17 Ackley Hornet: How common is it?

CalCoyote

CalCoyote

Member
There are times that I need a gun that produces limited muzzle blast. Does anyone have a 17 Hornet and if so, how loud is it? Ballistics on the internet show it spitting out a 25g bullet @ 3300-3500 fps. While this is not optimal performance when compared to 204, 223, etc, it sure beats a 17hmr. I would like something that gives better performance than the hmr but at less noise than a 223. Mostly squirrels but enough thump for the occasional close range small bodied Calif coyote.

I know realatively little about rechambering a rifle. how expensive is this? Will any short action do or do I need a 22 hornet?

I would think that if I could reload this for less than I could buy factory hmr ammo.
 
Go over to Saubier.com.
Those guys eat, breath, and sleep 17AH.
It's a very efficient round from what I can tell.
Not all smiths will have reamers for it, and it doesn't feed reliably in every action, and yes you will need a Hornet action. The CZ and Browning Micro's seem to be their favotites, as well as single shots.
Case forming can be as hard or as easy as you care to make it. Some of them swear ya gotta have a couple hundred bucks worth of form dies. While others say just run factory brass in a neck die then FL size it.
They will fill ya in on the rest, but it's a neat little round, and I wouldn't mind having one.
Later
 
Like RePete said, go to Saubier. There are 1 or 2 threads on the 17AH now and one even has a video clip of the guys 10 year old shooting one round. You can see and hear the recoil and report first hand. I have two 17AH's myself and it has become my favorite caliber by far. 1 is a Cooper and the other is a Ruger 77/22 that was rebarreled. I sent it to Pac Nor and it will set you back about $500 to be rebarreled, wherever you get it done. It is perfect for what you want it for. If you don't want to form your own brass, there is a sponser at Saubier who sells formed 17AH brass. It is very affordable and you can buy them in as small as 20 piece bags. Check out Saubier, everyone there knows tons about the small calibers.

I forgot to add that it is very very cheap to reload. A pound of powder goes a long long way. I haven't actually figured it out to the exact cent. Top loads are using a little over 12 grains of powder. Great round out to 250 yards easily and more if you can shoot.
 
Last edited:
I did a test with the 17 AH and 17 HMR. Stand out at 100 yards at the target and listen to each round fired...hard to tell the difference because the sonic crack is the same.
 
Brian M,,,,,,,,,,,,I'm not much of a contender guy,but that rifle is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks like it performs as good as it looks too.

VERY NICE /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif
 
If you are at all interested in a 17AH I would encourage you to get one. It is in an entirely different league than the 17hmr. Never heard of or met anyone who didn't thouroughly enjoy shooting one after trying it. +1 on the Contender platform, also a very nice rig.
 
I've been shooting two Cooper 17AH's for 2-3 years now. Without a doubt my favorite short range PD caliber. I sold off both of my 17HMR's. When one reloads, cost is similar, performance....no comparison.
 
Very Interesting.

I got onto Saubier.com and there is a lot of info on there regarding the 17AH

I had been reading about the 19 Calhoon, which is basically a 22 hornet necked down to a 19 caliber. The ballistics were impressive but the proprietary nature of the bullets does not appeal to me. You have to pray every day for the continued good health of James Calhoon because he is the only place to buy them. The 17AH gets around that barrier.

Brian M,
If that Thompson shoots half as good as it looks its a great gun.

Calcoyote
 
Hey CalCoyote, I've got two 19 Calhoon's as well. They are great too. The way around the bullet worries is to put 5000 pcs. in inventory, knowing when they are gone you will have to re-barrel. The Calhoon bullets are fantastic!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
17AH is on my short list of calibers I would like to own. CZ, Ruger and savage all have a rifle in the hornet, maybe more but those are the ones Ive looked at. I will more than likely go with a ruger and rebarrel it since I used to have one in 22 hornet and it is one of my biggest regrets was selling it.
 
This thread has me thinking, I own two 22 hornets, a 77/22 which is fun light and a great little rifle, the second is CZ which I have never shot.

I looked over at saubier, I must be somewhere else?
Can you convert the 77/22 to the 17AH with just a barrel change, if so a person could if he wanted change it right back to the hornet later right? Also does Green Mountain or others make a drop in barrel in 17AH?
 
FurHunter,,,,,,,,,,The 77/22H has to be threaded and headspaced like any other centerfire rifle. The 77/22 rimfires are easily changed like the 10/22's.
Several guys over at www.Saubier.com have used the 77/22H for the 17AH but I did read about a couple having feeding problems. I actually asked the same question over there and was told that James Calhoon can alter the magazine to feed reliably.
I bet if you shoot that CZ you'll find it more accurate than the Ruger. That should be all it takes for you to take the 17AH plunge with your little Ruger.
The feeding problems I mention are internet hearsay so don't go by that.
Ask the guys at Saubier. They really are the experts.
 
I sent my Ruger 77/22 Hornet to Pac Nor and had them rebarrel it to 17AH. Took 16 weeks and is about $500. I spent another $125 and had it fluted. I am very happy with it, I did have to tweak the magazine just a little bit to get it to work. It was OK with the 1st round, the 2nd would stick and then it would feed fine again. A minute or two with the dremel and it feeds great. I am not at all mechanical. Many have had magazines that feed fine without any alterations. There is a gunsmith who does the magazines for $30, he also does the rebarrel jobs. www.zhat.com I believe. The Cz's are just about guaranteed to shoot but the magazines usually won't feed. Everyone talks about the Rugers, but I never did find anyone who wasn't happy with theirs after having it rebarreled to 17AH.
DSCF3879.jpg
DSCF3872.jpg

The dot on the target is a 1" dot, so you have an idea what the Ruger shoots like. I have to give Pruson credit for the load, it is a fox load. I just can't get any fox to cooperate so Ican see how it does on them.
 
Last edited by a moderator:


Write your reply...
Back
Top