.17 hornet Best Propellant and bullets/ heads / primers

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Hi Guys
might have a tinkle at reloading the .17 hornet

any 17 reloaders have any recommendations on powder, bullets and primers

probably need a pair of tweezers as well to pick em up :doh:
ive used Vht160 before in my 6.5

anyone using Vht 120 or little gun

rifle is shooting pretty good with factory 20 grn Hornady at the moment

cheers

phil
 
Doing very well with 11.5g if accurate 1680 or lovex, its available, 20g vmax, very close performance to the hornady factory rounds.
 
I must say , that I didn't enjoy loading for my 17H , I found it a particularly frustrating calibre and struggled to get the best out of it.
Anyway enough of the moaning. :old:

I tried a couple of powders - I couldn't get consistency using Lil gun. I always got flyers and random group patterns.
After a bit of research I tried Lovex 1680, behind a 20 grn Vmax. - This was a good combination and I would recommend.

ATB
Alan
 
Morning Phillip had alot of experience with the hornet and lillgun is a good propellant but it burns very hot , a friend of mine loved the results but burnt the throat out on his rifle he now uses 1680 same as i use all the time !!!!!
 
dodgyknees said:
CFE223, V-Max 20gr. Proven accuracy in two CZs. If it doesn’t work I’d be tempted to eat my hat.
Click to expand...

Hi Buddy. CFE223 seems quite a slow burn rate for this cal - at least compared to the other powders that are commonly used. (burn rate chart on link)
I had a tub of CFE223 , but didn't try it in my 17 H as I thought it would be too slow - my bad . :doh:

What charge weight do you use and what velocity are you getting.

 
H110 but vht110 next I think as more reliable supply, 17g vmax and 20g vmax, hits the rabbits ok.

Google the 17 hornet plenty of load data on various sites.
 
So I made the same mistake as I made last time. I mean CFE BLK not CFE 223, sorry about that. Autopilot error.

12.9gr, 3,640 ft/sec

That’s at the upper end of the range. I worked up from 12.3gr but ultimately just ended up copying my mate’s load in the exact same rifle, with the same components. It was my backyard lockdown project. Hornaday ones fired cases. The rifle is brand-new and only just broken in, I suspect this is the reason that it is about 50 ft./s off my mate’s rifle (identical but at least 500 shots down the tube).

What I found was the groups tightened up significantly at the top end. My barrel is 22”.

B91315DA-A102-46E4-9612-E6657276713A.webp
 
CFE BLK is not reach compliant and so not sold in the UK, not listed on Edgar brothers website as being imported.
 
There are quite a few threads on her on the .17 Hornet.

I followed what Alan (post #3) wrote in a few other posts and used DO63, which worked very well.
N110 and N120 are also good powders.

It can be a frustrating thing to load, but once it works it is great.
Case life is relatively short when you are running at the top end of the loads, and I found the primer pockets were almost gone by the third reload.
There are very few off teh shelf makes of case to reload, I only ever found Hornady, so you need to save all your factory cases, or resize some PPU or RWS.
22 Hornet RWS cases are really good, and they do come up for sale as once fired every so often, but you will need to tool up to resize them.
 
The powders mentioned already are those I favour in my .22Hornet/K-Hornet, and for sure are very useful ones. In particular I like H110 specifically in the straight Hornet but have been using Vactan SP3 exclusively in my 'K' which I would also suggest trying in your .17 Hornet. Meters like water... REALLY!... giving me consistent & high M.V's. Worth a try I would definitely suggest Philip!!

As for the bullets/projectiles (NOT Heads... Please!?) I use the 20gr V-Max in my own .17 Centerfire - the amazing (to me) but oft grumbled at by others - .17 Remington. I drive these teensy .17 Poly-tipped bullets along at ridiculously high M.V's, in the order of 4450f.p.s. (measured by me over a 'Chrony' Sky-Screen unit) and they perform admirably, giving me 1 1/2" or slightly less three shot groups at 200yds powered along with CFE223. Makes for truly excellent fox medicine and, if one wants to simply clear away excessive rabbits on young arable crop fields (ha!.. those were the days eh??) blows em up - LITERALLY - at 100yds or less, and simply jellies the internals in the roughly 100->250yds range or there abouts...

