Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Is the 17 Fireball Dying?

I've been thinking about getting a 17 fireball recently and started looking for a gun. Unfortunately, none of the major manufacturers seem to be making them currently. Even Remington and CZ don't seem to offer the caliber in their current lineup. And brass is currently impossible to find. I don't want to buy a gun that is going to be a dinosaur. Anyone have any insight or opinions?

broper will be along shortly....

I really want one. The main reason I cannot bring myself to buy another is the actions that house them. If I'm going to get 17 in a full size action then I'm going to get a 17rem. Or the new HH looks promising since its based on the scaled down hornet actions.

I would say yes. It is unfortunate, but big green does this with its cartridges. I'm guessing bean counters didn't like the numbers and it will be a reloader's option for the future.

Remington really screwed up...why 17 ?

The 20 Vartarg (Fireball) is light years ahead of the 17

especially with the flat 40 V max bullet at nearly 3600 fps

It would be a shame if it did. Close to 17 Rem performance with less powder and noise. What's not to like? I'm not all that excited about another Hornet-based cartridge. I would prefer not to deal with the cases. The Fireball and MachIV are just plain fun.
I think I would like the VarTarg as well.

Actually, I never did see the reason for the round. As someone that has been shooting a .17 Remington since the late '70's I have quite a fondness for the cartridge. True, I wish that brass was cheaper or that I could make it out of .223 brass but it is what it is. One thing that I rarely do is shoot it full throttle. Just don't see the need. I shoot ground squirrels and prairie dogs with my .17 Remmy and the nifty little 20 grain Vmax coming out of my barrel at 4000-4100 fps is just great for my shooting. This is about what the .17 FB would do with max loads and since I am using slightly reduced loads I get long life from my brass and excellent accuracy. Plenty of punch too as I snuffed one prairie dog at over 450 yards in June of this year.


I have nothing against the .17 FB and for sure don't want to see it go away, but when you have the excellent .17 Remington already it does seem hard to justify.

Here I am, lol. I agree with JSH. I think it's a great little .17 cartridge. Makes a lot more sense to me than the .17 Hornet, better brass and it can be loaded down to the same as the Hornet. And as JSH says it can be loaded to wihin a few fps of the .17 Rem. In my opinion, a much more effidiecent cartridge. It's really to bad it wasn't more popular. I don't see anything wrong with the .20 Vartarg either but we're talking .17's here. Strange how one cartridge never gets accepted then another one comes along and everbody is all over it.

Don't know about dying, but I think it's on life support.
It'll be interesting to see if the 17HH suffers the same fate as the 17FB and the 204R (to some extent).



Good point. I have the Ackley version of the 17H and can tell you that I absolutly HATE making brass for it. Love shooting it after they're made though.
Same goes for my 17FB, so if it does indeed "die" I'll just make brass for it and keep on smiling.
I'll add that if (god forbid) I ever had to choose just one 17cal, it would be the FB/MK4.
JMO,,, nothing more

Castafly: I nearly pooped myself when I obtained the 2,012 Remington catalog and low and behold there was not a single Rifle offered in this fine caliber!
I am a BIG proponent of Remington bolt action Rifles so this omission has really harmed my regard for Big Green!
It has angered me in fact.
I have a lifetime supply of 17 Fireball brass and a wonderfully accurate Remington 700 VSF heavy barrel Varminter so I am fixed.
But I am perplexed as to if I should recommend you seek out a 17 Fireball for your needs?
I also brought up this subject myself here several months ago and the disappointment I had then has only increased!
I know several Varmint Hunters who use and like the 17 Fireball - it is an accurate and versatile cartridge.
I would not declare the 17 Remington Fireball dead as yet but it is "in jeopardy".
If you were to obtain a Rifle in 17 Remington Fireball you could always get 221 Fireball brass and form it to 17 Fireball.
I have done this for years with my 17 MachIV (the 17 Fireballs wildcat twin).
My local sport shop just sold some 17 Fireball brass to one of the CampFires members with some help/direction from me.
So there is some brass around - I am not sure if Remington is still making 17 Fireball brass or not?
Perhaps they are doing so on an intermittent basis as they do with so many calibers?
Maybe a call to Remington could ascertain that?
I did attend a gunshow yesterday in SW Montana and there was some 17 Fireball factory ammo for sale there (no brass that I saw) and one of the sport shops I visited in that town also had 17 Fireball factory ammo for sale.
Again my opinion on the Remington folks decision to cease production of Rifles in 17 Remington Fireball is that "it stinks".
AND... I am still angry over Remington forsaking Rifles in the wonderful 222 Remington cartridge many years ago!
Sheesh - come on Big Green.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG - If it bothered you that the 17 FB was not listed take a look at how many rifles Rem chambers in your beloved 204 - exactly two and they are both heavy barreled varminters. It was just recently that they chambered practically everything in it.

drover

Maybe Remington is patterning itself after the government.
Instead of marketing what folks want (smallbore, low recoil, low noise, varmint killers)
their approach seems to be........how can we screw this market up for ourselves.
They must want to have the capacity to make more AR's.

P.S. I have a cdl sf limited 17fb and it is my favorite gopher center fire.

Castafly: i am the member varmintguy helped with getting the brass (a big thanks), but that was the first brass i had found in many months of looking. While you can still find factory ammo, its pretty pricey around 30 a box. If you are going to get one keep your eyes open for brass and get in to reloading if you already are not. If you do not want to then i would suggest you look at other excellent calibers, 204 Ruger would be the first that comes to my mind.

I have an older retired machinist friend who just made me 500 more out of 223 brass for .26 each. He supplied the LC brass too.
He has lots of time and likes to do it.
He has a 20 vt and made his own annealing machine also.
Works for me.

I'm kinda surprised CZ never picked it up. It wouldn't have been difficult as they already make .17rem and .221rem rifles.
I guess we'll have to settle for the .17 hornet version when it comes out.

No kidding.
I had Pac-Nor morph a 221 into a 17FB.
Use it for everything from Ground Squirrels to the occasional Coyote.
Like I said in my earlier post. "It would be the last to go".

Get a .17 Remington.


Travis

I'd agree with ya if I still chased Coyotes, but I'm a Cat hunter (only shoot three legged Coyotes ) so the 17FB does every thing I need and then some.

I'm not saying it doesn't. But the Remington does just as well when loaded to Fireball speeds and it has been around since the 70's. Componenets aren't going anywhere.



Travis

Drover: Indeed the 204 Ruger is "beloved" by me and I was shocked at your report - so much so that I went to the "Big Green" (Remington) catalog and looked for myself.
Anyway the Remington 2,012 catalog lists 5 (five) Rifle models in caliber 204 Ruger - they are:
#1 Remington 700 SPS-V.(#84214)
#2 Remington 700 VSF....(#84341)
#3 Remington 700 VLS....(#27467)
#4 Remington 700 VTR....(#84369)
#5 Remington R-15.........(#60000)
Little solace in these 5 offerings - especially for someone intent upon a "walking Varminter type Rifle.
And alas I also looked in vain for anything in 17 Remington Fireball as well as 17 Remington and nothing was to be seen!
And nothing noticed in 222 Remington, 222 Remington Magnum, 6mm Remington, 6.5 Remington Magnum, 350 Remington Magnum etc etc etc.
Makes a Rifleman wonder - what is going on back at Big Green headquarters?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy