Hello: small caliber enthusiest.

Loving the collet die where available thus far!

Would a Lee 17 Hornet collet die be a volume seller yet? If you would be interested in a 17 hornet collet die please make a inquiry with Lee to get this on there radar. I am thinking this would out sell there 17 Remington Collet die by a good margin.

If I am not mistaken all they would need to do is manufacture a slightly modified collet for there 22 Hornet Collet die & a slightly modified de-priming rod/mandril.

Last I checked with Lee. they were no longer offering custom services for cartridges shorter than 223 essentialy.

Suppose what I really need to do to is Have a extended 22 Hornet shell holder modified to work with their 17 Remington collet die. May as well do the same for a 223 extended shell holder to neck size the 17 fireball while I am at it.

Am I the only interested?

Here is the responce I received from my request.

Unfortunately at this time we do not have any immediate plans to introduce a Collet Die Set for the 17 Hornet. If we happen to garner more interest in a set, we will reconsider.


Thank You,

Laine
Customer Service

Lee Precision, Inc.
4275 Highway U
Hartford, WI 53027
phone: 262-673-3075
fax: 262-673-9273

I know of at least one other that would like to have this collet die. I'll give them a call tomorrow as I would like to have a collet die for a 6.5 Creedmoor also. Someplace I read or heard they were making that one but have not seen it for sale.

Only way I have seen the Creedmoor collet die offered is their 4 die set check the link for your consideration. Would appreciate the call or a ticket request very much.

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0000690939/6half-Creedmoor-Ultimate-Rifle-Die-Set-
OR
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/677881/lee-ultimate-4-die-set-65-creedmoor

Subject 17 Hornet collet Neck die. Just like the 22 Hornet only the 17 Hornady Hornet

http://leeprecision.net/support/index.php?/Tickets/Submit/RenderForm/4

Thanks for the links!

I waited quite a bit to get 204 ruger collet dies!

Just seems to be so straight forward to me. Yet what do I know.

Suppose 300 blackout, 6.5 Grendel, & 50 BMG have been out their a lot longer and they are just coming out with a collet die for those this year. At that rate I suppose I may have to wait two more years or better.

Really starting to miss the days when when Govmnt work was allowed even encouraged at work. Need to work out a way to get a couple shell holders modified and modify or make a cap to suit my adjustment needs. 17 Rem die will cover 17 FB, 17 HH & 17 AH.

Then the wipe on, wipe off will be mostly history. Need to get her done!

Good News is this die is available again as custom 17 HH collet die. Hopefully better news is this may Be Available as a standard as soon as 2016. Think I decided to have a extended shell-holder modified To allow the use of the standard 17 rem die for both 17 HH & 17 FB.

I'd like to get the collet neck die for 17 Hornet too.
I have emailed Lee asking if it will appear anytime soon.

Thanks!


Anyone else------ have an interest?

I thought about doing a custom and decided to hold off to see what materializes with the 17 Hornet.

personally I like my CZ 527 in 17 FB a lot more than the 17 hornet due to more reliable feeding.

I did submit a custom order for a 17 fireball and a 6.5 Grendel though! Should be seeing those dies soon.

I keep asking and seems Im in the minority for this cartridge. Truth be told I like the 17 Fireball a lot more than I do the 17 Hornet. Suppose that is why I did the custom collet neck dies for the 17 Fireball. 17 Fireball dies should be here on my door setp tomorrow.

Latest response to my inquiry regarding the 17 HH collet neck die was as follows.

"We do not currently have any plans to make that as a standard product. You can, however, order it to be made custom for $70.00 + $6.00 S&H."

If someone wants to contact Lee to see if we they can get a decent price on a group buy on 17 HH Collett dies, and the price would be about $35 then count me in.
I would think that there would be a dozen people here who would be interested if the price were right.
Just shoot me a PM if this comes to be

Hunterapp,

That's very interesting, as I'm seeing quite a few people shooting the .17 Hornet in Montana, including me--and two friends plan to buy one soon.

I just ordered a Redding "S" neck die for the .17 Hornet.

Soooo I'm just neck sizing some fire-formed PPU Hornet brass. Using Hornady dies to form and Redding Neck sizer die. Seems to work fine. Never used a collet thing-a-mabob

MD

Having learned of the advantages of the collet neck sizing die my collection of these dies has grown quit a little.

For me getting away from wiping on and then off the lube has been the biggest advantage from my perception.

As for the 17 Hornet I have been very pleased with the case capacity The rimmed case has been the only deturent for me. Using the rimmed case in the bottom feeding repeater has proven to be a little frustrating for me. No such frustrations for the 17 FB so the 17 HH has been spending a lot more time in the stable.

When I decided to order a few custom collet Neck dies I opted to go with my two favorite cartridges I use in my favorite CZ 527 actions. So the 6.5 Grendel and the 17 Fire ball were treated to the collet Neck sizing dies. No regrets thus far.

Hunterapp,

Yeah, I like the Lee collet neck dies too, but often use Redding bushing dies since they have the same advantage as the Lees (no lube, straight necks) except for price.

I haven't had any problems with the .17 Hornet feeding in my 527, and after buying it eventually sold my Remington 700 .17 Fireball, partly because the Hornet gets 90% of the velocity with 2/3 the powder, and partly because the CZ is a little more accurate than the 700 was. Oh, and I can easily get 100 rounds of .17 Hornet in a shirt pocket for wandering around rodent towns, and couldn't with the .17 Fireball.

Also like being able to find brass easily, along with often finding factory ammo at such a good price the brass is basically free!

MD

If I lived in your target rich environment I would likely do the shirt pocket thing and use a single shot follower in the CZ527 17 HH and forget the magazine. Never thought a guy could get along with the type S neck die with no lube. If that is the case you are likely giving up near nothing over the collet neck die as long as your neck wall thickness is consistent.

So what powder and bullet have you settled on for your 17 HH?

Yeah, the S dies work slick with no lube. Have used them for several varmint rounds, including the .17 Fireball.

Mostly I run 12.0 grains of A1680 with either the 20-grain V-Max or Tipped Varmageddon. This gets 3600-3650 from the 22" barrel, and they both shoot to the same place. Oh, and the Remington 7-1/2 primer. Tried half a dozen primers and it was the winner.

But one of the nice things about the .17 Hornady Hornet is far more flexibility in powders than the .22 Hornet. Have also had just about the same results with 12.0 grains of H4198; the accuracy isn't quite as good (though it's more than decent) and it's better in really hot weather. 12.5 grains of LT-30 is very good too.

My Cz527 Hornet fed very poorly from the magazine too, often tipping the 2nd or 3rd cartridge up so that it would jam against the breech face. I fixed this this by stripping the magazine and filing the rough edges of the feeder platform and the feed lips. Nothing fancy, just basic smoothing out with hand tools. Since doing that it has fed utterly reliably.
I'm hoping that a collet die materialises soon. I notice there is now a 17 Hornet Lee Factory Crimp Die available, so maybe it is now only a small step to manufacture the collet neck die?

Count me in too.
I have the Redding Type S set for 17 Hornet, but have a nagging feeling that a Lee Collet will make straighter ammo with less concentricity runout. In my other calibres where I have both Redding bushing and Lee Collet dies, the Lee wins every time.

I've had best luck with Vit N110 and N120 with Berger 20gn Varmint so far. Velocities are around 3600fps. I can't get the 20gn Hornady Vmax to shoot anywhere near as well, but have found the 17gn Vmax (as used in HMR ammo) shoots sub MOA with 10.2gn N110 @ 3740fps when seated out long. I've noticed that seating depth makes a big difference to accuracy, and was wondering if primers might be important too.

Primers can definitely be important, especially in such small cases, but with the VV powders the best primer might be different than with A1680.

I worked up to the maximum listed load of VV120 in my CZ and while accuracy was outstanding, muzzle velocity was only a little over 3300 fps. What charge are you using?

I am using Quickload to work up a load, so from the sounds of my velocity it I may be way over your book max. I'm getting slightly flattened primers, but have worked all the way up to a compressed load a whole grain higher and even there I was only getting mild cratering.

Primers are no doubt the poorest of the traditional methods for estimating pressures, despite what some people claim. This has been well-known among knowledgeable handloaders for decades, and in fact Gen. Julian Hatcher stated they were basically irrelevant in HATCHER'S NOTEBOOK, which despite many technological changes since it was published in 1948. This because there are too many variables that can cause the supposed signs of high pressure, including flattening and cratering, that have no relationship to pressure. (Despite this, some "experts" continue to tour primer appearance as a reliable method.)

It is not "my" book max, it's Hornady's, and they're the people who developed the cartridge.

I am in no way an expert, but have been reloading long enough for a variety of calibres to have a feel for what is sensible and what isn't.
I'm getting around 3600fps from a 20gn bullet, which I think realistic for this cartridge. The state of the cases seem good and are going strong on their fifth load and look fit for many more. In my experience I feel quite safe as I know I didn't blow myself or the rifle to bits a whole grain higher. Nevertheless, I shall delete my load data in case others don't have same consistent good fortune that I have been lucky enough to enjoy.

Ah, a search for a Lee Collett die for 17 hornet has led me back here...........kind of funny.


Good info nonetheless.

Have to try some rem primers now.

Still only available as $70 custom die set. We just ordered another set.

Up this thread someone mentioned that he could get a hundred Hornet rounds in a shirt pocket... Yep. That is the beauty of the Hornets over even the fireball, I can take off with just a BDU coat with a couple hundred rounds of Hornet ammo dumped loose in the pocket, my rifle and binocular and shoot around a dog town for about as long as I care to before heading back for a cold drink and to empty the brass out of my right pocket and fill my left with a couple hundred loaded cartridges.

I tried to explain this to a manufacturer's rep and all he wanted to do was argue that the 221 is just as good for walking around shooting prairie dogs or grey diggers, so I ask if he knew how many CZ Hornets vs Fireball 527 rifles CZ sells. Well they can't sell enough Fireballs to keep them in regular production. That much I can tell you.

I tried my old Sako in 222, a Kimber in 221 and CZs in 204 & 223 as a strolling around rifle and the small Hornet case makes all the difference in the world to me. YMMV.

We have a Contender with 23 inch MGM heavy barrel, it is my daughters and it is our most accurate 17 Hornet and three 527 Americans in 17 HH and I have a 527 in 22 Hornet. All three CZ 17 Hornets are good for around an inch +-, the Contender about .6 to .7 at a hundred which is bout the same as I get out of my 22 Hornet, 204 and 223 527 Americans.