.17 Hornet coming my way

Russ, so since we know you aren't lacking for small caliber rifles, I'm curious, in all seriousness, what is the real reason that made you want to get one of these little CZ's in 17 Hornet???

I know for me, even though these have been out for quite some time I never really gave the CZ's nor the 17 Hornady Hornet much attention but after getting one, I kick myself in the arse for not giving one a try sooner and it didn't take me long before I picked one up in 204.

I'm just curious to some of the reasons others have for wanting one. A good friend of mine is my "go to" gunsmith and does pretty much all my work and as he often says, "there's a lot worse ways you can spend your money".
 
Thanks again guys. I have a 2-3 1lb jugs of CFE BLK on my shelf. I found out that my Shaw barrelled .221 FB really shoots super with that powder and the 40 grain Vmax. Killed an ittybitty ground squirrel a tad over 300 yards with that load a few months ago. I have grudgingly put Lil Gun on the back seat after discovering CFE BLK. I dont even remember who suggested that I try it but whoever it was- thank you.

And yeah, I am aware (oh how I am ever!) that some guns will bughole some kinds of ammo and then you cannot keep them all in a pie plate with others. Handloads too. Several years ago a shooting buddy and I bought our Savage M12 .204 Rugers the same day from the same gun shop. The serial numbers are like one digit off if memory serves. Anyway, hi gun likes loads that my gun does not care for too much and vice versa. I dont try to understand why that is all I know is that I dont. But if my newest .17 does find a load that it really does shoot well then for a change I am not going to do what I normally do and keep trying other combos to see how they work. I will just stay with it. Yes, I say that now but I have shot up jillions of round of ammo, mostly handloads, just to see if one thing significantly works better than something else. Once I get this one dialed in, and I am fully expecting to, then I likely will stop right there. I would rather be making flying squirrels out of ground squirrels than spending a lot of time at the range anyway.
 
Originally Posted By: B23Russ, so since we know you aren't lacking for small caliber rifles, I'm curious, in all seriousness, what is the real reason that made you want to get one of these little CZ's in 17 Hornet???


Oh I dont know, Bryan. I have wanted one for a couple of years now but being a handloader I guess I kept telling myself that I would just load my .17 down a few hundred fps if I really wanted to. Indeed, I used to use a load of 10 grains of Blue Dot with the 20 grain Vmax and it was a hoot. Quiet and accurate it was. While this was fine for our whistlepigs that were close up it ran out of steam too fast for easy shooting at those at the longer ranges so I just went back to loading it more like a .17 Remington is factory. Not quite- I pretty much settled on 4000 fps for the 20 grain Vmax. And trust me- this is more than adequate of these dixie cup sized rodents. Even the whiskers are atomized on those less than 200 yards or so.

Even though the first varmint rifle I ever bought was a Ruger M77V in .220 Swift I have long ago went to rounds that are a bit less booming for my pasture clearing procedures. After all, there is no need to use a cartridge that weighs about as much as what you are shooting at, right? I like accurate, I like quiet(er) and mostess of all I like fun. This new little .17 looks like it will do all of that in a fine fashion.

I took around 60 years for someone to come up with a factory round that is similar to what PO Ackley did back around 1950. But hey- better late then never.
 
Fair enough and I'm sure you will really enjoy it. I like mine so much I'm seriously considering getting another one. My wife, frequently, likes to tell me if I keep spending money on guns, she'll never be able to retire to which I always reply, ok and your point is????
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Well, I decided to sell a couple of Rolex watches that I never wear spend the money on a new plaything. I really am not a Rolex guy anymore. More of a Timex guy or, right now anyway, a Casio guy. Anyway spend part of it on me, give some to the wife, and we are all happy. I hope.

But my wife wants to work until she's 70. Fine. Good for her. I do feel bad though when she works all day and then has to come home and cook dinner and mow the lawn and clean house and wash/wax the cars and take care of the dogs and plow the back forty and....well, you get the picture. I am thinking of asking her to quit her second job and/or her paper route but I dont want her to get lazy on me.
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Don't let Russ fool you. His poor ole wife buys him anything he wishes for. After all, he has to do all the work finding a load that's super accurate. And look at all that meat he brings home for her to cook!

