17 rem. fireball

[lunchbox]

Is the 17 remington the same as the 17 fireball?

[mountainam]

NO, The .17 Remington is based on the .223 case with the shoulder pushed back a smidgen while the .17 Fireball is the old wildcat cartridge .17 Mach IV which is based on the .221 Fireball case. They are as different as the .221 and .223 cartridges.

[lunchbox]

Do you know where I can buy the 17 Rem. at?

[rossman40]

As far as factory ammo Remington still has two loadings, 20 and 25grs.

As far as rifles Remington has shifted to the 17 Fireball and IIRC no longer has a 17 Remington chambered in any model. I think CZ has just brought out a model chambered in 17 Remington. The barrels sucked on early 700s so a lot of guys went custom. There was one smith that was famous for his .17 barrels.

[mountainam]

There are probably no less than 7 or 8 on WWW.gunbroker.com right now along with a dozen or so of the .17 Fireballs. Good Hunting!

[rossman40]

There are still a few NIB Remingtons out there, I think the 17 Fireball replaced the 17 Remington in 2007. As far as buying a used one it is like getting a hand me down 220 Swift, probly already cooked by the time you get.

[mountainam]

There is a NIB Remington 700 VS with the good synthetic stock that comes with a 26 in barrel and aluminum bedding inserts on Gun Broker right now. As I stated in my other post on the .17 Remington, It's worth getting it cryo-treated before you even begin shooting it. Rossman is correct. There are a lot of slobs out there that don't know how to properly clean a barrel on a scorcher like the .17. Especially the"off the shelfers" ammo buyers. I couldn't imagine parting with my .17 Remington. I've never met a .17 guy that didn't like his so the used ones could be torched unless inspected by someone with a good borescope. The Rem above with the 26" barrel could yield you another 80 fps over a 24" CZ although the CZ's action is lighter and sized to fit the .17. I just finished wringing out a CZ .223 for a friend and it shot well and pointed superbly. I didn't like the skinny metal clip that reminded me of something on a rimfire rifle,but that's just me. Check out www.woodchuckden.com for all the small bore accoutrements.

[lunchbox]

Is the 17 fireball just as good and fast as the 17 rem?

[mountainam]

It's slower by about 300-400 fps. If you are a velocity freak, you'll want the .17 Remington. If you've never shot a rifle this fast, you won't know the difference. All the new hype I read says that the .17 Fireball is more efficient than the .17 Rem and will cause less throat erosion. The small caliber rifle shooters are few in numbers and I think that's why Remington renamed the .17 Mach IV and brought it out for commercial manufacture just like the new fat short magnums. It sounds like you are not a reloader. I don't think that you can see the full potential of these rounds if you buy off the shelf ammo. If I were to give advice to a person that doesn't already own a .223 or .22/250, and is new to varmint hunting, I would recommend the .204 Ruger. I would like to try one, but with everything I studied it appears that a reloader cannot improve upon the off the shelf ammo. The brass is as inexpensive as .223 and it will outperform the .224" centerfires due to better B.C.s. But all in all each of us have our favorite cartridges and some would say that .17's aren't necessary. But they are just tools that are specialized. You can take your truck apart with a cresent wrench, pliers and a hammer if you had to, but it's a lot nicer to have a large toolbox on wheels with the specialized stuff.

[rossman40]

I have to agree with Mountainman. For a fur hunter it is the tool. But then again there is nothing like the effects of a hypervelocity round (4000fps or greater). In my youth we played with a 220 Swift. One shot that will be ever etched in my mind was a shot on a certain large waterfowl on a large pond. My buddy was prone on a dock and I was playing spotter about 20ft higher up on the bank behind him. I could actually see the shockwave of the bullet on the water. Then when the shockwave was about 30-40yds shy of the bird it looked like it pumped up to 3ft in diameter and then exploded. It took several minutes before all the feathers came down.

[lunchbox]

I like to coon hunt and coyote hunt. If I end up getting the 17rem. would it be better to reload it myself or just buy ammo off the shelf? I have done some reading on the round and most people say that one hole in and no exit, no blown fur and no mess. Sounds like my kinda gun.

[lanenebraska]

Lunchbox

See my post here: dougsmessageboards.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=modern&action=display&thread=4147

Many of the Remington 17Fireball rifles were made with chambers/throats that were a little to long for the Fball cartridge. That made for just so-so accuracy, and loads of like new rifles were traded in for 204 Rugers. THAT's why there is such an over abundance of USED 17Fball rifles on the market.

I Love my CZ 17Rem, and IF you don't mind a little more work...and expense, it will be very rewarding for you. However, the 204Ruger is much easier to reload, less expensive and Almost clones the 17rem for on fur results. And there are a plethora of rifles to choose from

[10ga]

This is the place to go for the dope on 17s. In spite of loving my #10s I also have 4 17 cals as that is the best rifle for fur hunting.

www.coyotegods.com/

Register on their forum and and search their data. They are another wealth of info.

10 ga