You know when you wish you had bought something easier

[Zetter]

Well I have finally got to the stage of starting to work up loads for my .17 Hornet but I really wish I had got a .223 or .222 to reload initially!

 

A few people did tell me to get something more straight forward to start with as normal they were right and I should have listened (this has happened a few times in the past mainly with air rifles the Wolverine B when it launched was a particularly painful experience)

 

So far issues have been

 

Had to import a trimming die from the US as couldn't locate one over here

Special funnel needed

special chamfering tool needed (one I got with the Lee kit is too big)

Lee bullet seating die didnt work so had to get a set of hornaday ones which now do

 

 

Still a lot of help gained from the PW massive including Wymberly, Snow White, Colin Ladd, Mick Miller, Fruitloop and many more cheers all you kept me on the right track and more importantly safe.

 

I think now I have gone through this if I get something mainstream like a .223 I should be very prepared or it!

[Redgum]

Well I have finally got to the stage of starting to work up loads for my .17 Hornet but I really wish I had got a .223 or .222 to reload initially!

 

A few people did tell me to get something more straight forward to start with as normal they were right and I should have listened (this has happened a few times in the past mainly with air rifles the Wolverine B when it launched was a particularly painful experience)

 

So far issues have been

 

Had to import a trimming die from the US as couldn't locate one over here

Special funnel needed

special chamfering tool needed (one I got with the Lee kit is too big)

Lee bullet seating die didnt work so had to get a set of hornaday ones which now do

 

 

Still a lot of help gained from the PW massive including Wymberly, Snow White, Colin Ladd, Mick Miller, Fruitloop and many more cheers all you kept me on the right track and more importantly safe.

 

I think now I have gone through this if I get something mainstream like a .223 I should be very prepared or it!

 

Well at least you had a go, you have my admiration, I soon gave up on .22 hornet and moved to 223 as I couldn't get it to group as consistently accurate as I liked though it could have been the 35yr old rifle I suppose but you had to be so careful with the fragile necks, the 223 is dead easy in comparison and all the kit is so available.I now stick to the 3 common ones, 223, 243 and the dependable 308. It must be hard work fiddling around with those little .17 bullets. Think you will definitely find 223 a doddle.

[Zetter]

I at least am starting from a know Redgum as with factory mine groups at about 1/4" at 100 yards so fingers crossed I get get it to the same or better with home loads. So far I have only wrecked three cases, I can see the powder weighing being a pain as min/ max is tiny on the hornet from the book loads however I have a set of decent Lyman scales and trickler so onwards and upwards.

Edited April 10, 2017 by Zetter

[Dougy]

A pity that RCBS don't do a 17 seater in their competition range, just dropping the tiny pill through the window would be brill.

[mick miller]

You'll love it once you get sorted, it's a great little round. Out tonight with mine, foxes, rabbits all taken quietly and everything from 40 to 150 yards with no holdover, hold under. Just point, shoot and send the dogs to retrieve, well, maybe not with the foxes.

 

Plus, in a year's time when you're still using the same tub of powder you'll think 'this gun is awesome'.

 

223? Nah, no thanks. 17hh and 243 covers just about all I want thanks.

[Dave-G]

Home loads will almost certainly tighten the groups over factory rounds. You've done all the hard work so I say persevered and conquered is just around the corner.

 

As Dave/Mick says just point and shoot really. I'd only change my 17REM if I had to acquire a rifle for larger quarry than fox - which I don't anticipate will happen.

[zx10mike]

imo the 17 hornet factory savage or cz are not .25 moa rifles.i had one factory ammo was hard to beat at .75 moa. 5 shot groups with my home loads where about .50 .plenty of tiny 3 shot groups but not consistent .but it had no trouble rabbiting at 300 yards .with the tiny bullets if you get the shooting 2.5 " at 300 the wind will allways be why you miss.i had to just accept it and just enjoy it for what it was.mine was a cz american so light barrel that i don't think helped.i think bedding the stock might help too but it can get silly and spoil the fun.

mike

Edited April 11, 2017 by zx10mike

[Zetter]

The sliding bullet seater on the Hornady die makes things a lot easier. Did you read my articles in the 17 Hornet that were published in here, there was quite a lot about reloading included

 

Yep read those any anything else I could find before I started its one of the reasons I didn't go for lilGun powder due to the close tolerances on pressure

[SPARKIE]

As ya know zetter I have the .17AH part of the fun of having a wildcat round is reloading ive had to buy allsorts for mine as they don't make factory ammo.

 

if ya had asked id of told you to buy the lyman accutrim or similar with the .17pilot for trimming and the hornady dies and chapfer tool.

 

I find reloader 7 a fantastic powder.... I have a near full tub of lil gun not being used.

A pity that RCBS don't do a 17 seater in their competition range, just dropping the tiny pill through the window would be brill.

have you ever tried the hornady ones john? they have a slide that holds the bullet so not fiddly at all

[Dougy]

Yes that's what I have, but the rcbs comp dies have an opening you just drop the bullet in when you bring the case up into the seating press.

But allas they don't do them in 17 flavours.

But then my fingers aren't like spuds.

[Zetter]

As ya know zetter I have the .17AH part of the fun of having a wildcat round is reloading ive had to buy allsorts for mine as they don't make factory ammo.

 

if ya had asked id of told you to buy the lyman accutrim or similar with the .17pilot for trimming and the hornady dies and chapfer tool.

 

I find reloader 7 a fantastic powder.... I have a near full tub of lil gun not being used.

have you ever tried the hornady ones john? they have a slide that holds the bullet so not fiddly at all

 

Yep Sparkie I have always had this issue the credit card get going I tend to go a bit nuts on new projects. Still I'm back on track now well apart from jamming a primer sideways into a case somehow now the poxy things stuck in the shellholder for my hand priming tool so I need to wok out how to get it out!

[The Heron]

Buy of the shelf.

[snow white]

I just use a small screw driver if that happens you can see the inside of the primer just carefully put end of screw driver in and it will pop out i normally get one in hundred do it dont now why.

[Zetter]

Cheersa mate ill do that .

[Guesty]

imo the 17 hornet factory savage or cz are not .25 moa rifles.i had one factory ammo was hard to beat at .75 moa. 5 shot groups with my home loads where about .50 .plenty of tiny 3 shot groups but not consistent .but it had no trouble rabbiting at 300 yards .with the tiny bullets if you get the shooting 2.5 " at 300 the wind will allways be why you miss.i had to just accept it and just enjoy it for what it was.mine was a cz american so light barrel that i don't think helped.i think bedding the stock might help too but it can get silly and spoil the fun.

mike

G'day Mike, hope you are keeping well.

I still have your old Cz 17 Hornet and getting on well with it. I swapped the factory stock for a Bell and Carlson with the aluminium bedding block which transformed the way it handles.

It turned out it didn't really like the 20gn Vmax bullet as it was the least accurate bullet I tested but it shines with Bergers. Once with those it isn't fussy with powder so I'm using Lovex D063 for max velocity.

The wind does take the little bullets about twice the drift of a 223, so that's the excuse I always use!

Edited May 4, 2017 by Guesty