17 fireball vs 17 Remington

[No manches"]

To the op,
You specifically asked for the opinion of them 2 cartridges.

Having both cartridges in my safe and using them constantly.
I will vote for the .17 Remington easy to load for and readily available brass and some availability on loaded ammo.

Don't worry much about the carbon fouling..
It would also be a personal opportunity to get into reloading.

Note", .17 Remington lacks the availability of quality bullets..but" inside 200 yards is lighting.

 

[Leveraction35]

I appreciate the feedback

 

[rayh]

I appreciate the feedback

Not the 2 calibers you ask about but the 17-222 splits the difference and mine feeds well in a Mod 70 Coyote I built. Easy to form. But the 20 cal suggestions does have merit with the better 17 cal bullets getting harder to find. Good luck.

 

[ChrisA]

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

Not factory but I have a recipe for that including the discontinued Berger 22 gr or 25 gr Match hollow point at north of 3700 fps MV. Keep off bone and place bullet like you'd shoot a deer with an arrow, frontals included.

 

[SD guy]

Trouble today with either is finding an applicable bullet for the task at hand. I have only shot the 17 FB & have been very pleased & that may be a under statement. I have very little experience on coyote. MY favorite load in the 17 FB Was the 30 GR Berger over IMR 8208 XBR for a muzzle velocity of 3600 FPS.

Had the opportunity to talk with a South Dakota Coyote hunter that relied on the 17 REM, B4 the 17 FB came out. His favorite load in his 17 Rem was only pushing the 30 GR berger at 3600 FPS IMR 4320 was his powder of choice at that time. Had the impression He made a habit of shooting a lot of Coyotes in his day.

My take is both could do a great job. Trouble is bullet options are slim at best.

 

[JSH]

To muddy the waters even more, the 6-223 goes over and above what most think. However to keep with the orginal thought of not reloading, it goes back to the 6 ARC. The two are quite similar in performance, I don’t know what bullets they offer though.
Good on the OP for asking questions, I have built a couple of rifles without thinking it through, they see little love/use.

 

[Big Mc]

I won a custom rifle and I’m considering these 2 cartridges. The rifle will be a dedicated nighttime coyote calling rifle…Shooting off a tripod with a maximum distance of 300 yards.

Which would you go with and why

I won a custom rifle and I’m considering these 2 cartridges. The rifle will be a dedicated nighttime coyote calling rifle…Shooting off a tripod with a maximum distance of 300 yards.

Which would you go with and why

17-223 easy to make. The Yotes around here hate mine. Tommy Mc. 20, 25. and 30 gr. pills all get the job done..

 

[boltfluter]

.17 Remington is pretty much done at 200yds. Been there and done that. For what you are doing a 204 Ruger would be a great choice. Very good bc, and killing power to 300 yds or so, and feeds great. A 6BR or 6ARC would be very good as well. Just keep in mind that, the heavier the bullet, the harder it is to not get an exit hole. Which is what we all are striving for when saving hides. But, no matter what cartridge you choose, bullet placement is the most important thing to get right! Period. Good luck.
Paul

 

[STS]

I don't know what percentage of the coyotes you shoot are near the 300 yard range that you mentioned. What I can tell you for sure is that either one of the .17 caliber cartridges that you mentioned, will result in a lot of coyotes that are not laying there dead when you try to find them at the longer ranges. I have a .17 Mach IV that I have shot 25 or 30 coyotes with over the years, and there is no way I would use it if I expected to need to shoot to 300 yards. If you look at a 25gr., 32gr. and a 52gr. bullet that would be shot from a .17, .20 and a .22 caliber rifle, the difference in the ability to anchor a coyote at distance is huge. In addition, the smaller/lighter the bullet, the greater the challenge is to put it exactly where it needs to be at longer ranges. The .17's definitely have their place in coyote hunting, but it's not in a situation where you may be presented with a long shot. I have a .20 Practical, and I agree with Paul that it would be a better choice for you. BUT, you better pick the right bullet to use in it. I don't use my .20 for coyotes either because of the long shots that are common in northern Montana where I hunt. Those small calibers just don't have the horsepower to do a reliable job is every situation. Been there and done that.

