Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats .17 Custom Build Coming Up

Whatcha guys think. I'm going for speed combined with simplicity for reloading. I love predator hunting and currently only do so with an AR type rifle. I'd like to build a .17 cal for next year (been thinking about it for some time). I have a SA 700 .223 bolt face laying around.

I'd like for it to run the 30 Kindler Golds. My current thoughts are as follows for keeping it a light weight calling gun:

-Cal: 17 tac or .17-.204 I want this to be somewhat easy with dies available to purchase. 17 Tac would be nice to use the .223 brass I already have. I really don't have anything against a 17 rem either.
-Rem 700 BDL trued up
-Pac nor #1 contour finished at 24" (might just have Pac Nor do all the chambering and action truing after I call them)
-McMillan MR stock (my favorite) in 90% light grey and 10% black
-Prolly do some cerakote and get the bolt worked up
-Old style rem trigger to my likings

Am I missing anything? Never shot a Pac Nor or used their services before so any insight on that is appreciated.

You plan sounds fine.
The 17-204 seems to be the current fad.
I dont see anything wrong with it at all.
But since you asked.

I'd run a 17 MACH IV ...the 17 Fireball.
More snap than the 204 version and not as crazy as the 17 Rem.

M700 is the way to roll.Unless full on Custom.Might consider a replacment bolt from PTG....

Stocks are what they are.I like the GP/HTG.
My favorite.

Lots of people like Pac-nor.
I would pass.
Send it to Hart for a Fluted no.4 finished at 22 inches long.

Not a thing wrong with a worked over M700 trigger.

Colors, stocks, stock finishes are a personal taste type of thing.
Use what you like that looks cool.

Sounds like a fun project.


dave

Either people like or dislike Pac Nor...haven't figured out why some dislike them so much yet.

Your blueprint sounds like a winner. I would go with the 17 Tactical if the 30's are your choice of bullets. Great coyote round.
I have a few Pacnor barrels, 2 of them 17 caliber and they are very accurate. Pacnor did the chambering and install on both of those and they are both shooters as I said. They are very easy to work with.
One of those is a 17 Fireball. Great round. If you decided to try a Fireball you would need to find a donor 700 action from some sort of Fireball if you want it to eject properly, even then they can be finicky at times. For 30gr bullets I would stick with the 17 Tactical. I like the MR stock on a calling rifle.
Should be a great calling rig.

For simplicities sake, I'd do a straight 17 Rem in a 9 twist for the 30 Golds. It'll have the horsepower to push 'em right, especially for coyotes.

For lightweight, I'd go no more than a whatever contour is not over .600" or a hair less, cut to 22". That 17 hole is small, a #5 is like a varmint contour in a "normal" gun.

I like the rest of the menu.....

That

Glad this thread popped up. I may do a 17 build also. Snagged a new 24" 700 17 Rem takeoff barrel, but no luck pinpointing an action yet.



Why the grief over 17 Rem??? What's crazy about them?

Thx,

DMc

Its the classic over capacity type of thing.
The 17 has more capacity than it can use so you have to run more powder than a smaller case just to equal what you can get from a smaller more efficient case.
The 17MACH IV/221 Fireball will do almost anything a 17 Rem will do.Say 90/95 % with several grains less powder.
This will in turn gives you less fouling.Less blast.Less recoil (not that that would matter here)Cheeper to shoot.And longer barrel life.
As Dober would say, its ballistic gack.
So to answer your question.
Theres really nothing wrong with a 17 Rem.
dave

I'm all about efficiency. I have no experience with a 17 but have wanted to build one for several years. I wasn't aware you could match 17 Rem ballistics with a Fireball sized case.
Thx for the explanation!

DMc

I shoot woodchucks with mine.
A 17 Mach IV.With 25g Bergers.
I've had it for many years.
No recoil at all.
You can watch the bullet go right in....
Its a hoot.
Out to 300 yards the chucks die just fine.
Doesnt disturb the farmers to much either.

The 17 Rem would be pretty simple.
But now that theres a 221 Fireball and you can get brass.
The Fireball would be pretty simple to.

dave

I have two .17cal Pac-nor's, both shoot lights out, wouldn't hesitate to purchase another.

My only bitch with 17 Rem, is brass in now pushing $60/100.

Dinging around with these thoughts of a 17 centerfire...

17 Fireball brass is hard to find... and spendy.... also hard to form out of 223 brass... even 221 Fireball brass is hard to find and spendy..

