17 Remington, 17 Fireball or ?

4

44shooter

New member
Hi Guys

This is my very first post here. I have been reading the forum for some time but I havent seen this question asked yet so here goes:

I am looking to buy me a 17 caliber rifle. I already have a 17 HMR so am wanting to move up to a centerfire of this caliber. I currently reload for my 223 and several handguns and just have the itches for something new.

So, what I want to know is, get a 17 Remington, a 17 Fireball, or what? I know there are not that many choices out there. And for you 20 caliber lovers out there, no thanks- not right now, maybe later. I want a 17.

So what are my options? What do you guys like and why? Is it good for prairie dog size animals?

Great site guys. Thanks in advance for the help!
 
Do you reload? The 17 Rem is a great round in my opinion, but it doesn't shine till you load for it. Factory ammo is really lacking. I haven't taken the step to the 17 fireballs yet. Can't give an answer on that other than hearsay.
 
I'd say go with the .17 Remington simply because brass is more readily available. I don't know anywhere you can get .17 Fireball brass right now, and even if you wanted to go to the hassle of forming from .221 Fireball brass, it's rare as hens teeth....
 
Well I just bought the 17fireball today so that was my choice.
Yup ammo is pricey I did get 2 box's and yes the brass is not available at the moment , but it just a very cool round.

LEN
 
I have both the 17 rem and the 17 fireball I love them both and have taken several coyotes with both.. But if I had to choose the 17 rem is the way I would go.. Its a coyote killing machine /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Kerry
 
Another one for the 17 Remington. Over 35 years old and going stronger than ever it seems.

I have had three. My first had to go do to unemployment, my second one was destroyed when I accidentally chambered AND FIRED a 221 Fireball round in it (doh!), and my current, and best so far 700 Rem VLS. Always around a half inch, most often even less at 100 yards. My furthermost praire dog last summer was a lasered 400 yards. He died on the spot, but showed no signs of a hit. Maybe if I probed around I could have found the bullet hole, but eh, took his picture and went back to my shooting bench. Most of the ones I took were less than 250 yards. One that was less than 100 yards was blown in half. I was impressed. 20 grain Vmax too.

Anyway, that my input. Midway has brass (on sale right now too even) dies and bullets for it, along with 17 cal cleaning gear. I have been shooting them almost 30 years now. I dont plan on ever not having one. Just too much fun! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Quote:
And for you 20 caliber lovers out there, no thanks- not right now, maybe later.


I'd still say 22 Hornet. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-006.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Quote:
Quote:
And for you 20 caliber lovers out there, no thanks- not right now, maybe later.


I'd still say 22 Hornet. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-006.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif




Or maybe a 17 K-Hornet! That be fun. Anyone got one of those?
 
personally I would go with the Fireball. It comes very close to the ballistics of the larger 17 Rem, burns less powder, longer barrel life, and alot more rifle options from Remington. For yotes I would handload a 25 grain hollowpoint
 
Hi All,
Each to their own, but I tend to look at choosing a caliber as the same as choosing the right size tool. You can use a club hammer to drive a nail home, but it really is best done with a standard weight, carpenters hammer. Using that logic, you should define what the purpose of the rifle is and choose a round that is designed to suite your needs.

From what I've come a cross the .17FB is great for light vermin out to 250 yards. The .17 Remington touches 'em way out further than that. The FB has no effective recoil,whereas the Rem does have some. The FB isn't going to burn a barrell out anywhere near as fast as the Rem.

Choices,choices - narrow them down by creating a selection criteria.
 
Quote:
Hi All,
Each to their own, but I tend to look at choosing a caliber as the same as choosing the right size tool. You can use a club hammer to drive a nail home, but it really is best done with a standard weight, carpenters hammer. Using that logic, you should define what the purpose of the rifle is and choose a round that is designed to suite your needs.

From what I've come a cross the .17FB is great for light vermin out to 250 yards. The .17 Remington touches 'em way out further than that. The FB has no effective recoil,whereas the Rem does have some. The FB isn't going to burn a barrell out anywhere near as fast as the Rem.

Choices,choices - narrow them down by creating a selection criteria.

I'd pick the 17 Rem also. You'd have to shoot a heck of a lot of coyotes to burn the barrel out. I'd take the advantage of the range of the bigger round over it's little brother.
 
My suggestion is to buy one of them, take your pick, but you NEED to own at least one centerfire 17. I currently have a 17 Mach 2, a 17 HMR, and 17 Fireball, and my 17 Remington (LVSF) is in the mail.

