17 hornet or something similar?

J111

Well-Known Member
Hi guys,

Hope I'm not opening up too much of a can of worms here but was after some thoughts on my next rifle calibre. I'm after a long ish range bunny gun. I currently have a 22rf and a 243. I just came back from a weekend in which I had a go with my mate's 17 hornet which I thought was absolutely awesome. It was point and shoot out as far as I care to shoot, no perceptible recoil and quieter than an hmr I think. We were just doing doing pest control so weren't picking up and body shots completely turned them to mush but I'm sure it has the accuracy for head shooting at these ranges. I could do with something that is a lot less prone to ricochet than the 22 as well given the nature of some of my permissions.

Only thing is it's a pricey factory round and I'm not currently home-loading, but am thinking about getting kitted out and getting started on it. I have of course thought about the hmr and it is an option, but the hornet absolutely kicks it's arse and I know it's meant to be more wind susceptible and have heard lots of reports of hmrs blowing up lately. But I am also thinking that if I am going to end up home loading are there any alternatives that will shoot in the same way as the hornet? I have had the 222 suggested to me for example?

Cheers
 
Hi j111,bought a 17 hornet a couple of weeks ago to use mostly as a rifle for the summer evenings as i already have a hmr and 204,204 is my main foxing rifle which is a cracking calibre,now that i have the hornet the hmr is going,out yesterday with the hornet head shooting rabbits to 185 yds plus fox to 165 yds,but as you said ammo is a bit pricey but all depends how much you use it.l
 
Hi j111,bought a 17 hornet a couple of weeks ago to use mostly as a rifle for the summer evenings as i already have a hmr and 204,204 is my main foxing rifle which is a cracking calibre,now that i have the hornet the hmr is going,out yesterday with the hornet head shooting rabbits to 185 yds plus fox to 165 yds,but as you said ammo is a bit pricey but all depends how much you use it.l

interesting - what does the 17 do that the 204 doesn't ? What17 did you go for? The one I was using was a savage and I actually really liked it which I thought I wouldn't.
 
Went for the cz in hornet,just wanted something different as on occasions been out with hmr after rabbit when the occasional fox comes along just out of range which wont come in to the call,as i ,ll only shoot fox max at say 130yds with hmr,you know youv,e got that extra bit of energy with the hornet ,as for ammo price i,ve got some one to take headshot rabbit off me for pound a rabbit so it covers my ammo ,if i just go out for fox i go straight for 204.
 
My love of the .222 is well documented on the SD.
For varmints and small deer it is a revelation. . Potentially you could load up a batch of 35g varmint grenades scooting along at 3500fps, up to a 60g soft point which would be just the ticket for small deer.

It's super versatile, soft shooting and inherently accurate.

Long live the .222 :D
 
Have done a rebarrel from .22 to .17 Hornet , lovely liitle gun , moderated, not a barrel burner like the Rem .17. I have the reamer in the workshop,if anyone wants to have a rebarrel job done
 
.17 Fireball for me, I just love the tight fisted approach!, 18 grains of powder.
Bullet
Weight
Grains
Bullet
Ballistic
Coefficient
Muzzle
Velocity
Fps.
100 Yds.
Velocity
Fps.
200 Yds.
Velocity
Fps.
Muzzle
Energy
Ft. lbs.
100 Yds.
Energy
Ft. lbs.
200 Yds.
Energy
Ft. lbs.
Rifle
Zero
100 Yds.
Bullet
Drop
150 Yds.
Bullet
Drop
200 Yds.
Bullet
Drop
250 Yds.
17 Hornet20.1853,6503,0772,5745924202940- 0.6"- 2.2"- 5.2"
17 Remington Fireball20.1854,0003,3792,8417105073580- 0.3"- 1.6"- 3.9"
17 Remington25.1854,2503,5943,0298027175090- 0.2"- 1.2"- 3.2"
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well, I can report that I got a cz 527 american in 17 hornet and am very pleased with it. Shoots less than 1" at 100m with a cheapo air rifle scope on it. Trigger is crap out of the box, but easy to tune and now crisp and light. I am also shooting it with my 243 moderator on it which actually works pretty well. I have zeroed it at 150m. Just shot 20 rabbits all at the 150m mark and not a single miss. I am very happy with the calibre and rifle. As a comparison, my mate with his hmr was really struggling at this range and had a few missed shots and wounded ones due to the hold over required.
 
.17 Fireball for me, I just love the tight fisted approach!, 18 grains of powder.

17 Remington Fireball20.1854,0003,3792,8417105073580- 0.3"- 1.6"- 3.9"
17 Remington25.1854,2503,5943,0298027175090- 0.2"- 1.2"- 3.2"

I shoot a .17 Fireball and get 4,115 fps with a 20-grain V-Max and 3,505 with a 25-grain Berger Varmint.

Are you really getting a 25-grain bullet from a .17 Rem. to go 250 fps faster than a 20-grain one from a .17 Fireball?


I have yet to see any good evidence that this cartridge delivers satisfactory accuracy. All the reviews/reports seen to date seem very coy about this aspect. By all accounts, Winchester have been having a tough time reaching the necessary standards with the ammunition.
 
My mate has just decided to sell his 221 Fireball. It's a lovely rifle.

Pm me if interested. Andy
 
I have a .17 hornet by CZ with an 850 digiscope. I havent tried all the others suggested and now, I dont have to - lovely, effective, gun.
If its windy I take the .223 and go specifically for fox.
 
Back
Top