my .17s has a 1 in 9 twist that handles the 30s very well. I also have a 1 in 10 shilen that handles 30s pretty good, not as good as the 1in 9. I believe Black Hole still makes 30 grain. They are a very good bullet.

x2 on this as well-I have shot a 17 Remington( caliber) for years and it is absolutely hands down the best fur cartridge out there-damage is extremely minimal.It is an exceptional varmint caliber for shooting fox and coyotes period.

The 17 Rem has been my favorite for many years. I shoot mostly 20 grain Hornadays. 27 grains of AA 2700-super accurate in all 3 of mine. Also shot alot of 15 grain Bergers til they quit making them. There was a guy from somewhere out west that shot alot of coyotes with the 15 grain Berger going near 5000 fps.

17 Remington fan here myself. I have killed quite a few coyotes with the 17 Rem. I’m a big fan of the Berger 25 or 30 grain bullet. My Tikka has a 1.10 twist and it shoots the 30 Berger decent. It shoots the 25 grain really well. I bought some Genco 26 grain rebated hollow point which my Tikka shoots really well. I had a Cooper 17 that shot the Berger 30 real well. I traded the Cooper off for a old new unfired Sako L61 in 264 Win Mag.
Most of the coyotes I’ve killed was using the Genco 26 or Berger 25.
I like the Remington 25 grain bullet for foxes.
One thing to remember is the 17 bullet needs to be placed in the heart lung area. Liver shots are a no go. I’ve shot coyotes in the liver with my 220 Swift and recovered the coyote. Your margin of error is slimmer with the 17 Remington.
As far as a fur gun there is no better than a 17 Remington. Ice pick entry with no exit. And a lot of internal damage on the inside.
I like the 25 Hornady for crows.

i guess I go opposite of most of the others. I had a CZ 527 Varmint in 17 rem. Got rid of it. It was a tack driver, but so are a lot of other rifles. The limited components was a hassle for my tastes. Obviously others disagree. Would I go back? No. I am absolutely sure of this so if you ask again in a week my opinion may change.lol.
That said, I do have a 17 HMR that serves as my pellet-with-a-pop gun.

Wouldn't trade my Tikka 17 for anything as I hate fur damage. The only drawback is reach and as stated before, you have to hit em in the breadbasket.

Anybody know where to get the Hornady 25 hp's?

I'll keep my 17 Rem forever, 25 gr remington bullet 23.7 IMR 4320.

Having been discontinued for over a year, one has to hope to find them on a for sale page of a shooters forum.

Been shooting a .17 for about 49 ears bought my first one in 79 .Really good fur gun. My go to bullet was a Remington 25 grn. that is no longer available .Currently have a Tikka Continental iand love it

I find that to be opposite the 204 is not near as fur friendly .

Anyone with a stash of 30gr kindler golds they're not using anymore?



I gots 25gr Hornadys to trade, or cash, which is just as good as money.

You are probably the first person I've ever heard of complaining about fur damage with a 17 rem

Neck shots, glancing hits easy to destroy fur but that holds true for any varmint rifle.

I don't like the .204 factory loads for fur because of the bullets they use.
Dead on chest shots the Vmax and similar are fantastic but have bad luck with them on anything running or broadside.

Folks talk about the perfect "fur caliber" (should be cartridge)
Once the projectile leaves the muzzle it doesn't matter what was head stamped on the brass.
It's about bullet construction, and speed mostly.

.17 Rem is hard on stuff lighter than a coyote because of the speed. Slow it down or shoot a Mach IV or even the new .17 Super Mag and your back in the money on cats and fox.

That .25 Remington was a soft point. Man I miss those.

Did not know the .17 Hornady was discontinued. That sucks.

ML

Mercer, I've never had any issues even with reds with fur damage. Now, I only use the 17 when calling which gives me a little more control on shot selection.

Cats and fox down here are considerably smaller.
Hit them too hard and they come apart.

