Which .17 hornet factory rifle?

[James19306]

I have just recently put a variation in for a hmr but with all the bashing going on currently I'm thinking I should reconsider and go for a hornet. I'm looking for a rifle to shoot crows magpies between 100-200 yards ideally. I thought a Cz 527 varmint would be perfect but the barrel length on those is 25.5 inches which seems odd for such a small caliber and would be a bit of a whale by the time I put a moderator on it.

I know the options aren't numerous for a factory rifle but I would like to know what people are using and how they are getting on with various rifles.

 

Cheers

James.

[gbal]

James, you are probably well advised to think small cf-apart from the ammo issues for 17 hmr,200 yards is really too far for it,with any wind at all,and a sub 3 inch wide target !

 

I'd have a very close look at the 17 Hornet,if you need/want to keep power on the low side,but with good 200 y performance. Back in the day,the various 17s were excellent-easiest is the 17Rem,just devastating on small varmints with very frangible bullets (you are loading much much too hot when they disintegrate in flight!)-or the shortened versions like Fireball. But the 17Rem is a genuine 250y rifle,so well in it's comfort zone out to 200....and still available (?).

 

Not much wrong withthe 222 either,now even 'better' with very light varmint fragmenting bullets....(or 223)...

 

But a long barreled Hornet might turn out just as you suspect (and 200y for most Hornets is starting to stretch.....easy Hornet fans- I mean for a 90% hit rate on skinny crows,with a puff of wind...and for sure,any shot a Hornet makes would be at least duplicted-and more reliably-by the 17/224 class....

 

It may be that new availability/cost becomes a factor-in which case,a try before you buy used 222 might fit the bill'. These are all a differnt ball park to the 17HMR (the newer 22 Hornet ammo has rejuvenated

that cartridge,of course-so don't be too put off by the old roundnosed Hornet performance which was poorish,and some will rightly sell short-but even the modern stuff is limited by 200y eg hornady 35 vmax@3100 is 13.5 inches drift at 200y,10 mph wind-the 17 Rem 25@4000 is 4.7 inches; 222 40vmax@3600 is 5.2)

 

Barrels of course can be shortened....with but a small deterioration in ballistics...

 

gbal

[stillair1]

The cz 527 .17 is a sound rifle. My shooting buddy has had one for a year now.The set trigger is not to everyones liking, but it can adjusted.I would not worry about the length of the barrel,my fireball comes in at 26". At least with the hornet you can get factory ammo.It will also worry those 200yd crows,which is an unlikely event with the current hmr ammo quality.

[David Hancock]

To answer your post specifically, you are stuck with a CZ, a Savage and a Ruger laminated I believe. Personally, if Anschutz or Weihrauch with a HW66 chambered the round, I would have seriously considered the calibre.

 

I'd check availability on ammunition if I were you, or you are going to spend time travelling between RFD's or shouting bang !!

 

You are also going to be bombed about how good all the other calibres are. #moreconfusion

 

Good luck. DH

[ChrisF]

I would go CZ527 and would look real close at the barrel dia RE the std or the varmint , as the rifle may not really need the meat of say a varmint barrel , I have a std CZ527 in 22 Hornet , and just cut the barrel down by 2 inches and run a MAE suppressor on it .

RE the Annie , or the Weihrauch in a centerfire like the hornet or 222 , not for me , as I feel its a bit harder to get good accuracy from a rear locking bolt action generally , had a mate with a centerfire Annie in 222 , looked good , but was rubbish in accuracy , like the Annie54s in rimfire , just not that keen on them in centerfire.

I would also look at maybe 222 or 223 as well .

[gbal]

James,I forgot to add that my mentioning other cartridges was in part because of the limited choice in 17 Hornet,as subsequent posts point out. The 17 Fireball might come up used (remington),and Sako/Tikka have made some fine 222s and 17 rems in the past....Ammo availability and choice for these won't be nearly as easy as say,223.