The 17 Fireball is a fantastic prairie dog gun. The recoil is minimal and I can see hits at high magnification in my heavy 17 Fireball set up. I ordered my new 17 Remington LVSF with coyotes in mind. It's a lightweight gun and I plan to use it as a walking varminter. My Fireball is set up for bench use only. I plan to shoot 25 and 30 grain bullets in the 17 Remington. Barrel fouling and burning the barrel won't be much of a concern as the shot count will be low.

If you want a 17 Remington at a great price I can give you the number for the guy I ordered mine from. He is selling them for $575 plus $20 shipping. Look around and you will see that this price is far below dealer price most places. Plus, Remington has a $50 rebate right now. He only has a few left, so you will have to act fast.

Good luck on your choice. My next 17 will be the 17 Ackley Hornet. I already have the Contender frame and some brass. I'm acquiring pieces here and there to finish the project some time soon.

GrouseSetter
 
Everyone needs at least one 17 Rem and at least one 17 Rem FB/Mach IV.....they are not the same breed of cat.

Cajum Blake posted the original information and provided his phone number on the 17 Rem LVSF rifles that are on sale over on Saubier in the classifieds if you want to go that route. He's also a great guy to talk small caliber "stuff" with.

http://www.saubier.com./forum/showthread.php?t=3173

And if you happen to get a decent barrel /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif, the dreaded "barrel fouling and burning the barrel" won't matter anyway. I've had a bunch of 17 Remingtons dating back to the 1970's - both factory and custom - and I've never had one that behaved as badly as everyone wants you to believe they all behave...

JMO - BCB
 
BCB, I ordered my LVSF after talking with Cajun Blake. You are right, he is a heck of a nice guy and knows his small calibers.

I'm hoping the barrel on the new rifle is as smooth as the barrel in my 17 Fireball.

GrouseSetter
 
You wont go far wrong with the 17 rem its a fantastic round especially as you reload, I have owned a 17 rem lvsf for 4 years now and have lost count of the rounds fired through that barrel, never suffered from fouling even when going long time between cleaning 100+ rounds it keeps getting better just tried the 30gr berger match bullet with h414 and it groups less than an 1" knocks foxs down further than i can, my only gripe it has real loud muzzle blast nothing good hearing protection wont help though, have no experience of the 17fb but the 17 rem is my favourite caliber for fox.YOU WILL LOVE IT!!!!!!!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Thanks for all the help guys! From what I have read so far, and because I am a handloader, I think that I am going to opt for the 17 Remington. I can always load the 17 Rem down to 17 Fireball ballistics, but not the other way around. Besides, there is 17 Rem brass avail right now. No telling when the Fireball stuff will finally show.

Anyway, thanks for all the help. This is a great group!
 
44shooter, the dealer that BCB and I were referring to is located in Roanoke, Alabama. I don't know how far that is from you but it would cut the shipping costs.

There are not many factory rifles left that are chambered for 17 Remington.

Let us know what you get and post photos.

GrouseSetter
 
A question I have about the .17 remington. Most everyone who shoots this caliber says that you need to be a handloader to get the most from it, yet a lot of people load the hornady 25 grain hollowpoint, which is the same bullet Remington loads in the factory shell. So, is the factory round that inaccurate, not loaded hot enough for best performance on coyotes, or is everyone looking for better performance that a 30 grain gold could deliver? Does anyone shoot the factory 17 remington 25 grain hollowpoints?
Thanks for your answers.
Greg C.
 
As far as factory 25gr bullets go I used them in the beginning and found them ok but handloading brought a whole new experience to me as far as accuracy and performance was concerned, I know there are a whole bunch of guys out there who could explain far better than me, but as far as I have learned playing with different powders and different oals with a variety of bullets it changes the performance big time I found best accuracy with my rifle with bullets seated just off the lands and powders like alliant RL15, varget, and H414, been meaning to try some of IMRS powders as I know it works well in this calibre plus its just a lotta fun rolling your own, loads I am currently using are
24.GRS HODGDON VARGET, 20GR VMAX
22.5 GRS RL15, 25GR HORNADY OR BERGER MATCH
24.GRS HODGDON H414, 30GR BERGER MATCH
all overall lengths at 2.180
as always anyone trying these loads
START AT MINIMUM SAFE LOADS FOR THE VARIOUS POWDERS AND WORK UP IN .5 GR AT A TIME /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
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