17 Remington favorite load recipe

bobcat93

New member
I'm picking up a cz 527 varmint in a week or so..there is a plethora of load data..what is your favorite load. I'm trying to avoid wearing out my barrel looking for a good load..I was going to use imr xbr powder..seems to work good in other cartridges..
Has any one used this powder in 17 rem..will it hit that 4000 fps. mark ..
 
I have not used that powder in my 17 Rem. Of the powders I have used my rifle likes Varget and Benchmark behind 25 grain Berger and Hornady pills respectively. Bergers and Varget have provided the best accuracy thus far.

I believe the reason there is so much load data is due to the 17 Rem being an inherently accurate cartridge and the CZ is a great platform. Don't be afraid to try a few different combos, you won't shoot your barrel out with load development. I get a lot of enjoyment out of load development and to me that's part of the fun with shooting. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
 
Ok, you contradicted yourself, you want to avoid wearing out your barrel and then you want 4000 fps.

24.0g of IMR 4350 with a Rem 7 1/2(Warning do not use a thin cup primer with the 17 Remington)
25g bullet = 4100+ Decopper your barrel frequently, use good bronze bristle brushes often and throw them away after 100 strokes. I had two Sako Vixens in the 17 rem that had to be de coppered every 20 rounds at a velocity of 4150, massacred coyotes with these two rifles in the late 70's and early 80's.

I shot win 760 in 4 different Remington 700 rifles with 25g Berger target bullets, velocity was 4000-4100.

For p. dogs and ground squirrels, I slowed the velocity down and changed powders to help decrease some of the copper and powder fouling to extend the number of rounds down the barrel until I had to clean. So, I changed to H322, start off at 21.5 and go up to 22.5g with a 25g Bullet, velocity will be in the 3850 fps area. This velocity and less powder allowed me to get in the area of 125 shots in between cleanings.

Every 17 that I have owned shot it's best with the bullet very, very close to the lands, and the custom barrels with zero freebore shot best with the bullet just touching the lands. Factory barrels bullet perhaps .003-005 off the lands.

If you are going to shoot coyotes, I would urge you to shoot a 25g Hornady HP and a 25g Berger target bullet if you can find any. You need a bullet to stay together and penetrate for shooting coyotes, and a 30g bullet is king of the hill on coyotes IF your rifle has the twist to handle a bullet this long.

Again, I will stress the need for a thick cup primer ONLY in the 17 Remington, which includes the CCI 41, CCI BR-4, Rem 7 1/2, and the CCI 450...avoid all others unless you want holes burnt in your bolt face along with the tip of your firing pin getting burnt.

There are some custom bullet makers that make 17 bullets, investigate those. Bullets made on J4 jackets are very accurate as a general rule, and I found that the J4 jacket copper fouled much less than a 25g Hornady HP.

Remember, the 17 Rem is very intolerant of powder and copper fouling in the barrel, clean frequently.
 
Have not used said xbr powder.Started with Varget and 25 Bergers easy load work-up did not see any reasons to try any others.The gun is also 527, hit 4000fps before max (listed) Hope this helps
 
My CZ 527 Varmint in .17 Remington just loved Varget and the 20 and 25 grain Vmax bullets. Like Ackleyman said, and he really knows his stuff, the .17 Rem is particular about primers. My go-to load for mine was 23.5 grains of Varget, CCI BR primer, and the 20 grain Vmax. Took lots and lots of ground squirrels and always several dozen (if it was not windy!) prairie dogs. One at a memorable 451 yards. This load was over 4000 FPS yet it was mild. A pleasure to shoot and lots of less than half inch (often much less) 5 shot 100 yard groups. Sure made me smile a lot.
 
IMG_2054a.jpg


My 17rem runs right above 4,000fps with 24gr of varget behind a 25gr Vmax out of my 20" barrel. Nosler brass.

