Finally getting to load for my .17rem AR build.

[Bamapse]

I am finally getting around to loading for my .17rem AR build and was looking for some advice from anyone loading for their .17rem on an AR platform. Barrel is a Shilen 24" 1:10". Looking to run 25gr Hornday HP's with Varget, remington brass, and CCI 450. I have found lots of info fo bolt guns but very little for the .17rem on an ar platform. Any advice or load info is much apprecaited!

 

[Pawnee Bill]

I'm no expert, but if you have bolt gun load data, you should be good to go with your AR. If nervous, back off 10%.

 

[remy3424]

The only thing I remember about reloading the 17 Rem was that Varget was a real treat to get into the cases. Maybe a finer grained powder might speed things along. Load the funnel and tap-tap-tap to get it into the case. At the local gun shows, I have seen an AR in 17 Rem at a vendor table selling it on consignment. Let us know what you think of it once you get a few hundred down the tube. That should leave a mark on the prairie dawgs patches on calms days for sure!!!

 

[bbassi]

Rem 71/2 primers, 24gr of IMR4320 under a 25gr Berger is my bread and butter. Mine is mostly for fox and coyotes but has taken it's share of ground grizzlies. The gun will shoot the 25gr Hornady HP to the same point of impact, but I trust the Bergers for my fur bullet. They are worth the premium in my mind.

 

[squirrelsplitter]

Same Shilen barrel with 25 gr V Max and 22 gr Benchmark. Past 22 grains there were pressure problems.
Very accurate. Working on loads with Varget and 8208.

 

[Ned Christiansen]

I rebarreled an AR to .17/.223 in 1988 and it has been a fun gun over the years, for ground hogs and prairie dogs. I went with .17/.223 over .17 Remington because i figured "I'll always have brass to work with" and as I recall it has a slight velocity edge but.... it was a mistake. The reality is more like, "I'll always have brass I have to rework". Were I to do it again it would absolutely be .17 Rem. So I guess my loads don't translate even if I went to look them up but I made it to 4040 FPS. I shoot it seldom these days and haven't loaded for it for quite a while; the last batch will probably hold me a couple years. But very effective and very accurate!

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I have a 10 twist bull Shilen barrel AR I built in the early 2000's. I run 25 gr, Berger, WCD, and the Hornady bullets. All the regular powders shoot well. For snow covered ground hunting I run the High plains brass, slightly lower powder weight than Rem brass.

 

[Ned Christiansen]

Mine is also a ten twist, Douglas in this case. Since the bore is so small I gave it two separate gas ports that converge into one under the gas block. Probably unnecessary but I must have guessed right on sizes because it has always worked well.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I have that barrel in an upper I built in 2004-5, I have had great accuracy with 23.7 gr varget with Hornady 25 hp. The v max(25) was ok, nothing spectacular. Also imr 4320 23.8-24.2 shot great. I use high plains brass in the winter, so loads may need slight adjustment with actual 17 rem brass.

 

[SSL]

Not in an AR, but I have exceptional luck with 25.6 grains of CFE223 and the Hornady 25-grain hollow point. The 25-grain VMax shoots nearly as well with the same load, but the edge goes to the hp. CFE223 has the additional advantage of metering like a dream.

 

[yotehater]

My experience is with the shorter barrels so I tend to run powders on the faster side of appropriate powders for certain bullets. Like H322 behind the 20g V-max is amazing. For my longer rifles W760 behind the 25's and 30's are super accurate and easy loading. Remington 7 1/2's if you start piercing primers. Right now I'm working with IMR4166 but still undecided if I like it. The biggest drawback I think is going to be having to full length resize your brass every time.

 

[cath8r]

24.5gr of varget under a Berger or hornady 25 work for me. Also have had great accuracy with 23.5 gr of varget. Bolt gun for me.