Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles .17 Hornet

I've been shooting my new CZ .17 Hornet with factory ammo this spring, on both targets and rodents, and am very impressed. Now I have enough empty cases to handload. So far the only published data is Hodgdon's, and Li'l Gun looks like the best powder, with 4198 close behind.

I've mentioned starting to handload the .17 Hornet on another thread, and so far have various, mostly vague recommendations, including one for loading the .17 Fireball. One recommends 4198 with the 20-grain Hornady V-Max (probably the most popular .17 bullet for smaller rounds). But no powder charge, velocity or accuracy is specified, just that it's the "huckleberry." Would appreciate some more specific results, especially from people who've tried more than one powder.

Shot four 5-shot groups with the Hornady 20-grain factory ammo today and they averaged .53 at 100 yards. Broke down one of the factory rounds and found 12.4 grains of what looks a lot like Accurate 1680--and that charge would make sense. I'm gonna try it, but wondered if anybody else had--or had any other "huckleberries," with more specific info than simply the powder and bullet.

JB, I've not had reason to try anything other than 10 gr lilgun. Pards with the ack like the 1680, including FieldGrade. Maybe he'll chime in. I was told the factory hornady rounds were stoked with Superperfomance....

20 gr vmaxes

should probably add, 17 data is in the new hornady book. But it don't include lilgun....

The load ive been shooting is 10.1 grains of lilgun for 20 grain bullets. Ive shot 20 grain nosler varmageddon ballistic tips and hollow points, hornady vmax, and Midway dog town bullets. All have shot right around 3/4 of an inch at 100 yards for 5 shot groups at 3500 fps. Only using a 3x9 power scope so I could probably tighten it up alittle more. That and the copenhagon shakes get to me. The Dog Town bullets have shot alittle better than the rest for me at around 1/2 inch groups. All these groups are on calm days. Sure is a fun shooting round. Kinda have the 17 cal itch now.




Just looked at my notes and the nosler varmageddon ballistic tips actually shot right at an inch for 5 shot group not 3/4inch

I picked up a copy of that Hornady 2013 ( magazine )manual recently.

for the 20 grain V Max it lists the following:

H 4198 11 grs ( 3226 fps) to 11.8 gr ( 3463 fps) 39,300 psi

IMR 4227: 9.3 grs ( 3204) to 10.1 ( 3356 ) 45400 psi

296: 8.0 grs (3173) to 8.7 grs (3301 ) 45100 psi

H110: 8.0 grs ( 3173 ) to 8.7 ( 3301) 45100 fps

Lil'Gun: 9.7 grs ( 3538 ) to 10.0 ( 3629 ) 48200 fps

hopes that helps ya out there J.B.

I'm gonna weight until a CZ version comes my way, sadly haven't been impressed with the few Savage and Rugers I have handled...

the QC on the several Rugers I have handled were no where near the quality that I have on my other pair, 22 Mag and 17 HMR.

HANDLOADER #124 has an article with some data using the Hornady 25 grain bullet and 9 grains #2400 (MV = 3250) and 11 grains IMR 4198 (MV = 3160). Both are listed as max. loads; the cartridge was still a wildcat chambering at the time.

huntsman,

Thanks. I'd heard about the Superformance too, especially since the factory ammo boxes say "Superformance" right there. But in the Hornady loads Superformance isn't one powder, but specific blends for each cartridge, and I am pretty certain the Superformance powders used in the blends are made in the same factory as 1680. Will try it and see! I have plenty of both Li'l Gun and 1680, as well as Reloder 7 and Vihtavuori 120, which might be worth a whirl as well.

Thanks to everybody else as well!

Here's some data stolen from another website, but sent to a poster there from AA/Western. You might have it already, but every little bit helps.

It seems a bit milder than Hornady's 1680 data, but safety first, right? I haven't even gotten the rifle yet, but I'm pretty well stocked up on components.

ratsmacker,

Thanks very much! I know where that data came from, so know it's trustworthy. Was going to contact Western and see if they'd done any testing, but don;t have to bug them now....

Glad to be of service! I stole it from someone on another website. There may have been more data there, but I stole the stuff I thought would be most useful, and when I went back, I couldn't find the thread, and the search function was not helpful, either.
This had 1680 data on it, and that's the primary stuff I was looking for. I use a 1680 for my .22 Hornet.

I'm still looking for a CZ .17 Hornet (like thousands of other folks d:^( ) I'm on several "waiting lists", like the others.....

It looks just like the computer read-out from the Western Powders pressure laboratory, a place I've visited several times--which makes since, as whoever it is (I think I know) mentions they don't have any Ramshot powders suitable for the .17 Hornet. Western owns both the Accurate and Ramshot powder lines. I'm just wondering why they haven't posted the info on the Accurate website.

I got lucky on my CZ Hornet and got it directly from the U.S. distribution center. They should be showing up in various other places pretty soon. It sure shoots!