17 Rem is a little hard to find and spendy when you do find it also...

either a 17/223 or a 17/222 makes sense as far as brass availability...

myself, I am thinking about the 17/222...efficiency, without the hassle and expense of 17 Fireball brass...

I am sure using 17 Fireball data in a 17/222, I am not going to loose much velocity, and will be running lower pressure... or I can take 17 Fireball data and work up with a 17/222...

my thoughts are a 20 inch barrel with a heavy magnum contour, with a stock that is cut with a shortened length of pull...

sort of like the Ruger Compact sized stock and a 20 inch barrel with the profile they put on their Predator models...

I have one 17 caliber, a Fireball and it's all I want from a 17. I'll never do another 17 though.

I for one like your build setup. A year or so back I decided I wanted to build a 17 ultra light setup. Had a Model 7 action I was going to use as a donor. After pricing all of the components I was surprised how much the cost had gone up lately. Then I priced a the carbon fiber stocks. Whoa!!!! I ended up buying a new Kimber Montana in 204 (my second one 204 Montana) and rebarreling it using a Lilja #1 contour which matches the Kimber contour. It was cheaper going the Kimber route.
I went with another 17 Rem., but looked real hard at the 17-204. I shoot mainly 25gr. bullets so the 17 Rem. gave me enough velocity and if when shooting the 30gr. bullets I'm still ok on velocity for Coyotes. The 17 Fireball falls a little short with 30gr. bullets.
I'm still looking at building a 17-204. 204 brass is easy to find and the brass prep is quite simple compared to some of the other 17 wildcats. A 17-223 would be another good choice if you needed to only use 223 brass. Has about the same ballistics as the 17 Rem.

I don't know why a guy wouldn't just slum a 204, enough drop down in size to be a pia over a 224 but not full on, 17 caliber, pia.

That's where I'm at now.

My first was a 17-222...and a tight neck no less. Luckily the GS loaned me the dies to form brass, so I didn't have the big form die expense, otherwise buying dies shoots the other's brass expense in the azz.

Eventually sold that barrel, and did another in a regular 17 Rem. Only wished it was a 9 twist, rather than a 10, but Kindler makes big bullets that work almost as well as the 30's.(29's IIRC) Sold that one too, as it was built for fox, and I leave 'em alone now days.

BB's intent is for coyotes, so I stand with the 17 Rem as my original recommendation. Worrying over an extra 20 bucks for 100 rounds that'll last forever is a moot point, when it's the only sensible round that has the balls to push the 30's.

Nothing wrong with the 17 Rem, unless he has a bug to do a 17 tactical or 17/223. Any of these will be a great coyote round. Depends on whether he likes time at the reloading bench. The ballistic difference is nonexistent.

17 Fireball is a fun round for sure but not what I would build for a mainly coyote gun, especially pushing 30's.

For a fox calling rifle a 17 Ackley Hornet, or the new 17 Hornady Hornet is the way to go. Also the funnest round I have shot. My kids will shoot it all day long and it is a lazer to 200-250 yards with zero recoil. Very easy for them to hit what they are shooting at.

17's can be a PIA but have their place. Have a few 20 calibers, but I would miss any of my 17's if I ever lost one.

I think he has a pretty nice calling rifle blueprint as is. Up to him to choose the caliber at this point and get the parts to a smith.

17-204 or 17 predator pushing the heavier pills 17 pred vid

Dave,

I concur about the .17 Fireball vs. larger .17's. And I do believe recoil is a factor, at least in a sporter-weight rifle. I can easily spot all my shots through the scope in a .17 Fireball but not with a .17 Remington.

My experience with the the .17 Fireball is that it's also easier to get to shoot well--and even the factory rifles come with a 1-9 twist.

The 17Mach IV came out about a week after Rem brought out the 221 fireball XP back 40 whatever years ago.
Its been around along time.
Rem finally Legitimatized it as the 17 Fireball a few years ago.
A clone of the 17 mach IV.
Dont see why a person just could not neck down 221 Fireball brass to make it.If you cant find it.
Mines on a old 722B Rem action with a number 5 Shilen barrel.
I cant see myself building another one either.
19g of Norma N201 with the 25g Berger did everything I could hope for.And more.
For tight spots in built up areas with touchie farmers.
Its my goto.
Handy.
Fun.
Low noise.
No recoil.
Death to chucks.
dave