Your reds are prolly size of my yotes!

Leather on my cats is so thin. Folks who have never handled a SW desert skin are always taken back at how light they are.

ML

I take it wind doesn't bother them much out to the practical distance it's good for?

I've never messed with one but have thought about getting one.

The only problem is high wind shooting long range. But have shot a lot of rounds out of several .17 REM, and out of my 17 K Hornet and 17 Fireball I like the 25gr pills.

Wind and sustained energy are the default arguments against the .17s
but like you said "reasonable distances"

It's a calling type cartridge. If I'm gonna go shoot fields or head to the prairie gonna take something else.

Buddy called me the other day. Said his .17 with Hornady 25s was punching clean thru armor plate.
"Like a laser"

Probably shouldn't post that.

ML

Yes, I was thinking in the 200yd range.
I didn't know if a lite bullet going that fast would be impacted much with wind.

Thanks for the answers! You guys deal with more wind regularly than we do here in the hills and mountains.

Dislike reloading: trying to hold that little bullet and getting it seated without it going sideways on ya or pinching yr fingers !!!!!! PIA

I went on a prairie dog hunt with two other guys. We took 3-17 Rems, a 223 2-22-250's, 3-25-06s, and a 270. We drove up after work on a Friday and set up a camp. About day light the wind came up and was pushing the dome tent down on top us. It finally busted a pole. We shot every rifle we had in that wind and the all had pretty close to the same drift. With the wind we were only shooting out to about 300 yards. Yes, you had to allow for wind drift, but you did with all the calibers we had along.

Get one of the Vickerman seating die and stop pinching your fingers. Bought one several years ago, since I load 17HH and 17 Rem. Only thing I don't like about the 17 cal is, bullets. Seems like once I settle on a load, the bullet is discontinued. Loaded Kinder Golds in both till he stopped making them, Hornady dropped their 25gr hp., So I'm back to working up loads with 23gr Texas Golds in the 17HH and 26gr Reeds and 25gr Black hole in the 17Rem. Which ever I settle on I'm stocking up.

There is 200 Hornady 25 Gr HP's on gun broker. I shoot Rem 25 gr HP and had 1000 in stock when they stopped making them. I am cheap, I buy in bulk.

Remington still offers 17 Remington ammo, the problem is they do limited production runs. Usually gone as soon as it hit the shelves and about a $1.75 a round. You need to get on some of the retails websites and sign up for an email notifier when back in stock, don't hesitate or it will be gone. Great round though.

The local pawn shop has a box and a half of the original Remington ammo.


I almost bought it, but I'm stocked pretty well right now.

The old green and yellow box.
Remington soft points!

ML

The load my son was shooting was the 25 gr Hornady loaded with 24.2 gr of varget powder. he tried imr 4320 but never could get a good group. What I saw when I skinned them was looked like they blew up on contact. I don't know what powder or load to get it slowed down to 3500-3600 fps.

The damage was really bad as I said before most with holes as big as a soft ball

super cub- was he using the 25 grain hollow point or the 25 grain vmax? In my experience the hp has always penetrated and held together fairly well. I only had one that had any damage to speak of. That one I caught on the shoulder quartered to me a bit and I had a big tear on the entry. He went about 50 yards and piled up.

The 25 vmax bullets are pure devastation on prairie dogs....like instantaneous expansion. Lots of splat factor but I don't have any intentions of using them as a fur bullet. Both bullets have been pretty accurate with a little load work up.

Try ammoseek.com when looking for components for reloading.

He was using the hollow points. Not sure what the fps would be. He shot a few with his 17 hornet with the same bullet and it did not blow them up and it runs 3500 fps but he did have 2 run off and never found them.
If he lowers the volosity on the 17 Remington he can't get a good group. he has tried a few different powders and seating depths. maybe the bergers will do good

Hp's

Midwayusa.com sent me an email today stating they have Remington 17 20 grain accutips rounds back in stock, $33 and change for a box of 20.