17 fireball vs 17 Remington

[kerryp]

what type of vegetation will be on the land you’re hunting on?

 

[RegionRat]

I love the 20Prac. But it’s a bad route for me to take being that I don’t handload yet

By chance, have you looked for ammo in either one of those two 17 cal designs?

If you have a line on the ammo and understand the availability of those, then no worries.

I have a feeling you may want to keep an open mind with respect to reloading for the 17s or 20s.

With the notable exception being the 204 Ruger, you will likely be much better off loading your own ammo for a 17 or 20 cal. YMMV

Good Luck and in for the range reports.

 

[Leveraction35]

what type of vegetation will be on the land you’re hunting on?

None. Pasture and fields

 

[kerryp]

None. Pasture and fields

 

[kerryp]

This is what I hunt in most of the time and I feel like you have to be careful. Sometimes you can hit a piece of vegetation Sagebrush, yucca plant. I have killed coyotes with a 6 x 47 Remington, 243, 22-243 80 gr. bullet, 223, 22khornet, 204 32 gr. 17 Hornady hornet, 17 Remington. My opinion where you don’t reload and will be hunting at night, I would stick with a 223 shoot a 50,52,55 gr. bullet.

 

[JSH]

Can’t add much to what has already been said. I have both, 17FB and 17Rem, the bigger case gets the vote, and even then it is still a bullet choice.
If you load your own, 22BR is a dandy. Store bought, 223 is hard to argue. Even on these two it is still a bullet choice.

 

[hogpatrol]

Have had two .17FBs for quite a few years, both originals, a Model 7 and a SS 700. The Model 7 feeds, not on all bullets and I put a single shot follower in the other. Out of six barrels, I found two that didn't like the 30 grain bullets.

 

[RV-Customs]

I went with a 20VT, built on a Rem 700 platform, I shoot the 32gr Berger FB at 3700 and love it for chucks and yotes. No feed issues but I did upgrade to a sako extractor for proper extraction and ejection angle. I have an extra 221FB mag box with the spacer in it and a PTG follower for the Rem 700 SA platform if you need.

 

[linebaugh]

I concur with with most on .20 or even .22 cal offerings.

The real reason I am chiming in. Feeding was brought up and the solus is mag fed not BDL or ADL. Just built one. Unless they have a BDL bottom cut that I am not aware of.

 

[ArtinNC]

17 mach 4 at 204 Yds o0ne shot . But you can see where the bullet hit on the right side going forward probably hit the hart . He droped like a rock .

 

[toasty]

I tried a 17 rem last year and didn't like it. Lots of fouling with that little bore with all that powder. I would start to loose accuracy in about a dozen shots. That was a deal breaker for me as a varmint gun, but for coyotes, 12 shots should last enough between cleaning at home. I would opt for the 17 fireball between the 2, but I love my vartarg and my 204 ruger and both have more range than the fireball.

 

[SSL]

I don't doubt that the reported fouling happens, but having had four .17 Remingtons over the years (and still have one) I haven't really considered it a problem. The very earliest one did do some fouling, but only after maybe 40 shots, and a quick brush-out (even in the field) could usually keep it shooting for more since it was more powder fouling than copper. Flash forward to current events and the one I have now I shot with AA2700 with 25-grain Remington spirepoints and then 25-grain Hornady hollow points. I now shoot 25-grain VMax over a good dose of CFE223 and cleaning isn't an issue at all, even at a chronographed 4,020 fps. I do avoid the 20-grainers like the plague since I don't feel they kill as well or hit as hard.
All that being said...since I load everything I shoot (which I realize isn't your situation) I will be rebarreling my old .17 to .20 Practical when (and if) the barrel finally wears out. Right now, if headed out for coyotes I grab my .223, .22/250 or ,243, depending on conditions and anticipated distances.

 

[varmintshooter]

I said step up to a 20 cal or bigger for a reason. There are a lot of coyote hunters that are shooting 22 or 6mm creedmoor because they don't think a 204 or 223 is enough. Coyotes are tough and the 17's don't have much energy at 300 yds, sure they will work but are not optimal. Myself I use a 204 with 40gn bullets or a 223 with 50 or 55 gn bullets and keep shots to 300 tds

 

[Shutstr8r]

Have you or can you get dies and brass for both? That might be your deciding factor. What action you building off of?
Not sure of the 17 Remington factory ammo availability.