 

[spencerhenry]

Several years ago my fur buyer was complaining about bullet holes, even entry holes from a 223. I had a 17-223 barrel made,1-9 twist. I never used anything bigger than a 25gr Hornady. I killed about 50 coyotes with that gun, never lost a coyote, and never another complaint about holes. I was taking coyotes from 50 yards to 350 yards only 2 ran more than 10 feet. 25gr bullets were just a hair over 4000fps.

I also have 17Mach IV and 17AH.

 

[Tparrish]

I have a 17-222 that like the 30 gr Blackhole bullets

 

[searcher]

Between the two, I'd take the .17 Remington for your described shooting range and quarry. That said, I've shot a lot of coyotes with .17's, .20 practical and .223's and up the ladder with larger cartridges such as .243. Coyotes drop easily with a well-placed shot from any of them. I'd also consider whether you will be shooting any other critters and whether your chosen cartridge also lends itself to that purpose as well. It's nice to have guns which are versatile. The .20 Practical is my minimum choice for coyotes when I think I might be taking shots past 150 yards. Optimum shots aren't always possible and those small .17 bullets don't penetrate much, resulting in a lot of wounded coyotes or those taking more than one round. I have also noticed a huge difference in killing performance when using 39 and 40 grain bullets versus 32's and smaller in the .20. The bigger the bullet, the better. I don't keep hides, so not worried at all about exits. For what it is worth, the best coyote killer in small cartridges I have found is shooting a .223, using 50 grain varmint grenades. When shot through a 1-8 or 1-9 twist barrel, they are very accurate (with the right powder for your gun) and really put the screws to the coyotes with a FAR greater kill ratio over my .17's and .20's. A solid body shot will put them down, even when not in a vital zone and they will rarely exit - usually only when shot within 50 yards. Finding ammo for a .223 , since you are not yet reloading, is a breeze - and the .223 is very adaptable for other uses. Congratulations on your win of a new rifle!

 

[Leveraction35]

I don't know what percentage of the coyotes you shoot are near the 300 yard range that you mentioned.

I’ve never even taken a shot at any game animal at 300. That’s just the absolute farthest opportunity I’ll ever have in my area. Since this will be a dedicated coyote rifle, I’ll mention my farthest coyote shot was 214 steps. But, a huge majority are 80-150

 

[swd]

Out to about 175 a 22 Hornet is my go to..

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

No matter 17,20 or 22 for that matter bullet selection and velocity will matter. Calling at night and rib cage(back off the shoulder a bit) you will have spinners and some run off(not bang flops). Mostly due to the coyote is jacked up coming to the call. The 17 Rem does play above it pay grade, I see more drt on rib shots with it. The bullet needs to penetrate 2 inches before starting to come apart, and be placed on the rear edge of the shoulder. Some bullets don't work well on frontal shots even though they are great side shot bullets.
17. good 25-30 gr hollow points-fast-faster(3800+)
20's. 35-40 gr hp or Nosler 40 Bt (20p I like the 35 Berger) drive all fast(3600+) I don't like the Sierra 39 on frontal shots. BIB 40's and Berger 40's are perfect for the 204R.
22's the 52 gr hp(3500+) Berger match, Speer varmint. Nosler 50,55 Bt. Shoot the shoulder.
At night more edge hits occur, if you can't drt day coyote you will have twice as many runners at night.

 

[drewh]

For the available bullet weights, I prefer the 17 Fireball. Check barrel availability. I don't believe Bartlein is currently offering a 17 caliber option. Pac-nor and Lilja do, Shilen used to, but not currently offering them.

 

[tjtjwdad]

Note: WRT to 17 Remington or 17 Fireball on a Remington 700 action for a repeater;

- There are differences between the STD Remington SA receiver and the Remington 700 Fireball actions in the feeding area;
- There are differences with the bolt face with the position of the ejector;
- There are additional components in the magazine box.

If you want a Remington 700 repeater in a Fireball caliber [17/221 Fireball or 20 Vartarg] I would recommend looking for a Fireball action. That is what I did when I built my 20VT and it functions flawlessly. As a repeater, other manufacturer actions may vary.

 

[Hal]

Drew
Shilen still shows .17 on their web site. Maybe their web site needs updated.

Kreiger use to make .17 barrels but no longer makes them.

Hal

 

[spencerhenry]

Black Hole made my barrel, a 1-9. It shoots well under 1moa at 300.

 

[Leveraction35]

Black Hole made my barrel, a 1-9. It shoots well under 1moa at 300.

I’ll look into that