Jim D
 
Originally Posted By: Texas SwiftyDon't let Russ fool you. His poor ole wife buys him anything he wishes for. After all, he has to do all the work finding a load that's super accurate. And look at all that meat he brings home for her to cook!

Jim D

Oh you are a funny guy, Jim. So funny ha ha ha. Tsk. She does NOT buy me everything that I ask for. Only guns and trucks and cars and motorcycles. Sheeeze! And she does make me contribute to this quite often as well. So there!

Bringing home meat to cook? Ever seen what is left of a ground squirrel after being shot by a 40 grain Vmax out of a .223 AI? Better use toothpicks for shish kabob skewers!
 
Originally Posted By: callcrazyazRusty,I shoot a Savage 25 in 17HH. Tomorrow I'll look-up & send you a PM with my DATA.

Joe

Thanks, Joe! And I remember you telling me that you had one. How about next spring you and me put on a shooting match with each other and see how many of them Nevada ground squirrels we can get? Sound like fun?
 
Yes sir! And I hope that next time we meet they were be a plague of ground squirrels for us to shoot at. That would be so nice!
 
I have played with mine a little. I am some what off on the speed but H4198is over the top on groups of anything I have tried. It is a compressed load. I am off a half grain of a listed max. I have no idea how the got the rest in there and I even tried a drop tube.
Jeff
 
Meh! Dont rush me! Dont rush me!!
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Got my scope mounted yesterday and the mailman left me 250 rounds of Hornady 25 grain HP's at my doorstep. I want to use a few of these to get it sighted in and give me a a few rounds of brass for reload experimentation. Not a whole lot but it will give me something to get started with.

Shooting Buddy is supposed to meet me at the range on Friday morning. I did a couple of scope swaps with my .22 Izhmash and my newly rebarrelled .221 FB and want to get those sighted in too. But to be sure, I will be here to fill everyone in as to how the cute little bugger shoots. I will have to get there fairly early as it has been mighty hot here lately and no fun shooting in the mid to high 90's. I can and have but would rather not if I did not have to.
 
Originally Posted By: callcrazyazI saw a old fat man today he said he will stop by your place Saturday on his way back home.

Joe

Who's that, Joe? Santa Claus? I got my Christmas present early this year. Of course I had to buy it myself but hey- at least I get what I want this way.

Tomorrow- to the range!
 
OK. Got the new .17 Whore Gnat to the range today. I am most happy to report that it shoots as well as I hoped.

After I got it on paper at 100 yards I shot five 3 shot groups with the 25 grain Hornady factory ammo. None were bigger than 1/2". Then I took out the box of 20 Grain Vmax factory load and shot a 3 shot group with them that could be covered by half a dime. I sent a picture of it to Matlock here on the forum so perhaps he can post it. I would if knew how to.

One of the guys at the range with me noticed a very light ring around the brass after firing. You can actually feel it when you run your fingernail over it. From the rim it measures about .12-.13" up. Is this anything to be concerned about? I know this a rimmed cases and I am not used to loading any rimmed bottleneck rounds. Do any of you others that have one of these see the same thing?
 
Originally Posted By: RustydustOne of the guys at the range with me noticed a very light ring around the brass after firing. You can actually feel it when you run your fingernail over it. From the rim it measures about .12-.13" up. Is this anything to be conserned about? I know this a rimmed cases and I am not used to loading any rimmed bottleneck rounds. Do any of you others that have one of these see the same thing?

Yep, mine does the exact same thing. It's very weird and what is even more weird, not every fired piece comes out looking like that. In my gun, most, come out with that weird step like thing, but not all of them.

I was thinking, maybe, the chamber in these thing is a little long compared to the ammo and it's stretching a lot when fired and causing it but that's just a wildazzed guess on my part.

Like yours, mine shoots amazingly well with factory ammo and since I have a lot of it to shoot, to be honest, I haven't been all that concerned about it but I'd be happy to hear others thoughts as to why they come out like that.
 
Originally Posted By: MatlockI'd call that good for MOS (Minute of Squirrel):



Doesn't look that impressive to me, looks like you missed the bullseye but at least an inch. LOL

RD, I'd definitely say you have a keeper and to quote Doug Marcaida from the TV show Forged In Fire, "it will kill"
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