This guy took it at 320yds.
BJbCOk9h.jpg


This one at 80yds.
dbWXXAoh.jpg
 
Let me rephrase..I don't want to shoot the barrel out trying to find a load...of course I can always have it rebarreled..lol
I realize barrels are like brass they need replacing


Ackleyman, thank you so much for all the info..I am extremely appreciative of the time you took to share your knowledge of this cartridge with me..your knowledge along with the othere post will be well used..thank you all.
 
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Ackleyman is a vast wealth of information that works.

Since you originally ask for a load using IMR8208XBR I have one I'll share along with a 4320 load.

Kimber17Targets.jpg


These groups are with a Kimber Montana that weights 6lb. 4oz ready to hunt.
Since Ackleyman mentioned 30gr. bullets, mine loves Nagel 30gr. bullets with H414 along with Blackhole 30gr. bullets. 26.6gr. of H414 was a hit.
 
Originally Posted By: ackleymanAgain, I will stress the need for a thick cup primer ONLY in the 17 Remington, which includes the CCI 41, CCI BR-4, Rem 7 1/2, and the CCI 450...avoid all others unless you want holes burnt in your bolt face along with the tip of your firing pin getting burnt. I think this must largely depend upon your bolt face/firing pin fitment. I've been running CCI-400's in my 17rem with varget and have zero primer cup issues in 350+ rounds.
 
Your cz should be a 24 inch 1/9 twist. Xbr,varget,benchmark,h4895 could all push a 25 gr over 4000, but targets or critters will never know the difference between 3900 and 4000.
 
I am shooting 23.7 gr of IMR 4320 with Hornady 25 gr HP and Remington 7 1/2 primers out of my Remington 700 BDL 17 Remington.
 
I have over 800 coyotes with my 17rem.it has a rem action and pac-nor barrel 23.8grs. of varget rem71/2 primers and 25 gr. berger bullets [moly coated]these are match bullets I had to moly most of them myself because they stopped making them that way.hornady bullets did not do the job for me just my experience. and I have made one shot kills to 425yds.those bullets turn their insides into a glob,it usually looks like a blender was in there
 
IMR-4320. For me, 25 gr Berger Match Target's shoot very well. Hornady HP's not so much. I have some 25 gr Nagel's loaded now. Going to pick up a box of 25 gr V-Max's to try on varmints, mainly crows, if they shoot.

I was using Rem brass and still use it with the Berger's. That said, I'm trying the Nagel's with new Nosler brass since Rem isn't producing it currently. Nosler brass has a smaller case capacity, so keep that in mind. The brass is very nice though.

I'm using Rem 7 1/2's.
 
Just picked up 700 bdl in this caliber the other day and have been following this thread very closely.matter of fact just got through lapping rings and mounting scope.just wondering if there is anything I really need to address as far as reloading this cartridge.have been rolling my own for several years now but this is the first .17 I have ever been around.not trying to high Jack this thread but trying to learn all i can.I was kinda surprised to see h414 mentioned for this little round I use it alot in 243win.behind 55gr nosler bt.so that's a good thing.really appreciate this sight..
sqrlgtr
 
I'm watching this thread also, got a CZ 527 Varmint en route to Canada, should have in a few more weeks. Thanks for all that have posted there recipes so far. I plan on running 25gr Bergers and have 3 boxes of Nosler brass already just waiting.
 
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Bergman do not shoot winter coyote with the Berger match varmint 17 bullets they do not penetrate,too much surface splash. They do work well for Red Fox and raccoon.
 
Originally Posted By: spotstalkshootBergman do not shoot winter coyote with the Berger match varmint 17 bullets they do not penetrate,too much surface splash

Horse hockey.....
 
I shot the Berger MATCH, LOTS of coyotes with a 17M4 and 17 Rem.

The Varmint version has a much larger HP, I can not testify as to how it works at all.

Some will confuse the Older Match version and the newer Varmint version in the berger bullets.
 
every coyote I shot was a prime coyote that is why I started using a 17 so I would not have to sew the hides.i never had one not penetrate,mn coyotes might be different
 
I found a place that has the 25gr Berger in the Match Varmint and the FB Varmint , by sounds of it I should buy all the Match Varmint slugs they have.
 
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