Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Anybody Neck the FN 5.7x28 Down to .17?

It's such a cute little cartridge! I just want to pinch it.

Seems like it would be a nice alternative to a .17 HMR.

These guys over here will neck down anything to 17 or 20 or 14.
http://www.saubier.com/
If you ask around, I'm sure some one has or is in the process of building a rifle for it.

A pretty similar wildcat is the .17 Varmint Hunter's Association (.17 VHA), made by necking down HK 4.6x30 brass.

Since the 4.6x30 cartridge shoots a .183" bullet, necking down is much easier than necking down 5.7mm brass, and the rest of the case is very similar in dimensions to the 5.7x28.

I'm going to be trying one out here very soon. Have some ammo, and am only waiting on the rifle to show up.

By rifle, do you mean Savage M-25 Walking Varminter? Heard they were coming out but haven't heard of anyone seeing one.

1flier

No, a custom rifle owned by the guy who thought up the round, John Anderson, the editor of VHM.

Oh, sorry, thought you were talking about the 5.7X28.

Very cool at any rate.

1flier

Made a reamer and a set of dies for a 6x28 but haven't cut a barrel yet....

.17 Velociraptor, is what 'foxhunter' calls it, over on www.saubier.com... He likes it, has killed various 'stuff' with it, but I don't know if he's still messing around with it or not.

It is a "cute little catriage." What I really like is the really cool, light pistol that is made for it. The only under 20 oz. handgun I've ever shot that I could shoot 5 shot, 2 inch groups at 25 yds. E

my guess is that a .17/5.7x28 wilcat in an unlocked blowback pistol would run into the same problems that the 17hmr did. Not enough bullet mass to reliably cycle the action (or not cycle), while simultaniously ensuring that the breach pressure is low enough to not cause a blow out.

advntrjnky

I'd put it in something the size of a CZ 550 .22 rifle.

I was just reading that those FN 5.7 pistols & carbines require lacquer-coated brass. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but to me that howls POS design.

John Anderson (editor of Varmint Hunter) did it a while back. It's a fun, fast and cute little cartridge. You can think of it as a 17 Hornet Extra, if you will. But with stronger brass and rimless shape. He calls it the .17 VHA.

I haven't noticed any lacquer on the brass of the 5.7 ammo I've shot.
It is, however, a very critical to load for round. Both AA and Ramshot make it clear that one should work up loads following their components exactly and going up in powder charges .1 grs. at a time. E

Here's the little booger...



From left: 17 HMR, 17 VHA, 17 Bee, 22 Hornet and 221 Fireball.

Neat photo lineup Rocky

I can't imagine that lacquer coated anything in a semi auto would do any good for cycling. Screams buggered up action to me, although I could be wrong.