Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles OK .17 looneys...

Trav knows his schit.




Dave

Your new Delta name will be, Kojak.




Travis

I like the Fireball/Mach IV a lot but if factory brass availability is a concern the 17 Rem is much easier to find.

Nothing fur friendlier.



Travis

JSH,

I've found .221 Fireball brass very available, including Lapua, and one pass through FL die turns it into .17 FB.

So Ingwe does't loose sight of his quest...............

1. Fur Friendly


2. Accurate



3. Classy......absolutely Uber Coolest while doing 1. and 2.

OK guys...if I was to do this on a sporter, what length barrel, and what R.O.T.?


I have idea, but I want them confirmed.Or Denied.

24" with a 1/9 ROT.

Could I get good velocities out of a 22"????

No. Bullets will barely fall out the end of 22" barreled 17. That extra two inches makes all the difference.

Just for grins and giggles I ran my favorite load of 24 grains of 4320 under a Hornady 25 grain HP through Quickloads. A 24 inch barrel shows 4179 fps and a 22 inch 4088 fps.

So you can see the extreme velocity loss you'll suffer by cutting back 2 inches.

OK...best go the other direction....26 or 28 " ?



If that thing gets under 4000 it probably wont kill schitt....

26" = 4259
28" = 4332
30" = 4399
62" = 5004

That's probably pretty close considering every barrel, bullet, and powder combo is different.

I can tell you for a fact that I lost 140fps when I cut a Pac-Nor SS SM 9twist down to 22" from 24".
That was with N140 and Nagel 25's.
It was worth it though as that shorter barrel's so much handier for walking around rig.

Matter of fact, I like it almost as much as my CZ 17FB. Almost:)

Good to know....22" is indeed my fave, for the reason you stated....I think I can squeak by with 4000fps....

Me too.

Both my 700 Classic and 527 American are 22" and I'm kicking myself for not having my smith cut that SPS I morphed into a 222 down while he was at it.
Still might one of these days although it shoots so good now I'm reluctant to touch it..

I heard that....

Had my last 223AI done at 22" and still get great velocity out of it. Had my first "build" a std. .223 done at 23"....Gunsmith asked me how long for the barrel, and I told him " short enough to turn around in the cab of a pickup"

It works!

On these little cartridges, Im thinking they'll burn enough powder in 22" to get the bullet out there....

They will.

I was suprised at the velocity loss on my 700 Classic though.
Most every thing you read from the "experts" claim 25fps per inch as a hard and fast rule but I was almost three times that amount.
I got most of it back without pushing the cases too hard though, and I don't shoot high volume with this gun so barrel wear due to the hotter loads isn't a big issue. I'm happy with the results even if I ain't an expert.

22", #2 Douglas, 1-9" ROT.

8" probably couldn't hurt given the times we're living in.




Travis

Mountain Standard?

FWIW an old friend of mine swore that 3800fps with a 25. Was the magic muzzle velocity. He killed a crapload of wolves and a half dozen caribou with his old BDL and the Hornady 25 pushed by 3031. So I don't guess I'd worry about 2" less barrel.