I haven't used them - YET - but I have read several glowing reports for the (Slightly CHEAPER) 20gr TIPPED 'Varmageddons'..... IF I am reading the bullet info correctly they ALSO have a slightly BETTER C.D. than the already Brilliant 20gr V-Max's. If, when I do give them a trial - as soon as this damned dreadful disease lets us out shooting again!? - and I find their accuracy is at least on par with those wee V-Max 'Grenades' then THEY will be the new, go-to projectile for my .17Rem'.. So that is another bullet you might give a SERIOUS trial in your .17 Hornet Phil??...

Meantime, Good luck with your new reloading project but above all, please Stay SAFE!... 😋[emoji1360][emoji482]
 
Last edited:
Blobby159, I am using Vectan SP3 behind the Kranks 17g vmax heads have worked up to 11.0grains in my 17 hornet, but unable to confirm velocity as my chrono decided to die on me and was about to buy a new one, when the virus hit us. As you say meters excellent and is single based powder.

Have been unable to find any actual load data for SP3 in the 17 hornet, hence been carefully working the load up.

Blobby159 said:
The powders mentioned already are those I favour in my .22Hornet/K-Hornet, and for sure are very useful ones. In particular I like H110 specifically in the straight Hornet but have been using Vactan SP3 exclusively in my 'K' which I would also suggest trying in your .17 Hornet. Meters like water... REALLY!... giving me consistent & high M.V's. Worth a try I would definitely suggest Philip!!
😋[emoji1360][emoji482]
Click to expand...
 
Blobby159 said:
The powders mentioned already are those I favour in my .22Hornet/K-Hornet, and for sure are very useful ones. In particular I like H110 specifically in the straight Hornet but have been using Vactan SP3 exclusively in my 'K' which I would also suggest trying in your .17 Hornet. Meters like water... REALLY!... giving me consistent & high M.V's. Worth a try I would definitely suggest Philip!!

As for the bullets/projectiles (NOT Heads... Please!?) I use the 20gr V-Max in my own .17 Centerfire - the amazing (to me) but oft grumbled at by others - .17 Remington. I drive these teensy .17 Poly-tipped bullets along at ridiculously high M.V's, in the order of 4450f.p.s. (measured by me over a 'Chrony' Sky-Screen unit) and they perform admirably, giving me 1 1/2" or slightly less three shot groups at 200yds powered along with CFE223. Makes for truly excellent fox medicine and, if one wants to simply clear away excessive rabbits on young arable crop fields (ha!.. those were the days eh??) blows em up - LITERALLY - at 100yds or less, and simply jellies the internals in the roughly 100->250yds range or there abouts...

I haven't used them - YET - but I have read several glowing reports for the (Slightly CHEAPER) 20gr TIPPED 'Varmageddons'..... IF I am reading the bullet info correctly they ALSO have a slightly BETTER C.D. than the already Brilliant 20gr V-Max's. If, when I do give them a trial - as soon as this damned dreadful disease lets us out shooting again!? - and I find their accuracy is at least on par with those wee V-Max 'Grenades' then THEY will be the new, go-to projectile for my .17Rem'.. So that is another bullet you might give a SERIOUS trial in your .17 Hornet Phil??...

Meantime, Good luck with your new reloading project but above all, please Stay SAFE!... 😋[emoji1360][emoji482]
Click to expand...

Many thanks blobby

I have standard 22 hornet as well I used to re load for that until recently with little gun, I tried some Winchester ammunition to get some new once fired brass brass, and the rifle ( anschutz ) loved them so kept with them, yes I will be trying a number of rounds I want the rounds for long range rabbit and foxes out to 120 ish yds so the best performing round I'll be reloading on a permanent cycle
The 17 hornet is for use as a back up for 22 hornet in between the 22 and my 222, my range for foxes is 50 yds to 100 yds with 22 hornet and out to 200 ish with the 222 if I can get a solid accurate shot to 120 yds on the 17 I will be chuffed to bits

This little CZ 17 is a lovely accurate rifle, cant wait to get out properly, I've got a 3-12 x 50 zenith on it and it shoots a dream at the moment, probably install a yukon 470 on it later when I've got used to the rifle

Cheers

Phil
 
dodgyknees said:
Bugger. That Reach business really messed you lot around eh.
Click to expand...

You are NOT wrong there 'DK'...!!
It is one enormous f*ck-up here in the UK believe me. It would seem like this "REACH Compliance" thingy has impacted many of the most useful loads in the more popular calibers... That is how it seems anyways.

I am certainly NOT the Conspiratorial type, in any sense, but you have to ask the question "Is this a back door attempt at limiting firearms usage in our fair and wondrous land..???"
You can surely guess MY answer to that.......

ATB,
Blobby
 
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