I don’t know that there is any availability of off the shelf ammo for either one right now.

FWIW, if you are night hunting, if no thermal or night vision, either will work. But, if you are hunting more open country, never hurts to have a little more coal in the boiler if you know what I mean. I own both, and they both shoot lights out. The .17 rem is on a Ruger action and the .17 fireball is on a model 7. That being said, for daytime hunting I like the carry characteristics of the .17 fireball more than the Ruger. I use the Ruger more for night hunting.

As far as the cartridges go, it’s a helluva lot easier to find brass for the .17 fireball than the .17 Remington right now. I also like, with the higher costs of components nowadays, the fact that the fireball uses less powder.

Either way, I’m a little fonder of that cute little case on the fireball.

Ultimately, you will have to be the one to decide which one suits your environmentals the best.

Just my $.02 worth. Good luck with your decision.

—Darrell

Edit: if you want to use the Remington 700 or the model 7, don’t fret if you can’t find the correct fireball action. It’s a simple fix with a Sako style extractor.

 

[L.Sherm]

I looked on shooting bot and there was alot of 17 Remington factory 20 gr ammo.
Natchez has Nosler 17 Remington and 17 fireball brass in stock

 

[JSH]

Shooting the occasional coyote is one thing, hunting them is another. I shot one coyote with my 17 Remington, oh it killed it, but I found out what bullet splash is. Same thing with some 40 grain bullets out of a 223.
When night hunting became legit, buddy jumped in feet first. Bolt gun to a semi auto, 223 and 22-250 in both platforms. I don’t recall what bullet he was loading, in either but he sure had to do some playing around. He settled on the 22-250 AR10, but it was a problem child, he came to the conclusion it had to much body taper and went to a 6.5 CM. It is more than I would want, 22 or 6CM would be my choice if I went that route.

Factory ammo, and feeding issues with some cases in this discussion, I would think a hard look at the 22 or 6 ARC would be worth it.

 

[Leveraction35]

I would think a hard look at the 22 or 6 ARC would be worth it.

6 arc was a recommendation from the builder as well

 

[tstowater]

Dedicated coyote gun, I would skip the 17's. If you were loading your own, I would consider the 20 Practical. The 204R bears consideration, but I personally would like something bigger. The guys using the small cartridges generally are trying to minimize pelt damage with a well placed shot and no exit.

I would suggest more killing power with either a good 22, 6mm or 25 caliber with ammo available. Some of the more recent "cartridge of the month", while likely great options, haven't shown that they will have factory ammo available in the future. Try finding much of the 17FB or 17Rem. If you are going to get into the loading game, buy a good supply of the components that you will be using as availability has been shown to be fleeting at times.

If I am were to go coyote hunting today, I would grab a 25-06 followed by a 220 Swift out of the safe. If I really didn't care and wanted more distance, I would step up to the 6.5-300 Weatherby. Just be careful about the background.

If I wanted something different, I would consider a 22 Nosler, a 22BR or the 22ARC. Just buy a good supply of ammo once you get it to shoot well.

Last, but not least, plan on putting on a suppressor so make sure the barrel is threaded.

 

[linebaugh]

6 arc was a recommendation from the builder as well

6br gives you a 308 bolt head and a bit more horsepower with benchrest proven accuracy. With lighter bullets it would be a slammer out to 300 yrds witb an ability to go farther. Lapua brass available. A plethera of bullet choices and a lot of load data available for a first time reloader.
If it gets repurposed all the short action standard bolt heads become available.

Arc is a ppc bolt face. Not at all a bad option but for sure more limited in what you can build. The solus does have a changeabke bolt head for under 200 bucks if i remember correct.

 

[Leveraction35]

The guys using the small cartridges generally are trying to minimize pelt damage with a well placed shot and no exit.

That’s me. I’m trying to toe the line of fur Friendly and DRT