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Has the .17 HMR had its day?


Moorlander

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On Sunday, January 14, 2018 at 4:51 PM, David Hancock said:

I had a terrific HW 66 in .17HMR then suffered a fizz and a bullet stuck 4 inches up the barrel.  I replaced all the numbered batch of ammunition with new and suffered the same twice.  No split necks.  I had it bore scoped and sold it as I lost trust in the calibre.  Hornady ammunition.  As Alekd, QC needs to be addressed BUT,  this was FOUR years ago and (some people are finding) the situation persists. 

A shame as it was a great 175 yard vermin / 100 yard fox rifle and accuracy was always around 0.7 MOA.  

What is going to replace it ?  17WSM - try getting the ammunition, 17 Fireball - try getting the ammunition, 17 Rem - only 40gn factory ammunition I believe, 17 Hornet - just received my ticket for one.

 

I believe that 17 Rem factory offerings are 20 or 25 grain. Deffo not 40.

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What powders are people reloading the Hornet with at the moment? Anyone tried RS36? On the assumption Accurate 1680 isnt available in the UK, is D063 working for people?

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Personnely i dont think it should be used for fox ( bit of topic)  the bullet design is for small game / small vermin . Even then id be careful with .20 cal bullets as well on fox . For me fox should be shot with a 22 hornet minum ,  40grn bullets , ok 22lr at close range works but why risk it on them . I think the perfect fox round is the 222 out to 200 thats far enough .  With a 40 or 50 grn bullet . Just my thought . Even fox deserves respect . I have shot fox in the past but i dont activity go after them . Atb.

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I have a 22LR, 17 HMR and a .17 Hornet, as well as two other larger common CF calibres.

As a pest controller covering 2500 acres, and shooting at least 500 rabbits a year, I would be spending as much time reloading as I do shooting if it wasn't for the HMR.
The available HMR ammo has improved slightly over the last 12 months, although I never found it that bad before. The HMR has it's place, and mine now sits with a Photon on it, where it excels.

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On 2/25/2018 at 10:36 AM, GT3_richy said:

What powders are people reloading the Hornet with at the moment? Anyone tried RS36? On the assumption Accurate 1680 isnt available in the UK, is D063 working for people?

Lil Gun by Hodgdon is about #1. Good speed and lower pressures than....

AA 1680 you mentioned and H110 / Winchester 296.

I think the tightest groups I have fired with my CZ Hornet have been with 1680.. The last time i used it I put 35 grain VM into .66" for 10 shots. Maybe this edges Lil Gun by a hair's breadth.  I use Lil Gun exclusively now. With a 34 grain HP I shoot out to 250 and beyond on prairiedogs.~ Andrew

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On 2/25/2018 at 5:36 PM, GT3_richy said:

What powders are people reloading the Hornet with at the moment? Anyone tried RS36? On the assumption Accurate 1680 isnt available in the UK, is D063 working for people?

DO63 is very good, but I find it a PITA the measure, and it really does build up static. N110 and N120 are equally good without the static IME.

Lil Gun is good, but there is a fine line between pop and bang, and ambient temperature variation can cross the line.

I also use a slower load with Trail boss for night work, but I stocked up before the reach regulations kicked in. A replacement for it is probably Tinstar N32C from Vhit, or possibly one of the shotgun powders like red dot.

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2 hours ago, Andrew said:

What temperatures are you talking about? I use mine from 50F to 110F.~Andrew

The 17 Hornet has a load range from 9.7 to 10 Grn of Lil Gun, although I could never get this much powder in the case.

From my own experience, at 23C when running 9.4 Grn gave pressure signs, the same load at 12C (where it was developed) was reasonably accurate.
Are you running them in a .22 Hornet?

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Yes. A 22 Hornet. For years it was the only rifle I packed, winter or summer. The only powder I had problems with was H110. Developed a load at 75F and pierced primers at 100F. It was a pretty warm load to begin with though.~Andrew

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