Feeding Problems with 17 Fireball Conversion??

6mm06

6mm06

Well-known member

Just wondering if anyone has done a .17 Fireball conversion from a donor rifle, something like a .223?

Is the head dimensions of a .223 OK for use with the Fireball cartridge? Any feeding issues?

I see that Shilen has ready-made .17 Fireball barrels for Savage.

Just pondering what might or might not work for a conversion.


 
Remington 700 can have feed problems if it was not originally a fireball action and some say they too can be finicky. 700 fb actions have a specific bolt and a shorter mag box. Rem mod 7/600 actions w/223bf are said to work ok/so so. Sako extractor in a 700 bolt is said to cure most problems. cz's work great on the 22h,221,222 action with short bottom metal.some say they also feed well from the 17r,204,223 longer bottom metal. have not heard or experienced anything on a Savage.

jeff
 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06
Just wondering if anyone has done a .17 Fireball conversion from a donor rifle, something like a .223?

Is the head dimensions of a .223 OK for use with the Fireball cartridge? Any feeding issues?

I see that Shilen has ready-made .17 Fireball barrels for Savage.

Just pondering what might or might not work for a conversion.



David... the bolt face is the same size, but Remington found that the short case would not eject properly. So they changed the location of the ejector hole, and extractor clip, so the case is ejected at a higher angle.

Even with the proper bolt, the FurBall cases will often land in the action, facing backwards.

The problem is really that the 700 action is too large for those itty bitty cases.

I have had a 700 in 17 FurBall, and sold it - I still have a 700 .221 Classic, but if I was to do it again, I would get a CZ - it uses a smaller action and is a joy to use.


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If you were to go over to Saubier.com, there is a current thread open there, complete with pictures of bolt faces for a visual comparison, that discusses the issues.

It's currently on page 2 of the main forum there and it is titled, "differences in a 17 fireball rem 700 bolt". There is a really good picture on page 3 of the thread, IIRC.
 
A better option, although with limited options, is to use a Model 7 receiver. Little more compact and you can even find them in .17FB.

With that said, I did a .223 Remington 700 conversion to .17 Fireball and had Bob Green install a Sako style extractor and it seems to feed and extract OK. Used a Shilen barrel too and she's pretty darn accurate.
 

Thanks everyone for the info.

Catshooter, I assume then a CZ 527 in .223 would be suitable.

What do you think about a Savage? I know the Savage actions tend to be long sometimes.

Winny Fan, I'll check out the Saubier posts. Thanks.
 
Some time back I did a 700 actioned .223 into 17MIV. It took a bit of modifying but it wasn't real difficult and the thing worked very well. Feeding was good if it wasn't pushed real fast, and it extracted/ejected with no problems. The ejector spring was cut so a case would just drop outside the action, I do that anyway. Remington's version came out several years later and wasn't quite the same.
 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06
Thanks everyone for the info.

Catshooter, I assume then a CZ 527 in .223 would be suitable.

What do you think about a Savage? I know the Savage actions tend to be long sometimes.

Winny Fan, I'll check out the Saubier posts. Thanks.



Yup... A CZ would work. I'm not a Savage user (they're ugly
smile.gif
) so you should ask someone else about that.


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6MM,,,,,, The CZ is definatly the way to go.
Mine started life as a 221. It feeds and ejects perfectly.
Go back and read SoTex's post again. He nailed it. And yes, there IS a difference between the 222- and 223+ bottom metal/magazines. Some 223+ work for "some" guys, but why not start with a bottom metal/magazine sized for the smaller cartriges in the first place?
Course, if you find a smoking deal on a 223 you might take the chance. You can always buy the 222- parts and convert it but the cost would likely negate the "smoking deal"..
 
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