Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints .17 guys, I need bullet advice

I have a first year production M700 BDL in .17 rem. I put a rebuilt steel tube T10 with an 8th minute dot on top in Weavers to complete the retro scheme. And you don't even have to ask, hell yes it's uber awesome and badass, and no it ain't for sale.

It shoots the 25gr Hornady pretty good, about an inch for 5 with 4895, 4320, and accurate 2700. With CFE groups open up to about 1 1/4" for 5.

With the 20gr VMax and CFE the thing absolutely sings, three shots in a bughole with 5 opening to .5 or so. The real eye opener is that Hodgdon's max book load with the CFE I get no pressure signs but average velocity is 4575fps for 10 shots.

I also have 400 Barnes Original 25gr soft points I bought at a gunshow in sealed black and orange boxes. When I called Barnes looking for data they said they've never made any .17 bullets. Damn things must be collectors items! If I don't shoot them I'll sell them to you guys for your collections for a measly $100 a box.

Anyways, I always hear about the awesomeness of the 25gr Hornady but not much about the 20. I'm headed back to kodiak next week where the foxes are thick as flies and I want to shoot some more of them. I'm not selling them, just like to tan them and hang them around the house. But I don't want to blow them up and I know they don't take much blowing up to ruin. Think the 20s will be alright or should I stick with 25s.

And because I assume someone will suggest it, yes I also have an awesome 222 mag but its likely a fox shredding machine. Way too uber.

Grab the 20 grain vmaxes, and load to hornet levels for fox......

Stick with the 25s for fur.

Also, 4575 fps is a pressure sign.

Or this. Probably the best bet if you're serious about keeping the hides.

I'd use either bullet at either speed. Avoid bone.



Travis

+1. Hitting bone will have you end up with a fox in half

Good luck finding a bone avoiding bullet...

The 20 grain VMAXes are fine for rodents. I've never used them on anything bigger. I generally ran them about 4300.

The truth o' the bullet matter is this: I've never gotten good accuracy with the 25 grain hornady HP in any of the 4 .17 Remingtons I've owned. I had a 700 SPS .17 Fireball that shot them pretty well. I've had much better accuracy with both 20 and 25 grain VMAXes. I didn't have real good accuracy with the 20 grain Bergers but they seemed "harder" ... I'd consider Bergers for fur if your gun shoots them well.

Barnes .17 cal .. hmmm .. I recall stories about guys shooting feral burrows in the early .17 days. I wonder if that's what they were using? Guess, since it's about feral burros, it really is a "wild ass" guess.

Tom

Kodiak fox hunt? Operative word Kodiak-.375 H&H. Same size hole in and out, bones don't matter, cheap bear insurance.

TheKid: If you think the Fox are thick on Kodiak Island then you ought to mosey on over (16 miles) to Afognak Island!
The Fox there need traffic lights on the beaches to keep from running into each other!
I have used the 25 grain Bergers in all my 17's for some time now and am happy with the accuracy, lethality and fur friendliness of these bullets.
I have not tried the 20 grain Hornady's as yet.
Best of luck to you on Kodiak and be sure to let us know how you do.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I've seen foxes shot on The Rock by guys using 375s, the same hole in and out is BS. Foxes have skin like damp Charmin TP and almost anything will blow the hell out of them if it exits. Pard of mine had some spectacular exits using HPs in his 10/22 magnum, went to fmjs and headshots and cured the issue. I'm not worried about the bears anyway, been hunting there for years and never had a problem as long as you're alert and don't dally after shooting a buck. Get them dressed and get to the beach, keep your head on a swivel and let them have the deer if you have to.

I was just thinking, maybe hoping, that the 20s wouldn't have a tendency to exit. And I do try to stay off the shoulders as best I can.

VarmintGuy, funny you should mention Afognak. That's actually where I'm headed, always hunted the main island before but have an opportunity to try Afognak this fall. I've heard that the foxes are thick as flies there, more so than where we usually hunt which will be amazing as I normally see between 6 and 15 in a week of kicking around on Kodiak. I have shot them with deer rifles and not had any problems, but have seen a bunch of them blown in half with everything from 223-416s. I figure that short of a small cased 17 I'll have the best thing I could be carrying. We shall see.

Kid, if you load them down to around 3900 or 3800 you'll likely still have good accuracy and very few fur problems.

If they're really close and you whack them right on bone you'll have a mess but straight on or just behind the shoulder should be perfection 9 times out of ten.



Travis

But if I slow them down what will I do when the bears show up?

I'll see if I can squeak a couple in while I'm down there and do some testing. I'll report back, hopefully with pics of sleeping foxes. Last time I saw a pretty cross that I wanted but the fugger couldn't have weighed more than 5 pounds, tiny little feller. Saw a huge red too that I couldn't seal the deal on, looked like a red coyote. Don't know what they find to eat on the beaches but they come out of the woodwork at low tide and cruise the waterline.

If a bear shows up, tell them you know shrapnel. They'll leave you be.




Travis

and 3500 to 3600 even better.....

I can't speak to the .17 Rem but the 20 gr V-max performs well on fox in my .17 Fireball.

You are asking for trouble using the 20g V Max, playing the long game, you will go back to the 25g Hornady if you can not find any custom bullets on the J 4 jacket.

I shot a load of 22.5g of H322 with a Rem 7 1/2 with a 25g What EVER.

If you are absolutely convinced to use the 20g V max, I would slow them down to 2500 fps(17 Hornet Velocities) using Blue Dot, and PRAY!

Ended up getting to use the 17 on two occasions earlier this week. Called in a nice red the first day on the island and torched him with a 20 vmax from about 70 yards. Through the pickets, needle hole in with 3 pinholes out, soup in the middle.

Missed a long shot in the wind shooting from one island to another on an awesome silver. I swear foxes must be on some kind of natural amphetamine or something, little guys never stop moving. Used the 25gr HP on this one, since they shoot to the same poi at 100 and 200, missed him by inches and didn't have time to try again as he lit the afterburner and hauled ass.

Cool trip that was way too short, fuggin work trips. Did get to shoehorn a deer and some seaduck shooting in there somehow.

These guys speak the truth. I got my kids 17Rem down to mid 3800s with Varget and a 20 Berger, his POI is the same with 25s at 4100ish to 100yards. So far works well. I am using a 23gr Kindler right now in my Javelina at 3900. It is been real good the last 2 seasons. Shot placement and velocity are more important than bullet. I think Lee or Hornady have data for the 17Rem using 4350 and 4831 that gives you a case full but the velocity is down in the low 3000fps. Basically make it a 17AH. I considered these loads when we built his 17Rem. It shoots bugholes with Varget so we stayed there.