.17 Remington Ideas

Matt N.

Matt N.

New member
I am attempting work up a accurate load for a .17 Remington 700 BDL. So far I have tried Benchmark, Varget, and IMR 4320, with 25 grain Hornady hps, V-Maxs, and Berger target. I have been trying Fedral mtch and Remington 7.5 primers. Everything I have tried so far shoots into about and inch with a couple loads going 3/4 inch or 1.25 inches. Of course all groups have been 5 shot 100 yard groups.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what to try next? Maybe a different powder?
Maybe 20 grain V-Maxs or 30 grain Bergers?

Thanks.
Matt.
 
Originally Posted By: HOGGHEADTwist Rate?? Tom.

What he said and how often and how good do you clean the barrel???

If you have some H380, might want to give it a try as well
 
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Hello Matt, my pet load that has been a winner for 20 years in two of my 17 Rems (14 inch TC and a 700 BDL (old model) is:
25 Gr Hornady, 21.8 grains of R12, 7 1/2 Small Rifle Primer- tame at 3750 out of the rifle, hammers under a dime at 100 and under a quarter at 200- potent enough to roll 150 pound hogs at 200 with just behind the ear point of impact. I have shot many other bullets with the same load also yeilding excellent results. Good luck and always start a little low- maybe load 5 rounds, check for pressure. jhg
 
I've been having great success with 27.0 & 27.2 grains of H414 and CCI450 primers. So far everything has been well under an inch with Kindler golds 25 & 27 grain BTHP's, Berger 25 grain HP match, Gunhause 25 & 27 HP's and Nagle 25 grain HP. In fact the Nagel's have been closer to 3/8". My rifle is a CZ527 Varmint.
 
Has the rifle been glass-bedded? If not it should be done..
Some factory rifles canbe a little fussy to what you feed it as far as powder goes...What i do with a fussy rifle is test a few powders at different burn rates that are suitable for the 17 rem..Some of the powders i use to test and also use in different rifles for the same reason.. For the fastest burning rate i use or try H-335 and n-135,imr-3031, AA-2230
Med. burn rate: imr-4320, N-140,RL-15, imr-4064.

Slow burn rateH-380,Win. 760, H-414, N-150.

You don't need all the powders listed just one from each...
Once a burn rate is found that a particular rifle likes then i will go up or down on the burn rate to find the best powder for that rifle...
 
I think the twist on the Remington 700m BDL .17 Rem is 1 in 10.

The barrel is floated, the recoil lug area has been bedded, and it now has a Timney trigger.

Could I get some data on that AA2230 and IMR 3031?

I was thinking about trying H380 and 748, but this rifle really likes to kept clean and in my experience those aren't the cleanest burning powders. I also plan on using the rifle for winter predator calling fox, bobcat, and coyote, so I need a powder that isn't too temperature sensitive.

Thanks.
Matt
 
The 3 17Rem.'s that I have all perform very well with 2 different loads. 20.9 of H322, 7 1/2 Rem. primer, and 25gr.Berger or Genco bullet. Or, 22.4gr. of Rel.15, 7 1/2Rem. primer, and 25gr.Berger or Genco bullet.
The rifles are a Rem. BDL, Rem. Model 7, and a rebarreled Rem. 788.

H414 was the next best substitute for H322 and Reloader 15. H322 in my rifles is a very clean burning powder.
 
Matt,

I'm using RL-15 in mine with really good results, but I'm not sure it's the powder.

My rifle shoots 3 inch groups with factory ammo, but shoots well under 1/2" with my handloads.

The primary difference is the seating depth. With the bullet seated just off the lands, it shoots great. At factory seating depth, 3" groups no matter the powder used.

And I can work up a load that shoots under an inch with just about anything, as long as the seating depth is right.

Anyway, it's something else to try. I think you've already had a bunch of suggestions to try most powders that'll work in the .17 Rem.

Daryl
 
Mine shoots in the .5 and .6's with 21gr of Varget and 30gr Bergers, Also seated right of the lands.
I wish it was faster with that bullet but anything more and my groups open up...
Good luck.
 
Both my CZ and my Remington 700 rifles just adored 23 to 23.5 grains of Varget with the 20 grain Vmax. I used the CCI BR cap with this load most of the time. Both rifles have had 5 shots touching at 100 yards with this recipe. Not easy to do with bullets this small!

I may not wish to use the little Vmax on game the size of coyote, but it has nailed prairie dogs (once) clear out to 400 yards. I can hardly wait for springtime next year so I can go wear out some ground squirrels and later prairie dogs with it.

I have owned .17 Remingtons for about 30 years now, and this has been my favorite load so far. It will be hard to beat.
 
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