On the fence for 17 hornet?

rudymontana

New member
I have been following the 17 Hornet on this site for a while. Reading a lot of information on the web also. Some say once fired brass splits when reloaded. Components are hard to find etc. Looking at a 17 hornet for coyotes and minimal fur damage. No shots over a 100 yards.
What is the real truth, I know I will get the best information on this site. Thanks Rudy
 
I have been shooting and reloading my 17 Hornet for about 2 years now. It is a CZ527 Varmint and is an excellent rifle. I have taken a few fox, and a lot of jack rabbit with it but no coyotes (that will change this year). For the range you are talking about I have no doubt that it will do the job with a good bullet (like a 25gr HP) and proper placement. Currently I shoot the 30gr Kindler bullet over H4198 and get 3100 ft/s. As far as components go, I have never had difficulty getting anything.
 
Originally Posted By: erikc838I've never had the brass split and it is currently on its 6th loading.

Are you annealing at all? Six times loaded sounds pretty darn good, nice job!

I wonder if some of those reports of split necks is from folks making 17 Ackley Hornet from 22 Hornet brass which is slightly different from the production version 17 Hornet or 17 Hornady Hornet as it's often referred to.
 
I am not annealing.
Originally Posted By: B23Originally Posted By: erikc838I've never had the brass split and it is currently on its 6th loading.

Are you annealing at all? Six times loaded sounds pretty darn good, nice job!

I wonder if some of those reports of split necks is from folks making 17 Ackley Hornet from 22 Hornet brass which is slightly different from the production version 17 Hornet or 17 Hornady Hornet as it's often referred to.

 
never bought any virgin 17 hh brass. shoot the factory loaded stuff to get my brass.

i have 6 loadings on a bunch of my hornet brass and 5 loadings on a bunch more. it has been loaded pretty hot. no split necks. never have annealed any of it.

the primer pockets on some cases are getting pretty loose. will be tossing those cases very soon.
 
Nice little caliber. Have shot fox, cats and coyote here in PA. Most shots are from 100 in. Stick w a good bullet and take good shots.....you won't be disappointed. I have reloaded both types of brass (from ammunition and new). Not seen any issues I do anneal after 2-3 reloads. Like others mentioned above, have started to see some loose pockets. No big deal since I have plenty of brass. Mainly stick w a 25 Gr bullet and drive it w A1680. It's a deadly combo!
 
stickbow hunter - when you say good bullet for fox and coyotes with the 17 HH, could you detail which good bullet your'e using, some examples of post-mortem details on penetration, angle of shot, fur damage, animal reaction, etc.? Im leaning towards the Hornady 25 HP myself based on others experiences.
 
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a buddy shoots the 17hh with i believe 20gr vmax. He gets lots of runners. Some are recovered some are not. Take it for what its worth as I dont view him as a great shot. The caliber should work just fine with good shot placement and consideration for shot angle and distance. Trying to make it into a 300yrd coyote popper will probably leave you disappointed.

I remember him talking something about hornady had some bad batches of brass for awhile, maybe that is where the split necks are coming from?
 
I would just get a 17.rem and load it down a little if needed then if you want more energy you got it and you can buy 17.rem brass pretty cheap
 
That or a 17 FireBall, 17/222 downloaded, or one of the bigger 17's. I have a 17 MachIV AI in an AR that works well, I won't want much less power than that. A 17/222 with a 30gr bullet would work very well for you.
 
I have a 17 HMR, 17AH, 17 Mach1V, and a 17Rem. Had them all for a long long time. Yes they will kill dogs but I never use anything less than the 223 on coyotes anymore.
 
I bought my CZ 527 17 Hornet for gopher/sage rats and the like. I don't really see it as a very good option for coyotes. Not saying it won't kill a yote, just that it's, IMO, not a very good choice for coyotes.

I think if you are looking for something to zap coyotes and still stay with a relatively small-ish factory cartridge/ammo, the 204 would be a much better choice.
 
Originally Posted By: stickbow_hunter25 gr. Nagel

Ahh, yes. Mr. Nagel's bullets are getting a great reputation anymore. I'll need to call him. Thank you!
 
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