Wanting a 17 remington, is there a factory rifle or go custom?

Originally Posted By: reb8600Originally Posted By: gotspotsHad a buddy make a bunch of "17 rem" from 223. Had inconsistent pressures with them. Had to down load 2 grns to find anything I felt safe with. He loaded a bunch in January that popped primers in June.

Sounds like more of a powder issue than a brass issue.


Could take a 17 rem brass and re sized 223 case load the same load with considerable pressure difference. Always figured the military brass might have been thick enough to reduce internal volume.
 
Originally Posted By: ackleymanI have had two custom 17 Remingtons, one with a lilja barrel and the other with a Shilen barrel. Also, 4 of the 17 Mach 4's.

I had the reamers ground where I could just clean up the necks to give better uniformity.

Using 22.5g of H322 with a 25g Berger I got 3850, and with this speed I could go long strings on p. dog towns.

For coyotes, I shot 24g of IMR 4320 with the 25g berger at 4100.

Groups with the 25g Bergers were from the high 1's to low 3's, and they killed coyotes quite well. I noticed that I got a lot less copper fouling with the Bergers vs the Hornady 25g HP...understatement.

Lilja and Shilen barrels will have several features that are well worth considering:
1. uniform bore dia
2.drilled much straighter
3. micro finish of the bore will be slick as glass
4.ease in cleaning

These two custom barrels will be a much better barrel than any factory barrel, and this should only be a consideration if you want to shoot long shot strings and ease of cleaning.

If you do go for a custom barrel, make sure of the reamer dimensions. You want a reamer that does not give you a big sloppy chamber, and a short leade is preferable. A gunsmith that has a set of reamer pilot bushings to match the ID of the bore perfectly is a must. Also, if he has a uni throater to throat for a 30g vs zero to next to zero freebore(20-25g) would be preferable. It is very impressive to see a rifle shoot a five shot group smaller than a pencil eraser!

These small groups will give you instant confidence when you happen to pick up a coyote staring at you over the top of a bush with only his head exposed at 250 yards and further!

The gratification of shooting a rifle that kills way out there that has the recoil of a BB gun is something that you will just have to experience.

Lilja has been my barrel of choice for 17's. The one I use now is contoured to match Kimber 84M barrels, so it is very light weight, but even so, it shoots extremely well.

 
K22, most people can not appreciate just how small those groups are because those are 50' 22 rf targets...that is one heck of a shooter.

My last one was a Remington factory contour, lilja, 10T, 24" long. I just used stock rem walnut stock, but a shilen trigger.

I started off with a std set of RCBS dies and Rem brass, just barely cleaned up the neck with a neck turner. Then sized 5 pieces of brass, ordered a reamer .003 larger than that sized dia., with zero freebore and 1.5* leade angle. There is about .014 chamfer that comes of the case mouth, so it is not exactly a zero freebore reamer.

First trip to the range, took me about 15 shots to get sighted in and a load worked up shooting in the small group area where you are just barely opening up a bullet hole. Seating depth is absolutely critical, and the 25 bergers liked to touch the lands. When I got .010 off the lands, groups opened up tremendously. Freebore issue is the main failure of stock factory rifles. 17's do NOT like to jump, at least in all of the customs that I have owned from 17AH to 17 Javelina.

Some of my most fond memories was with my friend Dave Loren. Dave had a custom 17 mach 4 with a pencil barrel. We hammered ground squirrels up in the area North of LA in the Almond orchards with that small gun out to 250 yards. Then later on in the Summer, we went and shot jack rabbits that were on the up swing of a population cycle. I can still see those rabbits and crows flopping in my mind's eye...what a rifle! Sako A1 with a pencil barrel of some kind, Walnut stock with a very thin forearm, and tuned trigger, probably 6.5 lbs with the 3x9 or 4x12 leupold.
 
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Thanks Ackleyman. That particular rifle weighs a grand total of 6# 4oz. scoped, loaded, and sling. It is not so easy shooting for groups from a bench with that light of a rifle, so I'm very sure with a steadier hold it will shoot even smaller groups.
I would have given anything to been along with you and Dave Loren. That had to have been a great time.
I have another Kimber trued and rebarreled to 243 I use for Deer hunting. It also is a Lilja barrel in a Kimber contour. It shoots the same as my 17 Lilja.
The interesting thing about custom rifles and or trued factory actions, such as mine, with lilja barrels is you get to decide what speed you want the load to be and don't have to worry much about group size. Group size is generally quite small no matter how slow or how fast you are pushing the bullet. In short, working up a load is a snap.
 
Originally Posted By: PeteyI have a Remington 17 lvsf. About 100 rounds through it, I have the box for it. $700 shipped or best offer.

That is a very tempting deal.
 
Quote:

"The interesting thing about custom rifles and or trued factory actions, such as mine, with lilja barrels is you get to decide what speed you want the load to be and don't have to worry much about group size. Group size is generally quite small no matter how slow or how fast you are pushing the bullet. In short, working up a load is a snap."

I was going to mention that fact, but I did not think that anyone would believe it.

Given the fact that you are using a custom bullet, hornady's were a tad more particular.
 
Originally Posted By: K22Originally Posted By: PeteyI have a Remington 17 lvsf. About 100 rounds through it, I have the box for it. $700 shipped or best offer.

That is a very tempting deal.

