AMMUNITION
The 17 Remington
A little more than 30 years ago, Remington introduced what is still the world's smallest-caliber, commercial centerfire cartridge, the .17 Remington.
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| Accurate | 2460, 2520, 2700 |
|---|---|
| Alliant | Rl-12, RL-15* |
| Hodgdon | Varget*, H4198, BL-C2*H322, H380 |
| IMR | IMR 4198, IMR 4895 IMR 4320 |
| VihtaVouri | N135*, N140 |
| Winchester | WW748, WW760 |
| *Powders used in this test. | |
Powders Suitable for the .17 Remington
A little more than 30 years ago, Remington introduced what is still the world's smallest-caliber, commercial centerfire cartridge, the .17 Remington. With all the hoopla about the brand-new .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, it seems appropriate to take a fresh look at the centerfire .17 that started all the sub-caliber fuss.
Before Remington came along, wildcatters whipped up a slew of .17s based on cartridges from the .22 Hornet to the .223 Remington. The .17 was popular enough that a custom gunshop--Atkinson and Marquart--made quite a few "Javelina Rifles" based on the Sako Vixen action, chambered for the .17 Mach IV wildcat and stocked in the flashy California style.
So when Remington introduced its commercial .17, it seemed a sure bet the new cartridge would be a runaway hit. The Remington round is similar (but not identical) to the .17-223 wildcat, and it yields startling muzzle velocities--more than 4,000 fps. This puts the .17 Remington in the class of the .220 Swift, the only other commercially loaded cartridge with a muzzle velocity above the magical 4,000 figure.
When the .220 Swift was introduced in the 1930s, reports and rumors proliferated it could drop practically any game species like lightning. Even animals as large as a moose--it was said--would drop instantly, like a sack of potatoes.
Suddenly, it was 1935 all over again. Only then the same types of extravagant claims were being made about the .17 Remington. One account said "a boiler-room hit on a coyote with a .17 would liquefy its internal organs, bringing instantaneous death."
On the heels of these reports came the detractors, just as had happened in the case of the .220 Swift. These accounts held that the .17 Remington fouled barrels badly, making it necessary to clean them thoroughly every 10 to 15 shots. It was hard to obtain accurate handloads, it was said. And--worst of all--the .17 Remington would eat barrels. It was said that bore erosion would render a .17 barrel useless after only a few hundred rounds. Of course, these reports were wildly exaggerated, just as they had been with the Swift. But they apparently had an impact because the .17 Rem. never achieved the popularity it should have.
Nevertheless, Remington has sold enough .17 rifles over the years that it still remains in the company's lineup, while other chamberings--such as the 6mm--have fallen by the wayside. One of the first things you'll learn about a .17 Remington is that you need more than just a rifle and ammo. If you're lucky enough to have a gun store nearby that caters to serious shooters, you'll need to take a little shopping expedition.
First of all, your .22 cleaning rod won't work, neither will your .22 cleaning patches. Both are too big. If you're serious about barrel care, you'll want to buy a .17 bore guide; remember to pick up a .17 jag tip and a .17 brush or two while you're at it. If you intend to handload, you'll need a new powder funnel, and possibly a chamfer tool as well.
But don't worry. The .17 Remington. represents a whole new world of sub-caliber shooting fun, and the extra bother is worth it. My test rifle was a factory standard Remington Model 700 BDL. In the .17 chambering, the 700 comes with iron sights on a 24-inch barrel (actually 23.75 inches). The trigger broke crisply and consistently at a lawyerly six pounds. Using Burris Signature rings and bases, I mounted a Bushnell Elite 4200 6-24X scope on it for range testing. I also installed a strain gage over the chamber and wired it to my Oehler M43 Personal Ballistics Lab.
At the range, the first step was to fire factory ammo to obtain baseline pressure and muzzle velocity data. The results were interesting.
I had two brands of factory ammo--Remington Express loads with 25-grain HPs and Hornady Varmint Express loads featuring 20-grain molycoated V-Max bullets. I fired five rounds of each to obtain the necessary data for comparison, with the handloads to follow. The Remington loads produced unexpectedly low velocity and pressure data--3,907 fps at 48,200 psi-- while the lighter Hornady load exited the muzzle at 4,320 fps with 54,500 psi. The Hornady data was right on the mark for pressure, reassuring me that my equipment was operating correctly.
For whatever reason, the Remington ammo is loaded very conservatively--if 3,900-plus fps can be called conservative. Equally interesting, the sleek little 20-grain V-Max bullets were scorchers at more than 4,300 fps in the Hornady factory loads. These figures were to be borne out by later handload data.
I had an extremely limited choice of bullets (two) to use in the handloading phase, and both are from Hornady. Its 25-grain HP has been around for decades, and is now joined by a 20-grain V-Max. The 20 grain projectile--with its polymer tip--is actually slightly longer than the 25 grain HP, which makes the published ballistic coefficients nearly identical at .185 and .187, respectively. These BCs are only slightly lower than those for similar .22 bullets, which run in the low .200 range.
Berger is the only other widely distributed brand offering a .17 bullet. There are six weights available, ranging from a 15-grain HP to a 37-grain VLD. Unfortunately, none of these were available in time for testing.
I kept handloads within the 53,000 to 57,000 psi range, and obtained excellent accuracy with several different powder/bullet combinations. Muzzle velocities with the 25-grain Hornady exceeded 4,100 fps at this pressure level in almost all cases, and the 20-grain V-Max left the muzzle at more than 4,400 fps in all combinations. A gusting wind at the range showed that the .17's reputation for wind sensitivity is well-earned, but manageable. With careful shooting technique, it should be reliable up to 300 yards and possibly beyond on small varmints. For calling coyotes and jump-shooting jackrabbits, I would be hard pressed to name a better cartridge than the .17 Remington.
WARNING: The loads shown here are safe only in the guns for which they were developed. Neither the author nor Primedia assumes any liability for accidents or injury resulting from the use or misuse of this data.
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