17-204 AR barrel

[squirrelsplitter]

Planning a 17-204 build for my next AR. Can anyone suggest who to get the barrel from?
Currently shooting Lilja and Shilen barrels in 17 Rem and 204 Ruger.
Also any recommendations on resizing the 204 brass would be very helpful.

 

[JLT]

Criterion might be able to set you up with a barrel. Worth a call. PacNor is another option worthy of exploration. PacNor lists the .17-.222 Rem Mag in their reamer list and that, by another name, is the .17-.204.

Just a thought - Since the .204 parent is based on the .222 Rem Mag case, its length imposes some limitations on seating depth if you're going to load to mag length. Have you considered the .17-.223? Almost as much juice as the .17-.204 with greater flexibility on seating depth.

 

[squirrelsplitter]

JLT thanks for the suggestions. I have sent X-Caliber, Pac Nor, and Criterion an inquiry.
I have not given the 17-223 much thought. I have quite a bit of Norma and Nosler 204 Ruger brass so I am already good there. I am really new at rifle reloading so I welcome any and all input from the experienced hand loaders here. I need help with die selection and set up for the 17-204. From what I have read I can use a Type "S" bushing die to neck down the 204 brass.
Will I need to anneal the necks prior to resizing?
I plan on shooting 30gr bullets out of a 9 twist barrel. I have not had much luck getting a hold of Chan Nagel. His email address bounced back and his phone just rings.
Does anyone have better contact info for Chan?
I am not sure of anyone else that is making any 17 cal 30gr bullets at this time.
Thanks in advance for any input on this project.
Dave

 

[JLT]

JLT thanks for the suggestions. I have sent X-Caliber, Pac Nor, and Criterion an inquiry.
I have not given the 17-223 much thought. I have quite a bit of Norma and Nosler 204 Ruger brass so I am already good there. I am really new at rifle reloading so I welcome any and all input from the experienced hand loaders here. I need help with die selection and set up for the 17-204. From what I have read I can use a Type "S" bushing die to neck down the 204 brass.
Will I need to anneal the necks prior to resizing?
I plan on shooting 30gr bullets out of a 9 twist barrel. I have not had much luck getting a hold of Chan Nagel. His email address bounced back and his phone just rings.
Does anyone have better contact info for Chan?
I am not sure of anyone else that is making any 17 cal 30gr bullets at this time.
Thanks in advance for any input on this project.
Dave

Dave,

Those 30 grain bullets are going to have to be seated deep in the case to get you to a COAL of 2.25" - 2.26". Some magazines, like the C Products Defense mags, may give you a little more room (Out to 2.265 - 2.27) but PMags will limit you to a 2.25" COAL. I'm not familiar with the Nagel .17 bullets, but it's possible that you'll have to seat them with the ogive inside the case neck to get to mag length, which is not optimal for function in an AR or for accuracy in any platform.

A Redding Type S full length sizing die will serve you well. Full length sizing will be necessary to ensure reliable function in your gas gun. You might want to pick up an intermediate bushing and a final sizing bushing and resize the necks in a couple of steps to ensure a zero case failure rate, though. If your brass is new or once-fired, annealing is not necessary but it won't hurt anything if you do.

A suggestion - Make sure your bullet of choice will allow you to load to magazine length. If the 30 grain bullet won't cut it, I'm sure there are 25 grain offerings that will make things work.

 

[Catfish]

The 17-204 and the 17 Rem. both have the 222 mag. case as their parent case. The load data would be the same. Way not just get a 17 Rem? Factory round barrels are much easier to sell if you want something else.

 

[bbassi]

You are likely going to lose a lot of brass over time with an AR unless you use a catch bag, which isn't always practical. While you say you have lots of 204, 223 brass is a lot cheaper to replace than 204 in my experience.

 

[squirrelsplitter]

JLT
Thanks for your input, very helpful. Hornady and Berger offer 25gr bullets that should work well.

Catfish
The 204 Ruger is based on the 222 Magnum case. The 17 Remington case is much smaller.
There is conflicting info published on the 17 Rem cartridge, some state it is based on 222 Mag case and others state it is based on the 222 or 223 case. I am currently loading both 204 Ruger and 17 Rem. 22 grains of Benchmark in the 17 Rem case and 25 grains in the 204 case.

bbassi
I always use the Caldwell brass catcher. The brass is too valuable to be loosing it in the weeds,
I just wish the nylon netting did not burn through so quickly.

 

[jepp2]

I just wish the nylon netting did not burn through so quickly.

Don't know your experience, but I leave the bottom open and just let them drop into a cutoff down coffee can. The mesh still got holes in it where the brass first contacts the mesh after ejection. I added a piece of denim inside the mesh and that stands up to the abrasion/heat much better than the mesh.

 

[squirrelsplitter]

The denim is a great idea. Much better than the duct tape I stuck in there.
Leaving the zipper open is not an option. About 95% of my shooting is from the seat of an off road golf cart, riding around the ranch playing hide and seek with the local squirrel population .

 

[Catfish]

squirrel, I have formed both 17 Rem. and 204 brass from 222 mag. brass. The 17 Rem. was based on the old 17-223 wildcat round, but with it`s longer neck is much it cannot be formed correctly from the 223 brass. The 17-222 never really caught on but the 17 Mach. iV, a necked down 221 Fireball case, has now became the 17 Fireball. The 17-223 has a case capacity of 26.95 gr. of H2O and the 17 Rem. has a case capacity of 27.23 grs. of H2O. I do not have the capacity of the 17-204, but would guess it close to the 17 Rem., if not the exact same.