Best .17 caliber available to buy today?

[drgunlimited]

what kind of muzzle blast is created by a 17 fireball as compared to say an 17hmr..? my load for the 222 is 25gr... if a 17 fireball is in the 18gr ballpark it cant be much less or can it...?

 

[hogpatrol]

what kind of muzzle blast is created by a 17 fireball as compared to say an 17hmr..? my load for the 222 is 25gr... if a 17 fireball is in the 18gr ballpark it cant be much less or can it...?

Let's put it this way, you'll know it's a centerfire when you pull the trigger.

 

[MrMajestic]

I would say it is comparable to a .222 Rem. I run 26" tubes on the .17FB and 24" on the .222 Rem. It is definitely more than a .17 Ackley Hornet or Ackley Bee my go-to's when noise is a concern.

 

[L.Sherm]

I have 2 well I just built my grandson one so I guess 3 what I call a 17 pee wee nothing but a 19 badger that calhoon makes necked down to a 17 cal. I have made my own brass out of 30 carbine and I have bought 19 badger brass from calhoon and necked down to 17 cal. It's a .204 neck I have to trim a little off the dia.and i'm good to go with calhoon's brass. My die is a forster that I purchased from calhoon and sent off to be made into a bushing die. I use AA1680 powder if I want to go to max. it's 14.0gr. at 3850 with a 20gr. v-nitemare bullet from midsouth but mostly I only shoot them at 11.5gr. at 3250-3300 fps the sage rats don't know any difference. If your interested in a wildcat it's a economical way to go when you get all set up. My next choice would be the 17VHA just my 2 cents

 

[Sidewinder]

I agree the 17HMR is great for sage rats out to 200 yards and prairie dogs out to 230 yards. The farthest clean shot on a prairie dog with a 17 Fireball I have made is 575 yards. You can see the hits in the scope and the misses as well for compensation.They are great. I do like the 20 VarTarg better for better wind resistance. I enjoy the 204 for long range varmint hunting. Red mist rules!