Well worth the asking price Have several and wouldn’t take that for any of them
 
Originally Posted By: ackleymanQuote:

"The interesting thing about custom rifles and or trued factory actions, such as mine, with lilja barrels is you get to decide what speed you want the load to be and don't have to worry much about group size. Group size is generally quite small no matter how slow or how fast you are pushing the bullet. In short, working up a load is a snap."

I was going to mention that fact, but I did not think that anyone would believe it.

Given the fact that you are using a custom bullet, hornady's were a tad more particular.

I have some of the Hornady's but never tried them in this barrel. They were left over from my first 17 I reloaded back in 71. I also used a lot of the Rem. 25gr.sp. back then, but that's another subject.
The Hornady Interlocks and Nosler Partition in the Lilja 243 barrel were boring. Again, just a matter of what speed do you want these to go. Three rounds touching no matter what load.
While this may look like we are getting off the OP's question, I don't think it is. Factory barrels, and especially in minimouse calibers, can be a real challenge to find great loads for. The custom barrel is a snap and they shoot factory ammo very well also.
 
Thanks for all the advice gentleman. As luck would have it, i was at an estate sale and picked up a rem 700 chambered in another obsolete cartridge 222 rem mag, so i now have a donor action to put a barrel on. Will be going to visit my gunsmith after church to decide on parts. Looking at a Lilja 1/9 but will see what other options are out there. Thanks again for all the advice, will keep everyone posted with progress.
 
Copredator, stick to the Lilja, you will not be sorry. If you have to wait three months to get the barrel, don't sweat it.

That 222Mag is worth some money if it is any kind of decent shape. I don't know if I would part out that rifle.
 
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Sorry for no updates on the project, been in AZ with my in laws. So, i go see my gunsmith and talk about the project and he feels the same way about the 222 mag as some of the members had stated and we work out a trade for a spare action from a model 7 he had from another project and a barrel. Went with the Lilja 4 groove, 9 twist finished at 24", bedded in an H-S Precision stock. So now for the wait and time to gather bullets, dies and brass, already have appropriate powders and primers on hand. Will update with pics as time progresses, i'm sure i will be asking for load info.
 
Sorry for no updates on the project, been in AZ with my in laws. So, i go see my gunsmith and talk about the project and he feels the same way about the 222 mag as some of the members had stated and we work out a trade for a spare action from a model 7 he had from another project and a barrel. Went with the Lilja 4 groove, 9 twist finished at 24", bedded in an H-S Precision stock. So now for the wait and time to gather bullets, dies and brass, already have appropriate powders and primers on hand. Will update with pics as time progresses, i'm sure i will be asking for load info.
 
Originally Posted By: RustydustOriginally Posted By: AcroninMeh, brass is easy to find. Go to high plains brass web site. They make .17 rem brass from .223. $45/100 pieces. Great stuff.

So you tried it? I have wanted to get some but not sure how well it would work. I have been using just R-P brass for the last almost 40 years and while I am not running low I thought about trying the High Plains brass for my .221 FB as well. As I shoot it a lot during squirrel season. Killed a lot of prairie dogs with it too.

Got anything you dont like about the brass? If not I might just have to order me some.

Yep, work great. Consistency is good, not Lapua or Norma, but they produce single digit SDs with 20gr Nosler, 25gr Vmax, 25gr Hornady Hp and 32gr Reeds.

I also have a buddy that swears by High Plains brass, hes why I tried them.

They work for me, but anytime I find factory .17 Rem brass I snatch them up if they are .50/each or less.
 
Thanks for the info on the brass, Acronin. I have been really wanting to try the High Plains stuff but hearing that others having good luck with it makes me a bit less apprehensive about buying it.

Some of my .17 Remington brass is decades old so I need to start thinning out the questionable ones more now. Been buying it for almost 40 years so I have quite a bit but some of it should have been tossed by now.
 
Originally Posted By: RustydustThanks for the info on the brass, Acronin. I have been really wanting to try the High Plains stuff but hearing that others having good luck with it makes me a bit less apprehensive about buying it.

Some of my .17 Remington brass is decades old so I need to start thinning out the questionable ones more now. Been buying it for almost 40 years so I have quite a bit but some of it should have been tossed by now.

UPDATE ON HIGH PLAINS BRASS

I've still had no issues with my HP brass, but I just got off the phone with a buddy of mine and he experienced blown primers with ONE BATCH of his (100 pieces or so).

He called HP and they took a measurement and it seems that they were a few thousands off between the neck and the shoulder.

They replaced his brass. The new brass has zero issues. He said he'd still buy from them. They thought that those few thousands caused the brass to chamber but not tightly, therefore pressure went out the primer, not the bullet end.

Just want to get you good information from experienced people. I still plan on getting brass from them. But you decide for yourself. I for one trust them more than I trust me. Lol!!!
 
Should I assume there is something wrong with the Norma 17 Rem. brass and that is why everyone is wanting remanufactured 17 Rem brass from 223?
 
Originally Posted By: K22Should I assume there is something wrong with the Norma 17 Rem. brass and that is why everyone is wanting remanufactured 17 Rem brass from 223?

I don’t think there is anything wrong with Norma 17Rem brass. I believe people are using HP (reman) brass due to availability and price. We as predator hunters seem to be a thrifty bunch who are always looking to save a few bucks without compromising end results. Remanufacured brass is just one of many ways we save money to allow for more shooting.
 


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