You could ,of course,reload for the 17 Hornet which might just tweak a bit more accuracy from the relatively average rifles available in that chambering....a 200y crow does not offer much leeway.... :-)

 

g

[srvet]

I have just recently put a variation in for a hmr but with all the bashing going on currently I'm thinking I should reconsider and go for a hornet. I'm looking for a rifle to shoot crows magpies between 100-200 yards ideally. I thought a Cz 527 varmint would be perfect but the barrel length on those is 25.5 inches which seems odd for such a small caliber and would be a bit of a whale by the time I put a moderator on it.

I know the options aren't numerous for a factory rifle but I would like to know what people are using and how they are getting on with various rifles.

 

Cheers

James.

 

I know this isn't a hornet but I believe this is still for sale. Tony (Limulus of quad sticks fame) is a good chap too!

 

As Gbal has eloquently said the 17 Rem is a very capable calibre that definitely punches above its weight. I have dropped foxes at 200 yards with mine with no difficulty at all!

 

http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/showthread.php/117872-Cz-17-Rem-varmint?p=1109940#post1109940

[garyw]

forget the hornet buy my -cooper .17 fireball and shoot out to 250-300 yds dies -brass-powder etc all you need .

[Chris-NZ]

Yeh, that's a cool chambering.

 

I think you will come to the realisation no matter what chambering you choose that reloading will be necessary and certainly cost-saving. The Fireball should be more friendly in that regard. .222 or .223 would be even easier..

[verminshooter29]

Go ruger lad.have one if ye want a shot

[James19306]

I already have a .222 and use it for around 200-250 but just keep thinking I need something to fill the gap between .22lr and .222, I had thought of going hmr but with all the complaining I thought a hornet would be handier as I already reload. Thanks for the offer Rob I might take u up on that the next time I'm up your neck of the woods. I would fancy a fireball or .17 Remington but was wondering why everyone is hornet mad atm but it's obviously just the .17 hype at the start and will fade away like all the others. No offence to anyone who has one but surely the fireball and 17 Remington have far better ballistics so begs the question "what's the point of the .17 hornet" ??

[gbal]

James,ahhh ...if only I'd known....that you had a 222 !!

 

I went much the same road- 22lr,great 50y bunny rifle

Need a bit more: three 22 mags before I realised it's severe limitations 100y bunny rifle

So a Hornet-OK old hopeless BC bullets- but 125 y rifle.22mag/Hornet accuracy was modest.

Well, why not use the 222 more- it was a roe rifle. This is more like it...250y and accurate..

So the 17 will be even more so....well,not quite so accurate,but a 250 near certainty,no recoil-see bullet strike.

Used the 17 almost exclusively thereafter (except 22rf for places where only short range-50 yards or so).

Very-very- dependable,instant lights out on rabbits-often minimal meat damage too.

I suspect the Fireball would have been almost as good -(just 25 yards less secure range?) 17 version was not around.

 

The 'fill the niche' itch has struck elsewhwere,and it is usually a false one-I can see a golfer needs at least a half set of clubs,but when shooting, where shots are going to be 75-275 yards,get a 275y rifle and take all the shots with it. Otherwise,you get caught with your perfect 150 yard rifle and 250 yard shots present.

Carrying the 275 yarder,everything is on . With the17rem,you still have no recoil issues,and enough power for opportunistic fox etc.

(a 6mm is too much,though you can't fault it's range and species capabilities. However,were there such a thing as a very light carry PPC or BR,I might now/did go for that-for crow accuracy,and a bit more distance.But then you are into custom rifles/reloading-not everyones cup of tea.)

 

 

A 17 Hornet (limited rifles) might just fit your niche; and that is what the cartridge is-as you ask-it can be enough,but it can be bettered. The issue becomes one of disciplined use...for that read 'resist temptation to stretch the cartridge beyond it's comfort performance zone'.-at it's worst," Inappropriate PB bragging".