I may have missed it John, but is yours the Varmint or American, and did you get it in the first wave of rifles that had great wood?


I have one in Varmint I am waiting on ( 1k rounds of factory to shoot) that was ordered back in Feb that CZ filled half the 4 gun order, and I have been calling every month, and it seems like only the first batch has been received and delivered.
The last report I got 3 months ago was my dealer was in the next 50 guns to be delivered, so from my view they haven't shipped any guns in about 3 months. The rep I spoke to said they get about 3 day advanced notice guns are on their way, so either CZ is making other higher demand guns, or?

Most of the guns I have seen reports on, using factory ammo, have hovered around 3/4" 5 shot groups so yours sounds exceptional, plus the person pulling the trigger has a little influence on the group size....lol.


Now that squeek season is over for me, I am in no rush to get mine ( Yea, right...) 1K ammo, 30mm rings , modified bolt for low profile scope and Viper ready to bolt on.


Thanks for the report, and good shooting


Allen

It's an American sporter, and has pretty good wood.

Dunno why anybody would want a heavier barrel, as this one is pretty stout, given the little hole.

Mule Deer: So far all my efforts to obtain a 17 Hornet have been in vain.
I hosted a Varmint Hunter from Illinois last week and he had just paid $1,100.00 for a used Ruger 77/17 Hornet the previous week.
He did not bring it along on his first safari of the year but will have it with him next time through.
I am just thrilled at how well you are shooting your 17 Hornet with the factory ammo!
Good for CZ and Hornady as well.
I have two other friends who have purchased the savage Varminters in 17 Hornet so far. One has fired his with factory ammo and the other is into tilling and plowing season and is to busy to shoot his as yet.
I have my heart set on one of the Ruger rotary magazine normal safety 77/17 Hornet V/T models myself.
Keep up the good work and if I get a line on any good loads from my friends for the 17 Hornet I will pass it along ASAP.
My local pawn/sport shop had another small delivery of the Hornady factory ammo last week - this was the third batch of factory ammo they have received so far.
Wishing you continued good luck with the CZ.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Thanks, VH!

So far have just experimented with sizing brass, both Hornady and resized WW .22 Hornet, and have finally gotten some pretty straight necks, using both Redding and RCBS dies. Have found straight ammo is essential in .17's, more so than in any larger caliber.

John - I recently picked up one of the Ruger 77/17 Hornets from Capital Sports and have been trying to work the bugs out. Mine's been pretty frustrating - I haven't been getting the stellar results that Huntsman has. A pard of mine here swears by his and he's only shot factory loads in it and isn't interested in loading for it because it shoots the factory stuff so well.

I believe my problems may be related to inconsistent head space from a very sloppy bolt. Primers do back out noticeably on factory loads, but not so much on handloads after partial sizing. Accuracy has been pretty erratic with both, but I'm not ready to give up yet.

I've worked with Lil Gun from 9.7 to 10.0 and have had the best results at 9.9 with 20 gr Noslers. One thing I've noticed with Lil Gun is that with any charge weight, the bolt seems to want to stick. Not on bolt lift so much, but pulling the bolt back to extract the fired case. My pard experienced the same thing with his when I had him try Lil Gun. I've been reading some on the Saubier site about the 17 Hornet and it seems to be a concensus over there that Lil Gun is too fast for the 17 H and 1680 is a better choice. I know others who have been getting great results with Lil Gun - go figure. I've worked up to a little over 11 grains of 1680 per the chart that was posted above and the primers are very round and no sticky bolt. I have more loaded from 11.6 to 12.2 and will try that as soon as I can get back out.

Hornady flat-out says that 1680 is the hot ticket in the .17 Hornet, in their #9 manual, and they don't even have Lil Gun data there. There may be a good reason for that.

I had some ugly results with what should have been mild charges of Lil Gun in my .221 Fireball, getting pierced primers and sticky extraction in my little CZ 527. I now refuse to use the stuff. It works fine in my buddy's 700 Classic, but I don't trust it.
I've also seen a Savage M40 .22 Hornet locked up tighter than a tick, with another Lil Gun load, that should be mild enough, 12.0gr. Lil Gun with a 40 VMax. It locked that rifle UP. And folks say you can't put too much Lil Gun in a Hornet case...................................

Lil Gun is all I use any more in my 22 K-Hornet - as much as I can get in the case and it has been outstanding. Very consistent and accurate with great velocities and no pressure signs. 10 gr of Lil Gun doesn't come close to filling the 17 Hornet case, so maybe that has something to do with it.

I'm anxious to get out and work more with 1680 - the local shop has quite a bit on the shelf so if it works, I think I'll stock up.

JGray,

I have gotten a number of reports about Li'l Gun in the .17 Hornet. Some are enthusiastic, but some aren't--and one very experienced handloader (prairie_goat) couldn't come close to the 10-grain max listed by Hodgdon.

This isn't totally surprising, as it wouldn't take much variation in the tiny chamber and bore to cause big variations in results.