17 rem please help!!

Chris Stephens

Well-Known Member
Has anyone ever tried reloading a 17 REM as I'm having real problems with 25 grain hornady v-max heads.
I've tried seven loads so far and every one of them key holes perfectly every time!

So far I have gone from slow to as fast as I'm willing to push the little round down the barrel, each time I've made a round I've made a complete copy but changed the head to a berger 25 grain fmj hollow point and these fire straight and stable and group perfectly can anyone explain why one 25 grain round flys stable and the other one key holes?

I'm using a sako with a custom barrel with varget powder, REM cases and magtech primers

Can any one help as I've never come across this and the only reason I can think of is the tail end of the round is deforming as it goes up the barrel which is causing the bullet to become un-stable.

Has anybody have any ideas or loads with different powders etc if not I've got 180 heads going real cheap!!
 
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I'm guessing the V-Max is longer than the standard HP? What is your rifling twist? The bullet isn't deforming. You have a stability issue that probably comes from the twist rate... OR... the V-Max are out of spec. diameter-wise. (I doubt that)~Muir
 
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yes muir is right. some 1 in 10 twist barrels will push the 25 vmax if you push them hard enough some wont. really you need to have a 1 in 9 twist to be sure.
Berger bullets are very good i would just stick with them if i where you.
 
When I was dabbling in 17's we didn't have V-Max and the Hornady 25 grain HP was about all we could get without a lot of fuss. They always worked, from the 17 Mach IV to the 17-250.~Muir
 
IIRC from my 17Rem load developing process time. The Berger and Hornady have slightly different ogive dimensions. You can load both to the same OAL but one will be closer to the lands than the other. Sorry I can't remember which one is which.
With the 17's OLA length is less critical than the distance to the lands
 
I would agree with the advice already given as regards twist rate, if you run a search on google you will find 1 in 10 twist barrels will not shoot the 25 gr vmax, my own lvsf 700 has a 1 in 9 twist and shoots them very well just for get about the v max and shoot the berger 25 or the hornady 25 hollow point bullets these are my bullets of choice for all my shooting with the 17 they are lethal!!!!!!!:thumb:
 
Hi all thank-you for all your wisdom so far just to answer muir's question just run the rod down the barrel a dozen times and the twist seems to be 1 in 10 and yes you guessed it the v-max has got two mm on the berger heads seems so obvious but neva thought a bit of plastic would make any difference anyway

free to good home for 17 remington 170 v-max 25 grain heads if anyone is passing suffolk!!
 
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well at least you tryed them mate. some will shoot them in a 1 in 10 if you push them hard enough. then again your's might not be a true 1 in 10 it might be alittle over that.

ps you didnt say what 17 rem it is ? if its a remington rifle there 1 in 9 ?
 
Gday Chris, I've got a Sako s491 Varmint with the original barrel and use Rem cases and AR2208 which is what we call Varget here. Mine sprays the Vmax as well but shoots the Hornady HP and especially the Berger's great. Exactly same experience as yours. Cheers.
 
sorry bud i just see you told us in your 1st post. stick with the 25 Berger bullets. there alittle behind on bc compared to the vmax. but accuracy is what counts
 
Oh! to be able to ship to the UK! I was in a ranch supply store in the city this week and they had 100 count bags of Remington Unprimed 17 Rem brass on close-out for $15 a bag. They must have had 60 of them in a bin. That's cheap here even. The local Cabelas had them for $59/100!:cuckoo:~Muir
 
I wish you could ship stuff to the UK too I went on the rcbs web site looking for some comp style dies for the 17remington and was told that I couldn't even ship them over so I found the UK supplier and tried to order them again and was then told I couldn't order direct from them! Had to go to my local gun shop they said! what's so dangerous about a set of dies are they scared they will fall out the plane and land on someone's head!
 
Thank-you again all the feed back so far and its nice to hear that its not just me that has a 17 remington that spits v-max heads like a muck spreader went down the gun shop today to fill my bullet allowance for the 17 rem (1000) rounds of berger heads until I found out the price! I nearly fell over just over 40 pounds per hundred never even would have guessed they were that much! Never mind still cheaper than factory 17 rem ammo which sits at 42 pounds for twenty!!
 
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