I'd now always chose a cartridge that is 50 yards inside it's comfort zone than one that will be stretched to/beyond its 90% effective limits ballistically. Simply put,something in reserve.

 

"I might be able to make this shot " then becomes "This is a shot I nearly always make"

 

For me,that is definitive: minimal compromise for sentient targets.

 

gbal

[verminshooter29]

Think the hornet is very under rated.

[srvet]

I already have a .222 and use it for around 200-250 but just keep thinking I need something to fill the gap between .22lr and .222, I had thought of going hmr but with all the complaining I thought a hornet would be handier as I already reload. Thanks for the offer Rob I might take u up on that the next time I'm up your neck of the woods. I would fancy a fireball or .17 Remington but was wondering why everyone is hornet mad atm but it's obviously just the .17 hype at the start and will fade away like all the others. No offence to anyone who has one but surely the fireball and 17 Remington have far better ballistics so begs the question "what's the point of the .17 hornet" ??

Dare I say it........ fashion!!

[ChrisF]

No the 17hmr is fashion .

 

My CZ hornet shoots 40gr vmax at 3000fps , and is accurate with that load , BUT it is longer & will not fit/feed from the magazine , not a major issue with how I use it , it would be nice to have it fit .

[srvet]

No the 17hmr is fashion .

 

My CZ hornet shoots 40gr vmax at 3000fps , and is accurate with that load , BUT it is longer & will not fit/feed from the magazine , not a major issue with how I use it , it would be nice to have it fit .

But compared to a 17 rem with 25g bullets at 4000 fps which feeds readily from the magazine, is quiet with the appropriate moderator, has virtually zero recoil and is fox capable to 250 yards..,, still reckon the 17 hornet is the latest bling ! Only advantage I can see is slightly less powder per bang

[treetop]

Personally,

I love the 17 hornet, it's a great rifle / calibre . Same trajectory as a 223, quiet as a hmr, consistent .5MOA ,

It has its place, its a Hmr on steroids .. It has the same ft-lbs of energy at 250y as the hmr at the muzzle.

 

I don't need a faster small calibre, I don't want a bigger calibre, as I already have a 223, that's more than capable ,

 

What I wanted was a small calibre that was quiet, that I could take bunnies at 50yds - 250yrds, that was lightweight,

Magazine feed , that I could reload & would be a dedicated NV .

 

The .17 hornet does this very well

[Alycidon]

CZ527 is a good rifle, have a look at Saubier, many of our US friends have the 527 in 17HH and love it.

 

A

[verminshooter29]

Guys just wondering what kind of cleaning regime you have with the hornet?

[Alycidon]

Finger probs, mods please delete this one. Thanks

[Alycidon]

Guys just wondering what kind of cleaning regime you have with the hornet?

Same as most other calibers, if its working every 10 20 rounds, if we are shooting gongs or paper then when we are done for the day.

 

Push through 3 patches soaked in bore cleaner, leave sit for 5 mins, patch out and repeat. It patches still coming out dirty or the rifle has had 30 - 50 through it since the last clean then it gets a roding with a bristle brush, then 2 soak, patch out sessions. Oil bore at end, dont forget to patch oil out before next use, I leave a bore guide loose in the back of the action as a reminder if oil needs removing.

A

 

forget the hornet buy my -cooper .17 fireball and shoot out to 250-300 yds dies -brass-powder etc all you need .

 

Knowing what I do now if foxes may appear on the rifles quarry list that is a sensible option but getting quality brass is far from easy. 17HH is a great crow round, cheap to load, hits small vermin hard but using 20gr pills I do not consider it a fox round. I have loaded some 25s to test on foxes BUT I always take a bigger gun as I need them dead.

 

Vermincinerator has a 17FB, we sometimes shoot it and my 17AH at the same time. The AH is quieter due to less powder but does not have the authority on target of the FB.

 

A